Drones are everywhere at this point. The fantastic images fill our social media feeds and the videos captured by hobbyists and professionals alike expose the world to us in ways we could only dream about a few short years ago. Down below we take a deep dive into the best drones for sale.

Strapped for time? Our top pick for the top camera drone on the market is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. It’s the perfect blend of features, value, and portability.

Before the arrival of inexpensive, off-the-shelf camera drones, aerial photography and videography used to involve strapping into a helicopter and hanging outside the door with a camera.

Yeah…

Not sure how I feel about trusting a harness that’s probably seen better days and dangling out of a helicopter. They don’t make anti-anxiety pills that large and then there’s the cost. Renting a helicopter for a video or photography session isn’t cheap.

The solution? Slap a camera on a drone, and you’re in business. I don’t have to endure a panic attack hanging outside of a helicopter, and who among us hasn’t played video games? Put those skills to use and get the perfect shot or footage.

For me, that includes dropping a Phantom between two cliff faces to get an amazing waterfall shot. Multiple storm chasing shots and video. Chasing my nephew through the woods. A tree won that particular battle but showed DJI drones could take a beating and come out on top.

Want to jump to a particular drone? Below is our list of the best drones for sale today:

Before we dive deeper into the specs and what you can expect from each drone, it pays to know what you’re getting yourself into. Drones are a blast, but these are the questions that always pop up.

Your Camera Drone Questions Answered

Need some help with the editing process? Here’s our constantly updated list of the best YouTube channels for all things post-production.

What is a Drone Camera?

The most important part of the camera drone is, well, the camera. A lot goes into each drone camera, and it’s good to know the basics of what exactly you’re purchasing and why each features matters.

Drone Camera Sensor. The headline of every launch is the sensor. Without it, we aren’t looking at amazing footage or stills. One number you’ll hear tossed about is the megapixel count. 12 megapixels. 20 megapixels. 21 megapixels. What does it matter? The biggest is, the higher the count, the more detail you can render in your photos and videos. It enables you to crop in for that perfect edit.

Sensor size is another vital piece of the camera assembly. The larger the sensor, the more surface area light has to render the image or video. It’s why you hear the Mavic Pro 2 marketing immediately push the one-inch sensor feature. Here’s a visual of why the sensor matters in terms of quality.

Sensor Size Comparison

Field of View (FOV). One area you may not hear much about is the FOV. It’s vitally important to get it right because some camera drones will start to restrict it when heading into different 4K video formats. We all know the old GoPro fisheye look. That was an extreme field of view. Drones like the Mavic 2 Pro have a FOV of 77-degrees giving a wide image but not to such an extent the quality begins to suffer.

Bitrates. Nearly every camera drone can use some form of 4K video at a 100Mbps bitrate. It’s a measurement of the amount of data that can be pushed to the storage device. The higher the number, the more detail you can pull out in post-production.

Aperture. A basic explanation is the aperture represents the opening of the lens. The lower the aperture, the more light can hit the senor. It’s at these low numbers you can start to get the background blur known as bokeh past your subject. In higher apertures, the lens begins to close up, and you’ll have both the foreground and background in focus.

Want a deep-dive on all things camera related? The Digital Photography School has a great intro course that will walk you through the terminology and different techniques.

What are the Best Drones for Sale

Now that we know the basics, it’s time to get kitted out with the best camera drone for you on the market. Remember the old adage of just because it’s expensive, doesn’t make it better. Photography and videography have a lot to do with the user over the equipment.

1. DJI Mavic 2 Pro

The Mavic 2 Pro is our pick for the best drone for sale in 2020. It merges a laundry list of features into an ultra-portable and affordable package.

DJI’s current flagship consumer camera drone. It takes everything we loved about the original Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro and combines it into one hell of a photography or videography platform.

