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Even with the best camera, you might not be able to capture real estate aerial photos without a drone. The best real estate drones allow you to capture sharp photos and stable videos even when the drone is flying in strong winds.
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The best real estate drones come with extended flight times of over 20 minutes, allowing you to capture a large collection of photos before recharging. The following drones come with quadrotors, improving their maneuverability to capture the best compositions.
Need my pick? Opt for the DJI Mavic 3.
With a 12.8-stop dynamic range, the DJI Mavic 3 is the best drone on my list for shooting high-contrast scenes, as it can reveal details in heavy shadows and bright lights, producing aesthetically pleasing images with truer colors.
Unlike the DJI FPV Combo, this drone has a battery capacity of 15.4v, 5000 mAh, which gives you a flight time of up to 46 minutes. Typically, this time is enough to take the property photos at varying angles and perspectives without recharge.
This drone comes with a range of up to 9.3 miles of video transmission distance, allowing you to take aerial images of the entire estate without having to change transmission locations.
The drone comes with a 28x hybrid zoom capability that allows you to zoom in and view distant subjects that usually appear smaller in an aerial view.
The drone comes with an omnidirectional obstacle-sensing system, eliminating the worries of the drone hitting walls when taking interior photos. However, the drone's design is a downside, as you will need to remove the battery to access the SD card.
The Autel Robotics Evo 2 Pro is one of the few drones that can capture bright photos even in poor interior lighting. Typically, this drone camera comes with a bright f/2.8 aperture that allows it to capture bright photos in low-light conditions and when using faster shutter speeds.
This maximum wide aperture also allows the camera to capture the subject with a shallower depth of field, producing a beautiful bokeh quality.
Unlike the DJI FPV Combo, the drone can transmit HD footage from a distance of up to 5.6 miles, allowing you to monitor the scene and capture the suitable composition even when you can’t see the device with your naked eyes.
The transmitter features a 3.3-inch OLED screen, improving the viewing experience by minimizing eye fatigue and straining. The drone comes with a battery lock safety feature that helps prevent battery ejection when the drone is landing or maneuvering, minimizing the chances of loss of power, stalls, and falls.
However, with a weight of 14.12 pounds, this drone is the heaviest on my list, making it unsuitable for carrying around in a backpack.
If you want a drone that can help you capture sharp photos and stable videos even in windy weather, then the DJI FPV Combo might be the best option for you.
Like the Holy Stone HS720E, this drone comes equipped with the RockSteady electronic image stabilization system that helps it capture smooth videos and sharp photos even during hard maneuvers, high speeds, and strong winds.
Keeping in mind that piloting can be overwhelming, this drone comes equipped with an emergency brake and hover feature that allows you to pause the flying at the push of a button.
Unlike Autel Robotics Evo 2 Pro, this drone can transmit video footage from a distance of up to 6.2 miles, allowing you to monitor a distant scene remotely. However, even if the drone is indicated that it can fly up to 10 miles, the signal tends to deteriorate as the distance increases.
The drone supports the DJI Virtual Flight app that simulates flying, allowing you to practice piloting without risking the drone. However, the official virtual flight simulator is only available for iOS, which is a disadvantage for Android users.
If you are looking for a drone that can fly in the air for an extended period on a single charge, you can't go wrong with the Ruko F11 Pro Drones.
This drone comes equipped with two 11.1V 2500mAh batteries that give you a flight time of around 60 minutes and plenty of time to capture the different parts of a real estate property.
Like the DJI Mavic 3, the drone comes with a GPS auto return home feature, relieving you of the fear of losing the drone when it loses the signal.
Keeping in mind that the quality of your real estate images significantly impacts potential buyers, like the DJI FPV Combo, this drone features a 4K Ultra HD video resolution, allowing you to capture clear and sharp videos for displaying on large screens.
However, the aluminum construction makes the drone delicate and can easily break in case of accidental falls.
The Bwine F7GB2 is a high-quality drone that features HD night scene shooting mode, making it ideal for capturing real estate properties in low-light environments. This drone camera features a 3-axis gimbal, allowing you to capture more stable videos and images even in strong winds.
