The biggest question we get asked at DRONEGEAR is what drone do we use? The answer is many different types depending on the application we’re using it for. In this blog post, I want to focus on the best drones for beginners looking to get high quality photo/video at a relatively good price point BETWEEN $500.00 - $1400.00USD.
Pro tip: If you’re brand new to drones, we highly recommend buying a cheap toy drone to get a feel for the remote control as well as a drone without GPS. Fly these little drones to get practice on the stick input, the same flight input as DJI remotes. If you can master this, flying your more expensive drone will be a walk in the park and minimize the risk of a potential crash.
The Husban H107C+ X4 CAM PLUS is the one to get at only $39.00
Budget is another big factor when considering the right drone. Many of the below drones are manufactured by DJI, one of the most trusted brands in the industry. When DRONEGEAR entered the market many years ago, a few other competitors existed and have since faded into the abyss, not being able to compete with DJI’s fast paced product development. The lead company integrates camera, brushless gimbal, obstacle avoidance and smart feature technologies that’s all user-friendly, portable and extremely reliable.
Let’s start with my recommendations from economical to premium drones.
This small drone is extremely portable and folds up to fit into the palm of your hand. It’s portable and can fit into handbags and backpacks with ease, the perfect gear for those who are tight on space.
With a long flight time of up to 30 minutes, 2.7K resolution video and 12 megapixel photos, this is a very affordable entry-level drone at $399.00. We recommend the ‘Fly More Combo’ at $499.00 which includes two extra batteries, a case, spare propellors and other accessories.
Below are all the notable features of this drone.
Video resolution - 2.7K
Photo megapixels - 12MP
Flight time - 30 Minutes Max
Range - 4km HD Video Transmission
Vision sensor + GPS precise hover
Weight - 249g
Smart features
Auto take off and landing
Quick shots including Drone, Rocket, Circle & Helix
CineSmooth mode
Our rating - 3/5 stars
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is a very impressive follow-up drone to the original Mavic Air. DRONEGEAR worked with DJI on this product launch in Los Angeles a couple of years ago. Highlights include the 4K resolution camera at 60 frames per second which is becoming industry standard for premium cameras and is highly sought after when filming. The ability to slow down the footage and still have a high resolution is a nice option. The 48-megapixel camera is very impressive for a half-inch sensor (although we’re personally waiting to see this on the new DJI Mavic 3 with a one-inch sensor apparently being released later in the year).
OcuSync 2.0 has a video transmission distance up to 10 km in 1080p which is a phenomenal range to have. Please note, you cannot fly 10km with FAA part 107 rules limiting the pilot to flying only within visual line of sight.
One of our favorite features of this drone is the newly designed remote control. I use my cell phone as the monitor which is now placed above the controller instead of underneath like in all previous Mavic models, a bad design due to the tendency to bump settings whilst flying. See pictured below, new to the left and old to the right.
Below are all the notable features of this drone.
Auto take-off and landing features of this drone:
Video resolution - 4K/60fps
Sensor size - 1/2 Inch
Photo megapixels - 48MP,
Flight time - 34 Minutes Max
Range - 10km
Vision sensor - forward, backward and downward sensors
Weight - 570g
Smart features
Auto take off and landing
Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) 3.0
8K Hyperlapse
HDR Video
Smart photo
Active Track 3.0
Spotlight 2.0
Point of interest 3.0
Quick shots including Drone, Rocket, Circle & Helix, Boomerang & Asteroid
CineSmooth mode
The Mavic Air 2 is $799.00. We recommend the ‘Fly More Combo’ at $988.00 including two extra batteries, a case, spare propellers and other accessories.
Our DJI Mavic Air 2 rating - 4/5 stars
The Mavic Pro 2 drone is approaching its two year anniversary since the release on August 23rd, 2018, and has been my personal go-to drone. I travel a lot with my fiancé and find the Mavic Pro 2 always gets the job done whether I’m filming video, taking photos or doing a quick hyper lapse. It’s very discreet when flying with the low noise propellors. I use this drone on documentary films, online commercials and travel lifestyle content. The Mavic Pro 2 will be a good earner for you knowing that this has been used on many T.V productions and sought after by directors in the industry. I have a job booked this week (June 2020) and will be flying indoors for an architectural documentary. The director specifically requested the DJI Mavic Pro 2 for flying indoors.
Below are all the notable features of this drone:
Video resolution - 4K/30fps
Sensor size - 1 Inch CMOS
Photo megapixels - 20MP
Flight time - 31 Minutes Max
Range - 8km - 1080p video feed
Vision sensor - forward, backward and downward sensors
Weight - 907g
Smart features
Omni directional Obstacle Sensing with APAS
Hyperlapse
HDR Video
HDR photo
Active Track 2.0
Spotlight 2.0
Point of interest 2.0
Waypoint 2.0
After nearly two years of using the DJI Mavic 2, I’ve noticed one drawback being the poor battery design. One of our batteries had a bad cell, puffed, and is no longer useable. This happens over time or if batteries are run below 20%. To prevent this from happening, always land your drone by 20%-25%. If flying below the 20% mark, droners damage batteries cells that will ultimately lower their life span. Once my drone reaches 30%, I think about beginning the journey home.
One of our friends had the same issue of a battery puffing and unfortunately, this happened mid-flight where the battery ejected which lead to a loss of power and crash where the drone was totaled. I, personally, have not crashed in the nearly two years of flying the Mavic 2 with hundreds of hours logged. I wanted to disclose the above information so that you're aware of the issue and take care of your drone batteries.
The DJI Mavic Pro 2 with Hasselblad camera is $1599..00
Our rating - 4/5 stars
When buying any DJI drone, we advise you to purchase the DJI care refresh. This will help minimize the cost of repairs and drone replacement if you have an accident. I’ve also heard and read in the fine print that DJI will only cover these repairs and replacements in the country where you purchased the drone and DJI care refresh. If you bought your drone in the U.S.A and the DJI care refresh in the same transaction, you won’t be covered if you try and get this repaired in a country outside the U.S.A.
Below photo taken in Peru with DJI Mavic Pro 2 and Tiffen ND16/PL filter.
If you’re purchasing a new DJI drone we’d appreciate it if you click through our affiliate links in this blog post to support the production of this content.
Feel free to reach out to me, Alex Kavanagh, if you have any questions - Alex@dronegear.tv
I’m here to help!
Happy and safe flying droners!
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