Best drones with cameras in 2024

With the best drones with cameras, you can capture incredible imagery. Whether your interest is in stills or video or a little of both, modern camera drones are absolutely stacked with features that make it easier than ever to capture quality content. With sophisticated stabilisation systems, high-resolution sensors, intelligent flight features and more, there’s never been a better time to jump into the exciting world of drone imaging.

At Amateur Photographer. we take aerial photography just as seriously as all other types of photography, and that means putting camera drones through the same kind of rigorous testing procedure that we do cameras. This list consists of the drones that have truly impressed our review team — but don’t worry, that doesn’t just mean the expensive, professional models. There are more cheap drones than ever available nowadays, including the impressive new DJI Neo, and we put these through their paces just as rigorously as we do the Mavics of the world.

We’ve included options from market leaders DJI, as well as other manufacturers to give you a broad overview of what’s out there. You can scroll to the bottom of this page for a primer of the key features of camera drones and some key tips regarding what to look for when buying them — one key thing to remember is to familiarise yourself with the laws and weight restrictions for drones in your area so as not to get caught out.

The best drones with cameras: quick list

If you need to get right to the action, here is a quick rundown of our picks of the best drones with cameras on the market right now, along with links to get the best prices:

• Best camera drone for enthusiast photographers: DJI Mavic 3 Classic – buy now
• Best camera drone for advanced photographers: DJI Mavic 3 – buy now
• Best cheap camera drone: DJI Neo – buy now
• Best sub-250g drone: DJI Mini 4 Pro – buy now
• Best first drone: DJI Mini 3 – buy now
• Best mid-range drone: DJI Air 3 – buy now
• Best non-DJI drone: Autel Evo Lite+ – buy now
• Best budget drone: Ryze Tello – buy now

Read on to learn more about each of these drones, with insights from our full tests and reviews. And if you’re looking for more cameras suited to outdoor adventures, check out our rundown of the best action cameras…

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Best camera drone for enthusiast photographers: DJI Mavic 3 Classic – £1,219 / $1,279

At a glance

• 20MP Four Thirds type
• 24mm (equivalent) f/2.8
• 5.1K video at up to 50p
• Max flight time 46 minutes
• 895g

DJI makes three versions of the Mavic 3, the Standard, the Classic and the Cine version. The Mavic 3 Cine is aimed at filmmakers, the standard Mavic 3 features a wide-angle camera, and a telephoto camera, and this new Mavic 3 Classic does away with the telephoto camera to make a more affordable option. This means it’s most likely going to be more than enough of most enthusiast photographers and videographers.

It features one 20MP 1-inch camera with a 24mm equivalent focal length. There’s 8GB of onboard storage, and this can easily be upgraded using the microSD card slot.

Like almost all the drones in our list, the Mavic 3 Classic folds for easier transport. Its powerful motors means that its very stable in flight and can cope with pretty strong winds. It’s very easy to fly manually but comes with DJI’s suite of automated flying modes to keep things simple.

Read our DJI Mavic 3 Classic review

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Best camera drone for advanced photographers: DJI Mavic 3 – used £900 / $1,000

At a glance

• 20MP Four Thirds type and 12MP 1/2-inch type sensors
• 24mm (equivalent) f/2.8-11 and 162mm telephoto (equivalent) f/4.4
• 5.1K video at up to 50p
• Max flight time 46 minutes
• 895g

As mentioned previously, there are now three versions of the Mavic 3, the Classic (above), the Standard (this one) and a Cine version. The Mavic 3 Cine is aimed at filmmakers and has a 1TB SSD onboard plus the ability to record in Apple ProRes 422 HQ, but the standard Mavic 3 is more than enough of most enthusiast photographers and it’s likely to keep many pro videographers satisfied too. Even though the Mavic 3 is now discontinued there are still plenty of second-hand options available.

It features not one, but two cameras, with a 12MP 1/2-inch type camera with an effective focal length of 162mm sitting next to the 20MP 1-inch 24mm (equivalent) main camera. In practise, you’ll want to limit the telephoto camera to checking out routes or distant objects and use the main camera for the serious photography.

Like all the drones in our list, the Mavic 3 folds for easier transport. It’s added bulk over models like the Mini 3 Pro, and its more powerful motors means that its very stable in flight and can cope with pretty strong winds. It’s also very easy to fly manually but comes with DJI’s suite of automated flying modes to keep things simple.

