Pro Drone Options for Cinematic Videos

Like photography, videography requires a mix of technical skills, storytelling abilities, and professional gear. Even when you know how to use drone moves to improve the narrative, master video lighting, have an amazing script, and plan thoroughly ahead, you still need a professional drone to bring your artistic vision to life. Continue reading to discover pro drone options for creating cinematic videos for your audience.

Choosing a drone can be difficult. The drone market is still fairly young, and new models are constantly being launched. Along with that, drone makers provide products for all levels of skill and expertise. Still, there are more than enough pro drone options to suit any filmmaker Furthermore, you may find yourself needing more than one drone for professional videography.

What to Look for When Purchasing a Pro Drone

The obvious two features to thoroughly check are image quality and obstacle avoidance. You want a drone able to record professional video footage, which translates into a larger sensor that provides high image resolution, accurate colors, sharp details in low light conditions, and good image stabilization. Video capabilities should include 4K recording or more, fast recording speeds, subject tracking, and support for common video formats.

At the same time, when comparing pro drone options, you want a drone that’s easy to fly, detects and avoids obstacles, and features smart flight modes (the drone flies by itself, allowing you to shoot smooth cinematic videos). Good image stabilization and precise camera movements are also a must.

In addition, pay attention to a few less-than-obvious characteristics, such as the lens properties and battery life. You want a focal length that suits your artistic purpose (e.g., a wide-angle lens for environmental shots or a telephoto lens for close-ups). You may also want a wide dynamic range, translating into a wide ISO range and a wider maximum aperture. How close you can get the drone to a subject without losing focus is essential for close-up scenes. At the same time, maximum altitude is critical for environmental shots.

In terms of battery life, most pro drone options provide over 40 minutes of battery life. Having to recharge the drone too often breaks up your workflow and your footage. For example, if you are filming a wedding, you can’t stop the event to change the drone’s battery. Alternatively, you can purchase more than one drone and fly them sequentially.

Heavy drones require registration with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the US. They are usually subject to European or other countries’ legislation. The weight limit for FAA registration is 0.55 lbs. (250g). The FAA registration requires paying a fee per drone, which is valid for three years. Other rules may apply in other countries. So, ensure you read the legislation before purchasing a pro drone you intend to use internationally.

Best for Aerial Cinematography: DJI Inspire 3

The DJI Inspire 3 is the ultimate high-end pro cinema drone. It features a camera with interchangeable lenses, able to shoot 8K video footage while the drone is diving at 10m/s or ascending/descending at 8m/s. You can record 8K/25fps CinemaDNG videos and 8K/75fps Apple ProRes RAW videos for up to 28 minutes. The high resolution is ideal for large screens, provides exquisite clarity and detail, and leaves plenty of space for editing.

In addition, the FPV camera has a new 1/1.8-inch sensor, an ultra-wide 161-degree DFOV, and a fast shutter speed (1/8000s). It records impeccable footage both during the day and at night.

The Inspire 3 focuses on video recording accuracy and flight accuracy. You can hover with an accuracy of 1cm, rely on automated subject recognition for people, vehicles, and boats, and use high-precision RTK positioning technology to plan flight routes. Thanks to its 3D dolly, you can simulate a crane, cable cam, or film set dolly and take cinematic shots, which is perfect for your movies. Take advantage of automatic modes, such as Spotlight Pro to follow a subject, Waypoint Pro for flight route and shot planning, and Repeatable Routes to fly on a previously filmed route (e.g., at a different time of the day, revisit a location, etc.).

Best for Videos: DJI Mavic 3 Pro

If you are OK with registering the drone(s) and only care about image quality and maneuverability. In that case, the DJI Mavic 3 Pro is one of the best pro drone options for you. In its 2.11 lbs. (958g) body, the drone packs a fast aircraft able to fly up to 43 minutes as high as 6000m, even in freezing temperatures. In addition, the drone has a triple-camera system with different focal length lenses.

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro features a 20MP 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera that offers 12-bit RAW shooting, the new DJI 10-bit D-Log M color mode recording, up to 12.8 dynamic range stops, focus tracking, 5.1K at 50fps HLG, and DCI 4K at 120fps Night Shots. It has a wide-angle lens (24mm focal length) and an ultra-fast shutter speed (up to 1/8000s).

The other two cameras are a medium telephoto camera with a 70mm focal length lens and a telephoto camera with a 166 mm focal length lens. Together, DJI Mavic 3 Pro’s cameras cover most of the requirements a videographer has.

The drone allows you to film in slow motion and at night, features an omnidirectional obstacle-sensing system, and can be controlled from up to 15 km. It also provides multiple smart flight modes, panorama options, and AI-based creation tools, all designed to create cinematic videos and all the artistic freedom you need.