The Mavic 2 Pro is the first of DJI’s consumer drone line to benefit from the company’s partnership with Hasselblad. Name sound familiar? It was a Hasselblad camera snapping photos during the first moon landing. That’s a hell of a pedigree and the Mavic 2 Pro sports a Hasselblad L1D-20c camera with a new one-inch CMOS sensor.

The Spec Sheet

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is packed with the latest tech for camera drones. A one-inch sensor leads the way in headline features along with an array of new sensors and capabilities:

Camera Resolution: 20 megapixels

Video Resolution: 4K with 10-bit HDR and maxes out at 30 frames per second.

Adjustable Aperture: f/2.8-f/11

Battery Life: 31 minutes. Real World: 28-29 minutes.

Ultra-Portable

Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance

OcuSync 2.0

DJI’s Mavic 2 Pro packs a ton of value into the foldable drone. The omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is a first for a DJI, allowing it to smartly avoid objects in its flight path and prevent those ‘oops’ moments.

A headline shot mode for the Mavic 2 lineup is the hyperlapse. You can set it to four different modes, and the Mavic 2 will start shooting images in both JPEG and RAW at the interval you set and stitch them together to form an aerial timelapse.

DJI Mavic 2 Pro’s 4K Drone Camera in Action

The Mavic 2 Pro opens up a world of possibilities. I already mentioned the hyperlapse, but let’s dive deeper and get visual. You can select from Free, Circle, CourseLock, and WayPoint.

Why stop at a hyperlapse? DJI’s Mavic 2 Pro has an enhanced HDR toolset to stack multiple images at various exposures for a crystal clear image free of artifacts and no ghosting across 14 stops of dynamic range.

Panoramas are improved across the Mavic 2 allowing for a sphere, 180-degree, horizontal and vertical panoramas.

Need more control? The Mavic 2 Pro offers a 10-bit-Dlog-M flat profile to really make videos your own through extensive color grading. Add in the 10-bit HDR video and the H.265/HEVC codec, and you have a beast of an aerial video platform which folds and fits into an oversized pocket.

Mavic 2 Pro Aerial Photography







Mavic 2 Pro Bundles

There are four purchasing options for the Mavic 2 Pro. The base drone-only package which is $1599. The recently released DJI Smart Controller offers up a bundle at $2049. And finally, the best deal is combining the drone-only package at $1599 with the Mavic 2 Fly More Kit for $399.

Why is the Fly More Kit the better value over the Smart Controller or the DJI Goggles? Batteries. You end up with a total of three which means up to 90 minutes of flight time. The Fly More Kit also includes a car charger, battery hub, extra props and a shoulder bag that fits everything.

If it were me, I’d opt for the extra batteries and consider the Smart Controller later down the line.

Let’s recap the four options for the Mavic 2 Pro:

2. DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0

My personal favorite of all the camera drones for sale is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. Sure, it’s a holdover from my first camera drone, the Phantom 3, but there’s something about it.

From a pure camera perspective, it outshines the Mavic 2 Pro. Yes, they share the same sensor. However, the Mavic 2 Pro is hampered by heat issues due to its small footprint. The advertised 20 megapixels is actually in the neighborhood of 17-18 usable megapixels. That’s completely related to heat dissipation from the camera system on the Mavic.

Sticking with the camera, the return of DJI’s Phantom 4 Pro also pushes the company back into the 4K video at 60fps. That’s a big deal with Autel preparing to launch its next-generation EVO II. DJI needs a stopgap, and the P4P fills that role quite nicely.

It doesn’t mean the Mavic 2 Pro is inferior. Both have their use cases. If you want ultra-portability, the Mavic 2 line is the go-to drone. Want to snag your camera drone by the landing skids? The Phantom 4 Pro has your back. Trust me, the landing skids are a more significant feature than most realize. Being able to launch and recover from a kayak is a breeze. Gravel filled landing area? I’d worry about a Mavic 2, but the P4P handles it with ease with the extra clearance.