Read our DJI Mavic 3 review

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Best cheap drone: DJI Neo – $289 / £299 with RC-N3 / RC151 controller

At a glance:

• Weighs less than 249g
• 12MP 1/2-inch CMOS sensor
• 4K video recording at up to 30p
• 13.9mm equivalent f/2.8 lens
• 1-axis gimbal
• www.dji.com

There’s no doubt that drones can be expensive, but there are plenty of cheaper options out there too — even from the major manufacturers. Case in point, the DJI Neo, a miniature drone released to compete with the many aggressively low-priced consumer drones that have flooded the market. At a minimum price of $199 / £169 without a controller, or £289 / £299 with the RC-N3, the Neo is the most wallet-friendly drone the firm has ever produced.

Of course, there is always such thing as too good to be true when it comes to cheap photo or video gear, but in our testing, the DJI Neo impressed, producing decent-quality images from its 12MP sensor, as well as solid 4K 30p video. Sure, the stills don’t hold up to cropping and zooming as well as those from pricier drones, and the video isn’t as buttery smooth as the 100p 4K on other models, but for the price, it’s impressive stuff. Frankly, we’d consider £189 / $199 to be a decent price for a 12MP, 4K-capable camera even if it didn’t fly.

But this one does. And what’s more, you get lots of DJIs intelligent auto-flight features, including Follow (Tracking), Circle, Rocket (flying directly upwards), Spotlight and more. These give you easy, straightforward ways to introduce dynamic movement into your drone shots, which is ideal for anyone who’s just starting out with aerial video.

The inevitable cutbacks and compromises that come with a cheap drone are worth taking into account here. The image quality from the Neo is good in daylight, but is compromised quickly once light levels get low, due to the small sensor. Battery life is quite short — if you’re planning a big day, best pack a couple of spares — and while 22GB internal storage is nice, it’s annoying that there’s no option to expand it by inserting a microSD card.

Read our full DJI Neo review

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Best sub-250g drone: DJI Mini 4 Pro – $759 / £689 with RC-N2 controller

At a glance

• Weighs less than 249g
• 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor
• 4K video recording at up to 100p
• 24mm equivalent f/1.7 lens
• 3-axis mechanical stabilisation
• www.dji.com

Weighing less than 249g means that the Mini 4 Pro is regulation-friendly and can be flown in residential, recreational and industrial areas, and even over people (but not crowds) – provided you have Flyer and Operator ID’s from the CAA, and the relevant TRUST certification in the US.

Thanks to its 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, the Mini 4 Pro captures better quality stills and video than the DJI Mini 3. It’s sensor also has a quad-Bayer design which means that each of its 12-million-pixels are split into four sections that can report separately to deliver 24MP images, or they can combine to give 12MP images.

Just like the Mini 3 Pro, the standard Intelligent Flight Battery that comes with the drone allows up to 34 minutes of flying. Interestingly, DJI has ditched the 2.7K video option that’s available with the Mini 3 Pro but Full HD recording is still possible up to 60fps (200fps in SlowMo mode)

The Mini 4 Pro now features an updated omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system, which is especially useful when flying under tree branches or bridges. Just like its predecessor, it’s also prone to drifting in the breeze, but the stills and video are impressively good for such a small drone.

Read our DJI Mini 4 Pro review

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Best first drone: DJI Mini 3 – $469 / £429 with RC-N1 controller

At a glance

• 12/48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor
• 24mm (equivalent) f/1.7 lens
• 4K video at up to 30p
• Max flight time 38 minutes (claimed), 30 minutes (tested)
• <248g

A refresh of DJI’s budget-friendly drone, the Mini 3 ticks plenty of boxes for a first drone. First and foremost, it weighs less than 250g, so there’s no need to worry about licensing or certification (assuming you’re in the US or the UK, anyway). It’s also quite sensibly priced, costing just $469 / £429 when bought with a RC-N1 controller – it can be bought for $379 / £349 without one, but we’re guessing that a lot of people who buy the Mini 3 will need a controller too.

It also uses the same high-end camera system as the pricier Mini 3 Pro, so you get a 48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor sitting behind a 24mm equivalent lens with an f/1.7 maximum aperture. The high resolution gives you a good amount of latitude for cropping into your images, while the large aperture helps with clarity of pictures in low light. Good stuff across the board. It lacks an object-avoidance system, as well as the smart subject-tracking features of the more deluxe models – but ultmately, the cutbacks had to come somewhere, and DJI has done a good job of making this an affordable drone that’s well kitted-out for beginners.

In testing, we found we were able to consistently capture good-looking images, with JPEG files in particular producing a punchy level of colour and contrast. RAW files take a bit of work to look their best, but this is par for the course, and they’re a good option if you want to avoid over-saturation. Video, of course, looks excellent, with 4K 30p footage that’s crisp and clear. DJI’s 3-axis stabilisation works brilliantly too, giving airborne footage a professional-looking smoothness.

