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If you’re looking for the best drones available right now, to capture cinematic pictures from the skies, then look no further.
Drones are really popular in the worlds of both tech and photography at the moment, granting photographers access to angles previously unheard of. The buzz around a potential DJI Mini 4 release date is proof of that. Accordingly, they’ve become exciting tools for landscape and architecture photographers and videographers.
However, finding the one right for you can require research and careful consideration of your requirements and budget – it should be said that drones can cost a pretty penny. With the huge range of drones out there, some have proven to be better than others. We’ve done our research and listed the best drones you can find, to make this process easier for you.
When choosing the best drone for you, you will want to consider weight and size, with regards to portability, battery life, and of course the image capturing specs.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the best drones money can buy.
Best drones – our top picks
Best drone for beginners – DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mini 3 Pro
Weight
6.80lbs
Media Type
MicroSD
Video Capture Resolution
4K
Flight Time
34 minutes
- Compact
- Great value
- Decent battery life
- Paid battery upgrade
So, we decided to pick the DJI Mini 3 Pro as our best overall drone for someone just getting into the hobby. Combining a reasonable price tag with an exciting feature set, efficient design, and long enough battery life to get some great footage captured, this powerful and portable drone is an absolute gem.
Let’s talk about that design for a minute; with a weight of less than 249g and the ability to fold for easy transportation, it’s an ideal unit for taking with you on days out. What’s more, if you have one of the best portable power banks, you might be able to keep your drone charged for multiple days out at a time. An added bonus of the Mini 3 Pro is that it’s small enough to not require registration in most regions.
It’s also ideal for flying in a wide variety of conditions: a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor provides dual native ISO, allowing for a broad spectrum of lights and shadows to be captured in the 4K HDR footage output by the device. This is also thanks to a 2.4 micro pixel camera.
The Mini 3 Pro also has other premium features, ones you might not expect on a drone in this lower price range. It’s equipped with active obstacle sensing and stable video transmission, and uses the Advance Pilot Assistance System 4.0 to avoid obstacles, even in more complicated environments.
With an upgradeable battery (which would allow you to record up to 47 minutes of footage), the DJI Mini 3 Pro really does make a fantastic entry point to the drone hobby. Given the number of features it’s packing, and its relatively low price, this is a fantastic product and one we’d heartily recommend.
Best drone for photography – DJI Mavic 3
DJI Mavic 3
Weight
1.97lbs
Media
SD
Video Capture Resolution
1080P
Flight Time
46 minutes
- Amazing camera
- Impressive flight time
- Return-to-Home system
- Eye-watering price
Of course, one of the most popular use cases for owning a drone is as a means to capture fantastic aerial images. After looking at a number of options on the market, we decided to pick another offering from DJI, the Mavic 3, as our ideal drone for taking photos: with great flight times and an amazing camera, you’re going to want to check this one out.
In terms of the actual images captured, the drone has a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera. The Swedish manufacturer is well known for producing incredible hardware, and this will mean that you can capture an astounding range of highlights and shadows, thanks to the 12.8-stop dynamic range sensor.
Thanks to a very capable battery, you’ll be able to use the camera over much longer flights: up to 46 minutes, to be exact. This will allow you to fully use the maximum transmission range of 15 kilometres, meaning you can explore farther and for longer periods of time.
The DJI Mavic 3 also sports a new Return-to-Home system, meaning that it will pick the most efficient and safe route to return home regardless of whether the functions has been deliberately triggered by you, or initiated due to a low battery.
This is a great piece of kit, one that we’re sure many drone pilots would enjoy using. However, it’s the image-capturing area where the Mavic 3 really shines, and we feel that – for the price being asked – it really is a wonderful new way to capture shots from the skies.
Best drone under $100 – Ryze Tech Tello
Ryze Tech Tello
Weight
2.82oz
Media Type
Flash
Video Capture Resolution
720P
Flight Time
13 minutes
- Perfect for beginners on a budget
- Decent image-capturing capabilities
- Accessible controller
- Only 13 minutes of flight time
Lastly, we’ve picked out a fantastic option for those of you on a tighter budget. While it might lack the bells and whistles of its more expensive counterparts, the Ryze Tech Tello is a wonderful entry point that will allow the budding drone enthusiast to get started quickly.
The first thing to note is that this still has some decent image-capturing quality: during flights, it’s capable of shooting video at 720P, while photos can be up to 5MP. Not too bad for such a reasonably priced product. The Tello makes use of two antennas to stabilize videos and, if you have one of the best phones to pair with it, your shots can then be shared with ease.
In terms of flight times, you’ll be seeing something around 13 minutes at maximum using the single battery included. Thankfully, the included flight controller makes navigating (and performing tricks) with the Tello particularly fun and accessible.
The drone itself is tiny, and can fly to a rough height of 99 feet. While this might not sound like a lot, it can provide a great vantage point for shooting aerial imagery on a budget, and you can even use an iPad app to control it while it flies through the air.
Although it might not provide much entertainment to the serious drone enthusiast, the Tello is a great way to get started with drones, and allows kids a relatively inexpensive option to start playing around with them. It also features a surprisingly good build quality for such a fairly-priced product, making this our number one drone under $100.
Frequently asked questions
Which brand of drones is best?
Our research suggests that DJI is a world-leading, go-to brand for mid-range and high-end drones, being a reputable manufacturer with a range of seriously impressive products out there.
How much does a drone cost?
Drones can be an expensive hobby, though they vary dramatically in price – you can expect to pay anywhere between $50 – $5,000 for a recreational-use drone, depending on its specs.