Battery life is similar, along with many of the safety features. Hell, even the price is the same. I’d ding the P4P for this as it’s older, but the U.S.-China trade war has yet to be resolved.

Pricing is at $1599, and I’d forgo the controller with the dedicated screen in favor of additional batteries. You’ll get faster firmware updates with new shot modes using your phone or a tablet as the screen. I’ve used the controller with the dedicated screen, and it doesn’t justify the additional cost. Especially with smartphone screens outclassing it.

The Spec Sheet

Camera Resolution: 20 megapixels

Video Resolution: 4K at 60fps.

Adjustable Aperture: f/2.8-f/11

Mechanical Shutter

Battery Life: 30 minutes. Real World: 25-28 minutes.

Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance

OcuSync 2.0

DJI Phantom 4 Pro in Action

The one-inch sensor really shows off in both stills and video. One of my favorite videos is ‘Miami at Dusk.’ It shows just how powerful the camera drone is in a variety of situations. Plus, it’s Miami.

It doesn’t get much better than that. Except maybe a Phantom 5 with interchangeable lenses. Come on DJI. Hook us up.

3. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom

Rather punch in with optical zoom? The Mavic 2 Zoom is for you featuring 2x optical zoom and up to 4x lossless digital zoom.

Want to save a bit of money but still get nearly all the perks of the Mavic 2 Pro? The Mavic 2 Zoom is for you priced at $1349. The difference between the two flagships is the sensor size, and the Mavic 2 Zoom has 2x optical zoom and up to 4x lossless digital zoom.

Other differences are on the video front with the Zoom not having access to the HLG 10 bit and other ‘pro-centric’ features.

Owners also get access to a special shot mode dubbed the Dolly Zoom.

Yes, you can get this effect on the Pro, but it involves some skill with video editing. On the Mavic 2 Zoom, it’s a button push.

The Spec Sheet

There’s considerable overlap between the second generation Mavics, but here’s what you need to know for the Mavic 2 Zoom.

Camera Resolution: 12 megapixels (Pro has 20MP)

Video Resolution: 4K30p

Zoom: 24-48mm optical. Up to 4x lossless digital zoom.

Battery Life: 31 minutes. Real World: 28-29 minutes.

Ultra-Portable

Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance

OcuSync 2.0

The Mavic 2 Zoom is one hell of a drone, and if you’re looking for an aerial platform with optical zoom, you can’t go wrong. Yes, you lose the one-inch sensor in favor of the smaller sensor found on the original Mavic or the Air. 12MP versus 20MP. A lot of the color profiles advertised in the Mavic 2 Pro are gone, but you still have access to the D-Cinelike.

It’s one hell of a drone, and if you’re fine with the output of the smaller sensor, the Mavic 2 Zoom could just as easily be number one on the list.

What Can You Capture

I mentioned it above, but the amount of overlap in features is substantial between the Zoom and Pro The biggest difference comes with the drone’s camera sensor. Making up for the sensor difference is the ability to shoot super-resolution photos at 48MP. DJI accomplishes the feat by shooting nine separate images before stitching them together into a final image.

Another feature exclusive to the Mavic 2 Zoom is the Dolly QuickShot. It’s easier to show you versus explaining the effect:

Like its more expensive sibling, the Mavic 2 Pro, hyperlapses are the most impressive of the shot modes. There are amazing creators making unbelievable videos using various modes. Take a look below:

Other QuickShots include Panoramas, Asteroid, and Boomerang. What you can capture is only limited by your imagination.

Mavic 2 Zoom Aerial Photography







Mavic 2 Zoom Bundles

It’s the same setup as the Mavic 2 Pro. DJI offers four buying options:

Best Mavic 2 Accessories

After settling on which Mavic 2 Pro package you’re getting, there are a few accessories you can add to maximize your footage and images you capture. And then other accessories are quality of life improvements. Let’s break them down.

