Drones with camera video

The 4 Best Drones for Photos and Video 2022

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1. Electronics
2. Camera Accessories

Photo: Signe Brewster

In testingAug 2022

Coming soon

We’re currently testing the new DJI Avata, a small FPV drone, as well as new FPV goggles which DJI is including in a bundle with the drone.

FYI

After testing, the DJI Mavic Air 2S will be our new top pick. We’ve also noticed recurring stock issues on the Autel Robotics Evo II. We’ve removed it, and are testing the Evo Lite+ as a replacement.

August 31, 2022

If you’re an aspiring aerial photographer or videographer, a drone is your ticket to the sky. After test-flying 19 models, we think the DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best drone because it combines a high-end camera with the latest autonomous technology for less than $1,000. We also recommend the DJI Mavic 3 and the DJI Mini 2. Pilots of all skill levels will find that DJI’s drones are exceptionally reliable and easy to fly.

It’s worth noting, however, that even though a recent Pentagon report indicates some DJI drones are safe for use, there are ongoing concerns about the security of the drones, as well as allegations that the company provided drone technology to Chinese detention camps. Android users will also have to download the company’s DJI Fly app directly from the website.

Our pick

DJI Mavic Air 2

For a drone under $1,000, the Mavic Air 2 packs impressive value by combining DJI’s reliable obstacle avoidance with a 4K camera and great battery life.

Buying Options

$1,168* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $800.

For less than $1,000, the DJI Mavic Air 2 package combines ease of flight with long battery life and a camera that can shoot 4K video (we recommend buying the Fly More Combo option, which, among other things, includes three rechargeable drone batteries). The Mavic Air 2 can sense and avoid obstacles approaching from the front, back, and below, as well as steadily hold its position, even in moderate winds (DJI says it’s safe to fly in winds up to 23.6 mph). So you can focus on your cinematography instead of having to worry about keeping the drone steady. This model also features DJI smart-flight modes such as ActiveTrack, which directs the drone to autonomously follow and film a subject while also avoiding obstacles. Its 34-minute battery life means you don’t have to land for a battery swap as often as you would with the competition. And the Mavic Air 2 can go with you almost anywhere: At 7 by 3.8 by 3.3 inches folded and 1.3 pounds, it fits exceptionally well in our top pick for drone backpacks.

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Upgrade pick

DJI Mavic 3

If you want the best camera available on a Mavic drone, the Mavic 3 is our pick.

Buying Options

$2,049* from Amazon

$2,049 from Walmart

$2,049 from Moment

*At the time of publishing, the price was $2,200.

The DJI Mavic 3 takes many of the Mavic Air 2’s best features and, for 2½ times the price, tacks on a superior 4/3 image sensor and Hasselblad-branded camera (DJI bought a majority stake in the camera manufacturer in 2017). This model captures 20-megapixel photographs and 5.1K videos that look more colorful than those of the competition. It also has a 46-minute battery life—the longest of any drone we’ve tested.

Budget pick

DJI Mini 2

A 4K camera paired with DJI’s autonomous features make this drone an especially good value.

If you’re just getting into drone photography for personal use and sharing on social media, the DJI Mini 2 is a less expensive model that still includes a 4K camera. Its battery life, at 31 minutes, comes close to matching that of more expensive models (though the Mini 2 has a lower-quality camera and sensor, so it can’t quite match the quality of their images and video). This model folds up to about the size of a person’s hand and weighs just 249 grams; that’s a bit over half a pound and light enough to not require registration for personal use. The Mini 2 still comes with the important features you need from a video drone, such as image and flight stabilization and an included controller, as well as smart-flight modes (in which the drone flies itself to easily capture cinematic shots).

Everything we recommend

Our pick

DJI Mavic Air 2

For a drone under $1,000, the Mavic Air 2 packs impressive value by combining DJI’s reliable obstacle avoidance with a 4K camera and great battery life.

Buying Options

$1,168* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $800.

Upgrade pick

DJI Mavic 3

If you want the best camera available on a Mavic drone, the Mavic 3 is our pick.

Buying Options

$2,049* from Amazon

$2,049 from Walmart

$2,049 from Moment

*At the time of publishing, the price was $2,200.

Budget pick

DJI Mini 2

A 4K camera paired with DJI’s autonomous features make this drone an especially good value.

The research

• Why you should trust us
• Who this is for
• How we picked and tested
• Our pick: DJI Mavic Air 2
• Flaws but not dealbreakers
• Upgrade pick: DJI Mavic 3
• Budget pick: DJI Mini 2
• Other good drones
• Some choice accessories for DJI drones
• Some notes on DJI drone security and privacy
• How to safely fly a recreational drone
• What to look forward to
• The competition

Why you should trust us

A lifelong photography enthusiast, I have chronicled the rise of modern hobby drones by working closely with the industry’s professionals and hobbyists. I’ve extensively studied photography-focused quadcopters and their smaller, more-agile cousins, built for racing. I have also spent hundreds of hours flying drones in all sorts of environments, and I’m the writer of Wirecutter’s guide to drones under $100. I also have a remote pilot certificate.

Who this is for

Drones (or, more specifically, quadcopters) are small aircraft that you can equip with a camera to shoot bird’s-eye-view photos and videos. They may be of interest to any photographer or videographer who wants to reach inaccessible spaces—like high up in the air or across a body of water—that would normally require a crane or helicopter.

Regardless of which drone you choose, know that there’s an evolving body of regulations surrounding drone flight and appropriate usage that you should get familiar with before buying and flying. The modern photography drones covered in this guide have autonomous features that make it possible to learn how to fly them within minutes, but it takes weeks to master. You’re not preparing for a sunny afternoon in a soccer field; you’re preparing for the moment when high winds pick up your drone and dump it halfway across the neighborhood (yes, we’re speaking from experience). We’ve included a few tips for how to fly safely and ensure you’re complying with local and federal regulations.

We also have some thoughts on security and privacy, including best practices if you want to avoid sharing your information with drone companies. All of the drones we recommend in this guide are made by companies headquartered in China. At the government level, there are ongoing concerns about the safety of using Chinese technology for surveillance work on US soil. At the hobby and professional level, you’ll have to make that call for yourself based on the sensitivity of your footage. There’s also the matter of allegations of human rights abuses. If you’d like to avoid Chinese drones altogether (though not Chinese parts), you can consider drones from the French company Parrot (which publishes a guide to its security practices) or US-based Skydio.

The drones we cover in this guide might be of interest to certain professionals, including, for example, someone who wants to film a wedding, inspect gutters, or capture footage of a house going up for sale. But professionals shooting a film might want to look at higher-end options that allow specific camera equipment to be mounted on the drone. There are also options for people who want to inspect farmland and industrial equipment, since this can call for specialized sensors.

Thanks to improvements in technology and rapidly declining prices, a decent photography drone can cost as little as $400. But if you’re looking for your first drone and want to get used to flying before risking even that much, we have a guide to inexpensive drone models (without nice cameras) that are great for learning.

How we picked and tested

After reading professional and owner reviews, plus speaking to enthusiasts, experts, and manufacturers at the CES trade show, we decided to consider the following criteria while looking for drones to test:

• A quadcopter design: Drones shaped like planes do exist, but they’re not as easy to fly as quadcopter models shaped like an X. A quadcopter shape (or alternatives, like hexacopters, that add more arms) make for the most stable photo and video because they can steadily hold their position in the air.
• Crash-avoidance sensors: Sensors in drones have come a long way, and there are now some models that can sense obstacles approaching in any direction and adjust their flight path to avoid a crash. This technology removes so much stress from flying that we are willing to consider only those drones that, at the very least, can sense obstacles approaching from their front, back, and bottom.
• A high-quality camera: Generally, the more you pay for a photography drone, the better-quality camera you get. We considered only those models that could shoot at least 12-megapixel photos and 4K video.
• A three-axis gimbal: A good gimbal, which stabilizes a camera attached to a drone with accelerometers and gyroscopes even when you are flying in wind or a jerky pattern, is essential if you want usable footage. A three-axis gimbal is a general industry standard.
• Long battery life: Longer-lasting batteries tend to be larger and weigh more, so manufacturers try to balance drone size with battery life. But a shorter flight time means fewer shots, shorter videos, and less flexibility. We prefer drone batteries that last at least 20 minutes, and we recommend that pilots pick up a few extras (the batteries are rechargeable) so that they can spend more time in the field flying.
• Autonomous modes: Any video drone worth buying should have a fail-safe return-home mode that automatically brings the aircraft back to the launch point when you press a button or the drone loses contact with the controller. Additionally, we prefer drones that come preprogrammed with cinematic autonomous-flight modes; with the touch of a button, you can tell a drone to follow you while you snowboard down a mountain, say, or fly in a circle while filming for a dramatic selfie.
• Portability: The best drones are portable enough to be an everyday tool, which means they are small and light enough to pack into a camera bag or backpack. Some drones accomplish this by having foldable arms that make them more compact.
• Long flight range: Federal rules say you must always keep a drone within your line of sight. But in special cases, a drone’s ability to fly an especially long distance without losing contact with a controller can be a useful tool.
• Intuitive controller: Most drone controllers look similar, with two joysticks for controlling flight and a smattering of buttons for specific tasks. Controllers with a built-in screen or with an option for attaching a smartphone (so you can gain additional abilities with an app) can extend their functions even further, often more intuitively.

