What is the point of a drone? For many, a drone in the now-popular multi-rotor configuration, is an extension of a passion for RC aircraft. For others, a drone is a tool to put a camera into the sky. We are pretty passionate about the camera in the sky experience.

Whether for personal use or for commercial application, let’s take a look at a list of our favorites, some of the best camera drones in the sky.

Before you fly: You may need a drone license, and there are laws to follow

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Consumer camera drones

DJI Inspire 2: Professional drone

The DJI inspire 2 has been a leader in the camera drone market since it launched in 2016. The airframe itself offered the kind of forward-thinking features that keep the drone relevant today, and the interchangeable camera system has allowed photographers and videographers to keep up with newer standards.

With up to 6K video capture, multiple lens support, advanced on-board file storage configurations, and hot-swappable batteries make the Inspire 2 a tough package to beat, especially since it sells for half the price of many competing alternatives.

Not only is the Inspire 2 a capable camera system, it’s also tons of fun to fly. It has a rated top speed of 58mph, and is best operated by two people one two controllers, one to pilot the craft, one to control the camera. One of the better features is the use of a dedicated FPV camera, allowing the camera to spin freely without confusing the pilot.

Ignoring the high-end capabilities of the Inspire 2, it’s just as safe and easy to fly as any Mavic or Phantom drone you’ve handled.

Why we fly the DJI Inspire 2

We really like the Inspire 2. If I could afford one for my personal fleet, I would fly it every chance I get. Make no mistake, it’s too large to comfortably sling over your back to take on a hike, and it is not designed to haul high-end Hollywood cameras, which limits its market.

The Inspire 2 is more than good enough to shoot for the studios, you’ve absolutely seen Inspire 2 aerial footage in many popular tv shows and movies in the last few years, but it ranks as more of a high-end consumer-grade professional drone than as a cinema drone.

If you are looking for the very best camera drone possible with a budget of up to $10,000.00, we can’t think of a better option than the DJI Inspire 2.

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DJI Mavic 3 Cine: Best consumer drone

The DJI Mavic 3 Cine is simply the best hobby-class camera drone on the market. DJI used everything they learned about compact, folding airframes to build the Mavic 3. Resulting in one of the smoothest flight experiences we’ve experienced.

DJI also took their best camera and shrunk it. The Mavic 3 gets the same Micro Four Thirds camera sensor size as the Inspire 2, just in the shrunken down overall camera package. The result is just shy of what the Inspire can produce, but you’d have to be looking closely to tell.

Shooting 5.1K video and 20MP photos, with a whopping 46 minutes of flight time per battery, the Mavic 3 series is about as good as you can get from a drone camera with fixed lens.

Why we fly the DJI Mavic 3

When it comes to the DJI Mavic 3, you get what you pay for. That is to say that the very best consumer drone on the market has a price tag a little above the competition. While the barrier to entry is a little steep, we absolutely enjoy the flight experience that the Mavic 3 offers, particularly paired with the RC Pro remote control.

The Mavic 3 is also one of the first drones from DJI that combines a larger sensor size with a zoom lens. And the optional 1TB internal SSD makes data storage a lot easier to manage.

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DJI Air 2S: 5.4K camera for under $1,000

The DJI Air 2S is probably the drone you’re going to buy if you’re shopping for a hobby camera drone today. The 5.4K camera is better than it should be for this price, the airframe is capable, and the entire package is small and light for easy transport. The angled top front sensors improve safety at high-speed operation, and the newest version of Ocusync connectivity rocks up to 7.5 miles of range.

Why we fly the DJI Air 2S

Simply put, the DJI Air 2S is our top pick for a consumer camera drone today. The camera is better than anything else in the same price range, and the drone is unmatched in terms of flight range for a consumer drone. If you can only own one drone, make it this one.

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DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0: Large consumer drone

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 remains the best consumer-build of the iconic Phantom line of drones. As such, it is also one of the very best consumer drones on the market. Thing is, the Phantom line have fallen by the wayside in favor of smaller and more portable machines. The Phantom drone still packs a larger camera package, and can haul other payloads, but if all you care about is the best camera in the sky, you can enjoy similar results with smaller, lighter, more portable, and less expensive options out there.

Why we fly the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0

The iconic Phantom series became popular for a reason, they’re superb drones. The latest iterations offer multi-direction obstacle avoidance sensors while being fast and smooth in the sky. We really enjoy flying the Phantom drones in the backyard, but we don’t like hiking with all that weight. 

