Really appreciate it, man!

I agree......... but it's no doubt, the M30T is an awesome capability. What I really am beginning to dislike about DDR is that, on their website to find a drone operator near you, if the operator has an M3T, they say it's "not a DDR approved drone". As if the M3T can't get the job done when clearly it can. To my understanding it has the same thermal sensor as the M30T, which is the meat of either of the two drones, imo. It's clear how the M30T has other capabilities that make it very desirable to have. Their arrogance on the subject is beginning to annoy me. I recently purchased an M3T an am going through my paces with it now, learning all the nuances about it before this next season in W. Ky.

You are correct, same thermal capability. The M30T can carry a larger spotlight payload, has more zoom, and is weather rated...these features are nice but not always MUSTS. Whether you NEED the weather rating depends on your location and climate. The M3T is perfectly capable for this work.

To some extent, yes. The thermal is essentially the same 640x512 sensor. But the M2EA does not have the optical/total zoom capabilities and longer flight time of the M3T. I don’t think there are any gimbal-synced spotlights for the M2EA either.