Drones (or quadcopters) are small aircraft that can be outfitted with a camera to capture aerial photos and videos. They may be of interest to any photographer or videographer who wishes to reach inaccessible areas, such as high in the air or across a body of water, which would normally necessitate the use of a crane or helicopter.
Whatever drone you choose, be aware that there is an evolving body of regulations surrounding drone flight and appropriate usage that you should become acquainted with before purchasing and flying. The modern photography drones covered in this guide have autonomous features that allow you to learn how to fly them in minutes, but mastering them takes weeks. You're not preparing for a sunny afternoon on a soccer field; you're preparing for the moment when high winds pick up your drone and toss it halfway across the neighborhood (yes, we've done it). We've included some pointers on how to fly safely while also adhering to local and federal regulations.
The best drone for aspiring aerial photographers and videographers due to its automated obstacle avoidance, 4K camera, and ease of flight. Its three-axis gimbal offers effective image stabilization, and its 34-minute battery life means you'll have to land less frequently. The Mavic Air 2's pre-programmed flight modes, as well as its ability to return to its launch point and the land itself, allowing both novice and experienced pilots to capture cinematic-looking shots with little effort. Although the Mavic 3 has a better camera, battery, and autonomous capabilities, we believe the Mavic Air 2 is more than adequate for most people—at a third of the price.
The Mavic Air 2 can detect obstacles from up to 155 feet away as they approach from the front, back, or bottom of the drone, and then adjust to avoid them. Although this rendered the Air 2 blind while flying up or to the side (the Mavic 3 adds sensors for those directions in certain flight modes), we found the feature useful for normal flight; the drone emitted a loud beep and stopped itself when I attempted to fly it straight at a tree or slam it into the ground. Obstacle sensing reduces stress during flight, whether you're flying manually or using one of DJI's pre-programmed flight modes.
The camera on the Mavic Air 2 has a 12-inch sensor, 12- and 48-megapixel modes, and 4K video capture at up to 60 frames per second. In our tests, the Mavic Air 2 produced sharp videos with no color-balancing fuss (though we still preferred the colors produced by the Mavic 3's Hasselblad lens). A new feature called SmartPhoto (which recognizes what the camera is seeing and adjusts the colors accordingly) could have played a role, though it was unclear what the feature changed.
DJI, like other Chinese-based brands, has faced scrutiny from the US government and security researchers in recent years due to security concerns. Android users must also download the DJI Fly app from DJI's website rather than the Google Play store. We've included a few notes about DJI drone security below.
When flying a drone, it's critical to ensure that you, the pilot, are doing everything safely and legally. Although we cannot provide legal advice, we did consult with experts and consult FAA and Academy of Model Aeronautics documentation to compile the steps that we believe are essential for any recreational pilot.
"The main thing to remember is that we're sharing the airspace with manned full-size aircraft," said Tyler Dobbs, government affairs representative for the Academy of Model Aeronautics. "We're not trying to push things too far and go against AMA safety guidelines or FAA rules." Have fun, but keep it legal and safe by following one of the federal guidelines."
Comments
Post a Comment