ND filters. Think sunglasses for your drone camera and you’re on the right track. If you don’t want to invest in a solid set, you can make use of the Mavic 2 Pro’s adjustable aperture. On bright days, you can move to a higher aperture to allow less light in to get your desired shutter speed for video.

Prefer to leave the lens wide open? ND filters are a must. Polar Pro and Tiffen are the go-to filters, with Polar Pro offering long exposure photography filters.

Mavic 2 Pro PolarPro

Mavic 2 Zoom PolarPro:

Tiffen:

Need a primer on ND filters?

Next up would be a solid bag. Yes, the Fly More Kit comes with a shoulder bag, but most of us want extra room and protection for our gear. My favorite bags come from Lowepro.

The DroneGuard BP 250 is perfect for the Mavic 2 and has space for days. It strikes the right balance of protection and comfort. Sure, it’s not a hard pelican case, but the idea of a portable drone is portability. You can mix and match what gear you want including your drone, another camera plus a lens, batteries and dedicated space for your laptop and tablet.

Another accessory you don’t readily think you need? Landing gear. One of the biggest pros of the Mavic 2 is its size. Then you notice on takeoff and landing how close the camera and gimbal are to the ground. The solution is snap-on landing gear. PolarPro makes a set that retracts for easy storage. You don’t need them, but for $30, it qualifies as a quality of life accessory.

Finally, lights. You’re probably thinking why do I want my drone to have lights? Check out Lume Cube’s set for the Mavic 2, and you’ll see why:

Yeah, it’s not a must-have but damn if it doesn’t expand your horizons on the type of images you can capture.

4. DJI Mavic Air 2

DJI’s latest consumer camera drone is easily one of their best. If you’re new to the game or are looking to upgrade from a Mini or original Mavic Air or Pro, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is probably for you. Every pitfall from the original Mavic Air has been addressed. Battery life? It’s up from 21 minutes to a whopping 34 minutes. The old 12MP sensor has been replaced by a brand new half-inch 48 Sony sensor.

Video specs have also been bumped to 4K60p in non-HDR filming, making it the only Mavic currently on the market capable of 4K at 60 frames per second. The only other DJI camera drone capable of that is the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, which is decidedly less portable.

Other improvements come from OcuSync 2.0 which bumps the range to 10km, and a completely revamped controller that places your phone above the sticks. Hopefully, it’s a design change that makes its way into the Mavic 3.

What Makes the DJI Mavic Air 2 a Great Buy? It’s more Pro than an Air. What I mean by that is the list of features on the Air 2 resemble what you’d expect on a Pro upgrade. The new Mavic Air 2 isn’t just an upgrade of the original AIr. It’s an entirely new camera drone. For the same price. It’s hard to find many faults when it’s more a revolutionary upgrade over evolution of the drone.

What Holds the Mavic Air 2 Back? Not much. There are some nitpicks with the 4K60p being only available in non-HDR filming. Then there are the 48MP stills only available in single shots and not Burst or AEB modes. It’s not a deal-breaker in any sense, but you kind of wish it went all-in on the 48MP sensor. But, heat would quickly become an issue, and DJI would want to leave something for the Mavic 3 when it launches later this year.

5. DJI Mavic Mini

Easily the ultimate beginner camera drone. I already dubbed it the gateway drug to aerial videography and photography. DJI ditched its sub-$500 Spark in favor of simplifying the branding under the Mavic umbrella. And it works. The ecosystem is complete and follows a clear upgrade path for users who find the Mavic Mini isn’t enough.

The borrowed aesthetics from the Mavic 2 line is on purpose as first-time flyers will be used to the flight characteristics, and the learning curve will be non-existent.

What Makes the Mavic Mini a Great Buy? It’s a lot of drone for a starting price of $399. Even the Fly More combo keeps the price tag under $500. And then there’s the weight. It weighs in at 249 grams, which places it under the drone registration requirement in most western countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the U.K.