Using the above criteria, we were able to pare our original testing field in 2016 down to the DJI Mavic Pro, the DJI Phantom 3 Standard, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, the Yuneec Typhoon H hexacopter, the GoPro Karma, and the Parrot Bebop 2. We tested the DJI Spark in 2017 and then the DJI Mavic Air and DJI Phantom 4 Pro v2 in early 2018. In late 2018, we tested the DJI Mavic 2 Pro (now discontinued), DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, and Autel Evo. We tested the Skydio R1 in early 2019 and Parrot Anafi in late 2019. In early 2020, we tried the DJI Mavic Air 2 and DJI Mavic Mini. We tested the DJI Mini 2 in late 2020. In 2021, we considered the Autel Evo II Pro and 8K models, plus the DJI Mavic 3 and FPV drones.

We shot photos and videos with each drone to evaluate camera quality, which also helped us to gauge stabilization quality and see whether propellers appeared in any of the shots. We also tried all of the advertised intelligent-flight modes and crash-avoidance systems by flying the drones through trees. We tested maneuverability and controller sensitivity by flying fast with lots of turns.

In 2018, we spent dozens more hours evaluating and testing drone accessories, including backpacks, first-person-view headsets, and landing pads to determine the extra gear that’s truly worth the investment for photography drones.

Our pick: DJI Mavic Air 2

Photo: Signe Brewster

Our pick

DJI Mavic Air 2

For a drone under $1,000, the Mavic Air 2 packs impressive value by combining DJI’s reliable obstacle avoidance with a 4K camera and great battery life.

Buying Options

$1,168* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $800.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best drone for budding aerial photographers and videographers because of its automated obstacle avoidance and 4K camera, as well as how easy it is to fly. Its three-axis gimbal provides effective image stabilization, and its 34-minute battery life means you need to land less often. The Mavic Air 2’s pre-programmed flight modes, as well as its ability to autonomously return to its launch point and land itself, allow both beginners and advanced pilots to get cinematic-looking shots without much effort. Although the Mavic 3 gets you a bump in camera, battery, and autonomous abilities, we think the Mavic Air 2 is impressive enough to please most people—for a third of the price.

The Mavic Air 2 can sense obstacles from up to 155 feet away, as they approach from the drone’s front, back, or bottom, and then make adjustments to avoid them. Although that left it blind while the Air 2 was flying up or to the side (the Mavic 3 tacks on sensors for those directions in certain flight modes), we still found the feature useful for normal flight; the drone emitted a loud beep and stopped itself when I tried to fly it straight at a tree or slam it into the ground. Obstacle sensing removes stress from the flying experience, both when you’re flying manually and when you’re using any of DJI’s pre-programmed flight options.

The Mavic Air 2’s camera has a ½-inch sensor and 12- and 48-megapixel modes, plus 4K video capture at up to 60 frames per second. In our tests, the Mavic Air 2 took videos that looked sharp without any color-balancing fuss from us (though we still preferred the colors that came out of the Mavic 3’s Hasselblad lens). A new feature called SmartPhoto (which recognizes what the camera is seeing and adjusts the colors accordingly) may have been part of the reason, though it was hard to tell what exactly the feature adjusted.

While flying in winds clocking about 10 mph, the Mavic Air 2 was unfailingly stable. It didn’t drift, and it consistently shot steady video, even when it rose hundreds of feet into the air over the Mississippi River. The other Mavic drones we tested performed similarly (except for the Mavic Mini, which warned us about high winds and advised us to land). Like many drones, the Mavic Air 2 uses a combination of GPS and GLONASS satellites, as well as the vision cameras, to monitor movement and altitude changes.

It’s annoying to get into the rhythm of flying a drone and then just a few minutes later receive an alert indicating that it’s time to land and change the battery. This is our main problem with the drones we cover in our guide to inexpensive drones. Battery life should be one fewer thing to think about. With a life of up to 34 minutes, the Mavic Air 2’s batteries allow a flight time so long that we filled its 8 GB of internal memory space with video footage before our first battery drained.

Photographers and cinematographers can take their skills further with the preprogrammed flight modes. We most often used ActiveTrack, which directs the drone to follow a subject (or yourself). In QuickShots mode, the Mavic Air 2 can autonomously film in elaborate cinematic ways, such as circling around a subject or zooming away from it. Tripod mode, which limits the drone’s speed to 3 mph and softens the controls (to prevent jerky movement, for cinematic shots), is also useful.

The Mavic Air 2 measures 7 by 3.8 by 3.3 inches when folded—about the size of a large coffee thermos—and weighs 1.3 pounds. Its controller is comparable in size to a sandwich. You can slip both into a camera bag easily or stow them in a purse or backpack.

It’s possible to fly the Mavic Air 2 up to 6.2 miles away, though federal regulations say a drone must remain within your line of sight. It transmits video and remote controller data via DJI’s OccuSync 2.0 system, which we’ve found to be reliable.

The Mavic Air 2’s controller puts essential drone functions within reach but doesn’t overwhelm you with buttons and other options. Photo: Signe Brewster

You can use DJI’s Fly mobile app for drone calibration, camera settings, GPS maps, and intelligent-flight modes. Most important, the app displays a live feed from the drone’s camera so you can frame shots to your liking. It also tracks all of your flight information (which you can replay if you’re trying to repeat a shot), warns you about any flight restrictions in the area, and has built-in video-editing tools. You connect your smartphone to the controller via an included specialized USB Type-C, Micro-USB, or Lightning cable threaded through the side of the left brace—you can use a standard cable instead, but it sticks out oddly and limits motion.

Although you can use the DJI app to control almost every aspect of the drone, you still need to use the controller to pilot it. In our tests, the drone responded nimbly to our controls, even while flying in the faster and more agile Sport mode. We also found it easy to adjust the tilt of the drone’s camera with the wheel built into the controller or to hit the specialized buttons that prompt the camera to take a picture or start filming.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Like other China-based brands, DJI has come under scrutiny from the US government and security researchers over security concerns in recent years. Android users will also have to download the DJI Fly app from DJI’s website instead of the Google Play store. We’ve included a few notes about the security of DJI drones below.

While the Mavic Air 2’s front, back, and bottom sensors go a long way toward preventing collisions, we prefer how our upgrade pick, the Mavic 3, adds top and side sensors. With the Mavic Air 2, we didn’t feel as confident flying amid the branches of a tree, since it was hard to gauge from a distance just how close the branches were. Additional sensors make for a lower-stress flight.

The Mavic Air 2 also has a smaller camera sensor than that of the Mavic 3. We thought the videos it took looked sharp enough for posting to YouTube and social media, but the Mavic 3’s videos looked even clearer, with better colors.

The controller lacks a built-in screen. That isn’t a big deal if you have the drone linked with a phone and boot up the DJI Fly app (which tells you all of the information a controller screen would). But it was still a minor thing we missed when we wanted to get in a quick flight without connecting a phone.

Upgrade pick: DJI Mavic 3

Photo: DJI

Upgrade pick

DJI Mavic 3

If you want the best camera available on a Mavic drone, the Mavic 3 is our pick.

