Best camera drones 2024: Embrace the best aerial camera technology

Thanks to the best camera drones, accessing locations otherwise impossible to reach on foot couldn't be easier these days. Even larger models are highly portable and can be set up and in the air in a matter of minutes. And with high-quality cameras to boot, it's fair to think of drones more as flying cameras than anything else.

There are many different options available, with some drones offering a single camera and others two or three. Typically, the more features you want the more you'll have to pay. But every Black Friday we've seen drones heavily discounted; the DJI Air 3 is already 20% off at Amazon and you can expect more deals to follow.

Or if you're less concerned about camera quality, perhaps you're just starting out, we've got everything you need to know about the best beginner drones and best FPV drones.

The Quick List

James Abbott

James is an award-winning freelance landscape and portrait photographer, as well as a highly experienced photography journalist working with some of the best photography magazines and websites with a worldwide audience. He's also the author of The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing.

Best camera drones we recommend in 2024

Best camera drone overall

Image 1 of 16

Not all drones are made equally, and the DJI Mavic 3 Pro is one of the best drones available and at the time of writing, one of the best consumer models ever made. It's also the world's first consumer drone to feature three individual cameras on the gimbal, opening up a range of creative possibilities as we explored in our DJI Mavic 3 Pro review.

The Mavic 3 Pro features the signature Mavic folding design and looks almost identical to previous models. The only significant giveaway, apart from the name badge, is the larger gimbal that’s home to the three cameras with the two telephotos sitting above the wide-angle Four Thirds main camera.

The main camera is a remarkable 20MP 4/3 Hasselblad camera, featuring an adjustable aperture ranging from f/2.8 to f/11, and up to 12.8 stops of dynamic range. It has an equivalent focal length of 24mm. Additionally, there's a 48MP 1/1.3-inch 70mm medium telephoto camera and a 12MP 1/2-inch 166mm telephoto camera.

Considering the Mavic 3 Pro's price is comparable to the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine, it's like getting a highly functional 70mm camera thrown in for free. All three cameras support RAW and JPEG formats, delivering outstanding image quality.

In addition to its powerful camera setup, the Mavic 3 Pro comes with a range of advanced features designed to make your flying experience smooth and hassle-free. It offers two smart controller options, each with a 5.5-inch touchscreen, eliminating the need to connect your phone. Both controllers are highly responsive, ensuring a seamless flying experience without lag.

You get three different flight modes and 43 km/27mph wind resistance, as well as an array of safety features such as AirSense ADS-B to detect nearby aircraft and an Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing system that uses multiple sensors to allow the drone to maneuver around obstacles independently. While this is an expensive drone that may be overkill for some people, we think it offers excellent value for money for those who can make use of its three cameras.

While it's not cheap, it launched at a similar price to the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine. This means that you effectively get an additional 70 mm camera for free, and this is easily the best and most useful of the two telephotos.

• Read our full DJI Mavic 3 Pro review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best value for money

Image 1 of 19

Following on from the hugely popular Mavic 2 Pro, the Mavic 3 Classic features a single 20MP 4/3 Hasselblad camera offering excellent image quality. For many drone pilots, one wide-angle camera is enough, and as an added bonus the Mavic 3 Classic is less expensive than other Mavic 3 models making it much more accessible to a wider audience.

This camera features an adjustable aperture ranging from f/2.8 to f/11 and has a lens equivalent to 24mm. It delivers outstanding image quality for both photos and videos, offering JPEG and RAW formats, 3x digital zoom and shooting capabilities of up to 5.1K video at 50fps, with a dynamic range of 12.8 stops. While other Mavic 3 models offer multiple camera options that may appeal to professionals, this fantastic camera is more than enough to meet the needs of most users on its own.

There are two controller options with this drone. You can choose between the DJI RC-N1 controller, which features a retractable smartphone holder, or the DJI RC smart controller, which features an integrated 5.5-inch touchscreen. After conducting our full DJI Mavic 3 Classic review, we think the improved user experience offered by the smart controller easily warrants the relatively small difference in price.

The DJI Mavic 3 Classic features the standard folding design associated with all Mavic models, making the drone smaller and more portable when not in use. Folded, the drone is just 221 x 96.3 x 90.3 mm, and 347.5 x 283 x 107.7 mm when unfolded for flight with a weight of 895 g/31.5 oz.

The Mavic 3 Classic is also packed with high-end features, including precise GPS positioning, Advanced Return to Home, three different flight modes, aircraft detection and geofencing. Its multiple vision sensors detect and avoid obstacles in all directions and contribute to improved subject tracking. So, if the single camera is enough for you, you really are getting the complete package with this drone.