It’s a brilliant move by DJI to remove the barrier to entry many potential buyers faced. Especially in places like Canada. You’ll still have to follow flight rules by country, and all commercial rules apply regardless of weight.

The weight is DJI’s coup, but another is the generational leap in battery technology. Remember, the Mavic Mini weighs in at 249 grams or slightly less than the battery alone of a Mavic 2. And the Mini gets an advertised flight time of 30 minutes. That’s a 100% increase over the DJI Spark, which advertised around 16 minutes. Even in real-world conditions, the DJI Mavic Mini will easily get 23-25 minutes of flight time.

In a camera drone, roughly the size of a smartphone.

Speaking of smartphones, the new DJI Fly App, which is designed for the Mavic Mini is meant for social media. Editing is a breeze, and you can instantly share to all your favorite social networks. And yes, the dronie shot mode is still there along with a host of others to make the beginner pilot look like an expert.

Expect the drone to fly off the shelves for the holidays.

What Holds the DJI Mavic Mini Back? At $399, compromises have to be made, and DJI isn’t about to cannibalize its entire Mavic series. Video is capped at 2.7K with a 40Mbps bitrate. The low bitrate, along with a lack of a flat picture profile is a bummer for those looking to color grade footage. Luckily, DJI is known for damn good looking footage straight out of the camera.

It‘s still photography where the Mavic Mini takes the biggest hit. The sensor is fine at 12MP, but the new DJI Fly App lacks any camera controls, and the Mini shoots only in JPEG. No RAW/DNG option. Now there is the potential it gets added via a firmware update, but don’t hold your breath on that happening anytime soon.

Another hindrance for enthusiasts and prosumers will be the Enhanced WiFi transmission with the remote controller. No OcuSync here, which limits the range to 4km. In the real world, you can half that range due to various interferences from other devices. Again, it’s a quibble on a $399 camera drone. If you want professional features, you pay professional prices.

And the final one is one most don’t really care about but interesting considering it’s a beginner drone. There’s no obstacle avoidance except sensors on the bottom for precision landing. DJI is selling prop guards, and the ease of use means most won’t even realize it’s not there. I turn mine off for more granular control on the Mavic 2 Pro. Those sensors had to go to keep the weight under 250 grams.

Overall, these complaints are the very definition of first world problems. The DJI Mavic Mini is a beginner camera drone priced at $399. It’s a generational leap over the DJI Spark, and I’d expect the battery technology to make its way into the next generation Mavics in 2020.

6. Skydio 2

Probably the funniest intro to a drone marketing video.

If you’re looking for the future of autonomous camera drones, the Skydio 2 is showing off serious chops in the world of object avoidance. The videos showing it off are stunning. It’s powered by an NVIDIA Jetson TX2, which has 256 GPU cores of processing power. Six 200-degree field of view cameras provide 45 megapixels of details to help the Skydio 2 avoid anything in its path.

What Makes the Skydio 2 a Great Buy? If you’re a one-person action sports participant who wants aerial footage, there’s not a better option on the market. Use the SkyBeacon to keep the drone locked on you as you mountain bike, snowmobile, and generally shred through whatever sport you want.

The 12MP sensor is on a three-axis gimbal and is capable of 4K video at 60fps. Autonomous speed tops out at 36mph, allowing it to keep up with just about any sport. At $999, it’s a solid value considering the lack of competition for now in the autonomous market.

What holds the Skydio 2 Back? Scale. Skydio is built in the United States by hand in a small assembly line. That presents problems getting the volume of drones out the door and into the hands of consumers.

Another is the Skydio 2 looks like the drone GoPro wishes it had built. It is heavily marketed towards the action sports crowd, which feels limiting as it can easily compete with other camera drones. It loses out in range and sheer camera control in the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom. And it lacking the scale of DJI is a problem.

