Drone specifications: Photo quality and video resolution

Most drones are used for taking photos and videos from the air. It is therefore useful to know in what quality the drone can shoot and record. In this blog, we will discuss the camera specifications of drones.

Photo resolution of a drone camera

Photo resolution is expressed in MP (million pixels). The more MP a photo possesses, the more detail and clarity the image has. Most drones feature high-quality photo resolution. 

Low resolution (up to 1MP)

Low-resolution images are files up to 1MP. Images up to this size contain little detail and are not suitable for printing or editing.

Medium resolution (1MP to 5MP)

Medium resolution images have a quality of 1MP to 5MP. They offer more sharpness than low-resolution images but still do not possess much detail. Images of this size are already suitable for social media posts.

High resolution (5MP to 20MP)

High-quality images have a resolution between 5MP to 20MP. Images of this quality offer detail and sharpness. They are suitable for printing, editing or online publishing.

Ultra high resolution (UHD) (above 20MP)

Excellent quality images have a resolution above 20MP. With this quality, images have incredible detail. Images of this quality are suitable for creative editing and detailed large-format printing.

Video resolution of a drone camera

Video resolution has two parts: image resolution and number of frames per second. Image resolution represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels. The more pixels the images contain, the sharper the images are and the more details you see. Fps (Frames per second) are the number of images taken per second. The more frames taken per second, the smoother the video becomes.

Frame resolution

720p (HD Ready)

720p refers to a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. This offers reasonably sharp picture quality, especially on smaller screens. The quality of 720p is visibly inferior to higher video resolutions.

1080p (Full HD)

1080p has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, this is also known as Full HD. It offers sharper picture quality than 720p. On social media, this is enough to share anything.

4K (Ultra HD)

4K, also known as Ultra HD, has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. This offers significantly higher picture quality than 1080p, with four times as many pixels. Images are recorded in great detail. It is a standard resolution for drones to use.

5K

5K has a resolution of 5120 x 2880 pixels. It offers even higher image quality than 4K. It offers extremely sharp and detailed images. 5K is mainly suitable for editing video footage, without loss of quality.

Images per second

15 Frames per second

30 Frames per second

60 Frames per second

120 Frames per second

240 Frames per second

240fps is mainly used for super slowing down images and creating slow-motion videos.

Camera resolutions of different drones

Three popular drones from DJI are: DJI Mini 4 Pro, DJI Air 3 and the DJI Mavic 3 Pro. The table below shows the resolution at which these drones can shoot and record.

The information below is from the main camera of drone. The DJI Air 3 and DJI Mavic 3 Pro also feature zoom camera(s).

We can therefore recommend these drones.

Where can I take drone shots?

It is not allowed to fly a drone and make recordings everywhere. There are a number of drone rules you need to consider as a drone pilot. Learn more about drone rules in Europe here: Drone rules 2024.