• Read our full DJI Mavic 3 Classic review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best DJI Mini alternative

Image 1 of 10

Available in four different colors; Classic Orange, Deep Space Gray, Blazing Red, and Arctic White, the Autel EVO Nano+ is a regulator-friendly sub-250g drone. This foldable mini drone is highly portable and offers excellent collision avoidance to deliver peace of mind when flying close to obstacles. This is a great feature for beginners and experienced pilots alike.

The drone's controller has a built-in phone holder, and to access all the controls, you'll need to download the AutelSky app. The controller feels comfortable to hold, and we found the AutelSky app easy to understand and use in our Autel EVO Nano+ review. The thumb sticks on the controller strike a good balance, being responsive without being too sensitive.

One notable feature of this drone's size is its advanced collision avoidance system. It relies on three-way binocular vision sensors positioned at the drone's front, bottom and rear. These sensors detect obstacles and can automatically slow down or halt the drone to avoid collisions. Beginners will likely appreciate the added safety assurance provided by this feature. Additionally, the drone includes convenient automated flight patterns to help beginners get started easily.

Regarding camera features, the EVO Nano+ sports a very respectable 12.5MP 1/1.28-inch sensor with an equivalent focal length of 23mm and a fast f/1.9 aperture. This means it excels at shooting in low-light conditions, but you'll need to use ND filters to maintain its shutter speed if you want to shoot smooth-looking video.

Video is available up to 4K at 30fps and is clear and crisp. Image quality when shooting stills is good, but there is a small amount of fall off in sharpness towards the edges of the frame. There’s also a small amount of vignetting visible alongside chromatic aberration along subject edges, but these can be easily fixed in Raw editing software such as Adobe Lightroom.

If you're in the market for a sub-250g drone or you're a beginner looking for your first camera drone, the EVO Nano+ is a great feature-packed option. You can get the standard bundle for $899 / £719, which comes with the drone, a controller, one battery, a spare pair of propellers, a USB-C charging cable, spare propeller screws, a mini screwdriver and three phone cables.

• Read our full Autel EVO Nano+ review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best for portability

Image 1 of 10

The DJI Air 3 is a mid-sized, mid-powered drone sporting a folding design that helps it to maintain its portability credentials. Features, image quality and overall performance are excellent, so this is a drone that you can rely on in almost any situation. It's not a professional model, but it could be used in this context and has some seriously advanced features more commonly seen in higher-end DJI drones.

It sits nicely between the Mini and Mavic lineups from DJI, being much more compact than the Mavic models, although not much lighter in weight. During our full DJI Air 3 review, we found that the drone didn't miss a beat when we tested it with wind gusts just below its maximum wind resistance of 27mph. The battery life has also been significantly improved, giving us around 35 minutes of flight time in low wind conditions before Return to Home was suggested at 20% battery.

Instead of just one camera, the Air 3 comes with two cameras. Both cameras use the same high-quality 12MP/48MP 1/1.3-inch sensor found in the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3 models, with the key distinction being that one camera has a 24mm lens, while the other has a medium telephoto lens at 70mm.

We were also impressed with the Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing system, which enables you to fly closer to obstacles like trees and buildings with peace of mind that you won't crash into them (but don't rely solely on this feature to avoid crashing). This feature makes it a great drone for beginners who want to hone their flying skills but still get fantastic images and videos, and we also think it suits more experienced fliers, too. It's not a cheap drone, but considering its array of features, specs, and how long you're likely to have it, we think it's worth the investment.

The drone also comes with three different controller options. It has the standard DJI RC-N2 controller, which requires a smartphone to be plugged into it, and two smart controller options—the more expensive of the two is the most feature-packed.

• Read our full DJI Air 3 review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best DJI mini drone

Image 1 of 10

The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the most advanced sub-250g drone available, offering flagship features and functionality that make the model truly worthy of the 'pro' moniker. This is incredibly important because it provides advanced pilots and professionals with a regulator-friendly drone subject to fewer restrictions than larger models, but with the most advanced features currently available.

In our hands-on DJI Mini 4 Pro review, we noted that the image quality produced by the Mini 4 Pro is impressive given the drone's small size. The 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch sensor with large 2.4μm pixels is highly capable in bright and low light conditions, and high ISO handling is nothing short of impressive. Even the highest settings are virtually noise-free, which means you can shoot at any ISO setting without fear of image degradation.

The camera offers an equivalent focal length of 24mm with a fixed f/1.7 aperture and can be rotated 90° for portrait format shooting. Video can be captured in Standard and flat 10-bit D-Log M color profiles at up to 4K at up to 100fps for slow-motion capture. You can capture in both Raw and JPEG formats with full manual control of the camera available for both photo and video capture.

Advanced features on offer include Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance that detects obstacles in all directions, Advanced Return to Home and impressive subject tracking. These are just the tip of the iceberg, and in a nutshell the Mini 4 Pro is so highly featured it's safe to say that it's the closest equivalent to a Mavic 3 drone. Albeit with that useful sub-250g weight.

