Choosing the Right Drone for your Production

Choosing the right drone for your production can be a daunting task, but with the right information and guidance, you can find the drone that best fits your needs. There are many different drones on the market, each with its own unique capabilities and features. To help you make the right choice, we’ve put together a guide that covers the key factors to consider when selecting a drone.

Purpose

What will you be using the drone for? Are you looking for a drone for aerial photography or aerial filming? Traditional drone or high-speed FPV? Or do you need a drone for industrial inspections or mapping? Knowing the purpose of your drone will help you narrow down your options and find the right drone for your production.

Location

Where are you hoping to fly? This can be a big deciding factor in using the safest option when working in built-up areas or working close to the public. Generally, the lower the weight, the safer the operation. The team can assist with the drone options if you have a particular location in mind. We have enhanced permissions from the CAA which enable us to safely fly large aircraft in towns and cities.

Camera Quality

For aerial filmmaking, the quality of the camera is critical. Consider the type of camera you need, the resolution and frame rates, and the features you require for your specific production. Typically, flying cameras used on the ground is the very best option but sometimes the budget and location are not favourable for the large heavy lift platform. The Inspire 2 is a great second option due to the size, flight time and ProRes or CDNG (Raw) codecs. That being said, the smaller options such as the Mavic size drone and even the super light (<250g) DJI Mini 3 Pro shoot a fantastic 4K image in a log colour profile. These smaller drones are more than enough resolution and quality for most web content and lend themselves to congested areas due to safety. They are of course limited with codecs, dynamic range and the ability to swap lenses etc.

With aerial photography, the quality of the stills is very similar in all DJI drones, up to the Inspire 2. They shoot a nice enough 5.2k image in a DNG (Raw) format. Where aerial photography gets interesting, is taking up a full-size camera and lens package. We operate a Sony A7RV (& G Master Lenses) with full camera control and live feed down on the ground, this shoots an impressive 9.5k image with the ability to zoom with different lenses, this is worlds apart from what the DJI drones currently offer. We can also fly Phase One and Hasselblad cameras with shutter control and live feed on the ground.

Budget

What is your budget for a drone? Are you looking for a small budget-friendly drone just to get a basic image/view or a professional-grade drone with advanced capabilities? The cost of drones can vary widely, so it’s important to determine your budget and find a drone & operators that fit within it.

Flight Time

The flight time of a drone refers to how long it can stay in the air on a single battery charge. This may be applicable to live events when you need the drone in the air for the longest possible time.

Portability

Are you planning a run-and-gun type of shoot with various locations, or will you be flying it in a single spot? If you’re planning on travelling, you’ll want a drone that is easy to transport and set up. If you’ll be flying in a single location, you can focus on drones that are heavier but have better sensors and flight capabilities.