Buying Options

$2,049* from Amazon

$2,049 from Walmart

$2,049 from Moment

*At the time of publishing, the price was $2,200.

The DJI Mavic 3 is a worthwhile upgrade if you’re willing to pay considerably more for a better camera and improved obstacle avoidance. Its 4/3 sensor makes for clearer videos and photos, and its Hasselblad-branded camera makes the footage it shoots more colorful. The Mavic 3 can also sense obstacles coming from most directions and adjust to avoid them, facilitating somewhat safer flying.

In flight, the Mavic 3 uses sensors to detect obstacles up to 656 feet away approaching from its sides (in certain flight modes), front, back, bottom, and top. It can also adjust its flight path to avoid a collision. The Mavic Air 2 does not include obstacle sensing on its sides or top, and it does not have the latest version of APAS, which is DJI’s sensing and obstacle-avoidance system.  During our testing, the Mavic 3 stopped short when we tried to fly it at a tree. And it flew around a tree that was blocking its path when we directed it to autonomously return to its launch point. It beeped loudly to warn us whenever we flew close to an obstacle, including fine tree branches, and it automatically slowed its descent while landing so that it gently set down on the ground every time. Note that the side sensors on the Mavic 3 work only while you are flying in Tripod, POI, QuickShot, and ActiveTrack mode. If you ever do need to fly close to an obstacle for the perfect shot or a more sports-like performance, you can turn off obstacle sensing and avoidance.

The Mavic 3’s 20-megapixel, 5.1K camera is branded by Hasselblad (a Swedish company known for medium-format cameras), which DJI acquired in 2017. Considering that this camera is as small as a fun-size candy bar, it can’t capture the same quality as Hasselblad’s larger cameras can. But DJI and Hasselblad did work together on a few features that are notable for a drone, including a 4/3 CMOS sensor that can work in lower-light conditions (the Mavic Air 2 has a ½-inch sensor). The companies also say that they adapted Hasselblad’s method for making colors look more realistic without having to fine-tune color settings. We found that the colors did indeed look truer and brighter than those of the Mavic Air 2 and the Mini. The Mavic 3 shoots 5.1K video at up to 50 frames per second with a 200 Mbps max bit rate (the processing speed at which the camera is recording digital media). You can set the aperture anywhere between f/2.8 and f/11; the Mavic Air 2 has a fixed f/2.8 sensor.

Interestingly, there is a second camera located above the Hasselblad lens. Meant to be used for telephoto photography, it has a ½-inch sensor and can shoot 12-megapixel images and 4K videos. It has a 4x digital zoom, though DJI advertises it as being a 28x hybrid zoom.

The Mavic 3 captured more-accurate colors than the competition. Video: Signe Brewster.

Like the Mavic Air 2, the Mavic 3 is one of the most consistently stable drones we’ve ever flown. In our tests, it hovered accurately and resisted drifting. Paired with APAS 5.0, it gave us enough trust in the drone that we consistently felt like we could focus on getting the right shot instead of worrying about crashing.

At up to 46 minutes, the Mavic 3’s battery life is the best of any we’ve ever tested. Still, we think anything over the 30-minute mark is enough to capture a satisfying amount of footage before you have to land for a battery change. It’s worth noting that the intelligent flight mode Quickshots will not be available until January 2022. You can fly the Mavic 3 Pro up to 18.65 miles away, though US rules say you or a spotter must always have the drone within your line of sight.

Photo: DJI

The Mavic 3 folds down to 8.7 by 3.8 by 3.6 inches, making this model slightly larger than the Mavic Air 2 but just as portable. It weighs 2 pounds and doesn’t require any assembly before you fly (aside from removing the camera cover). The controller is the size of a sandwich. Though the Mavic 3 is about 50% heavier than the Mavic Air 2, it’s still conveniently sized. You can stow it in a conventional camera bag or even a purse.

DJI sells an upgraded version called the Mavic 3 Cine, which supports the Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec and upgrades the internal storage to 1 TB SSD. The bundle also includes the RC Pro controller, which has a built-in screen. The bundle is pricey ($5,000 at the time of publishing), but it might appeal to professionals who want the portability of the Mavic line of drones.

Budget pick: DJI Mini 2

Photo: Rozette Rago

Budget pick

DJI Mini 2

A 4K camera paired with DJI’s autonomous features make this drone an especially good value.

The DJI Mini 2 is one of the most basic and inexpensive models DJI offers and is an ideal beginner photography drone. Though it lacks the sensor and camera quality and the range of the Mavic Air 2 or Mavic 3, the Mini 2 weighs and costs a third as much yet still packs a 4K camera and retains important beginner-friendly features. The drone can take off, land, and return home with the push of a button. It also has a positioning system that’s intelligent enough to hold its location in the air, and its 31-minute battery life is almost as long as that of more expensive models. For a beginner who just wants to start taking photos and videos, the Mini 2 is a bargain.

It has a ½-inch sensor and can shoot 12 megapixel photos or up to 4K video at 30 fps. The results aren’t as clear as what you can capture on a Mavic Air 2 or Mavic 3, but they’re nice enough for posting to YouTube and social media. There is also a huge improvement in image quality (for what you can get at this price) compared with even just a few years ago.

The Mini 2’s small size makes it easy to slip into a purse, and pilots flying it for personal use don’t have to register it with the FAA. Photo: Rozette Rago

The Mini 2 is a stable drone that can capture steady video even in windy conditions. We didn’t notice drifting as we tooled around a field in 5 mph winds. It relies on the same GPS and GLONASS positioning system as other DJI drones, but we have noticed in other small drones, such as the original Mavic Mini, that they do not have enough power to fight wind as effectively as larger drones.

Because the Mini 2 weighs about half a pound, you don’t have to register the drone with the FAA before flying it for personal use.

That tiny size is the Mini 2’s best feature. Because the drone weighs 249 grams, or about half a pound, you don’t have to register the drone with the FAA before flying it for personal use. It’s only 5.5 inches long and 3.2 inches wide, about the same size as its controller. I had no trouble tucking it into my jacket pocket when I moved locations between flights.

You can fly the Mini 2 up to 6.2 miles away, but you need to keep it within sight to comply with the law. This drone’s smaller size and lighter gray color made it harder for us to spot from a distance, so we tended to keep it closer than we did larger drones. The Mini 2 relies on the DJI Fly app for a livestream from the drone’s camera, access to many of the intelligent-flight modes, and a second location for activating things like auto takeoff and landing.

Other good drones

FPV, or first-person-view drones, integrate a headset that floats a livestream from the drone’s camera in front of your eyes, making it feel a little bit like you’re flying. We had the most fun we’ve ever had flying a drone while inside the headset of the DJI FPV drone. We find it a more intuitive way to fly because you can see that you’re about to fly into a tree, as opposed to guessing from several hundred feet away. Traditionally, FPV headsets have required quite a bit of technical skill; DJI’s solution requires very little and has the added bonus of a 4K camera and obstacle sensing. However, it lacks the larger sensor and autonomous flight modes of our top picks, which means it doesn’t provide a thorough experience for people focused on cinematography. Instead, you get the ability to fly up to an utterly bananas top speed of 87 mph (no, we didn’t try). Note that the law says you need a spotter anytime you pull the FPV headset on because someone must have the drone within their sight at all times.

We also tested, and enjoyed flying, the Autel EVO II Pro. It has a higher-quality camera than the EVO II 8K, making it more of a direct competitor to Mavic drones (though we don’t think it provides the same value). EVO II drone cameras are modular; if you later decide to upgrade to the EVO II Pro, you can buy an EVO II Pro camera and swap it with the one included with the EVO II.

Some choice accessories for DJI drones

You can have a lot of fun flying a drone by itself, but a few key accessories can make your flights smoother and even more enjoyable. We spent 40 hours researching and testing dozens of drone accessories, as well as interviewing four expert drone pilots, to find the best backpacks, first-person-view headsets, landing pads, and microSD cards for foldable DJI drones. We also recommend picking up some extra batteries to extend your flying time between charges.

A backpack built for drones: Lowepro DroneGuard

The front of the DroneGuard BP 250 has a large main compartment for quickly accessing all of your gear, plus a smaller top compartment that fits a camera or an FPV headset. Photo: Preston Connors

Our pick

Lowepro DroneGuard BP 250

Lowepro’s drone backpacks are tailored to individual drone models, which means you’ll find a spot for every essential. They’re comfortable to wear, too.

