The latest in the Drones and Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Special Series, in which Kike profiles interesting information, research and thoughts on using drones, UAVs and remotely piloted vehicles for journalism and photography.
Shopping for a “drone-obsessed” friend, family member or yourself? I have decided to update my article The Best Drones for Beginners that was enjoyed by thousands of readers, and think of a general guide (list is not in order of preference) to help you choose your first drone. Making sure it will make happy anyone interested in cool gadgets, quadcopters and Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
I recommend you to read my Drones and Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Special Series before buying any aerial platforms, including:
. So You Want to Fly Drones?
. So You Want to Shoot Aerial Photography Using Drones?
. So You Want to Backup Your Aerial Footage Taken from Drones?
. So You Lost Your Drone Again?
. So You Want to Fly an FPV Racing Mini Quadcopter?
. So You Want to Keep Track of All Your Drone Flights?
Byrobot Drone Fighter GX100: 2.4GHz RF 2-way communication with 6 channels mini drone. Remove the rotor guards in expert mode to cut down on the weight, and you can even do 360 flips. It has Infrared transmitters and receivers on it, so if you have two or more, you can assign them to different teams. If your Drone Fighter is “hit” by an Infrared shot, its LEDs flash and your controller vibrates in your hands. Get hit six times, and the game is over.
2. Sky Viper Video Drone: With a Super Tough Duraflex Body made of resilient polypropylene, its easy to perform easy One-Touch Stunts. Perform barrel rolls in mid-flight with a simple tap of the Stunt button. Experience a true bird’s eye and Record 720p High Definition Pictures and Video. Be sure to check the Sky Rocket S670 Sky Viper Stunt Drone too.
3. Holy Stone® RC Quadcopter Drone with HD Camera: A Key 360° 4-Ways Flip(left,right,forward,backward), Continuous Roll For Perfect Action And Wonderful Performance. Its equiped With a Key Return & “headless security system” to prevent from losing the copter.
4. Cheerson CX-10 Mini RC Quadcopter: The 29mm 4CH 2.4GHz 6-Axis Gyro LED RC Quadcopter incorporates a 6-axis design makes the gyroscope adjustable, promoting flying stability. Flight time its up to 4-8 minutes and it includes a 3-level adjustable speed flip function.
5. Syma X5C Explorers 2.4G 4CH 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter With HD Camera: Equipped with HD camera, its perform flips at the press of a button with 360 degree eversion. Wind resistant, the X5C can be flown indoors or outdoors for about 7 minute flight. A 6-axis Gyro stabilization system ensures maximum stability. For an FPV version look at the Syma X5SW Wifi FPV, working with both Android and Apple IOS mobile phones.
6. Nano QX RTF with SAFE: As I described on my previous edition of The Best Drones for Beginners, this little mini-copter received the 2014 Editor´s Choice – Innovation of the Year by Airplane Magazine. Its tough and light weighted, and its airframe comes with blade guards. It features exclusive SAFE technology with stability and agility modes. The Nano QX RTF comes with a radio. You don’t need to buy one. But be aware you will need to buy separately a DSMX compatible radio if you get the BNF version (bind and fly.)
7. Robotic UFO 3 Channel I/R Flying Ball Remote Control Helicopter: With an overall product weight of -1 Pounds, the flying ball flies for about 12 minutes. Its perfect gift idea for holiday or birthdays. Charging time is about 35 minutes.
8. Top Race® 5 Inch Micro F22 Stunt Fighter Jet Quadcopter: The TR-MQ4 is the Smallest F22 Remote Control Airplane Jet Stunt Quad Copter in the world: Only 5 inches Long by 3 inches Wide. Extremely Durable with Strong Red and Blue Led Lights, its good for Indoor and Outdoor Use
9. Parrot Bebop Quadcopter Drone: videos and takes pictures within a 180° field of view. You can control your flying experience with their FreeFlight 3 app (iOS, Android, Windows 8.1) To ensure optimal stability without compromising the maneuverability, the Bebop Drone automatically analyzes data from numerous 3-axis sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer. One ultrasound sensor with an 8 meters reach, one pressure sensor and one vertical camera to measure speed.
10. The Hubsan X4, an Old Time Favorite: Along with the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Quadricopter and the Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider, this 4 Channel 2.4GHz RC Quadcopter helped me polished my flying skills on my early beginnings. Need some skills before buying a Phantom 3 Professional, a 3DRobotics Solo or a DJI Inspire 1 ? Get a Hubsan X4 today. And so you know, I still love flying and training with my Phantom 1, because it is light, easy to handle and very similar to certain larger copters.
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Learn More About Drones:
So You Want to Create Maps Using Drones?
So You Want to Create Maps Using Drones? (iTunes)
Drones For Dummies
Drone & Pilot sUAV Logbook
Kike Calvo´s Drone Collections
Getting Started with Drones: Build and Customize Your Own Quadcopter
Drone / UAV Dictionary: Includes 300 Commercial UAV Applications
Drones: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding Them.
Cool stuff for Drone and Unmanned Vehicle enthusiasts
Drone Entrepreneurship: 30 Businesses You Can Start
Small Unmanned Aircraft: Theory and Practice
Introduction to Unmanned Systems: Air, Ground, Sea & Space
UAV Fundamentals Executive Course
How to Start an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) Business Course on DVD
Small UAV Construction
Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones: Learn about, buy and fly these amazing aerial vehicles
Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Drone Pilot (Cool Careers)
Fly by Wire Aircraft: Fighters, Drones, and Airliners
Introduction to Remote Sensing, Fifth Edition
Popular minicopters and drones include:
DJI Phantom 3 with 4K camera
DJI Phantom 3 with 1080 camera
3DRobotics Solo
DJI Phantom 2 Vision
DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter with Zenmuse H3-3D 3-Axis Gimbal
DJI Phantom 2 Vision+
3d Robotics Iris+ Multicopter 915 Mhz 3DR IRIS+
DJI Inspire 1
Parrot MiniDrone Jumping Sumo
Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Elite Edition Jungle
Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider
Nano QX BNF
Walkera QR LadyBird V2 Mini
Hubsan SpyHawk FPV RC Plane
Badboy Quadcopter With Camera
The New Hubsan X4 H107L
MaxSale Hubsan X4 H107C 2.4G 4CH RC Quadcopter With Camera Mode 2 RTF