With two 11.1V 2600mAh batteries, this drone provides a battery life of about 50 minutes, allowing you to shoot lengthy videos and an extensive collection of pictures per charge.
With a transmission range of 9800 feet, which is around 5 times shorter than the DJI Mavic 3, this drone is unsuitable for shooting in areas with tall buildings and radio signal interference.
Like the Roku F11 Pro drones, this drone features a level 6 wind resistance rating that allows it to hold its altitude and position firmly in solid winds without unexpected moves that can ruin the composition.
The drone supports the upgraded 5GHZ Wi-Fi FPV real-time transmission, allowing you to share videos or images wirelessly in real-time.
Keeping in mind that a drone might be at risk of falling if it runs out of power while in flight, the Holy Stone HS720E comes equipped with an auto return home feature.
This enables the drone to fly back to its launching point in case of low battery power or signal loss, relieving you of the fear of drone loss. With a weight of 1.09 pounds, it is the most lightweight on my list, making it ideal for carrying when traveling.
Unlike the Ruko F11 Pro Drones, this drone comes equipped with electronic image stabilization technology, which helps reduce image blurring and video shakiness. The drone supports 4K videos at 30 frames per second and 1080 pixels at 60 frames per second, allowing you to record clear and detailed videos.
Unlike the Autel Robotics EVO 2 Pro Drone, this drone features an optical flow and air pressure altitude control system, allowing it to hover steadily on the property or main subject. However, although the drone supports WiFi connectivity, you might have challenges connecting with 5G WiFi-compatible phones.
The drone camera technology has evolved, and drones from varying brands and models come in different specifications and capabilities. The following features can help you choose a real estate drone with battery life, flight range, and camera performance that meets your requirements.
Additionally, the following table highlights the key features you need to consider in a real estate drone.
| Drone | Flight Time (Minutes) | Range (Miles) | Weight (Pounds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Mavic 3 | 46 | 9.3 | 1.97 |
| Autel Robotics Evo 2 Pro | 40 | 5.6 | 14.12 |
| DJI FPV Combo | 20 | 6.2 | 1.75 |
| Ruko F11 Pro Drones | 60 | 1.86 | 1.15 |
| Bwine F7GB2 | 50 | 1.856 | 4.62 |
| Holy Stone HS720E | 46 | 0.31 | 1.09 |
Unlike standard aircraft that use fuel to power their propellers and engines, drones use battery power to power the propellers. That means the drone is at risk of stalling and falling if it runs out of battery power while in flight.
In most cases, manufacturers indicate an approximate flight time when on a full charge. However, as a safety feature to prevent accidents when the drone runs out of power, drones such as the Holy Stone HS720E come with warning alerts to let the pilot know it’s almost running out of power.
If the pilot ignores the warnings and the battery power reaches a certain point, the drone overrides the warnings and descends slowly to the ground. In most cases, the drone flies back to the launching point and fails to take off again until it’s recharged.
Keeping in mind that drones are mainly designed to help in taking aerial photos, the range of the device is an important factor to consider. For instance, if you are shooting aerial photos of a real estate property and you want to capture the surrounding environment and nearby physical features, you need a drone with a longer range.
Usually, this allows a drone launched from the backyard to gain heights that allows it to capture the entire estate without losing signal or getting lost. The radio waves that drones use to receive instructions from the transmitter tend to get obstructed by objects such as tall buildings.
Also, radio waves can interfere with one another, and operating a drone near communication towers can affect the range. Usually, a drone with a longer range, such as the DJI Mavic 3, means the wave transmission is strong, and the drone operable even in places with long buildings, mountaineer surroundings, or nearby cell phone towers.
Unlike flight safety, flight time generally refers to how long the drone can remain in the air. Usually, you will want a drone that can capture a large collection of photos or lengthy videos on a single charge.
Although most people think the flight time is directly related to the battery capacity, the flight time depends on a number of factors. For instance, heavier drones might have shorter flight times than their lighter counterparts, even if the lighter ones have smaller battery capacities.
Generally, this is because the drone needs to lift its weight, the weight of the camera, and the larger battery. Depending on the number of photos you want to take, you can consider going for a drone with a flight time of around one hour, such as the Ruko F11 Pro Drones.