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DJI Mavic Air 2: Great value camera drone

The DJI Mavic Air 2 hit the market as a fantastic option for pilots. With upwards of 34 minutes of flight time, a 48MP camera sensor, and a convenient size and configuration for transport, it was both extremely convenient to own, and one of the better cameras around at the time.

Why we fly the DJI Mavic Air 2

We must admit that we think you would be better served by saving up for the Air 2S, but if the extra price is a breaking point, the Mavic Air 2 remains one of our favorite flying cameras, and we think you’d like it too. Seriously though, the Air 2S is a far better camera, and the DJI Mini 2 is far more accessible if you’d like to spend even less.

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DJI Mini 2: Best camera under $500

The DJI Mini 2 is not the best camera drone around, however, when you consider the size, weight, capabilities, and the price tag, the Mini 2 cannot be beat! The value of getting a reliable, compact, folding drone with 4K camera for under $500 is unmatched on the market today. The drone itself is super easy to pack along for a hike, the camera is about as good as your smartphone, and with the drone weighing under 250g, you don’t even have to register it before you fly.

Why we fly the DJI Mini 2

Yes. We think any pilot will enjoy having a DJI Mini 2 in their fleet. Beginners get to enjoy easy how easy it is to fly, experienced pilots get all the flight features they are familiar with in a GPS-enabled camera drone, and professionals can either fly for fun, or use the Mini 2 as a test flight tool, to save the battery on their professional rig until it’s time to film.

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Parrot Anafi: Flexible gimbal

The Parrot Anafi has an invaluable feature that you either really need, or will never use, the ability to point the camera straight up. This drone is fairly average in most respects, with good flight time, a solid 4K camera, GPS-enabled flight, and a folding design for easy transport. The very nature of that camera gimbal has inspired Parrot to launch commercial versions of this drone for inspection tasks, smart.

Why we fly the Parrot Anafi

We are on the fence about the Parrot Anafi. It is easy to fly, reliable and well supported, but it is old enough at this point that we worry about continued viability. That said, if you need an inspection drone that can point upwards, and can’t afford a big commercial unit, maybe you’re looking in the right place.

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Yuneec Typhoon H3: Reliable hexacopter

In conjunction with Leica, Yuneec has launched one of the best camera drones around, the Typhoon H3. The hexacopter design promises safe and smooth flight, and the design allows for great camera flexibility. Sadly, Yuneec is struggling to enjoy accessibility of their products globally like they used to, you may have to jump direct to their site to get your hands on this powerful aircraft.

Why we fly the Yuneec Typhoon H3

The Typhoon H3 is a commitment, we think you’ll be happy with this aircraft if you go for it, but like a good sportscar, please prepare to overcome some hurdles for your purchase and subsequent service.

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Special consideration: High-speed flight

DJI FPV

The DJI FPV is not your typical camera drone. While it has rock-steady image stabilization from a 4K shooter, it does not have sideways twist gimbal movement. The result is that the camera turns to the right when the drone turns to the right – this is a very immersive and aeronautically accurate perspective, and huge fun when the drone is zipping along at up to 87 mph, but may not be ideal for those that just want a flying camera. Check it out.

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Commercial and Industrial drones

Special note: In the United States you will need special licensing to operate a drone for pay. That is not to say that you need licensing to fly the following drones, the rule goes for any drone you fly for hire.

We’ll be going more in-depth on the process at a later date, but for now, know that if you will be paid to fly, including getting paid for the footage you capture, you’ll need what they call the Part 107. Hit the following resource for more info:

• Do I need to register my drone with the FAA? 

DJI Matrice M600 Pro

Also see in our Best professional drones list

If you did not already know this, DJI has been servicing the high-end and professional aerial photography space for a while. Most consumers will not be familiar with the expensive offerings that are the Matrice and the Spreading Wings that you’ll see later.

Providing few, if any of the conveniences and safety measures of the consumer focused drones, the M600 Pro is a massive, six armed drone that takes six batteries and can handle the best of the best in DJI cameras or carry over 13 lbs of RED or other high-end camera rigs.

At around $3,999 before you choose your camera, the DJI Matrice 600 Pro is a serious machine for serious video work.

