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Do you want an excellent drone for filming, a model that can handle all of those action shots, take awesome videos for open houses and real estate house tours, and more? If so, you have come to the right place. This article will help you find the best drone for filming, something that will provide you with crisp and clear shots no matter what.
Best Drones for Filming: Reviews
1. DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter
This is a relatively high-end drone that features an excellent camera. It excels in both video shooting and picture taking, and it’s got many other great functions.
Review
This drone includes a 3-axis mechanical gimbal, which keeps your shots as steady, smooth, and shudder-free as possible.
The DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter can shoot 4K videos at 30 FPS or 100 MBPS, which results in high-quality videos that are lag-free, super crisp, and colorful. This camera can even take slow-motion videos at 120 FPS, which is excellent for all of those fast-action moments.
This drone can take HDR photos that are as crisp and clear as can be. When it comes to storage, the DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter features 8 GB of onboard storage, which is pretty decent.
Let’s not forget that this drone can fold up into a neat little package for easy transportation. It features a high-quality battery for over 30 minutes of flight time, along with transmission distance and several flight modes and functions.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Amazing video capabilities
- Great for pictures
- Decent onboard storage
- Small and portable
- Good battery life and range
- Tons of flight modes and features
Cons
- Not exactly cheap
- Return home mode doesn’t always work 100%
2. Ruko U11 GPS Drone
If you are looking for a reasonably priced drone with many user-friendly features that make it a breeze to operate, a drone with an excellent video and picture camera, the Ruko U11 is a good option.
Review
The Ruko U11 GPS Drone features a 90-degree adjustable high-performance camera, which means that you can move it around to get the best possible shots. Moreover, this 4K UHD camera takes both videos and pictures with stunning quality and clarity.
What is also cool is that the Ruko U11 features live video transmission to your phone and includes a first-person view. You will get about 300 meters or just under 1,000 feet of transmission range, although the full range capacity of the drone itself is up to 500 meters − well over 1,600 feet. Keep in mind that the 5GHz Wi-Fi system provides lag-free and clear transmission at all times.
You get dual batteries, each of which can last for about 20 minutes, for a total flight time of 40 minutes; the batteries take about 2.5 hours to charge. This drone has many other cool features include a follow-me mode, a point of interest mode, a lost drone mode, one key landing and takeoff, auto return home, and more.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Good price
- Great camera for video and picture shooting
- Good transmission range for video and flight
- Stable and solid transmission frequency
- Good battery life
- Many convenient flight modes and features
Cons
- Difficult to calibrate out of the box
- Somewhat limited durability
3. Autel Robotics EVO 2 Pro Drone
The Autel Robotics EVO 2 Pro Drone could be right for you if you need a video drone for professional purposes, and you are willing to invest a couple thousand dollars.
Review
There is no denying that this drone is expensive, but that said, you get what you pay for, and here you get a stunning 6K ultra HD camera. This camera can shoot 6K video at 30 FPS or 5.5K and 4K video at 60 FPS. The HDR video features a resolution of 5472 x 3076, which is absolutely incredible.
Much of this is thanks to the highly advanced CMOS sensor. The ISO range is also fully adjustable from 100 to 6,400 for video and from 100 to 12,800 for pictures; the aperture can be adjusted from F/2.8 to F/11. The 20 MP still images are about as clear, crisp, and colorful as is possible. It even features 8x zoom.
This drone has a range of nearly 6 miles or about 9 km, plus the signal can go through forests. The 7100 mAh rechargeable battery allows for about 40 minutes of flight time, and what’s really cool is that this drone can resist wind speeds of up to 46 mph or 74 kph. The Autel Robotics EVO 2 Pro Drone is a standout professional-quality video drone full of features, many of which we didn’t even get the chance to talk about.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Excellent video quality
- 8x zoom
- Excellent picture quality
- Awesome transmission range
- Wind resistant
- Great battery life and range
- Dynamic Track 2.0
- 8 GB onboard storage + 128GB SD card expandable
- Tons of flight modes and features
- Comes with many accessories
Cons
- Super expensive
- Intended for professional use
4. Holy Stone HS510 Drone
Now we are back at a more affordable drone. This model from Holy Stone is great for taking videos and pictures and has many other great features. It is reasonably priced
Review
The Holy Stone HS510 features a great camera that can shoot 4K video at 16 frames per second or 2.7K video at 25 frames per second. When stored in a TF card, the photo and video resolution is 3840 x 2160P, and when stored on your phone, the resolution is 1920 x 1080P, which are both quite good. Keep in mind that this drone can handle a TF card of up to 32 GB.
