Which drone should I buy? Best drones

This blog is brought to you by Drone Class, your drone trainer for flying in the open and specific category.

Looking for a new drone? We would like to help you one step further in your search. Earlier, we wrote about what to look out for when buying a new drone. With these tips, you can start comparing drones. In this blog, we give our opinion on the best drones. We have been flying different drones ourselves for more than 10 years. We would love to tell you more about our favourite drones of 2023.

Why choose DJI?

There are many different brands, which develop drones. Over the years, we have tried different brands of drones. From toy drones to professional drones. Prices of drones can vary a lot. This has to do with the quality and software of the drone.

DJI develops drones of good quality. DJI drones are stable, user-friendly, have a good camera and the latest software. Our advice is to invest a bit more in a drone so you can enjoy it for longer. Thankfully, DJI also has drones that are budget-friendly.

These are our favourite drones in 2023:

DJI Avata

DJI Avata with First Person View experience

If you are looking for freedom and speed, an FPV drone is a good option. An FPV drone is controlled with live action goggles. You look through the drone's camera with these goggles. This is called First Person View (FPV). FPV drones can reach high speeds and are more manoeuvrable than camera drones.

DJI Avata is a ready-to-fly FPV drone developed by DJI. You control the DJI Avata with an included motion controller or buy a standard controller with it. Controlling through these controllers is easy to learn. DJI Avata has different flight modes, from beginner to advanced. In beginner flight mode, the obstacle sensors are on and the flight speed is limited. The aircraft's propellers are protected by the frame.

Due to its small size, the DJI Avata is manoeuvrable and the drone can fly anywhere in between. If you do find yourself in a difficult situation, the DJI Avata has an emergency brake and hover function. This allows you to switch very quickly to GPS mode, in which you fly most easily. These features make the DJI Avata ideal for starters.

The camera of the DJI Avata is stabilised using HorizonSteady technology. The camera can record images in 4K/60pfs or 1080p HD/120fps. The DJI Avata has a flight time of about 18 minutes per battery.

DJI develops drones of good quality. DJI drones are stable, user-friendly, have a good camera and the latest software. Our advice is to invest a bit more in a drone so you can enjoy it for longer. Thankfully, DJI also has drones that are budget-friendly.

DJI Mini 4 Pro

DJI Mini 4

If you are looking for a drone that is friendly priced, you will quickly end up with the DJI Mini 4 Pro. With its small size and light weight, this drone is perfect for travelling. The device weighs just 248 grams.

DJI has slightly improved the Mini 4 Pro compared to the Mini 3. Mainly the camera. The DJI Mini 4 Pro can record in 4K/30fps and shoot in 12 Mega Pixels. The DJI Mini 34 Pro can also shoot and record vertically. The camera features a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and a fixed aperture f/1.7.

The DJI Mini 4 Pro does have obstacle sensors on it. If you already have the necessary flying experience and want to save some money, opt for the DJI Mini 4 Pro.

The DJI Mini 4 Pro is a camera drone, which can be controlled with a smart controller or a smartphone controller. The DJI Mini 4 Pro is a good drone for the recreational flyer. It is stable, has a decent camera and is user-friendly.

DJI Mavic 3 Pro

DJI Mavic 3 Pro

What makes the DJI Mavic 3 Pro stand out the most is its new camera module. The DJI Mavic 3 Pro has three cameras: a main camera and two telephoto cameras. You can easily switch between the different cameras on the controller, making the possibilities and perspectives endless.

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro includes a new 10-bit D-Log M colour mode. This updated colour mode allows for natural colour gradations with lots of detail. At the same time, the quality of the images and details are preserved. The biggest upgrade over the DJI Mavic 3 is the addition of a zoom camera. The 166mm zoom camera provides up to 7x optical magnification and up to 28x hybrid zoom. With an aperture of f/3.4 and recording quality of 4K/60fps video and 12 MP photo, the small details are captured.

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is a drone that can record and photograph in high quality. Are you looking for a drone for (semi-)professional photography and videography? Then this device is very attractive to consider.

DJI Air 3

DJI Air 3

The DJI Air 3 has a dual camera setup that allows users to shoot both wide-angle and telephoto shots. The cameras are based on a 1/1.3" CMOS sensor. The wide-angle camera has a fixed aperture of f/1.7. The telephoto camera has an aperture of f/2.8. The dual camera delivers photos with 48 megapixels. Video recordings are possible in 4K with up to 100 fps and in HDR with 60 fps. Both cameras also support 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit HLG colour modes. The 10-bit D-Log M mode helps preserve more light and shadow detail, offering more editing flexibility. The 10-bit HLG mode provides a higher dynamic range without the need for colour correction.

When it comes to controlling the DJI Air 3 Classic, there is the new RC-N2 controller. It connects to a smartphone and is controlled via the DJI Fly app. The video recordings are transmitted in 1080p HD thanks to OcuSync 4. Compared to the RC-N1 controller, it has more internal memory (32 GB). In comparison, however, the battery life has dropped from four to three hours.

Sem van Geffen

Co-owner Drone Class B.V.

About the author

Sem is an experienced trainer/developer, with drones as his main interest. He holds the Dutch RPA-L license and the EASA STS theory certificate. His specialism is EU aviation law and he enjoys flying the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise.

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