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Your search for an affordable feature packed drone ends here! This article will provide you with some of the best affordable options of drones available in the market.
The drone technology has ‘taken-off” over the years in the camera industry. Photographers around the world have now incorporated drone photography to increase customer engagement and to increase dynamics of their results. Professional grade drones with high quality features come with a price that justify the features of the device. Drones are a form of investment for photographers and intelligent investment is crucial for them.
The key takeaway is that drone photography should not have to be an expensive pursuits as photographers can encounter many other operational costs. Such as purchases of different advanced lenses for handheld cameras which are quite pricey. There are many variants of drones in the market that are features packed but also light on the pocket.
We have combed through the extensive market options to narrow down the best possible options! Scroll down to find the right pick for you.
What is a Drone?
Drone is a videography and photography tool that is used to capture viewpoints of event from a certain height. It is a portable aircraft with a regular camera and four propellers. It collects visual data of a scene from a certain height.
About Drones:
The visual data collected by a drone is not possible to be collected by a handheld camera unless you hire a professional camera crew with an experienced navigating pilot along with a helicopter. The movement of a drone is monitored and controlled by an individual on the ground who send different instructions on movement via controller or mobile applications.
The camera on the drone can be adjusted through the controller so that the individual does not have to land it every time in order to change settings of the camera. The controller is connected to the drone via WiFi signals or radio frequencies. However it is important to have drone flying experience and photography skills in order to capture the right angles to enhance the dynamics of your footage and still shots.
Regulations on Drones:
Some drones need to be registered by the regulation authorities of the country based on the weight limits and camera resolution. You also need a license to fly a drone and permission to fly it if you are doing it for commercial purposes.
Where can you use a Drones?
Drones are very easy to operate and portability of the device makes them a suitable option to be used for multiple purposes. Some of the fields where drones are used widely are:
- Marketing– Drones enhance the visual experience of the viewers so they are used by different business sectors to market their offerings. They are used to film advertisements. In real estate drones are used to capture the properties and landscapes from different perspectives to provide a 360 degree view of the land. They are also used by food companies to deliver food to their customers to increase efficiency in their operations.
- Military– Drone technology was introduced in military long before it was available for the use of general public. They can be used for the surveillance of warzones and potential warzones. They can be used to monitor the activities of enemy soldiers in case of war. They are used for air strikes to identify the enemy soldiers from the sky and some drones are even equipped with missiles so the lives of host soldiers.
- Filmmaking– Drones can capture broad aerial views so they are widely used by directors around the world to film shots that can provide viewers the best experience of speed chases, action shots, scenes over the ocean and water based areas. Since drones add more dramatic effects to the scenes they can be used anywhere the directors thinks more dynamics are needed to add.
- Photography and videography– Since drone is a tool that can capture different viewpoints of a scene hence they are commonly used in videography and photography. Footage and still shots captured via drones add more dynamics to the still shots and videos. They are used to cover weddings, vlogging, events etc. They can be used anywhere!
- Research– Drones are now used by scientist to work on areas which are unable to be reached by a human. Volcanoes and areas hit with volcanic activities can be studied by using a drones because of the toxic fumes and high temperatures it is beyond the reach of an individual. Seismic activities and areas hit with seismic activities are studied via drones. Some scientists are able to predict earthquakes using a drone technology.
- Personal use– Drones are fun to fly and can be a good activity for individuals to spend more time in the outdoors. They can be used to film, race or for any other backyard activities by adults or kids. Due to ease of operations they can be used by anyone based on the purpose they are used for.
The Right Purchase:
The right purchase decision for a drone is based on the features you are looking for in a device and the activities you want to perform with your device. However, it all comes down to pricing of and your budget and finding a right drone with your desired features in an affordable price.
Basic Features to look for in a Drone:
You need to have an idea of basic features that your device should have in order to make a right purchase decision. Here are some basic features you should look for in a drone while narrowing down your options:
Price- Narrow down the budget for your purchase and look for the following listed features in the drones that best fall within your price range.
Battery time- Look for the battery time of the device; charging time and flight time. Some drones come with spare batteries as well.
Camera quality and resolution- This is the most important feature to consider while buying a drone. If you are a professional you need to look for drones with high camera quality and resolution and vice versa. The quality of your end result will be dependent upon the camera resolution of your drone.
Control option- Almost all of the drones are operated via controllers and have smart phone attached to the control to monitor the footage captured by the drone. Some drones can be operated by smart phone as well. This feature is mostly preference based.
Wind resistance- You need to check the wind resistance of your device as drones cover the scenes from a certain height they need to have built in wind resistance for increased flight stability and image stability.
Flight range- This is also a very important feature to look for in a drone. It is the distance within an individual has a control over the drone.