• Read our full DJI Mini 4 Pro review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best cheap mini drone

Image 1 of 11

If you're looking for a high-quality beginner drone that doesn't cost the earth but delivers excellent image quality, the DJI Mini 3 could be for you. It's certainly not as fully featured as the DJI Mini 4 Pro, but it uses the same imaging sensor and sits below the regulator friendly 250g threshold. Reliability and ease of use are also key attributes of this impressive little drone.

The onboard camera features a 12MP 1/1.3-inch sensor with an equivalent focal length of 24mm. In our DJI Mini 3 review, we loved that the camera can be turned 90 degrees to shoot in either landscape or portrait mode depending on the look you're going for. It has a folding design typical of the DJI drones and is very regulator-friendly being only 248g in weight. This will let you fly it in areas that would be off-limits to heavier drones, which is particularly handy if you're new to drone flying or you live in a more populated area.

You'll also enjoy handy features like Quickshots automated flight patterns and a Return to Home function, which automatically brings the drone back to its take-off point when the battery runs low or the connection to the controller is lost. If you're looking for great value on a tight budget, we think the DJI Mini 3 is hard to beat.

Of course, some compromises have been made to keep the price down on this drone. You don't get any collision avoidance, Timelapse or subject tracking, and 4K video is limited to 30FPS. You also can't take 48MP photos. However, we still feel it can fulfil the needs of most beginners and still produces stunning shots compared with other budget models on the market.

• Read our full DJI Mini 3 review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best entry-level camera drone

Image 1 of 5

The DJI Mini 4K is DJI's best entry-level sub-250 g drone to date, coming in at a price that competes with vigor against several other drones in the same price bracket. We were impressed with the DJI Mini 4K in our full review.

You may be thinking that a low-cost DJI drone would be lacking in some areas, and although overall features are basic, the Mini 4K benefits from DJI's excellent build quality and ease of use.

The camera itself is impressive, too, given the small 1/2.3-inch 12MP CMOS sensor. Like most small drones, it performs best in brighter conditions, and image quality is fantastic for beginners. Photos can be captured in JPEG and RAW formats, while the headline feature is that the drone can capture video in 4K up to 30 FPS and 1080p at up to 60 FPS. This is more than adequate for beginners.

The standard kit costs $300 / £269 with the Fly More Bundle coming in at $431 / £399. The standard kit includes the drone, controller, a battery and accessories, while the Fly More Bundle includes all of this alongside a carry bag, two additional batteries and a battery charging hub.

This may be a small, lightweight and highly portable drone, but the Mini 4K is still powerful. It offers Level 5 wind resistance which is up to 24 mph. Flight times typically average around 21 minutes before Return to Home is initiated when the battery reaches 20%.

Flight time is lower than advertised and isn't as long as other DJI Mini drones, but it's still acceptable. One battery is rarely enough with any drone, so we recommend investing in the Fly More Bundle which includes three Smart Batteries and a Battery Charging Hub that speeds up charging. With this kit, you simply won't have to worry about running out of charge.

• Read our full DJI Mini 4K review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best professional-use drone

Image 1 of 10

The DJI Inspire 3 is a high-end professional-level drone aimed at cinematographers and pilots who require high image quality alongside precise surveying capabilities. In a nutshell, if you see drone footage in a Hollywood movie, there's a good chance it was shot with the Inspire 3. Safety and precision are paramount, and this drone allows for two operators to fly the drone and operate the camera, independently, for added control.

The Inspire 3 Combo kit costs $16,499/£13,419 and includes the DJI Inspire 3, Zenmuse X9-8K Air Gimbal Camera, RC Plus remote controller, 6x TB51 Intelligent Battery, Charging Hub, PROSSD 1TB, Trolley Case, 3x Foldable Quick-Release Propellers (Pair), Lens Carrying Box, RC Plus Strap, and other accessories. No lenses are included, so these need to be purchased separately.

As we explained in our full DJI Inspire 3 review, this is a large and heavy drone at 140.91oz / 3,995g, and the set-up time is longer, so it's not as easy to transport or anywhere near as convenient as the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, for example. This won't be a problem for professional drone pilots and camera operators working on film sets, but for enthusiasts working alone much of the time, indulging their hobby, it's simply not a practical drone to carry around and set up on a whim.

The main camera is a full-frame Zenmuse X9-8K Air Gimbal Camera, which is compatible with four lenses that are sold separately and can capture 44.7MP photos in Raw and JPEG. Video can be captured in 8K up to 75fps and 4K up to 120fps in professional Raw video formats and flat color profiles for consistency within a professional workflow. Plus, there are many features and additional accessories aimed at professional filmmaking at the highest levels.

