I really want to play aerial photography. What is a cheaper and usable aerial drone ?

When discussing drones, DJI is an inevitable topic. As the dominant force in the global consumer drone industry, DJI stands unrivaled in brand, reputation, quality, and sales.

To date, DJI’s drone products maintain over 80% of the global market share and exceed 70% domestically, ranking first among global civilian drone companies.

Additionally, DJI’s proprietary flight control systems, ground control systems, commercial gimbal systems, and image transmission systems have been market-proven, offering reliable safety and stability.

This is why many people automatically think of DJI when discussing drones. Naturally, a reputable brand and high quality come with a premium price tag.

DJI’s entry-level Mini series drones start at over 2000 yuan, while the cost-effective Air series drones start at over 5000 yuan.

Equipped with a comprehensive package and interchangeable options, the cost climbs to approximately 7-8K yuan, and the latest camera flagship, the Mavic 3, starts at 13888 yuan.

Note: An update is in order, as DJI has recently introduced the cost-effective DJI Mini 4K ultra high definition mini aerial drone.

This entry-level Mini drone supports 4K high-definition video shooting, GPS positioning for return, 31 minutes of battery life, 10 kilometers of image transmission, and can experience the majority of aerial photography fun.

The key point is that this DJI Mini 4K single player is only $265, and with a fully equipped Changfei set, it is only a little over 2000 yuan. The price is already at the bottom, which is currently the cheapest choice for experiencing DJI drones.

If you feel that this price is still a bit beyond your budget, you can also consider some toy level or entry-level drones.

These drones usually have some shortcomings in terms of safety and stability, aerial image quality, and control, and are more suitable for beginners to get started or to experience flight control and the first perspective of flight.

I once wrote an article introducing some toy level, entry-level, mid-range, and high-end aerial drone brands and factors for choosing aerial drones. Here are some of them to recommend:

1、 In the toy grade drone industry, drones priced within a thousand yuan are usually referred to as toy machines or toy flying machines. Because these types of toy machines usually do not have GPS, obstacle avoidance, or pan tilt zoom, and the camera pixel is not too high.

In terms of power, they basically use brushed motors, but the power is insufficient, and the remote control distance is around 100 meters. This type of drone is only suitable for experiencing flight control and is not suitable for aerial photography. It is also best not to let the drone fly out of one’s field of view. In terms of price, the cheapest ones can be bought for a few within $200, while the most expensive ones are generally within $200.

Representative brands include JHD, JJRC, Meijiaxin, Baobaoxing, Xingyu Legend, etc. However, within $200, there are two drones worth considering:

The DJI Tello is an entry-level model for teenagers released by a subsidiary of DJI, and it is also the only drone in DJI that costs less than $200. Troy uses Intel 14 core chips and DJI’s flight control technology, which is very good in terms of safety, stability, and control experience.

In addition, it supports educational programming, making it very suitable for teenagers to learn and get started.

Of course, there are also two issues with Trolo: one is that it is very light, only 80g, which is not very wind resistant and is more suitable for indoor or windless environments.

The second is that it is only equipped with a 5-megapixel electronic anti shake camera, which can provide a stable first person perspective, but cannot produce high-quality aerial photography effects.

For novice teenagers who want to experience the fun of control and have no specific requirements for aerial photography, DJI Taro is also a good choice.

The Beast 3 drone industry is known as the “$300 drone king”. Equipped with Sony IMX179 camera, 4K lens, 3-axis mechanical gimbal+EIS stabilization, the image clarity and stability of aerial photography are good.

The new version also upgrades to 5G image transmission and is equipped with a laser obstacle avoidance device. In addition, with a single battery life of about 30 minutes and a picture transmission of about 3 kilometers, it is a very cost-effective choice among drones priced at around $300.

The disadvantage is that, like most miscellaneous drones, there is no strong manufacturer support. And in terms of flight control, it is not smooth enough. It is recommended to do sufficient simulation exercises before the first flight.

3、 Mid end aerial drones can already meet the aerial photography needs of most people. Usually equipped with a three-axis mechanical gimbal and digital image transmission, the image transmission range is 5 kilometers away, and there is basic obstacle avoidance function.

Both aerial image quality and flight safety stability are guaranteed, which can basically meet the daily aerial photography needs of non professionals. In terms of price, it usually costs over $500, and currently the most recommended one is DJI Mini 4 Pro from DJI.

This drone supports 4K 60fps video shooting, has an omnidirectional binocular obstacle avoidance system, supports lossless vertical shooting, 20 kilometer O4 image transmission, and intelligent shooting function that only high-end models are equipped with. It can be said to be comparable to DJI’s mid-range Air series and closely follows the high-end Mavic series drones. If the budget is sufficient, this drone is basically a one-stop choice for ordinary players.