Best cheap drones in 2023
Further down is the list of some 5+ Best Cheap Drones of 2023 and coming 2024 available in the market right now:
- HILLDOW D13
- HOLY STONE HS175D
- POTENSIC T25 GPS DRONE
- HOLY STONE HS720E
- DJI MINI SE
1. Hilldow D13:
Hilldow D13 is a feature rich drone under affordable price tag. It has a 1080p camera that produces high quality images and stable footages. This drone does not have auto return feature. The amazing feature of this drone is that it can capture a selfie just from a gesture of your palm. Hilldow D13 has infrared sensors to avoid obstacles during the flight which as an intelligent feature in this price range.
The limitation of this drone is the flight time. It can fly for 10 minutes in low speed mode and has flight time of up to 8 minutes when flying in high or medium speed modes. This limitation of the company is covered by providing three batteries with drone so your flight time is extended up to thirty minutes if all your batteries are fully charged. Hilldow D13 can perform 360 degree flips and equipped with one button landing and take-off feature. If you are not purchasing he drone for regular usage and going to use it every once in a while then Hilldow D13 might be just the right pick for you. The price of this drone is $45.99
2. Holy stone HS175D:
Holy stone HS175D is a feature packed affordable drone. This drone has a 12MP 4K ultra clear camera that has 120 degree wide angle and 90 degree adjustable feature that provides high quality resolution pictures. It also has a GPS assisted auto return feature that allows the device to return back to the place where it took off from in case of lost control. This drone has a flight time of 46 minutes with the use of two batteries that are provided with the device. It also has some advanced features like Altitude hold, Optical flow, Headless mode and one key takeoff and landing.
It comes with a carrying case. Moreover, HS175D is a foldable drone which makes it portable for outdoor travelling. The exciting feature of this drone is that has follow mode, where the drone will follow you automatically along the path that you set. It also has a circle fly feature in which the device flies around a specific object. This mode can give 360 degree view of the object or a person from an elevated angle. The device weighs 215g so you do not have to worry about getting it registered with the authorities. The price of this drone is $169.99
3. Potensic T25 GPS Drone:
This drone is widely used by videographers around the world. Despite having a 2K camera resolution for video recording this record can give higher than HD quality results for videography. This drone has auto return feature and follow me feature that you can modify to select path on map from the potensic mobile application. The way point feature on this drone lets you record footage for two different persons or scenes from a large area by selecting different paths from the map so you do not have to fiddle on the controller for different paths.
With the fpv feature of this drone you can stream live footage on your smartphones and upload it to different social platforms directly. The LED lights under each rotor of this drone makes it suitable for night time flying. You can get extra propellers, extra propeller guards, chargers, extra landing gear and two batteries. This drone has a flight time of thirty minutes. Price of this drone is $212.00
4. Holy stone HS720E:
Holy stone 720E is another feature packed drone that can fit you budget. This drone features a sony camera lens that has video resolution of 4K and still resolution of 3840x2160p. HS720 is built with foldable arms and brushless motors with a built in battery meter LED. HS720 has exceptional electronic image stabilization even without a camera gimbal. HS720 captures 4K videos at 60 frames per second.
The drone offers a flight range of 1 km. It has flight time of 46 minutes combines with the usage of the two batteries. Some additional features of this drone include altitude hold, Optical flow, GPS assessed return to home feature. It also has circling mode and follow me feature is a good deal within the pricing of this device. You can track the path of this drone by setting waypoints in the application for the drone to follow. It has safe flight mode where you can preset the range where you can controls of the device. The drone comes in a secure travel friendly casing with port to store the two batteries. The price of this drone $239.99
5. DJI miniSE:
DJI manufactures some of the most feature packed professional grade drones in the world. Every invention from this company is exceptional. DJI mini SE is one of those inventions. This drone features a 12 MP camera with video resolution 4K with 30 frames per second. It is a beginner friendly drone that features 3-axis gimbal camera. It shoots rich cinematic grade 2.7K videos. It has powerful controller that connects your smartphone with cable wires. It has a flight range of 3.5 km and a flight time of 30 minutes.
Mini SE supports auto return feature along with quick shots feature where drone and camera automatically takes beautiful still shots and does the work for you. It also has a landing sensor which lets the device to touch the ground gently. It also falls within the range of weight limitations so you do not have to worry about the paperwork as well! The only limitation of this drone is that is not available in many countries. You will have to pay import tax on the purchase if you decide to buy this drone. The price of this drone is $299.
Final verdict:
Drones are the talk of town among photographer who are looking for a way to enhance the visual experience for their viewers and clients. Professional photography grade are expensive. Therefore, it is essential to have some flying experience and drone photography sense to buy an expensive drone. The right choice is to invest in a drone that will provide you adequate drone photography skills with some high quality basic features. It is also crucial to find a drone that falls within an affordable price range but offer professional grade features for high quality results. This article provided you with some of the best drones that are pocket friendly but also feature filled.