Drone backpacks provide a spot for each piece of a kit to stay snugly in place; as a result, they make it easier for you to locate items without having to dig through a bunch of gear, and they protect your equipment from damage. That last part is especially important for batteries, which have the potential to burst into flame if you leave them banging around.  We considered 22 options and tested four finalists by fitting in three DJI drones of varying sizes and a full kit of accessories—including a controller, batteries, a charger, props, cameras, and a laptop. As a result, we think Lowepro’s drone bags are your best bet because they each offer the best fit and organization for your gear while still being quite comfortable to carry when fully loaded. (We tested the Lowepro DroneGuard BP 250, which is made specifically for DJI Mavic drones. But any backpack in the DroneGuard or QuadGuard series will perform similarly.)

The entire front of the BP 250 zips open to reveal the main compartment. Movable dividers create smaller spots for core gear, such as the drone and its controller, and they let you make sure the batteries are safely snuggled in. For good measure, a strap holds the drone securely in place, and a special foam block sits between the drone controller’s two joysticks for a more-custom fit. The front cover has elastic bands, which are perfect for holding extra propellers or securing cords (to keep them from tangling). In our tests, the main compartment was large enough that we could also fit an FPV headset or a disassembled camera body and lens.

The BP 250 is custom-made for DJI Mavic drones, so there is an obvious place for each of the parts and accessories. Photo: Signe Brewster

Three other compartments fit a camera and a tablet, flat items such as prop guards, and larger items such as a camera or an FPV headset. A compartment on one of the front shoulder straps fits a phone. The front of the backpack is also covered in looped straps that you can use to attach a drone, a tripod, or other gear with bungee cords, and two side pockets fit water or sunscreen bottles.

Although the BP 250 has an obvious spot for everything, its dividers are only so flexible—fitting an assembled DSLR, for example, into the main compartment of the BP 250 is impossible. That makes this bag, along with the other DroneGuard and QuadGuard backpacks, a great choice if you plan to use the backpack with only a specific drone. But if you prefer a backpack you can customize to fit multiple drone models, we recommend the Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L.

A safe place to land: Hoodman Drone Launch Pad

Hoodman’s Drone Launch Pad has an unusual weighted edge that keeps it in place even on windy days. Photo: Signe Brewster

Our pick

When you’re flying an expensive drone with an expensive camera on its belly, it’s a good idea to protect your investment from water, dirt, and other elements by using a dedicated landing pad. These pads also tend to be a bright color, like orange, making them a useful visual indicator for spotting home when you’re wearing an FPV headset. They also look more professional in videos (if you’re producing content for a client).

After testing three landing pads (and a piece of cardboard), we recommend the Hoodman Drone Launch Pad because it’s truly waterproof and easy to set up, and its unique weighted edge keeps it in place. Waterproofing is the single most important reason to use a landing pad, and the other two pads we tested (from RCstyle and Fstop Labs) turned out not to be waterproof at all, despite their makers’ claims. Twenty minutes after we sprinkled water across the Hoodman pad, the water was still beaded up, and no moisture had seeped through to the other side.

We also like this landing pad’s metal weighted edge, which prevents the pad from flying away in windy weather. It adds a little more overall weight to the gear you’re carrying (compared with the stakes other pads use), but it also makes the Hoodman pad easier to set up and more useful if you’re flying on hard ground (like a rocky field or a parking lot). The center fabric is a pleasing orange color and feels tougher than the material of the other pads we tested.

The Hoodman pad’s 3-foot size made it trickier to fold up than smaller models, but it packs down to 13 inches across and fits nicely into its carrying case. The pad size you should buy depends on how large your drone is. Hoodman’s larger, 5-foot size is more than you need for most drones but could be useful for professional cinematography drones. The larger size is also easier to see from the air.

Best microSD card for video and photo storage: SanDisk MicroSDXC card for Nintendo Switch (128 GB)

Our pick

The SanDisk MicroSDXC card for Nintendo Switch (128 GB) is the best microSD card to use with photography drones because its fast read and write speeds are ideal for shooting 4K video and making quick file transfers. A large capacity is a necessity for a photography drone, and even for a racing drone equipped with a nicer camera—more storage means you won’t have to land a drone early to swap out a card. This SanDisk MicroSDXC card is also inexpensive.

A card from a reputable name in memory storage like SanDisk provides peace of mind, because you can be confident that your videos and photos will be there when you go to upload them to your computer. As we note in our microSD card guide, be on the lookout for counterfeit microSD cards from unknown sellers on Amazon, which are common; we recommend that you buy a SanDisk card directly from the manufacturer or Amazon itself. For more details on the competition, read our guide to the best microSD cards.

Some notes on DJI drone security and privacy

Drones, as a whole, feel a bit icky when it comes to security and privacy. They make aerial surveillance available to anyone for just a few hundred dollars and face the same privacy questions as any connected device. We recommend reading The Electronic Privacy Information Center and National Law Review’s takes on the subject.

In order to provide features like geofencing, which helps pilots comply with federal regulations about where you can fly a drone, DJI apps have access to a lot of information on your phone. There have been alarming reports about potential security flaws in DJI drones. There are also allegations that the company provided drone technology for surveillance of Chinese detention camps. In 2020, the US government placed it on its entity list, meaning US companies could not provide DJI with technology but DJI could continue to sell its drones in the US. A 2021 report from the Pentagon cleared some types of DJI drones for use by the US government, but it said nothing definitive about human rights abuses or the safety of the brand’s consumer drones. In October 2021, FCC commissioner Brendan Carr suggested the US add DJI to its covered list, which would ban the purchase of DJI drones with federal funds.

Apple device users can download the Fly app from the App store, but you cannot download the DJI Fly app directly from the Google Play store. We asked both DJI and Google for the reasoning behind this; DJI chose not to answer, and Google did not respond.  Instead, Android users must download it from the DJI website. The Google Play store isn’t perfect, but it offers at least a modicum of security when it comes to monitoring apps. We are concerned that DJI Fly is available only directly from DJI’s website. We will continue to monitor how DJI handles the distribution of its apps.

With consent, DJI collects anonymized data on app performance, according to a company spokesperson. It also checks user location for geofencing and radio frequency transmission purposes, which are legitimately useful resources while piloting a drone. Any information uploaded to DJI is stored on Amazon Web Services or on Alibaba Cloud servers located on US soil. The spokesperson said DJI does not sell user data. However, that does not rule out sharing it; the company’s complex privacy policy suggests DJI may be able to share some data with third parties. And its iOS app currently lists information under Apple’s “Data Used to Track You” label, suggesting it does share data, possibly for advertising. Video transferred from the drone to the controller is encrypted. The company also “performs vulnerability scanning and penetration testing during product development,” according to the spokesperson, and runs a bug bounty program.

After hours of research, we still have privacy and security concerns about DJI drones. We also have no doubt that it makes the best drones available to hobbyists. As a result, we still recommend its drones, but we will continue to monitor the company’s practices.

If you’re still on board to buy a DJI drone and want to make it as secure as possible, there are a few steps you can take to keep your photos, videos, and data local:

• While operating a drone, set your phone or tablet to airplane mode, or activate the “local data mode” in the DJI app.
• Access the app’s settings to turn off the collection of app performance and user experience data.
• If you’d like to avoid using your phone or tablet altogether, you can fly without one (though you’ll lose the helpful livestream) or buy the DJI RC Pro controller, which has a built-in screen.
• Only save photos and videos to the drone’s internal memory, microSD card, or SSD.
• Do not use social apps and sites like SkyPixel or Facebook to share drone content.

It’s worth noting that features like geofencing and accessing your photos and videos within the DJI app are legitimately useful while flying a drone. By turning them off you won’t get warnings regarding federally regulated airspace (the FAA makes the B4UFLY app, which you can check manually instead), you can’t access the location of your drone if you lose it, and you won’t be able to review your photos and footage until you load your memory card onto a computer. Relying on the drone’s vision system instead of satellites also makes it more difficult for the drone to position itself in visually challenging environments like snow, rain, and low light. Pilots will have to make a personal call about balancing security and privacy with function.

