Buying a High-Quality Drone You'll Have Fun Using
Drones can give you a fun way to explore varied terrain without walking or hiking. They can also take pictures and videos of special moments. You might even decide to start a business offering inspections, video recording, and drone photography for others.
Essential features to look for in a droneYou should choose a drone that automatically returns when the battery is low, allowing you to avoid losing or crashing the device. This feature is called RTH for "return to home." Flight time can be as short as five minutes. It depends on the model. Most people will want at least 10 minutes of flight time. You can find models with a flight time as high as 35 minutes.
Flight speed on some models can reach 35 mph. You should use limited flight mode as a beginner to prevent crashes until you become more comfortable flying the drone at faster speeds. A fast maximum flight speed is a good feature to look for if you want to explore with the drone. It helps make up for the low battery life. Flight speed won't matter much if you use the drone for inspections and recording memories.
Is quiet operation an important feature to you? Look for drones that have brushless motors, which are quieter and have a longer lifespan than a brushed motor.
You can find refurbished drones as a way of saving money. Many refurbished drones are of good quality and have never been in an accident.
What features should you look for in a camera drone?Camera drones have many practical uses, including recording weddings, inspecting construction sites, and checking on anything high up. It can make life more convenient since you don't need to climb to inspect a structure like a windmill or roof.
Consider looking for a high frame rate and resolution if you plan on using video with the drone. You want resolution that's at least 1920 x 1080. You can find many options in 4K camera drones for stunning image quality. See the manufacturer site for details.
An integrated gimbal is a necessary feature to stabilize the camera in strong winds or at high elevation.
Drone attachments to consider include goggles, a drone bag, a camera cleaning kit, and a hang mount to fit a 360-degree camera.
Racing dronesAlthough many drone racers like building their own drones, you can find models suitable for racing, such as the UVify Draco, Aerix Black Talon 2.0, and Walkera F210 3D. A racing drone should be small, with good maneuverability and high-speed capability. Some racing drones come with a video headset, so you can guide the drone in first-person view. Most of these headsets can record video, allowing you to film and view your racing victories.
What Types of Camera Drones Are Available?
Drones can be designed with two types of cameras:
- First-person view ("FPV"): With these devices, the pilot can watch the obstacles blocking the way of the drone and avert them accordingly. Usually, you will be able to see the path of the quadcopter on a screen on the controller or on your smartphone. FPV cameras are typically used for racing.
- Photography cameras: These cameras are usually positioned below the drone to enable you to see the view from above. Most are equipped with features that allow you to capture excellent pictures.
What Photographic Quality Should You Expect?
The quality of photography is primarily be determined by the resolution of your camera. Good cameras have a 4K video resolution. These are mainly used by professional photographers. You do not have to obtain this specific resolution in order to take decent videos. If this drone is going to an amateur or will only record recreational videos, you can find some lower resolution cameras that are suitable but still take brilliant pictures.
What Features and Specifications Should You Look For?
- Removable cameras: In some models, users can remove the cameras and fly the drone without the camera attached, excellent if this is a gift for a beginner who still needs to learn to fly. This helps to reduce the weight of the drone, thus enabling longer flights. More importantly, this feature enables camera upgrades when there are advances in the technology. Perhaps your gift to mom or dad next year will be just such an upgrade.
- Flight time: Most drones can only fly for limited periods. Drones with cameras have less flight time since they carry extra weight. This drains the batteries much faster. Try to find one that can run long enough for racing or shooting extended videos. Alternatively, consider adding extra batteries to someones stocking to extend the flight times.
- Stability: It is hard to shoot pictures and videos on a shaky device. You should look for drones made with 6-axis gyroscopes, as these are usually highly stable.
- Range: People can only control a drone within a certain radius. A wider range is particularly important for people intending to race with their camera drones. If you want it to take pictures and videos from higher altitudes, range will also factor into the selection.
- Hovering: Some drones are designed with a hovering feature. Typically, these drones will stay at one position in the air if you let go of the controls. That way, you can focus your camera and take sharper images.
- Ease of operation: If you are shopping for someone who is not experienced in flying drones, you should consider getting one with simple controls. For example, some quadcopters can be landed with the push of a single button. With some models, the drone will be able to trace its way back to the controller if it goes out of the range.