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FreeFly Alta

FreeFly offers two sizes of their drone, the Alta 6 and Alta 8. Aside from physical dimensions, the number indicates how many propellers are equipped. Size is the name of the game here: the DJI Mavic Pro is about a 335 mm frame, that is, 335 mm from the center of one motor diagonally across to the far corner motor. The DJI Inspire 2 is about twice the size of the Mavic, and the FreeFly Alta 8 is about twice the size of the Inspire 2. That’s a frame size of 1,325 mm. Good thing it folds down for transport.

Dual batteries give this monster machine upwards of 40 minutes of flight and a 20 pound payload can handle many Gimbal and camera assemblies. The only thing preventing you from using the FreeFly Alta to put your high-end camera into the air is the $17,495.00 price tag for the Alta 8, or $11,995.00 for the Alta 6.

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Modular systems

DJI Matrice 300 series

The DJI Matrice 300 series is powerful and versatile commercial platform. Several load points allow for multiple payload options, including infrared cameras, cameras that point upwards, and more. RTK ensures the most accurate GPS positioning possible, and the ability to connect multiple controllers allow for a pilot and camera operator.

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100 MP camera for the sky!

DJI recently unleashed a beast for your aerial capture needs. Utilizing the M6oo or S1000+ you’ve seen already, DJI’s stake in Hasselblad has resulted in a 100MP camera for the sky. The H6D-100C hangs using the Ronin-MX, but you’ll be able to utilize the new Ronin 2 when it hits the market later this year. Read more about the new 100MP camera from DJI and Hasselblad here.

Serious equipment comes with a serious price, budget about $40,000 to fly this camera, or grab just the shooter for around $32,500.

Check out the Hasselblad H6D-100C for $29,995 on Amazon today.

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What to look for in a camera drone

There is much to discuss when we talk camera drones, what it really boils down to, what are you trying to accomplish? At the very bottom, you can buy a toy-class drone equipped with a 2 MP camera. This will be the kind of camera experience you don’t share with friends and family. No offense to the drone manufacturers that pump out these toy drones and market them as being “camera drones,” but they are misleading consumers into thinking they’re getting more than an adequate FPV camera for flying purposes. FPV is fine at this level, but HD is not in the cards here.

• Best drones for beginners
• Best cheap drones 

Stepping things up, you can get into a decent hobby drone for under $500, it may even pack a 4K sensor, but there is more to a sensor than the pixel count. Machines in this class can accomplish recording aerial video worth sharing, but just. At this level, you are at best on-par with a GoPro camera. Don’t mistake what I’m saying, I have high respect for GoPro cameras, they just are not optimized and tuned for drone footage.

• Best drones under $500
• Best GoPro drones
• Best selfie drones

Stepping up, you can get into drones up to $2000, many under $1000 still, but there are more than a few options between about $600 up to $1800 that produce the aerial footage you probably came looking for today. Sorry to say, if you want serious video from the sky, you’ll need to spend some money. The standout drone in this segment is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, you can read about it below, but it’s perhaps the best flying camera with a price below $2000.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is close to the same price, and is a much larger platform if you need to carry more than just a camera.  Both of these drones pack a 1-inch sensor with 4K video capture, industry leading object avoidance to ensure clean autonomous flight, and OcuSync so you can do more.

• DJI Mavic drones guide
• Best drones under $1000

From there, we’d like to highlight the DJI Inspire 2, it’ll run you at least $3000 to get started, but bump that to $6000 if you want the camera with that. Inspire 2 is a monstrously capable drone, 60 mph, 5.2K video, hot swapping dual batteries, internal SSD storage, powerful video streaming up to Hollywood level, or at least for the local news. As far as buying a ready to fly camera drone, this is, perhaps, the very best that you can get.

• DJI Inspire 2 announcement
• Best Professional drones

Finally, getting well beyond the needs of any home use camera drone, there are many machines that can carry really high end cameras, like the 100 MP Hasselblad or a RED 8K camera. These machines range anywhere from $10K up to $250,000. Yes, you can spend a quarter of a million dollars on a drone, more even, but you’ll then be able to shoot commercials for car companies or get a job with a legit Hollywood crew.

I keep talking about making movies, don’t forget there are plenty of opportunities in commercial inspection, zoom lenses, thermal cameras and more are ready to put drones into the air in place of helicopters.

• DJI uses Inspire 2 to shoot The Circle

That is the end of our list of best camera drones for now. There are many great drones on the market, some of which provide exceptional camera capabilities, for us, these few are the best of the best that are attainable for folks at home like you and I.

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