The entire world now realizes how useful drones are, despite still working out laws that make their use less of a burden. If you’re ready to buy your first drone, the buying process can become overwhelming when considering all options. You have to start with the purpose behind your drone and whether you want to build one yourself or buy one already assembled. RTF (Ready to Fly) drones are extremely popular for the basic purpose of not spending time doing any assembly or building one from scratch.
Other issues you’ll want to mull over are price and unique features each drone provides. You’ll also want to consider what type of drone you should own as a beginner. One thing you’ll discover is that all beginners can benefit greatly from owning a quadcopter.
With all this in mind, let’s look at what the best options are for you. We’ll also look at other features to help you scope out which best serves your intended drone use.
How Should You Use Your Drone?
Before you start buying a drone, you might want to start referring to them as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as a more technical term. Those in the drone world usually refer to drones this way, though they also call them Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). When you start referring to drones as either of these, you’ll prove more knowledge on the subject.
You’ll also be able to start more conversations with drone experts who can pass on tips on what to buy. They’ll likely ask you what you intend to use your drone for after your purchase. It’s something you should take seriously since drones do various things.
Maybe you’re intending to expand on your remote-controlled vehicle hobby that you’ve had for years. Those of you who’ve stuck with remote-controlled vehicles on the ground are going to find a lot of fun with UAVs.
The same goes if you intend to use your drone for photography. Many photographers have already seen the amazing things UAVs can do in capturing stunning angles. In many cases, this is perhaps a requirement in your job as an engineer. With a UAV, you can take photos in buildings or other places inaccessible to human beings.
Commercial interests in drone technology are vast. Demand for commercial drone pilots is very high and only continuing to grow into the coming decade. While you’ll need tuition to become a pilot, it’s a very high-paying job requiring buying just the right drone to fulfill your job’s duties.
Why Buying an RTF Drone is Usually Better
Many people who prefer to build their own drones do so simply to learn about the mechanics of building UAVs. Costs in building your own drone, though, are often more than buying an RTF.
Here are some reasons why buying a drone already built is going to work better for your budget:
An RTF comes right out of the box with little to no assembly, saving you immediate money in having to buy drone parts. You’re usually able to fly these in minutes. Building a multirotor for your drone frequently takes months of work, and only worth the time if you’re mechanically inclined or not in a rush to start using your UAV. RTF drone parts are cheaper than when buying these same parts separately in a DIY yourself drone-building project.Money may already play a factor in wanting to buy a RTF drone, though how much should you pay for a quality pre-built UAV?
Price Factors to Consider
How much you pay for a drone doesn’t always determine the quality you get. Prices have already dropped considerably recently due to the demand. For instance, you can get a drone designed for beginners for around $180.
The general rule is that if you’re a neophyte to drones, it’s best to find one for under $200 first. A good reason is you might crash your drone when first learning to fly it. Any damage sustained from a crash means you won’t be out a lot of money, even if drones are easily fixable.
Going cheap on your first drone also allows you to test if you really want to get into this industry. Many cheaper drones are available smaller in size with extensive features. Larger drones costing less frequently have fewer features, depending on the feature you’re looking to use.
Once you start getting the hang of flying drones and want to use them professionally, spending between $250 to $600 is fairly standard. A very popular model in this category is the DJI Phantom 3 Standard. These had a price of well over $1,000 two years ago. Now they have mid-range pricing with incredible features for all professional uses.
Higher-range drones go for well over $700, despite providing better flight ranges and using features like obstacle avoidance, and 4K cameras.
Why Quadcopters Are Popular With Beginners
Talk to any beginning drone aficionado, and they’ll tell you to buy a quadcopter based on their overall stability and reliability. Thanks to having four propellers, it can maneuver easily without going out of control. You can lift things easily with these, including items up to 2 lbs.
These also use a gyroscope to give even more stability, especially in windy conditions. When you need your drone to hover, it easily does so based on controlling any one of the four motors on the UAV. It’s possible to move it in any direction while hovering, including 360-degrees. During use for photography, this is ideal, including moving smoothly to the left and right for tricky shots.
Many lightweight and small quadcopters are available now for under $200, making them a good buy and easy to control as a first-time pilot.
Battery life is usually shorter on cheaper drones, so keep this in mind.
Beyond price and finding a quality quadcopter, what specific features should you consider when buying your first drone?
Looking at the Drone’s Motor
Drone experts warn about looking at the motor quality on the model you buy. Brushless motors are now highly sought after because they last longer and operate quicker and smoother.
Obviously, you don’t want your motor going out on you after spending several hundred dollars. A broken drone motor is equivalent to a car’s transmission going out.
Camera Quality and Recording Ability
Using drones for photography or video usage is one of the most popular pastimes lately, both on a recreational and professional basis. Always check the camera coming with your drone and whether it uses 4K technology for the best clarity.
For video recording, you’ll want something recording to a memory card. More expensive drones even give you live video technology to monitor your recording in real-time.
Range Capability
How far do you intend to fly your drone? As maybe an engineer who needs to photograph or video areas around buildings, you need something that won’t lose the remote signal. FAA laws say you need to keep your drone within view at all times, so keep this in mind once in use.
Some very expensive drones now have a “Follow Me” mode, which allows the drone to follow you if you’re capturing an exciting event by air, especially extreme sports.
Visit us at Droneucopia.com or https://drones.shop/ where we’ll soon be able to educate you and provide the best drones on the market.
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