Battery capacity is a measure of how much charge the battery stores, usually in Amp-hr. Most modern drones come with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Some drones also allow you to hook up more than one battery to improve the battery life.
Usually, drones using several higher-rated batteries have better battery life and flight time than drones using single batteries. As a result, it’s advisable to go for a drone that comes with several high-rated batteries, such as the Ruko F11 Pro Drones.
Usually, the core purpose of getting a drone is to allow you to capture aerial photos and videos of the real estate property. A drone can come with a built-in camera or come with a platform that allows you to attach an external camera.
Although attaching an external camera gives you the flexibility of attaching a high-spec camera that meets your shooting requirements, it means you need to get the camera and lens as a separate unit. It’s therefore advisable to go for a unit with a high-quality built-in camera, such as the DJI FPV Combo.
Generally, the ability of the drone to take high-quality photos and videos depends on the camera quality. Since a drone is like a small aircraft that carries a camera, the built-in drone camera varies in specs, just like the standard DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
That means you should check important parameters such as aperture, frame rate, and shutter speed. For instance, if you will be using a drone to capture real estate interior photos, you need an aperture that can perform well in low lighting, such as the f/2.8 of the Autel Robotics Evo2 Pro.
On the other hand, if you want a drone that can capture wide-angle aerial photos of the property, consider going for a drone camera that comes with a fisheye lens, such as the Ruko F11 Pro. Keep in mind that advanced cameras might also consume more battery power, shortening the drone’s flight time.
Real-time transmission refers to the ability of the drone to transmit the scene the lens is capturing to the transmitter screen. Whether you are taking interior or exterior photos and videos, you will need to monitor the composition to capture high-quality images.
Typically, drones with live feed, such as the DJI Mavic 3, allow you to monitor the scene in real time. This lets you correctly adjust the drone movements and camera settings depending on the scene.
A gimbal is a kind of tripod head that helps to balance the weight of the camera as it moves, stabilizing the camera payload. Usually, drone gimbals integrate with the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to respond to motion and communicate with the controller to activate the motors separately.
Like standard aircraft, drones are prone to vibrations resulting from motors and heavy shakes due to turbulence resulting from winds. The controller unit might also make tiny changes to rotor speeds, resulting in unexpected movements. This increases the chances of the drone capturing blurry photos and shaky videos.
Go for a drone that features a 3-axis gimbal, such as the Bwine F7GB2. The intelligent sensors and electronic motors help the gimbal compensate for unexpected moves, ensuring the videos are stable and the photos are sharp.
Although drones are designed to fly when taking photos, you will need to carry them in a casing or backpack when moving around. These drone accessories can add up, but are well worth it to protect your investment. If you tend to travel a lot, consider going for a compact and lightweight drone such as the Holy Stone HS720E.
In most cases, portable drones come with foldable arms and are constructed of lightweight plastics or aluminum. The batteries in lightweight units are also smaller and might have shorter battery lives. That means you might need to make a trade-off between durability and flight time, and portability.
Operating drones is not the same as operating the standard DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Usually, the drone comes with a transmitter with controls that allows you to adjust the built-in camera and drone movements.
However, most manufacturers make it easier to control the drone by integrating complex sensors and controllers, leaving you with options to control the drone's directions. As a result, advanced drones with complex sensors, such as the DJI Mavic 3, are easier to control, as they can even detect obstacles and avoid them.
It’s legal to use drones to take real estate photos both indoors and outdoors. However, you need to obtain a commercial drone license to legally fly the drone. The drone also needs to be registered by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).
Generally, a drone camera can last anywhere from 150 to 800 flight hours. Under normal usage, this translates to a lifespan of around two years. However, the lifespan of the drone will usually depend on the construction quality of the unit, how well you maintain it, and whether it has ever crashed.Â
Yes, weather can affect the performance of drones. For instance, rain and humidity in the air may cause the drone sensors to have range limitations or even limit your visibility of the drone, affecting the overall performance. Additionally, prolonged exposure to heat from the sun may damage the drone's electronics and battery performance.
The best real estate drones feature a live transmission, allowing you to conveniently monitor the scene, maneuver the drone and adjust the camera settings to get the right composition and capture sharp photos. The above drones are versatile, and you can use them in both interior and exterior
