> It’s small, but some of his hand-built ones are smaller.

Aside from the size, how do his hand-built ones compare in terms of camera, gimbal, remote controller, radio, battery life, and potentially SDK?

from experience I know that the SDK and battery life are better on the mid-range DIY options/

Aftermarket remotes/radios are arguably better; just not as compact and conveniently set-up.

I can't comment on camera/gimbal.

There are DIY-ish units out there that are entirely controllable via your choice of language; i'm not sure if there is any SDK that rivals that flexibility.

all that said : I understand the DJI value proposition, but the company has practices that I try to avoid entirely in my life, regardless of how nice their drones are.

> from experience I know that the SDK and battery life are better on the mid-range DIY options

SDK in DIY options? Do you have examples?

> I can't comment on camera/gimbal.

Cameras and gimbals become very difficult in DIY, because they required tight integration with the drone.