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March 18
19 min. to read
Experts say that by 2020, unmanned aerial vehicles will make up one-third of the world’s military aircraft. Today, hundreds of companies are involved in the creation and production of 600 types of drones.
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Drones are intended for a wide range of investigative functions. They are autonomous, capable of moving in places completely unsafe for a human, and can remain without support for a long time (some drones can even be charged from the sun). Future progress will lead to the ability of drones to perform many important functions: monitoring weather conditions, delivering goods, and conducting other activities autonomously.
Experts say that by 2020, unmanned aerial vehicles will make up one-third of the world’s military aircraft. Today, hundreds of companies are involved in the creation and production of 600 types of drones.
However, drones are conquering not only the military sphere. These devices are used for commercial purposes as well as for personal entertainment. Drones can perform many tasks: shooting video and photos, interfering with radio signals, fighting fires, and performing other mechanical work. The two main reasons why these sorts of tasks will increasingly be trusted to unmanned aerial vehicles are economy and safety.
Due to the wide popularity of drones, they’ve captured even the lowest price segments, becoming a product available to the masses.
There are a large number of quadcopters manufactured by many brands; they differ in design, functionality, and cost. This article will help you understand which drone is right for you.
Consumer drones can be roughly divided into five categories:
Let’s look at each type in detail.
These are tiny palm-sized devices. They have excellent maneuverability but can fly only for short distances. This type of drone is meant for beginners, though sometimes they’re used for filming indoor events.
A distinctive feature of all quadcopters is the presence of four rotors. The term mini is applied to drones with a weight of less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and a length/width of no more than 15 centimeters (5.9 inches). Mini quadcopters can be useful for flying in a limited space, for example in an apartment. Most have a purely entertainment purpose.
Among mini drones, the Altair Aerial AA108 deserves special attention.
The AA108 is the perfect drone for operators of any skill level and comes complete with modern features and long-term customer support. The AA108 is durable, easy to fly, and features innovative usability functionality like one-button takeoff and landing, headless mode, and multiple flight modes.
This drone is made of strong plastic and can easily withstand crashes. The excellent design gives this drone a more stable flight than similar models, and it can even land itself when the battery’s about to die or there are issues communicating with the controller. You’ll also be surprised by the camera quality.
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Drone flying is becoming a popular form of entertainment. There’s a growing band of amateurs piloting machines above our heads. Hobby drones are usually mid-sized vehicles with large propellers and wider frames. Most of these models have a camera, but you shouldn’t expect high-quality pictures and video. Newer models include features like headless flight mode, altitude hold, and takeoff/landing buttons for easier operation.
One of the best drones in this category is the Altair Aerial BlackHawk.
This quadcopter is perfect for pilots with intermediate to advanced skill levels and is good for long flights, extreme speed, and great control. However, it actually comes with no camera at all – just an attachable mount for an action camera. But unlike some of its competitors, the Blackhawk doesn’t exclusively work with GoPros; it’s designed to work with any similar action camera.
With a heavy metal frame, significant speed, and a long range, the Blackhawk is the fastest and most fun drone you can have for a decent price.
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If you’re a more experienced pilot, you may look at the Altair 818 Plus.
The Altair 818 Plus is a brand-new drone that immediately impresses you with its appearance and construction quality. It can be bought at a relatively affordable price. The 818 Plus is very easy to fly. The auto-takeoff feature works well, as does the altitude hold. You can fly it up to 15 minutes, which is perfect for longer photography shoots or even just for playing with it as a toy. This quadcopter is a perfect introduction to the world of video and photography.
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Professional drones are the pinnacle of technology. They’re equipped with a host of functionality, made from high-quality materials, and capable of staying in the air for a longer time while filming high-quality videos. The most advanced models are equipped with cameras capable of shooting in 4K resolution which, combined with a number of other features, allows you to broadcast online and produce high-quality shots for large media projects. Professional quadcopters are used in shooting TV shows and movies and for reporting. These devices will be of interest to videographers and professionals doing high-quality shooting, tracking territory, performing agricultural surveys, and fulfilling other tasks. Such drones can be used even by a beginner, as they’re protected from crashes and have GPS sensors.
It’s possible to buy a professional drone at an affordable price, but professional models of the most popular brands are much more expensive than their simpler analogs.
One of the most popular professional drones is the DJI Phantom 4.
The Phantom 4 has become incredibly popular, as it’s a well-thought-out aircraft with a large set of features and innovative technologies.
You’ll enjoy shooting videos and photos from the air with this quadcopter. It’s simply perfect for capturing pleasant moments (weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations), is capable of recording from a non-standard perspective, and is widely used for business purposes:
- to create extraordinary videos to advertise businesses, real estate, and residential complexes;
- to diagnose the state of remote objects (roofs, towers, supports);
- for assessing crops and forests.
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Quadcopters for selfies are drones with a follow-me function. These drones are able to take selfies and record wonderful video while following the pilot. Drones for selfies follow a control panel or a smartphone. Some smarter drones, like the DJI Phantom 4, are able to follow an object without being tied to a console or smartphone. You just need to select an object on the tablet and the drone will record while following it.
Selfie quadcopters can be used for competitions, when riding bicycles or driving, and for getting beautiful shots while sailing or surfing. In this case, the drone follows you and takes great photos or stunning video.
Selfie drones are the most compact; they’re often pocketable. They’re controlled by smartphones but not designed for long flights. Their main task is shooting photo and video of a person. Often, selfie drones are purchased by people who like to travel alone. These quadcopters are quite affordable.
We recommend the DJI Spark for selfie photos. The Spark is a small drone but has a lot of smart features. It’s able to recognize gestures and avoid obstacles. As it’s small, lightweight, and portable, it can get into the air very quickly. The DJI Spark has some safety features that you normally see only on bigger drones: functions like return home and precision hovering and landing, not to mention obstacle avoidance, which until the Spark was unheard of in a quadcopter of this small size.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Spark is probably the most user-friendly selfie drone on the market today.
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This is a separate type of quadcopter with small dimensions (around 25 cm/9.8 in) aimed at high-speed track transmission. Racing drones are controlled using a first-person view. This system includes a camera, video transmitter, and receiver, which converts the signal into a video. Thus, you can observe what’s happening in real time and, control the drone by receiving video from the camera.
When selecting a racing drone, first of all, pay attention to the size of the frame, the controller, and the power of the motors. Criteria such as range is hardly taken into account, since flights are carried out mainly at short distances.
Thanks to the powerful brushless motors that quadcopters are equipped with, they’re not afraid of large gusts of wind and transmit high-quality video without interference and delays. Racing drones transmit video instantly so that pilots can respond immediately to obstacles.
We recommend paying attention to the Walkera F210.
The Walkera F210 is a lightweight, fast, and maneuverable quadcopter for professional FPV racing. It’s equipped with 2500KV motors and a 4-cell battery, which gives an amazing thrust-to-weight ratio.
The small size of the F210 and its low weight are natural protection against damage from falls, and the durable carbon fiber frame helps to keep safe not only the quadcopter itself but also its on-board technology.
The FPV system of the Walkera F210 deserves separate attention.
The camera installed in front of the drone has 700TVL resolution. This is quite enough for excellent video transmission to the FPV monitor or pilot’s video glasses. A distinctive feature of this camera is the night vision mode, which enables night flights.
You can easily master flying with the F210, as the quadcopter is controlled through a modern SP Racing F3 sports flight controller that has special settings for both calm flights and extreme races.
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When choosing a drone, pay attention to the following features:
If you’ve purchased a quadcopter, then don’t forget about the basic rules of use:
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