I accept that your drone has limited camera zoom ability. Without going looking, I'll be surprised if there are no drones available with out of the box significant zoom lens ability. And, any drone can be retrofitted with an added payload camera, up to it's lift limit.
Respectful use like you describe will rarely bother someone else. And I can see many legitimate and productive uses....... nasty windstorm just came through ? Great way to make friends with a neighbour is drop by with your drone and offer to help them check the ridge panels on their high roof barn, or check out the cable runs for lightning rods, etc......
What irks people is when it is non-obvious what someone is up to with a drone - overlay that with modern-day society's tendency to use technology to abstract themselves from direct interaction, and insulate themselves from responsibility, esp when they
are up to no good...... it's no wonder people bought all those Drone Hunting Licenses ! :laughing:
In an older drone thread, the example I gave was: Let's say you have a large urban back yard, with a privacy fence around a pool that your teenage daughter likes to sunbathe beside. If I parked a bucket truck on the street beside your fence, raised it up to stand in it with a camera, and started taking pictures of your daughter, I'd expect all parents to call the police.
Well, OK, maybe not the Kardashian's..... they'd be on the phone with the city, demanding that
Paparazzi Bucket Truck Only ! parking signs be immediately put up adjacent to their pool.....
With a drone used instead, even many people who find it annoying tend to view a drone with a camera as
Less Wrong than a human standing there with a camera. Most of the time, I don't agree.
If all drone pilots behaved in the respectful manner that ovrszd does, there would be no debate needed.
Rgds, D.