How to safely fly a recreational drone

Anytime you set out to fly a drone, it’s important to ensure that you, the pilot, are doing everything safely and legally. Although we can’t provide legal advice, we did speak to experts and consulted FAA and Academy of Model Aeronautics documentation to collect the steps that we consider essential for every recreational pilot.

“The main thing to keep in mind is we’re sharing the airspace with manned full-size aircraft,” said Tyler Dobbs, Academy of Model Aeronautics government affairs representative. “We’re not trying to push things to the limit and do things outside of AMA safety guidelines or the FAA rules. Just have fun but do so within one of the federal paths of operating legally and safely. ”

Familiarize yourself with the AMA

Different types of drone pilots must abide by different rules and laws. Here we’re focusing on those who use drones for recreational purposes—what the FAA calls a “model aircraft.” That means the pilots can’t sell the photos or videos they take with their drones or use the drones for any other business-related reasons.

Recreational drone users can either get a remote pilot certificate from the FAA, which requires an in-person test, or “follow community-based safety guidelines and fly within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization” (a much easier option). Commercial pilot and drone lawyer Jonathan Rupprecht said “this is the chief thing you need to pay very close attention to,” and that it’s something people often misunderstand or miss. You do not need to join a nationwide organization, but you do need to follow the organization’s rules; a broadly accepted option is the Academy of Model Aeronautics. For details, read the AMA handbook (PDF).

Get a registration number

Once you’ve committed to following the AMA’s rules, you need to register with the FAA. Visit the FAA website and follow the checkout process, which is about two minutes long. You need to submit your name, phone number, and address, and pay $5. Then the FAA issues you a registration number valid for three years. It also generates a printable certificate, which could be useful if a police officer or someone else ever questions you while you are flying.

Once you have a registration number, you need to label each drone you fly for the next three years with that number. Unlike commercial pilots, recreational pilots do not need to complete a new registration for each drone they fly.

Know the rules

You should read both the FAA guidelines and the AMA handbook (PDF). Be prepared for them to contradict each other at times, but in general these are the essential rules that apply nationally:

• Fly within line of sight. If you are wearing a first-person-view headset, you must have a spotter who can visually see the drone without aids such as binoculars.
• Drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, unless certified by a community-based organization like the AMA.
• Do not fly near other aircraft.
• Do not fly within 5 miles of an airport. If you do, you must notify the airport and the air-traffic control tower prior to the flight. To check whether you are far enough away from an airport, you can use a tool such as the AMA Flying Sites Map or DJI’s mobile app.
• Do not fly near emergency response efforts.
• Do not fly while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Locally, there can be even more rules for drone flights. For example, It’s illegal to fly a drone in the US National Park System (unless there’s a designated area) or within an extended 15-mile range of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Check your city and state’s specific rules governing drone flight.

Fly cautiously

Do everything you can to minimize the chances of something going wrong when you fly a drone for the first time. Read the manual and take the time to watch YouTube videos about safe setup and flight. Modern photography drones are tough; we haven’t encountered one in years that broke from an impact (DJI does offer a repair program called Care Refresh, and replacements for the breakable pieces like rotors are readily available). But it’s still worth avoiding a crash for safety reasons. A falling drone can hurt people and property.

“People tend to crash these things unnecessarily because they can’t read the manual,” said Rupprecht. “The first flight and second flight you’re scared out of your mind. The third flight you hear the [sings theme song] Top Gun music and you say, ‘Yeah, I can do it!’ You go outside and you’re flying and you crash it. Before being lawful, figure out how not to do that.”

It might be worthwhile to invest in a flight simulator to practice the controls before your first real flying adventure. Otherwise, the best way to fly a drone for the first time is to learn from others. Chances are, a drone club exists in your area. In my experience, they are welcoming to newcomers, and members are happy to show you the basics.

“They will help you learn the rules, they’ll help you learn how to fly and show you that, yes, there’s things that you need to take seriously while you’re operating in the airspace, but overall it’s a great and enjoyable hobby,” the AMA’s Dobbs said.

Some other helpful tips:

• Pick flying sites with a generous amount of room, few obstacles, and few people.
• Do not fly in adverse weather.
• Have a plan for returning a drone to your location if something goes wrong.
• Fly within your current abilities.

There are a lot of rules governing drone flight, but the experience should still be about having fun. Take your time, learn new things, and don’t forget why you started flying in the first place.

What to look forward to

In August, DJI released the Avata, a small FPV cinewhoop—meaning its propellers are surrounded by protective hoops—which makes it ideal for flying around and through obstacles for more active shots than a traditional camera drone. Our initial impression is that it’s extremely fun to fly and fairly resilient, standing up well to a number of crashes so far in our testing, and the footage you can get from it holds up well but it lacks the obstacle avoidance and intelligent flying modes that make DJIs other drones stand out.

DJI announced an updated version of their mini line, the Mini 3 Pro. Compared to the Mini 2, it has a slightly longer stated flytime at 34 minutes, improved obstacle sensing, a larger image sensor, and a new camera lens that should improve its low-light performance. We’ll be testing it later this year.

The competition

We’ve recommended many DJI drones over the years. If you find an older model with specs that meet your needs and a low price tag, it’s likely a good buy. However, drone technology is changing rapidly; newer drones provide longer battery life, better cameras, and better autonomous flying abilities.

The Parrot Anafi packs in a lot for a low price. It sports a fold-up design and a 21-megapixel camera that shoots 4K HDR video on a 180-degree tilt gimbal. It offers 25 minutes of battery life and can go up to 32 mph. It’s also made by a French company (with a transparent security policy), so it’s a desirable alternative for anyone avoiding less-secure drones made by Chinese companies. We think obstacle avoidance is important enough that the Anafi’s lack of obstacle sensors disqualify it as a potential pick. But if you’re an experienced pilot on a budget and you consider a high-quality camera to be more important than obstacle avoidance, it could be a better option than the Mini 2. We tested the FPV version and found the included headset useful for lining up shots. The backpack also felt of high quality.

We tested the original Skydio drone and had some problems with its ability to reliably avoid obstacles. We’ve heard positive things about the Skydio 2, and it might be a good fit for anyone who mostly needs an autonomous drone for outdoor sports. But we think the wider variety of options with DJI drones, both manually and autonomously, make them a better fit for most cinematographers.

The DJI Mini 2S is the least expensive drone recommended in this guide. We think its price is the lowest you can go if you want a drone that takes excellent images while also providing autonomous features that make drones easier and safer to fly. We also have a guide to drones under $100; these offer plenty of features to get you into the air without much extra fuss. It’s possible to find drones priced somewhere in the middle, but we don’t think they’re worth recommending at this time; they sacrifice both camera and safety features, and they just aren’t that satisfying to fly.

About your guide

Signe Brewster

Signe Brewster is an editor on Wirecutter's PC team. She also writes about virtual reality. She previously reported on emerging technology and science for publications like Wirecutter, MIT Technology Review, Wired, Science, and Symmetry Magazine. She spends her free time quilting and pursuing an MFA in creative writing.

Further reading

• The Best Drones Under $100

  by Signe Brewster

  We tested all the best cheap drones for aspiring pilots, racers, and kids, and the DJI Tello is our favorite for anyone who wants to earn their wings.

• Tools for Improving Your Vacation Photos

  by Signe Brewster

  Our photo and travel teams have spent thousands of hours testing the must-haves and the nice-but-not-necessities for documenting your next adventure.

• The Best microSD Cards

  by Joel Santo Domingo

  Most microSD cards are good enough, but if you know what to look for, it’s not hard to get one that’s great.

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Drone rules: Do you need to register your drone? Where can you fly it legally in USA, UK and beyond?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The recent launch of the DJI Mini 2 has highlighted the biggest growth area in drones: lightweight. The Mavic Mini and Mini 2 are designed to weigh below the 250g (0.55lb) weight beyond which you’ll need official registration in the USA and Canada, but that isn’t enough to keep the British cops away.

More on drones

Innovation always leads to new need for new regulation. The best drones  certainly mark such a revolution, opening the skies to a broad range of consumers – with a far wider appeal than the older niche hobby that was radio-controlled planes.

There were always rules, of course, but now the world is watching, so regulations have been tightened and formalized in a way which was simply not true when the first drones appeared. Most significantly, nearly every drone with a decent camera, or its pilot, or both now needs registration.

