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What Are Drones?
Drones are relatively small aircraft you can fly remotely. They’ve evolved a lot over the past several years, so the drones available for personal use are no longer just toys. Instead, they now often come with high-quality cameras, letting them serve as tools for inspection and photography.
Here, we’ll help you pick the best drone for your needs.
Long Range Drones
Some drones really can’t go far These types of drones are specially designed for beginners’ use. These have either no camera, or no live view of the camera, so they can only go as far as you can see. These are not the drones we’re looking for today.
Long-range drones are where the fun really comes in. They can get the job done, whether the job is something you need for work or just a really cool hobby. Long-range drones can fly for 30 or more minutes, depending on the model and your budget, so they let you accomplish more than just a trip up to a bird’s-eye view and back.
Below are some of the most important factors you’ll want to look at when you buy a long-range drone.
Purpose
The first thing to think about is what you want to use the drone for. Do you need something with a lot of automated features? Many high-end drones have return-to-home functions that are a great safety backup in case you lose connection or the battery gets low. Do you need something that can tolerate a bit of wind? What camera quality are you looking for? Unless you have a lot of money available, you’re not likely to get a drone that’s the best at absolutely everything, so it’s important to know what features matter most to you.
Flight Time
It’s important to have a drone that will fly as long as you need it to. Keep in mind that the best long-range drones still generally have under an hour of flight time, but if you plan, an hour is a lot of time to work with for most tasks!
Flight Distance
Depending on how far you need to go, flight distance can be a very important feature. If you just need to look around a single house at a time, you probably don’t need a high flight distance. If you’re trying to map out the terrain in a remote area, however, you might need a drone that’s on the high end of distance capabilities.
Camera Quality
A good camera is essential, but how good a camera you need depends on what you’re using it for. Think about what you need your drone to do, then decide whether you need a camera that makes it clear where the drone is for steering purposes or whether you need professional-quality photo and video capabilities.
Best Choices for Long Range Drones For 2021
The following are all drones that have a long-range, with good flight distance and flight time, and a good, quality camera. They’re all available on Amazon and rated 4.5 stars or higher, and they also have Prime shipping available.
CAPTAIN S5C
PROS:
This is the cheapest drone on our list, and the low price alone makes it a good choice if you’re not quite sure whether a good drone is worth the cost. It’s really easy to use, and the Micro SD card captures at 1080P quality.
CONS:
This one only barely meets the requirements to be included in a search for long-range drones. It can travel up to 80 meters in ideal conditions, so if you don’t need your drone to go all that far, it can still work for you. The battery used to continuously capture quality images is high and cuts flight time significantly.
RUKO F11 Pro
PROS:
This drone offers 4k UHD video. It’s also fairly durable, and it has some great automated features that are especially helpful for beginners. It has a return-to-home function, automated take-off, and landing options, and a Follow Me mode that’s especially helpful if your goal is to record yourself. It can also go nearly 4k feet from you as you control it.
CONS:
It’s still on the low end of this list with a 30-minute flight time and less than a mile of distance. It’s designed for beginners, so advanced users may find themselves frustrated.
BOTTOM LINE
This is a fantastic choice for a beginner. It has a decent range, decent flight time, and excellent ease of use. For the price, this drone has almost everything a beginner could want. It might be lacking if you’re looking for something a little more manual or if you need the increased flight time and the distance you can get at higher price points.
Holy Stone HS720E
PROS:
This drone uses Sony equipment for better video quality and stabilization. It has options for 1080P or 4K video. Like the RUKO, it also features a lot of easy, automated modes. With two batteries, it can fly for up to 46 minutes.
CONS:
The max transmission range (the farthest the drone can get from the controller) is lower than the RUKO at 1640 feet.
BOTTOM LINE:
This drone and the RUKO are similarly priced and both good choices for beginners. The photo quality and stabilization options are a little better in the Holy Stone, but the distance is a little shorter.
DJI Mavic Mini
PROS:
At 4.8 out of 5 stars, this is the best-rated drone on our list. It’s tiny and weighs about the same as a smartphone, which makes it great if portability is one of your most important features. This drone is also small enough that you don’t have to register it with the FAA, which is something you’re supposed to do for any drone over .55 pounds. It has up to 30 minutes of flight time, which is very impressive for its size and weight. It’s easy to use and can travel up to a mile and a half.
CONS:
Because this drone is so light, it really isn’t a great choice in windy areas. The small size also means it has a pretty low battery life for the price point. It doesn’t have any obstacle avoidance features, which start being a little more common at this price point.
BOTTOM LINE:
For its size and price, the Mavic Mini has an impressive range and feature set. If you value small size (or lack of registration requirements) enough to compromise elsewhere but still get a solid little drone, this is the choice for you.
DJI Mavic Air 2
PROS:
The camera on this drone is amazing, with 48MP still photos, 4k video capture, or 8k Hyperlapse. It has a ton of frames per second, which makes it really good for videos capturing movement or videos you might want to slow down. Even with camera modes enabled, this drome gets over 30 minutes of flight time, with up to 42 minutes in the lighter-use Sport mode. The maximum distance is a whopping 6.2 miles.
CONS:
This is on the high end of price for drones made for beginners. Some people report bugs in the control software, which really shouldn’t be present in an $800 purchase.