• Read our full DJI Inspire 3 review

• Back to the top ⤴

Best enterprise drone

Image 1 of 5

The Autel EVO Max 4T is a high-end enterprise drone aimed at law enforcement, search & rescue and mapping/surveying, with features aimed specifically around these uses. It's far from a typical consumer-level drone, but it's just as intuitive to fly with only the more advanced features requiring a learning curve.

This is a large and heavy folding drone, but the folding element does make it more portable than some other professional drones. It also delivers enough power to reach speeds of up to 51mph (42 mph in EU regions), with a maximum wind resistance is 27 mph. It's also IP43 rated for dust and water resistance making it a highly versatile drone that can be flown in even challenging weather conditions.

There are many features on offer including advanced obstacle avoidance, anti-jam and anti-interference technology, mission planning, and an A-Mesh system where multiple aircraft can be flown together to speed up enterprise operations such as mapping/surveying alongside many more features.

The Max 4T comes in a comprehensive kit that includes the excellent Autel Smart Controller V3 — see more about this in our Autel EVO Max 4T review — and a tough case. Only one battery is included so more will need to be bought separately, but maximum flight times per battery are advertised at up to 42. Deployment of the drone is also incredibly fast, and takes less than a minute for the drone and controller to connect ready for flight.

The gimbal is home to a wide-angle, a zoom a thermal camera and a Laser Rangefinder. The zoom range is up to 160x and switches between an optical and digital zoom automatically. Plus, when capturing photos and videos, these are captured with both the thermal camera and either the wide-angle or zoom camera depending on which is automatically active as a result of the zoom factor selected. Overall, this is an excellent option for pilots working in the aforementioned areas.

• Back to the top ⤴

Best attachable drone camera

Image 1 of 20

In a departure from the rest of our list, we wanted to include the Insta360 Sphere because it offers an innovative way of capturing FPV-style drone footage from your DJI Mavic Air 2 or DJI Air 2S camera drone. If you're not sure of the difference, take a look at our 'What are FPV drones?' article to find out more.

The Insta360 Sphere consists of one camera facing upward and another facing downward, allowing you to capture a complete 360-degree view during flight. It securely attaches to your drone's airframe, ensuring no parts of the drone appear in the shot. After capturing footage, you can apply video effects using templates and keyframes through either the phone app or desktop app during editing, which we liked in our Insta360 Sphere review.

The standalone kit will set you back around $423/£440 and includes two sticky lens guards, two lens caps, one battery, a charging cable, lens cloth and a landing mat. Or you can choose to buy the memory card kit at around $440/£456 which includes an additional 64GB microSD card.

This brings the recent 360-degree photography trend neatly to the world of drones and opens up a whole host of creative possibilities, but unfortunately, it is only compatible with the DJI Mavic Air 2/2S line of drones.

The two cameras provide a 360-degree view around the drone and can capture 5K video at up to 30 FPS and 4K video at at up to 50 FPS. Camera control is via the Insta360 smartphone app, but with the WiFi connection being limited to 10m, you can't control the camera beyond this point. It's not a problem because camera settings can be dialled in before take off, and the recording stopped after the drone has landed and you've reconnected the camera and app.

• Read our full Insta360 Sphere review

• Back to the top ⤴

More information about drone flight

For some, flying a drone is a fun end in itself. But for most people, the whole point of buying a drone is to be able to capture amazing aerial photos and videos, alongside being able to get a camera into locations and positions not accessible on foot. This means that the camera and the image quality it produces are important considerations when choosing the right drone for you.

All the drones covered in this article require you to register with the FAA (US) and CAA (UK) because they all weigh over 249g. It's a simple process that involves a basic multiple-choice test, and once completed you'll have a better idea of what you should and shouldn't do with your drone. And most importantly, you'll be legal to fly your drone and not be at risk of receiving a hefty fine. For more detailed information, check out our guide to drone regulations.

We've covered the best camera drones available right now in this article, but even if you're looking for something smaller, lighter and/or less expensive, even beginner drones can provide excellent image quality. And if they're too expensive, we do have a look at the cheapest drone deals right now too.

• Back to the top ⤴

How we test camera drones

Camera drones are typically tested over several days in different locations, environments and weather conditions (excluding rain) to test flight performance, flight features, overall handling and image quality for both photo and video capture. With these models, the emphasis is on the camera features and functionality, although flight performance remains an important aspect of testing.

Drones are flown using manual flight patterns to test the connection between the aircraft and the controller, latency between the two, the accuracy of the controls, app connection and reliability and the flight experience in general. And if automated flight patterns and collision avoidance are available, these are always tested to assess accuracy and performance when capturing video.

All testing is conducted in a way that meets local aviation laws and restrictions to ensure that all flights are safe and legal. Drone laws vary from region to region, so you must check local laws to ensure that you’re following the guidelines for your country before embarking on your first drone flights.

• Back to the top ⤴