It's also very likely you’ll need to pass some kind of exam, even if it is online, to prove you can fly a drone safely and legally. Below is our expert guide on what you can and can't do – and how to stay on the right side of the law with your quadcopter.

Defining devices

The term “drone” seems to be the one we’re stuck with, but it’s actually one the early community of hobbyists never really liked. It dates back to early military unpiloted ‘target’ aircraft used for practice, and is associated with unmanned bomb raids in more recent conflicts. Hobbyists tend to prefer “quad,” short for quadcopter. That’s a bit specific for regulators though, who also want the rules to apply to drones with 6 or more propellors, or those shaped like flying wings.

To side-step this confusion, the lawyers generally stick with the terms Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAs). Most drones also feature a camera, which technically makes it a Surveillance UAS, or sUAS, which matters.

Weight

DJI Mavic Mini avoids need for registration as weighs under 250g (Image credit: DJI)

The big get-out from registration was (largely still is) weight. The UK, USA, Canada and China only require registration for UAVs which have a take-off weight (including battery) of 250g or more, which is why the DJI Mavic Mini , and successor Mini 2, were such big news. In the UK, however, the presence of a camera on even a sub 250g drone means the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are very clear that it is “not a toy” so an Operator ID will still be required.

• DJI Mini 2 at Amazon for $449

UK Flyer ID and Operator ID

The UK Operator ID is a single document, a bit like an insurance certificate (without the insurance), that allows you to register as the legal owner of a drones. It needs renewing for £9/year, every year, from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and you need to be 18 years old to get one. 

The Operator ID is a piece of paper to keep in your bag, but the Flyer ID. The Flyer ID is specific to the UAV in question, and required only on all aircraft over 250g (but encouraged for all aircraft, and free so there isn’t a good reason to avoid it). It is the Flyer ID which is accompanied with a knowledge test (pass mark 75%) and the minimum age is 12 but it is valid for 5 years.

UK/EU Cap 2012

The copied the system it’d been party to developing while still a member of EASA. As well as the ID documents, it centers around a risk table in which flights are categorised in terms of low-risk (Open), medium-risk (Specific) and high-risk (Certified). The last two require special paperwork, but ‘Open’ is divided into A1 (Over people), A2 (Close-to people) and A3 (Far from people).

The rules table restricts you to certain aircraft categories depending on which flight type you’re undertaking; A1 needs to be a toy, A2 which is 30m away from people, and A3 which is 150m horizontally. Drone classes (C0-C4) will emerge with new launches in the next 2 years or so, and will be compulsory in 2023. For now, no drones have earned a class. They will be earned at product launch, like a safety certificate, but until then all drones are being called ‘legacy drones.’

There are some curious anomalies, for example a legacy drone is limited to 2Kg in A2, while a certified C2 can be up to 4Kg in the A2 space. That means an Inspire 2 is stuck out in A3 without specific authorisation. So, too, is any legacy drone over 250g unless you pay for and sit an A2 Certificate of Competence (CofC) theory course which will get you reprieve until 31st December 2022 before you’ll need a new drone to pick up that class marking.

USA

The land of the free has broadly adopted a straightforward approach to drone rules but are now moving toward a similar product approval approach. UAVs in the USA will be required to fit ADS-B, a device which broadcasts the drone’s location to nearby aircraft and preclude the aircraft from taking off if this system is unavailable. Somewhat unfairly given the delicate balance of drone design, the FAA are also requiring ADS-B to be retrofitted to older drones too and – more unreasonably too – haven’t provided a lot of detail about how this might be done, however, manufacturers have 18 months to implement the technology, and pilots another 12 months after that to comply. Oddly, for quite different reasons, pilots in the UK and USA are being compelled to buy new equipment in the next two years simply to keep up with regulations (though at least in the USA a Mavic Mini 2 is excused thanks to its weight).

While UK and Europe have also done away with the distinction between commercial and hobby use, in the USA a ‘Part 107’ is needed if you’re commercializing your content in any way whatsoever (even earning a couple of cents YouTube royalty). You can find courses and practice tests online at companies like https://remotepilot101.com/ . If you have a Part 107, it’s possible to fly at night and over people without prior approval in certain circumstances explained below.

Canada

Recreational flight in Canada requires the pilot to pass a ‘Small Basic Exam’, for which the pilot must be over 14 years to take, or face a $1,000 fine. This will allow you to conduct ‘basic operations’ (flying at least 30m from bystanders, 3 nautical miles from an airport or 1 from a heliport and in uncontrolled airspace). You also need to mark tyour drone with a registration number from Transport Canada and, should you want to undertake ‘advanced operations’ you will need to be over 16 and pass a ‘Small Advanced Exam’ with professional review. Canada Government Site.

Carry your certificate!

It should go without saying, but the certificates we discuss here, once obtained, must be kept with you when you’re out flying. It’s also very sensible to carry a pre-flight checklist. A simple list of things to do, like set the automatic return to home height above the height of nearby structures, will impress anyone from an aviation authority ultimately will only want to know if you intend to act safely or not. Security agencies can also review your paperwork on request, of course. 

Drone rules around the world

	USA	UK	Canada
Range	VLoS	500m / 0.31 miles (and visual)	VLoS
Ceiling	120m / 400ft	120m / 400ft	120m/400ft
Bystander distance	Not specific	Over - 150m (Depends on weight)	30m
Registration weight	250g-25Kg	250g-20Kg	250g-25Kg
Registration fee	$5 / 3 years	£9 / year	$5
Registration site	FAA Drone Zone	Civil Aviation Authority	Transport Canada

US registration site: FAA Drone Zone

UK registration site: Civil Aviation Authority

Canada registration site: Transport Canada

Ceiling

In all the jurisdictions here – and indeed most – drones are restricted to flying to a maximum height of 120m/400ft AGL (Above Ground Level). That means about the height of the ground directly beneath the drone (not including buildings). For the most part this stays out of the way of civil aviation, which tends to operate at 500ft or above except when landing.

You must always be mindful, however, of helicopters entering the area you’re operating in, and land as quickly as possible. Some drones can technically fly much higher – into the thousands of feet – but this is illegal and very dangerous; wind at these altitudes could easily whip your drone away from you.

Range & Visual Line of Sight (VLoS)

One thing that is an issue with VLoS is First Person View (FPV) flying. In the UK, at least, there is a special exception  in which FPV pilots can take a spotter with them to watch the wider sky and warn them about any dangers. (Image credit: Getty Images)

One of the biggest selling points of a drone is the distance the drone can fly from you, with the likes of DJI and Parrot talking about 4,000m (2. 5 miles) and in some cases 8,000m (5 miles) transmission distances.

In most countries these distances are a moot point. In the UK, and much of Europe, the limit for distance from the pilot to the drone is 500m (550 yards), and the pilot must have Visual Line of Sight (VLoS), meaning they must have an unobstructed view of the aircraft from where they’re standing (and must actually be able to see it – not just the general area of airspace). What you can see on the LCD monitor is not considered good enough.

In the USA, VLoS is a requirement, but there isn’t a specific distance limit. In both cases, though, VLoS is considered to be less for a smaller aircraft which can’t physically be seen at that distance. It’s worth bearing in mind that radio waves – the control signals – also travel in straight lines, so this regulation will help ensure you don’t lose your drone.

Keeping your distance

The trick to capturing people or big crowds is to shoot from above an free space sideways – not straight down – using a longer lens. A Mavic 2 Zoom might help for images like this of Glastonbury Festival (Image credit: Getty Images)

In the UK, you must keep your drone at least 50m horizontally from ‘uninvolved persons’ unless it falls within A1 (sub 250g) category in which case you can fly over people (but not crowds), even in residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas. Bigger or older drones face further restrictions, so check the CAA table.

Rules in the US are similar if a little more straightforwardly worded – you’re not allowed to fly over groups of people, stadiums, sports events, or near emergency response efforts. It should probably go without saying, but you’re also meant to be sober! Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll find inconsistent regulation between FAA rules on drones and model aircraft.

You can get right up close to people you’re working with by agreement – these are deemed “under your control”. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Controlled airspace & airports

Airports are considered no-fly zones for UAVs for obvious reasons. In the UK an ‘Aerodrome Traffic Zone” is a radius of 2.5 nautical miles from the centre of the longest runway, with an additional rectangular protection zone 1km wide and 5km from each tip of the runway. For a single-runway airport the resulting no-fly zone looks like a bit like the London Underground logo. 