The video transmission range in first-person view is up to 300 meters or just under 1,000 feet. The drone itself can transmit up to 800 meters or just over 1,600 feet. Moreover, the Holy Stone HS510 comes with two batteries, each providing 16 minutes of flight time, for a total combined flight time of over 30 minutes.
The Holy Stone HS510 has a few other great functions, including:
- GPS follow-me
- Point of interest
- “Draw a path”
- Smart return home feature
- Optical flow positioning functionality
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fantastic picture and video quality
- 90-degree adjustable camera
- Great video transmission range
- Great operational range
- Good battery life
- Many user-friendly flight modes and features
- Small and portable
Cons
- Not overly wind resistant
- Return home feature may have some issues at times
5. SNAPTAIN SP650 Pro Drone
This is perhaps the most affordable drone on our list. It’s a great beginner model for budget-conscious people who need something that functions well without costing a fortune.
Review
This drone features a 2.7K ultra HD camera that can capture some pretty high-quality videos at up to 25 frames per second and photos with a resolution of 2976 X 1680. What’s also nice is that this camera features a wide 120-degree field of view and has a 90-degree adjustable design.
One of the really cool features of the SNAPTAIN SP650 Pro is how it has both intelligent voice and gesture control; you can control this drone with your voice, and you can pose in front of it to make it take pictures of you.
The SNAPTAIN SP650 Pro comes with dual batteries, each with about 12 minutes of life, for roughly 24 minutes of total flying time. This unit tops out at 120 meters or just under 400 feet in terms of both the operational and video range. Although this unit does not come with an SD card, it can handle up to 64GB.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Great price
- Good camera (considering the price)
- Decent battery life
- Decent range (considering the price)
- Intelligent gesture and voice control
- Easy to operate
- Some decent flight features
Cons
- Somewhat limited durability
- Calibration is somewhat difficult
Buyer’s Guide
Let’s discuss the main features you should pay attention to when looking for a drone for filming.
Video Quality
First off, pay attention to the video quality of the camera. Generally speaking, for the best results, you want a 4K UHD or HD camera. That said, if you’re going to save a bit of money, a 2.7K camera will work as well. Also, pay attention to the FPS at which it can record videos, with some of the best models being able to go over 120 FPS − which is considered excellent for slow-motion shots.
Picture Quality and Resolution
You can use your drone for taking pictures, in which case you should also pay attention to the picture quality. The main thing is the resolution, and the more of it, the better. Of course, you get what you pay for, so the higher the resolution, the higher the cost.
Video Transmission Range
One of the most important things to look for is the video transmission range. Some drones can only go 100 feet, some several hundred, some several thousand, and some up to 10 miles or more. You should consider what you will be using the drone for before making a decision in this regard.
Onboard and Expandable Storage
4K and even 2.7K videos take up a lot of space, and many drones come with a standard 8GB storage capacity; many are expandable up to 128GB or more. If you plan on taking many high-quality videos, you will want as much storage as you can afford.
Camera Lens and Adjustability
We would recommend going for a drone with a 120-degree field of view for those wide-angle shots. The camera angle should also be adjustable, preferably mechanically, but manual adjustments can work as well.
Other Important Drone Features
You also want to look for other essential features, including operational range, battery life, durability, and all of those cool flight features.
Conclusion
There’s no denying the fact that the Autel Robotics EVO 2 Pro Drone is by far the best and most advanced filming drone on our list, but it also comes with a massive price tag. That said, any of the other options we reviewed here today are excellent choices, with many being more than ideal for those operating on a tight budget.