Choice for Filming at Night: Autel Robotics EVO Lite+

The Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ is lighter (1.8 lbs. (820g)) than the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and has a shorter maximum transmission distance (12km). However, you still must register with the FAA to use it because it is heavier than 0.55 lbs. (250g).

That being said, the Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ is a good option for cinematic videos thanks to its camera, which features a 20MP 1-inch CMOS sensor, a 29mm lens with f/2.8 – f/11 aperture range, a wide ISO range (ISO100 – ISO6400 and up to ISO64000 in night scene mode), and 4K video recording. The camera can automatically fix overexposure and underexposure, defog the frames, and run in auto modes, such as SkyPortrait (blurs the background), Dynamic Track (follows a subject), and MovieMaster templates (pre-edits the footage). It can also record audio footage for environmental sounds.

The battery lasts for up to 40 minutes. You can fly the drone as high as 5000m using a smartphone app (Autel Sky app free on Google Play store) and use all the drone moves you know, thanks to its mechanical gimbal with 3-axis stabilization.

Best for Versatility: DJI Air 3

The DJI Air 3 is a long-life battery drone (up to 46 minutes) with two cameras, a powerful transfer function (20km for on-ground transmissions), an omnidirectional sensing system, and a lot of smart functions, such as FocusTrack (follows a subject), pre-defined movement options, and MasterShots (a mix or pre-defined camera movements and pre-editing options).

It’s lighter than the previous models (it weighs 1.58 lbs. (720g)) but fast, silent, and agile. The DJI Air 3 features a wide-angle lens camera with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor and 24mm f/1.7 lens and a medium telephoto lens camera with an equally large sensor and 70mm f/2.8 lens. Both cameras can record 4K 60fps HDR video and 4K 100fps video. They can also shoot vertically at 2.7K 60fps.

Similar to other DJI drone models, the DJI Air 3 includes 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit D-Log HLG color modes for optimal color accuracy and good performance in low-light conditions.

On-the-Go Aerial Captures without FAA Registration: Potensic ATOM GPS

The Potensic ATOM GPS drone weighs just under 0,55 lbs. (250g), so it doesn’t require FAA registration. It has a maximum flight time of 32 minutes and a short maximum flight altitude (120m). Still, it provides exquisite image quality and versatility. You can take it anywhere and film on-the-go scenes without any worry. If you rarely find yourself in the situation of needing to fly a drone at 5000m, consider the smaller, more affordable, and more versatile Potensic ATOM.

This compact and lightweight drone features a 12MP 1/3-inch CMOS camera with a wide dynamic range (ISO100 – ISO6400), an ultra-fast electronic shutter speed (up to 1/25000s), a wide field of view (78 degrees), and a wide maximum aperture (f/2.2). It can record 4K video at 30fps.

The drone has a 3-axis gimbal with mechanical stabilization, a maximum tilt range of +20 degrees to -90 degrees, and a maximum transmission range of 6km. It also features smart flight modes for following a subject and creative shots.

In terms of drone flying skills, the Potensic ATOM has a fast learning curve. You can take off and land in one tap, hover with ease and bring back the drone instantly. It is designed for comfortable, fast filming that provides aerial video sequences, later mixed with traditional video sequences.

Best Easy and Self-Flying Drone: HoverAir X1

Don’t know how to fly a drone but still want those drone shots? No problem. Use a self-flying drone to get the shots you need. It might not be as professional as the other drones on the list, but it can likely get you the shots you need for a smaller video production.

The HoverAir X1 is a pocket-size drone that doesn’t require FAA registration. It weighs only 0.27 lbs. (125g). Still, it features a 12MP camera with 2.7K at 30fps video capabilities, a 1-axis gimbal with mechanical and electronic image stabilization, five flight modes (zoom out, follow, orbit, bird’s eye, and hover), and 3-second palm takeoff.

The drone has a maximum transmission distance of just 30m and can fly only for 11 minutes before the battery needs to be recharged, but it can follow a subject from as close as 1.5m at a speed of up to 15 mph.

This feature makes it ideal for close-up scenes. For example, you can use the HoverAir X1 in a scene such as following a cyclist or people walking and talking (e.g., street interviews), filming an event (e.g., parts of a wedding ceremony), documenting hikes, or even taking overhead shots during a cooking lesson.

 Keep in mind the HoverAir X1 does not have the same optical avoidance features as the bigger drones above, so caution is a must when flying near subjects.

Conclusion

Flying a drone and recording aerial video footage is exciting and challenging at the same time. You capture scenes people don’t usually see and enrich your visual story with unique perspectives, mood-inducing shots, and cinematic effects. There are plenty of pro drone options to choose from and a lot to learn before using them at full capacity.

However, remember that drones are subject to laws and regulations that vary from one country to another. Most pro drones must be registered before use. But once that is taken care of, you are ready to lift your videos to a new level with awesome and creative aerial shots.