The $999 Skydio is taking deposits, but 2020 is coming, and no one should be under any illusion DJI isn’t planing one hell of a response. They did it to GoPro, and I’d be concerned by the time production is ramped up, DJI will already have a host of camera drones that outstrip the current advantages the Skydio 2 enjoys.

Still, it’s a hell of a drone, and if you’re into action sports, it’s one to definitely consider.

7. DJI Inspire 2

The big leagues of off-the-shelf drones. It will set you back serious cash, so it resides in the arena of professionals or hobbyists with a lot of disposable income.

DJI’s Inspire 2 is the only true, off-the-shelf, professional camera drone. One of the biggest selling points is it’s more of a platform thanks to its interchangeable lenses and the variety of camera payloads DJI offers.

It breaks down into three separate buying options, each offering its own list of specs and performance options. There are a few specs that are standard across the line of options.





The Inspire 2 Spec Sheet

Max Flight Time: 27 minutes

Max Speed: 67 mph

Dual-Operator Mode, Two Cameras, Obstacle Avoidance

360-degree gimbal.

What Can You Capture

DJI’s Inspire 2 is a professional system. You can shoot professional films using this aerial platform and the price more than reflects its capabilities.

DJI Inspire 2 Aerial Photography





Inspire 2 Bundles

Inspire 2 Standard Combo. Priced at $2999, it features the Zenmuse X4S camera with a one-inch sensor. It can handle 4K video at 60fps and oversamples to 5.2K at 30fps. Burst rate on the photos can hit 20fps, and like all Inspire 2 combos, it has the option for a dual operator mode with the forward-facing camera.

Inspire 2 Professional. Get ready for a massive price leap. The Inspire 2 Professional combo prices out at $10,110 and includes the Zenmuse X5S over the X4S. In addition to the standard remote controller found on the standard edition is the Cendence Remote allowing for dual operator mode.

The X5S is an upgraded 20.8MP MFT sensor capable of Apple ProRes video at 5.2K. Dynamic range is expanded on the X5S camera to 12.8 stops.

Also in the combo are two 7.5-inch Crystal Sky monitors. No more sunshades over your tablet to see where you are flying the camera drone.

Inspire 2 Premium. Priced at $12,560, it forgoes the standard controller for two Cendence controllers, ultra-bright CrystalSky monitors, and two 480GB CineSSDs. The X5S is still the onboard camera with the option to add interchangeable lenses.

8. FreeFly Alta Series

If the Inspire 2 makes your checking account recoil in fear, the FreeFly Alta series is the true bank account buster. And with good reason. These are the true professional drones. You should know your use case if you’re buying a Freefly Alta-series drone. The Alta 6 starts at $12K and jumps from there, while the Alta 8 starts buying frenzy at $18K. Oh, and neither has a camera, yet. That comes later, but your options are limitless.

Sorta like your budget needs to be. Freefly does have more than its share of incredible bundles, including the absurdly nice Movi Carbon. It’ll set you back $45,000, but it is a handheld, or drone-mounted 5-axis stabilized Panasonic GH5 complete with every filmmaking goodness you’d ever want.

Of course, we all want that.

Then there’s the Alta X, Freefly’s latest drone to wow the industry. The starting price is $16K without a camera, but you can feel free to add whatever payload you can dream up. Movi Carbon? Sure. LED lights? Definitely.

Each Alta is its own animal. These are the ultimate in cinema-grade drones. What they are not is your typical hobbyist drones. You’re looking at $30K to get the cheapest option off the ground and filming.

9. Yuneec Camera Drones

Stepping away from DJI brings out the company’s largest competitor, Yuneec. While DJI does control a sizable share of the market, it’s not the only 4K camera drone maker in town. The Typhoon H does have an ace up its sleeve thanks to its retractable landing gear and 360-degree gimbal and Intel RealSense obstacle avoidance system.

Yuneec feels like it’s one generation away from having something extraordinary. The 360-degree gimbal with a price that doesn’t break the bank is great. The 12MP sensor? Not so much when compared to the competition.