In the US you simply need to be 5 miles from the airport, while in Canada the distance is 3 nautical miles (5.6km).

The easiest way to find out if you’re too near an airport is to use one of the online tools. In the UK the excellent Drone Assist app by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) is available on iOS and Android . This also shows live notifications – called NOTAMS – of temporary restrictions for events like an air show.

In the USA, there are similar services including AirMap  and the much improved B4UFly  from the FAA itself but developed with Kittyhawk, for iOS, Android or as a web visit .

It’s worth remembering that many drone manufacturers use their GPS systems to geofence sensitive locations like airports, but they do not necessarily use the correct legal distances. DJI provide an i nteractive map  which indicates their geofencing, and is a great way to check for airspace issues whatever brand you use.

In the USA, new rules will come into force in March 2021 which will prevent a drone hovering over a public road (except to pass over it) or public assembly unless the member of the public assembly is sheltered with ‘reasonable protection from a falling’ sUAV. 

Night Flight

In the UK flight should be in the hours of ‘daylight’ (from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset). Night-flight requires CAA approval. In the USA this used to be true, but when the FAA new rules go into force at the end of February 2021 they permit night flight only of drones fitted with Remote ID (ADS-B), or at certain FAA-recognised locations (which weren’t specified in the announcement of the rule). The FAA sees this as a way of making it easier for a growing market sector.

USA No-fly Zones

You might think the much physically bigger USA would offer more space, but in practice there are plenty of restrictions:

• National Parks
• Military bases
• Within 15 miles of the White House
• Camp David
• Marine Protection Areas
• Sports arenas
• Wildlife refuges (the minimum flight height over these is 2,000ft, well above the max height for UAVs.
• Prisons
• Most, but not all, State Parks 

You should also remember that the USA sometimes acts like 50 different countries when it comes to legal matters.

UK No-Fly Zones

It won’t be a surprise to know you’re not allowed to fly over prisons, but that’s only the start of a very long list of places which have banned drones. These include:

• All London Royal Parks
• Power Stations
• Military bases
• Numerous councils, including Chelsea, Lewisham, Dagenham, Barking – look for bylaws which should be posted.

You can get permission from the CAA on a case-by-case basis, an indeed from airports, if you meet the requirements. 

Canada No-fly Zones

Crossing borders isn’t allowed, even when they’re as beautiful as Niagara Falls. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Just like its neighbor to the south, Canada bans:

• National Parks
• Military bases
• Emergency operations (disaster relief or active policing)
• Advertised events (concerts, sports)
• Crossing borders

Land owners

At some point in your flight, you’re going to need to take off and land. That means you’re going to need the permission of the person who’s land you’ll be doing that from (since the bubble discussed above very much includes the ground when the drone is on or near it).

Plenty of NGOs own large tracts of UK land and are not drone-friendly, like the National Trust, which has opted for a “strict policy.” 

When you see videos online that seem to contravene the rules we’ve seen, either the users had permission or were breaking them. If it’s the latter, they’ve just posted a time-stamped piece of evidence!

Commercial use

In the UK and Europe the confusing and largely unnecessary distinction between hobby and commercial use has been retired, but if you fall under the jurisdiction of the FAA it’s very easy to find that you’ve become a commercial operator. Shoot a video for someone else’s Instagram or YouTube and, especially if they’re promoting services, you’re effectively providing a service to a commercial client (even if you didn’t charge them).  

You can find USA’s FAA definition  here; crucially commercial use comes with additional regulatory requirements, but the qualifications required can also yield certain advantages when comes time to distance limits and the use of controlled airspace. In the US it’s called Part 107. (The old UK Permission For Commercial Operation, or PfCO, can be renewed if already held, but aspiring new pilots will have to look for the A2 CofC instead, and perhaps the Operational Authorisation which is the test for riskier operations.

Just be sensible

The only other way around the rules? Only ever fly indoors - and take up drone racing! (Image credit: Getty Images)

The regulations can sound pretty burdensome, but remember to take a friendly approach when challenged and – if you’re operating an aircraft over 250g – carry with you the certification documents and make sure you’ve stuck your Flyer ID or pilot number on the drone (it’s OK to use the battery compartment if you don’t want it to spoil the appearance).

Airspace is for everyone unless one of the restrictions applies, but police are entitled to ask for evidence of your registration and, where appropriate, qualifications. In some cases you might also want to be able to demonstrate a right to fly (in the same way some photographers carry notes on the ‘right to photograph’ to help them make their case if challenged). More importantly, though, if such a discussion is looming make sure you land before conducting it. 

If you’re taking your drone abroad, you’ll need to register with the aviation authority for the country you’re visiting if it is allowed, or follow relevant rules, which will likely also mean speaking and reading in the local language. Following Brexit, the British flying documents have no validity in Europe even though the rules are essentially the same. 

Read more

Best camera drones
Best drones for kids
Best DJI drones  in 2021
Best drones for beginners  in 2021
Best drone accessories : essentials for your DJI drone and other quadcopters

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With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones.  

Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 

He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones , The Smart Smart Home Handbook , 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook . 

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Page 2 of 18

Quadcopters with camera. List of camera drones

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There is a wide range of camera quadcopters or quadcopters on the market that require a video camera. Having a large selection forces you to look at many options, and this article is written to help you make the right choice.

So, what drones are we talking about here:

• Price range : >$1000 - $0
• Number of rotors : 4 (no hexacopters or octocopters)
• Class : amateur

We will not touch on the class of so-called "professional" quadcopters that cost thousands and thousands of dollars, but our list will come across copters that are used in professional video filming from the air.

Let's go!

Contents

• Quadcopters worth $1000 or more 96×2160 pixels! Excellent resolution, don't you think?

  Other features of the Inspire 1 include a landing gear that folds during flight, the ability to control the drone with two remote controllers (one operator controls the drone, the other controls the camera), and a “follow” mode, where the quadcopter follows a person at a certain distance.

  Buy DJI Inspire 1 quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Buy DJI Inspire 1 RAW (PRO) quadcopter with free worldwide shipping!

  Price for Inspire 1 : around $3000-5000

  Along with the launch of the Inspire 1, another Chinese company, Idea-Fly, has released its response to DJI Innovations flagship. It was the IdeaFly Hero 550 quadrocopter. Not even every professional quadcopter can boast such a capacitive battery! When fully loaded, the quadcopter can stay in the air for up to 25 minutes, which is more than its competitor (Inspire has a 4500mAh battery on board and can be in the air for about 18 minutes). At the same time, the range of its controlled flight is up to 2 km.

  Price for Hero 550 : Unknown, but less than $3000. Supposedly $1500

  Just over a thousand dollars worth of DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ is one of the most famous quadcopter models.

  Vision Plus is ideal for those who don't want to have the hassle of installing a camera, purchasing additional accessories, etc. Everything you need to fly is built into this quadcopter: flight controller, GPS, ground station, battery, gimbal and even a camera. It also comes with a remote control. In general, bought - and run.

  Features include controlling the quadcopter using a special application on iOS or Android, the ability to watch video from the camera online (FPV), flying the copter according to predetermined coordinates.

  Phantom 2 Vision+ price : $1300

  Buy DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Quadcopters in the price range from $1000 to $500

  If you can spend $500 to $1,000 on a quadcopter, then you have a pretty good choice - there are a lot of manufacturers producing quadcopters in this price range.

  So what kind of RC drone can you buy with that money?

  DJI Phantom 2 Vision of course! It is very similar to Phantom 2 Vision + version 2.0, but it has a noticeable difference.

  The fact is that this quadcopter, despite the presence of a camera, does not have a gimbal suspension. In short, a gimbal is a stabilizer for a camera that can stabilize it at multiple angles (from one to four). Read more about the gimbal on Wikipedia, but here we note that the absence of this gimbal makes it difficult to shoot high-quality video.

  But the lack of a gimbal is not critical - you can shoot cool videos without it, and then, if you have the funds, just buy it and install it on the Phantom 2 Vision.

  Phantom 2 Vision price : $800-$900

  One of the most interesting quadcopters in this price range is the IRIS+ from Canadian company 3D Robotics.

