1. DJI – Mavic Pro Quadcopter
The Mavic Pro from the Chinese company DJI (Da-Jiang Innovations), which specializes in the production of quadcopters especially in the advanced area. If you want a high-quality drone for hobby use, there is currently no way around DJI. The Mavic Pro drone is quite light for its size with a weight of just over 700 g, but still extremely powerful with its 24 high-performance processors. The Mavic Pro has a powerful 4K camera with 12 megapixels, which is stabilized by a mechanical 3-axis gimbal and therefore does not shake recordings or videos even at high speeds.
And speaking of videos: The Mavic Pro’s 4K camera supports videos in 4K at 30 frames per second – and all without electrical image stabilization, true 4K. DJI has installed the OcuSync transmission system instead of a WiFi system, which is supposed to provide 4 to 10 times better image quality for HD video transmission. The battery-powered model can also score with the other technical data with a sensor range of up to 4 kilometers and a long flight time of just under 27 minutes.
In sport mode, a strong top speed of almost 65 km / h is also possible, at which you can still count on high-quality images. And the high-end model also has a large number of features, such as its own anti-collision system and the practical “ActiveTrack” technology. The Mavic Pro quadrocopter can be controlled using the included controller or the free app.
2. DJI Mavic Air 2 Fly More Combo – Drone Quadcopter
This is also reflected in the low weight of just 430 g. Like the Mavic Pro, the Mavic Air also has a 3-axis gimbal, which gives the compact drone additional stability. This means that you have no problems taking pin-sharp pictures or videos with the built-in 4K camera with strong 32 megapixels, even at high speeds. In addition to “normal” 180 ° panorama shots, the Mavic Air is able to combine a total of 25 photos in just eight seconds in order to create a real spherical panorama image. In addition, video recordings in razor-sharp 4K at 30 fps and 100 Mbps are possible, i.e. real UHD recordings.
Another cool feature is slow-motion recordings, where you can enjoy the best moments in peace. The aircraft can be controlled as usual using the foldable controller or its own app. To list all the features of this high-quality drone with a camera would definitely go beyond the scope, so we limit ourselves at this point to two of the most important, “TapFly” and “SmartCapture”. SmartCapture gives you an interactive way to control the drone with your hand – more precisely with simple hand gestures – which is pretty cool. The TapFly technology, on the other hand, allows you to concentrate completely on the recording. Simply tap a point on the display and the Mavic Air is on its way to this point.
3. DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 – Drone Quadcopter
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone already impresses with its sleek white design, but it also has a lot more to offer. If we take a look at the basic technical data, the quality of the quadcopter becomes clear. Although the weight of almost 1400 g is slightly higher than the comparison models, this is outweighed by numerous advantages. Both in terms of flight time (30 minutes) and speed (72 km / h in sport mode!) The Phantom 4 Pro achieves top values, while the potential flight altitude of 6000 m above sea level is also unrivaled.
The 20 Mpx camera on the Phantom 4 Pro is one of the best that the market currently has to offer and can even be compared to normal ground cameras. It is the first DJI camera to use a mechanical shutter, which allows the camera to effectively eliminate shutter effects that often occur at high speeds. This means that the images are always sharp. The video processing supports videos in 4K at a strong 60 frames per second, while advanced sensors and processors ensure even more detailed recordings.
Another advantage of the Phantom Pro 4 is the “ActiveTrack” function, which every high-quality DJI drone with a camera has. The quadcopter automatically detects targets on the ground, follows them, and keeps them moving, which ensures even better images. The FlightAutonomy obstacle detection has been extended to a total of five directions for this aircraft and can also effectively avoid obstacles in four of these five directions. This makes the Phantom Pro 4 one of the safest quadrocopter. The Phantom Pro 4 is a real professional drone for hobby pilots, which convinces with numerous features and strong technical data. However, the price is correspondingly high.
4. Parrot BeBop 2 Drone
The Bebop 2 drone is very robust and compact and one of the few recreational drones that weigh less than 500g and is still very reliable. Of the technical data that must always be available for every product, the maximum flight time of 25 minutes is particularly worth mentioning, which is definitely not a matter of course for a model in this somewhat cheaper price range.
The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is equipped with a 14-megapixel camera, which is stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal and thus also stabilizes the recordings and images at high speeds. The HD camera is not only able to shoot breathtaking pictures from a height, but can also record full HD 1080p videos. Thanks to the WiFi range of almost 2 kilometers, you can also enjoy the images in real-time on your tablet or smartphone.
The “FreeFlight” app, which is available free of charge for iOS and Android, also gives you additional options, some of which are chargeable in the app, to exploit the drone’s entire image and video potential. You can control the Parrot Bebop 2 with the Parrot Skycontroller supplied, while the included FPV glasses (“first-person view”) allow you to look through the eyes of the drone. The device also has GPS tracking and obstacle detection. This drone, which can convince with a good price-performance ratio, is particularly suitable for people who do not want to put down a four-digit amount for a quadrocopter straight away.
5. Parrot Anafi Drone
The higher quality, but also a whole lot more expensive model from Parrot is the very compact Anafi drone. It consists of an ultra-light carbon frame (weight: 320 g) and is set up in less than three seconds. It has a maximum flight time of 25 minutes and can be charged anywhere thanks to the USB-C charging system. The delivery package includes the foldable Parrot Skycontroller 3 as well as a vertical Cardan ring that can be rotated through 180 °, which is ideal for shallow angle shots.
The other technical data (flight speed: 55 km / h, flight altitude: 4500 m above sea level, controller range: 4 km) are also convincing at first glance. The Anafi drone is one of the few quadcopters that has a 3-axis gimbal with a 180 ° tilt angle, which offers you completely new recording options with the integrated 4K camera.
The pictures only seldom blur, even at maximum speed, which usually brings you great 21-megapixel images. The 2.8x zoom mode also ensures that you can capture details clearly. Videos can also be recorded in strong 4K HDR quality at 100 Mbps. The Parrot Anafi drone has a number of safety features that in principle make any further thought about flight safety unnecessary. With the “geofencing” function you can define your virtual flight perimeter yourself, while the built-in RTH function (“return to home”) ensures that the drone returns to its starting point even if the connection is lost. In addition, the “Find My Drone” option helps you to find the quadrocopter lost from the field of view as quickly as possible.
