As drone technology continues to advance, the accessories market evolves, offering drone operators innovative tools to enhance their flying experience, ensure safety, and capture breathtaking footage. In 2024, whether you’re a professional aerial photographer, a hobbyist, or a commercial drone operator, equipping yourself with the right accessories is crucial. This article explores the best must-have accessories for drone operators in 2024, covering everything from protective gear to advanced imaging tools and power solutions.
Essential Drone Accessories
Extra Batteries
Extra batteries are a must-have for any drone operator. You want to be able to shoot uninterrupted for the whole day, especially if you’re shooting for a full 10-12 hours, so aim to have enough batteries for a good few hours and get the first used set on charge as soon as possible.
Portable Charging Solution
Following on from the batteries, a charging solution is also needed (unless you have 20-30 batteries to hand!) In 2024, there are now great large battery portable options from companies like EcoFlow (Amazon) and Anker (Amazon). Depending on the size you opt for and the drone batteries you’re charging, they can output enough power to charge up your drone batteries over 10 times on a single charge and also have the option to hook up solar if you’re out in the field. You could also look at petrol-powered generators (Amazon). We tend to use these for the bigger heavy lift batteries to keep us going for the day.
High-Quality SD Cards
Investing in high-quality SD cards ensures you have ample storage for high-resolution images and videos, crucial for holding onto your content safely. We tend to opt for SanDisk Extreme Pro (Amazon) cards at 64 GB or 128 GB.
Field Laptop and Storage
We like to back up periodically throughout shooting. We use a 13″ MacBook Pro and 2 TB SanDisk SSD’s (Amazon). This is especially important when shooting on the Mavic 3 Pro in ProRes as the SSD on board is internal.
Good Quality ND Filters
Neutral-density filters control the amount of light reaching the camera, allowing for better exposure control and more creative possibilities. NDs are a must-have for controlling your exposure, especially for filming work. We tend to go for PolarPro filters for the smaller drones and have been using Format Hitech (Format Hitech) for the Inspire 3. When flying full-size cameras, we have a set of Tiffen 4×4 filters that we use on a Bright Tangerine Misfit Atom Mattebox.
Transport & Protective Gear for Your Drone
Cart/Magliner
Whilst carts or magliners are obviously great for getting your gear around, they also make a great workstation whilst out in the field for building cameras or on-the-go DIT’ing. We purchased a cart from Adicam (Adicam) a few years ago now and it’s been a game changer. We use it as a bit of a ground station when we’re operating. There are many different accessories you can bolt onto your cart, from extra laptop stands to cable hooks and more. We have used a couple of super clamps to quickly attach a C-Stand at one end, where we can quickly attach a patch antenna for the Alta as well as monitors for operators and clients.
Carrying Case and Bags
A durable carrying case protects your drone and accessories during transport, ensuring everything stays safe and organised. Most of the DJI equipment now comes with some sort of case or bag as standard. These can be fine but once you start adding more batteries and accessories, they quickly become too small. We currently use divider bags from Tenba (Amazon) and they do a great job of fitting everything and keeping your precious cargo safe and secure. When it comes to the bigger drones, large hard cases from companies like Pelican (Amazon) SKB (Amazon) and HPRC with custom foam cutouts are the way to go. If you can, we would recommend going with Pelican and SKB as the HPRC’s we’ve had in the past were lacking in quality in comparison.
Propeller Guards
Propeller guards offer protection against collisions, reducing the risk of damage to your drone and its surroundings. More often than not, we will use prop-guards when flying indoors. There are official DJI guards for most drones now and when flying FPV indoors we will mostly be using a Cinewhoop which incorporates the prop-guards into the design. There isn’t much you can do for prop protection when flying a heavy-lift drone indoors so extra steps in your risk assessment are crucial for a safe flight.
Landing Pads
Landing pads provide a clean, flat surface for safe takeoff and landing, protecting your drone from rough terrain. They also provide you with a clear operating area which can be handy when filming on a set with other cast and crew walking around; so it’s worth mentioning when carrying out your client briefing before flying. The obvious one to go for is the Hoodman (Amazon) They come in various sizes and are very robust with a lead-weighted outer rim to stop them from blowing away.
Keeping Cool and Staying Warm
The Right Clothing
When working outdoors, it’s essential to dress appropriately for the weather, especially in the UK! We opt for down coats, always good to layer up, starting with thermals and decent mid-layers. Gloves are also essential. We’re currently using Seal Skins shooting gloves (Amazon) so the fingers can quickly be de-gloved! Come summer, you’ll want a decent hat and glasses, polarised lenses are always good for pilots in bright conditions. Be careful when using these lenses as they don’t work well for looking at screens.
Imaging & Communication Accessories
External Monitors
External monitors provide a larger, clearer view of your camera feed, essential for framing and composing shots. It is also essential for the client to watch over the shot. We attached ours to the C Stand setup on the cart mentioned above, this means we can quickly detach from the cart and have it on legs. This means we can easily move the monitor and downlink anywhere, very quickly.
Communication Headsets
Communication headsets enable clear communication between the pilot and camera operator as well as with spotters or other crew members on set. They are essential for coordinated flying and safety. We use the Eartec UltraLITE (Amazon) headsets which run on Bluetooth. You get a good 100m range when unobstructed and they work well. There are a few other options now on the market but we’ve yet to try them out.
Starlink
Not something we have put into practice yet but a Starlink (Starlink) system essential means you can receive fast and reliable internet connection, anywhere in the world. This would be great for broadcasting live, backing up to the cloud and instantly sending rushes (if required) to clients. It would also be helpful in remote areas with no service/data for emergencies.
Enhancing Flight Control
Advanced Remote Controllers
Upgraded remote controllers offer enhanced functionality and precision, improving the overall flight experience. We prefer to upgrade the remotes where possible on the smaller Mini/Mavic sized drones. We used to prefer using mobile to capture all of the flight logs more accurately but they seem to have caught up and give us all the info we need now. It’s also a bit of a timesaver to have the screen built in, just screw in the sticks and off you go! When operating on large drones, the remotes get a lot more complex. The Movi Controller for instance has the gimbal control with speed adjustments, as well as focus, iris and zoom. It takes a while to master this.
Signal Boosters
Signal boosters extend the range and improve the reliability of your drone’s connection, essential for long-distance flights. Being in the UK and having the line of sight or ‘500m’ rule we haven’t had the need to use remote signal boosters, especially with the newer systems with improved range. One interesting use that has been used by a few FPV pilots recently is using a signal/relay on a customised Mavic. This gives the pilot’s goggles a clear unobstructed view of the drone in the air whilst the FPV drone is down near the ground. Seems to be the way to go for very long distance FPV routes for long mountain biking shots.
Maintenance and Repair Tools
Tool Kits
A comprehensive tool kit enables on-the-spot repairs and adjustments, ensuring your drone remains in top condition. We always roll out with a full tool kit in case we need to make on-the-fly repairs or adjust gimbal or camera packages. Make sure you invest in decent tools, nothing worse than rounding off a bolt!
Replacement Parts
A stock of replacement parts, such as propellers and motors, ensures you can quickly address any wear and tear. You’re not going to be doing anything major whilst out on a job but anything that can quickly be changed out whilst on a shoot when needed can be a lifesaver.
In conclusion, the drone accessories market in 2024 offers a wide range of options to enhance your flying experience, ensure safety, and capture high-quality footage. From essential power solutions to advanced imaging tools and protective gear, equipping yourself with the right accessories is key to unlocking the full potential of your drone.
If you’re currently looking for experienced drone operators and the latest equipment, or just fancy a chat about what we do send us a message and we’ll gladly assist!
