If you’re on the hunt for a good drone for beginners, you may have noticed how much choice there is out there. And if you’re new to the drone space, it can all seem a little overwhelming. So how can you be sure you’re picking the right one? What is the best drone for beginners? Like any other camera equipment, when you’re parting with your hard-earned cash, you want to know that you’re purchasing the thing that’s right for you.
With that in mind, we’ve put together this extensive guide that highlights the best drones for beginners. Once you’ve read this and researched the options, you’ll be ready to make the right decision and start flying! Perhaps not over burning hot lava just yet, but… you’ll get there.
The characteristics of a good beginner drone
While we all have different needs as filmmakers, you should consider several key characteristics when looking for the best drone for beginners.
Is it easy to fly?
The best beginner drones are the easiest drones to fly. If it’s too complicated, you won’t feel confident, and it’ll be far harder to learn. You need something easy and streamlined enough to make you feel happy and comfortable flying within an hour of use.
Is it affordable?
Any good drone for beginners should be affordable. Don’t break the bank on your first purchase. It’s best to be conservative with your budget and ensure you actually like flying with a drone and use it regularly enough to make it worthwhile. If you do, you can always upgrade in the future when you’re ready.
A “plug-in and play” approach
What we mean by this is that the best beginner drones don’t require you to know much about the mechanics and science of rotors, blades or lithium batteries. Instead, they’re simple and ready to fly, straight out of the box. The last thing you want is to spend too much time fiddling around with different pieces and parts.
Intuitive, built-in safety features
The best beginner drones should make you feel comfortable and safe when flying. If they come with safety features such as GPS, it means that they can return home (where you took off from) at the press of a button. Another essential feature is OBS (obstacle avoidance). This can help avoid any tricky situation or potential crash as you learn to fly. Even when you’re a pro, obstacle avoidance is always a good idea, depending on what you’re shooting.
The best drones for beginners
Below, as promised, we’re giving you the options for the best drones for beginners within several different categories.
Best beginner FPV drone: DJI FPV Drone
The DJI FPV Drone is a solid choice for those wishing to get into the world of FPV drones. It can be flown at 2 lower speed options to help you get used to the new way of flying and has some impressive collision sensors that help you avoid objects. The “all stop” button will also bring the drone to a stationary hover almost immediately – very handy when you’re first getting to grips with it!
Best multi-rotor drone: DJI Mini 2
When it comes to price point, camera quality, and ease of flying, the DJI Mini 2 is our pick as the best drone for beginners. You won’t get any better, in our opinion. The fact it’s so small is an added bonus – we’ve found it great for travel and hiking videos.
Best fixed-wing drone: Parrot Swing
An unusual niche, but if you’re interested in fixed-wing drones specifically, we’ve found that the Parrot Swing Fixed Wing Drone is the best for beginners. The aerodynamic design is excellent for precision control, and it boasts great flight time. The only issue is that there’s no camera included! You’ll need something like a mounted GoPro to film anything.
Best cinematic drone: DJI Mini 3 Pro
For those beginners looking to nail the establishing shot and who don’t mind paying a little more, the DJI Mini 3 Pro is our go-to. Coming in at 249g and with a flight time of 30+ minutes, you’ll be capturing plenty of amazing shots and camera angles with its impressive video capabilities. 4K up to 60P is no problem, there’s a max bit-rate of 150mbps, and the larger sensor means it’s surprisingly good in low-light performance.
Cinematic shots are one of the key reasons you purchase a drone – just look at how beautiful this footage is on the Artlist’s stock footage library:
Best alternative to DJI: Autel EVO Nano
The Autel EVO Nano is very user-friendly and a worthy competitor to DJI. It boasts 3-way obstacle avoidance, is small and compact at 249g (it also folds away), and the 4K camera is of excellent quality.
Wrapping up
If you’re asking yourself, what is the best drone for beginners, it will never be straightforward. However, with this comprehensive guide, we hope you now feel much better equipped and confident when it comes to buying not just the best drone for beginners but the best beginner drone for you.
As you can see, there are a few great options that will all meet the recommended requirements for a beginner. It’s up to you to decide on the finer details, such as the budget and camera quality. While researching, you may want to check out our extensive stock footage library. With an unlimited license, you can download plenty of professional aerial footage and use it on any video you want, taking your films to new heights. Alternatively, you can start creating your own drone footage and spice it up with our exclusive music for drone video collection here at Artlist.