  In our open spaces, this company, except for avid radio amateurs, is practically unknown to anyone. But in vain. Its quadcopters always keep up with the times, and often even outpace it. At the same time, the prices for copters do not exceed the average.

  For example, the IRIS+ we are considering was one of the first to receive the “Follow me” mode (it is also on the DJI Inspire 1), which allows the drone to follow a person who has a device with GPS. It also features autopilot and can carry a GoPro Hero 4 camera (camera not included).

  Price for IRIS Plus : $750

  Another interesting quadcopter starting at $750 is the Walkera Scout X4.

  Like the IRIS Plus, it is equipped with the ability to follow a person and shoot at the same time. In addition, it is also equipped with an autopilot, and the number of flight points exceeds all conceivable limits - there are already 116 of them! Of course, the X4 can also return to its original flight point on autopilot when signal is lost, and can also be controlled from an iOS or Android device.

  Another feature is the ability to expand the number of rotors up to 8 pieces, turning the quadcopter into an octocopter.

  Buy Walkera Scout X4 quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for Scout X4 : from $750

  And remember DJI Phantom 2! The third model of the famous Phantom series, which conquered all radio amateurs and became a landmark at the time of its release.

  Actually, Phantom 2 is Phantom 2 Vision only without a camera, without a telemetry system and without the ability to view video online. For these things, you will have to buy the appropriate accessories, a set of which will cost from $500 to $2000 and more.

  Buy DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for Phantom 2 : $900

  The Chinese company Hubsan decided to keep up with the competition and in December 2014 released a new copter model - Hubsan X4 h209S Pro.

  In fact, the X4 h209S Pro can be called a direct analogue of the DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus. It supports all the same features as the famous quadcopter. Its main difference is the presence of a parachute, which opens in case of an unexpected fall from the air and a long flight time - up to 40 minutes.

  Buy Hubsan h209S quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for Hubsan X4 h209S Pro : varies, but not less than $700

  There is another representative of Valkira in this price range. We are talking about Walkera QR X350 PRO.

  The price of this quadcopter starts from 500 kopecks of dollars, and in terms of its characteristics, it is almost as good as the second Phantom - it is equipped with a GPS module and related functions, can be equipped with a gimbal suspension and a GoPro or iLook camera.

  Buy Walkera QR X350 PRO quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for QR X350 PRO : from $500

  In the spring of 2013, the IdeaFly Apollo model appeared on the quadcopter market and this drone can still be found on sale.

  Despite a certain "old age", Apollo is a fairly good quadcopter. It is equipped with GPS, can transmit video from the camera online, has a range of up to 300 meters, but it can be increased with a more powerful receiver and antennas. Plus, it is possible to attach a gimbal for the camera to the quadcopter. What else does a radio amateur need?

  IdeaFly Apollo price: from $500

  The Phantom FC40 completes our chart of quadcopters in the $1000 to $500 price range.

  Its only difference from the original version (about it below) is the presence of the FC40 camera. It can record video with a resolution of 1280x720 at 30 fps. Nothing special, but for an amateur quadcopter it will do.

  Phantom FC40 price : just over $500

  Quadcopters in the $500 to $100 price range

  This category of quadcopters is opened by the already famous Bebop Drone from the French company Parrot.

  The Bebop Drone is the quintessential hobbyist camera quadcopter. It is small in size, fast and sharp, equipped with a 14 megapixel HD camera, it can shoot good quality video at a resolution of 1980 × 1080. At the same time, the camera built into the copter is also equipped with a gimbal suspension, which significantly stabilizes the video. Add to this the ability to control the drone using an iOS or Android gadget and you have the perfect quadcopter!

  However, nothing is perfect. Minus number one: Bebop Drone has only 8 gigabytes of memory built in, and there is no card slot. Minus number two: a weak battery with a capacity of only 1200mAh, which provides only 10-11 minutes of flight. And this is in 2015 at a cost of $500!…

  Buy Parrot Bebop Drone with free shipping in Russia!

  Bebop Drone Price: $100 with

  Controller Of course, at this price point, we can't do without the pioneer of the Phantom series, the DJI Phantom 1.

  Of course, now the Phantom 1 does not look so formidable against the background of its successors and competitors. But that doesn't make it a bad quadcopter.

  A flight time of 10-15 minutes is enough to record a short video, and a flight radius of 1 kilometer still looks very impressive.

  Price for Phantom 1 : about $450

  Blade 350 QX was once considered an analogue of the first Phantom.

  Now his latest QX3 modification is more like Phantom 2: long range, the ability to buy with a camera, support for 3-axis gimbals.

  Buy Blade 350 QX3 quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for Blade 350 QX3 : about $450

  In 2013, another member of the Walkira family, the Walkera QR X400, also came out.

  At that time, it had good characteristics: its lithium-polymer battery could keep the copter in the air for about 10-15 minutes, it supported the broadcast from the camera online, and the control range was not bad.

  Now, of course, he is losing the competition to new quadrocopters. However, it also costs a lot less.

  Price of the QR X400 : $350

  Well, let's go further and further into the past

  The Walkera UFO MX400 quadcopter was released even before the QR X400 - already in 2012. Its distinguishing feature is the use of 3-bladed propellers instead of the 2-bladed propellers used by most old and modern quadcopters.

  Price for UFO MX400 : $350

  For $300 you can now get the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, the famous drone from the French, which is still popular today.

  Its first version appeared back in 2010, and AR.Drone 2.0 was released in 2012. It is equipped with a camera that can shoot video in 1280x720 resolution, supports FPV (First Person View), takes photos and is controlled by mobile device.

  Buy Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 quadcopter with free worldwide shipping!

  Price for AR. Drone 2.0 : $300

  Great people always try to copy. Cheerson followed this path with the release of the CX-20 'Quanum Nova' quadcopter, a copy of the DJI Phantom 2.

  2700mAh battery, which provides about 15 minutes of flight time.

  Price for CX-20 ‘Quanum Nova’ : $320

  In turn, the WLtoys V303 can be called an analogue of the Phantom 1.

  This quadcopter is not the stars in the sky, but it is one of the best in its price range. It is equipped with a GPS module, can stay in the air for 10-15 minutes, is adapted for GoPro cameras, and its flight range is 500 meters (video broadcast is 300 meters).

  Buy WLtoys V303 quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for V303 : $300

  The Americans from Blade decided to keep up with the Chinese and released a modified QX350 - Blade 200 QX.

  What is the difference from the original version? In sizes! In fact, the QX350 quadcopter was reduced in size, placed an 800mAh battery and sent for sale.

  Buy Blade 200 QX quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for 200 QX : $230

  The IFLY-4 quadcopter and its updated version IFLY-4S from Idea Fly are in the range of 200-250 dollars.

  For the price, these are very good quadcopters. The original version is not equipped with GPS, but in all other components these drones are not inferior to the first Phantom and its analogues - they are also adapted for GoPro, their flight range is 300 meters, and the time spent in the air is about 10-12 minutes.

  Buy IdeaFly IFLY-4 quadcopter with free shipping in Russia!

  Price for IFLY-4/IFLY-4S : from $200

  In the spring of 2013, the Walkera QR W100S appeared on the market for small amateur quadcopters with a camera.

  This is a small quadcopter equipped with a built-in camera that can record video in 1280x720 resolution and stream it online in 640x480 resolution; the flight range is about 80 meters, and the time is 6-8 minutes. Quite a good model for the price.

  Price for QR W100S : $150

  About the same price for Hubsan X4 h207D FPV and Blade Nano QX FPV. The first is a regular Hubsan X4 with an FPV camera, and the second is a regular Blade Nano QX also equipped with an FPV camera. In the same price category, there is a good quadcopter WLtoys V666, which has a built-in FPV camera on board.

  Rounding out our chart of quadcopters at this price point is the Blade 180 QX HD.

  It is equipped with an HD camera (video resolution 1280x720), memory cards up to 32 gigabytes are supported and can stay in the air from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on where it is launched (outdoors / at home, with calm / windy weather)

  Buy Blade 180 QX quadcopter with free worldwide shipping!

  Price for Blade 180 QX HD : from $120

  Quadcopters under $100

  You won't find many quadcopters equipped with a camera and costing under $100.

  ---

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