The Specs

Retractable Landing Gear

360-degree Gimbal

Intel RealSense Obstacle Avoidance

Integrated Screen on Controller

Battery Life: 25 Minutes

Range: One Mile

What Can You Capture

Much like DJI, Yuneec is big on various flight modes, or what the company dubs Task Modes. Orbit, Point of Interest, Journey, Cable Cam, and Follow Me are the modes you can set waypoints and create your video.

Yuneec Typhoon Buying Options

Yuneec doesn’t overwhelm you with various combos. The $1500 gets you everything you need to get out and fly that day. Two extra batteries, a backpack, extra props are all included in the price.

10. Autel EVO

One look at the Autel EVO and you see a Mavic competitor. And on the specs, it gets close, especially with its camera shooting 4K at 60fps. Still, DJI’s ecosystem and reliability win out.

Where the EVO falters is on the price. It packs a similar sensor as the Mavic Air, but is priced higher. Still, it checks all the right boxes on features, including flight time and a drone camera capable of 4K video at 60fps for under $1000.





The Specs

Flight time: Up to 30 Minutes

Range: Up to 4.3 Miles

Integrated Screen on Remote

Front and Rear Obstacle Avoidance

It shares similar specs and stylings as the Mavic, but it loses ground to DJI’s innovative shot modes. However, competition breeds innovation and the Autel EVO is one to watch.

Autel Evo Buying Options

Similar to Yuneec, Autel keeps it simple with a $999 package which includes plenty of extras. You’ll want to invest in additional batteries to keep you flying.

11. Parrot Anafi

One of the more unique camera drones of 2020 is the Parrot Anafi. It looks like a Mavic clone, but its gimbal makes it stand out from the pack. It can rotate 90-degree down and 90 degrees up along its vertical axis.





The Specs

Three-Axis Gimbal Which Rotates 180 degrees Vertically

21MP Sony Sensor

2.8X Lossless Zoom

25-minute Battery Life

The Anafi has its collection of smart shots including dronies and cineshots. It can’t match the breadth of what DJI puts forward technology, but a $699 price tag does make it compelling against the Mavic Air.

The Rise of FPV Drones

Over the past year, there’s been a marked transition on the types of drone footage you see on social media. Yes, the majority is still the same steady shots of areas with breaking news or stunning vistas. But a new medium has emerged. Cinematic FPV drones with action cameras strapped to them. This can be either a Cinewhoop or a racing drone. Cinewhoops are more stable and can create some of the more cinematic views of locations. Racing FPVs are all about the acrobatics. Want to line up a plunge over a waterfall. You’ll want a racing quad for that to have the power to pull out of the dive.

In 2019, DJI got into the mix with its digital FPV system. Rumors have continuously circulated the company is poised to launch a dedicated FPV drone perhaps alongside a refreshed Osmo Action.

Wrapping 2020’s Best Drones for Sale

What has stopped the industry in 2020 has been the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. Most supply chains have been crippled thanks to countries locking down all but essential pieces of their economies. While launches are expected in the latter half of 2020, the pandemic will dictate the when and how of any camera drone launch.

Then there are other potential wild cards. Will a major company step into the camera drone space? Sony has a patent for a consumer drone. Is it just a patent to store or something else?

Right now, I’d say both the Phantom 4 Pro and the Mavic 2 Pro share top billing as the best 4K drone on the market. Expectations are for the Mavic 2 line to earn a refresh at some point this year, and rumors continue to percolate the Phantom 5 has not been shelved. That’s good news for creators who want the chance to use interchangeable lenses without crushing a bank account.

2020 is shaping up to be a wait-and-see year for the industry. Will DJI release new hardware? There are signs that the answer is yes, but the epidemic has undoubtedly changed plenty of plans.

Don’t forget to check out our latest buying guides on mirrorless cameras, the best vlog cameras, DSLRs, and travel cameras.