Read our DJI Mini 3 review

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Best mid-range drone: DJI Air 3 – £869 / $900 with RC-N2 controller

At a glance

• Dual 48MP 1/1.3in type sensors
• 24mm (equivalent) f/1.7 wide-angle, 70mm (equivalent) f/2.8 telephoto with 3x optical zoom
• 4K video at up to 100fps
• Max stated flight time 31 minutes
• 720g

With the Mavic series sitting at the top of the DJI range, and the Mini drones filling out the entry-level positions, the Air series occupies something of a middle ground. They’re ideal ‘step-up’ drones for anyone who’s got a taste for aerial image-making with a smaller and cheaper drone and is looking for something more advanced, and the DJi Air 3 really leans into that role. It inherits the dual camera setup from the Mavic series, sporting two 48MP sensors, one of which is kitted out with a wide-angle lens, the other with a mid-telephoto 70mm equivalent lens.

Both cameras are of course mounted on a three-axis gimbal for superlative stabilisation. They have fixed apertures — f/1.7 for the wide-angle, f/2.8 for the telephoto — and together produce images of brilliant quality. For the utmost in detail you can use the full 48MP resolution, or you can set it to produce a downsampled 12MP image that’s more readily shareable and requires less work in post-processing. Video-wise, you’ve got crisp 4K in 10-bit colour at your disposal, at a maximum frame rate of 100fps, and a D-Log profile option for colour grading. There’s also a vertical video option in 9:16 for sharing to platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels, though since this is really just a crop into the centre of the standard footage, it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a ‘mode’.

It’s an expensive proposition, especially compared to the Mini 3 Pro. However, the DJI Air 3 is a very impressive drone in its own right, and the additional telephoto camera does give you a lot more versatility in terms of the kinds of images you can make.

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Best non-DJI drone: Autel Evo Lite+ – £1,299 / $1,399 (premium bundle)

At a glance

• 20Mp 1-inch type sensor
• 29mm (equivalent) f/2.8-11
• 5.4K video at up to 30p
• Max flight time 40 minutes
• 820g

With a 20MP 1-inch type sensor, this non-DJI drone is angling towards a similar userbase as the mid-range Air series. The Evo Lite+ can capture 5.4K video at 30p and the aperture is variable from f/2.8 to f/11, which makes controlling the shutter speed a bit easier. A firmware update has also added a Log profile and you get up to 40 minutes flight from a single battery charge, giving this Autel drone extra appeal.

Autel has also equipped the Evo Lite+ with forward, backward and downward-facing sensors to help you avoid obstacles in flight and it handles well in the air whether you’re controlling it with the sticks or using one of its autonomous modes.

Crucially, the Autel Evo Lite+ produces great-quality video and stills with the 4K 60p and 1080p at 120p modes giving the opportunity for slow-motion playback.

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Best budget drone: Ryze Tello – £99 / $99

At a glance

• 5MP 1/1.28-inch type sensor
• 23mm equivalent
• 720p video at up to 30p
• Max flight time 13 minutes
• 80g

It may not be the most feature-rich drone but the Ryze Tello uses DJI technology and costs less than £100. That means if you’re not sure if you’re going to like flying a drone, or you want to give the kids a taste of being a pilot, you’re not risking quite as much as with another drone.

Ryze doesn’t include a controller in the basic kit, that’s extra, but you can fly it using the Tello app on your phone.

With a 5MP camera on board and video limited to 720p, the Tello isn’t for serious use, but it weighs just 80g, so you have the freedom to fly it almost anywhere. As usual, you can extend its 13-minute flight time with extra batteries and it’s ideal for getting aerial shots on holiday and having fun at the park or in your back garden.

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How to choose the best drones with cameras

As camera drones tend to be quite similar in terms of specifications, picking the right one tends to be a matter of balancing features and price.

Higher priced drones will have better battery life, which means longer flight times. They also often can shoot video at higher resolutions and frame rates, and may also have sophisticated features like omni-directional object avoidance sensors and image stabilisation for getting smooth footage even in choppy, windy conditions.

Another thing to bear in mind though is that all these features don’t just make the drone more expensive: they also make it heavier, which as we’ve seen, can mean you need a licence to fly it.

Brand-wise, DJI is the dominant force in the drone market and each year it brings out increasingly sophisticated models that promise to enable you capture better images more easily than before. It’s not the only player though, so we have included the best non-DJI drone in this guide to allow you to compare. So let’s take a looks at our choice of the best drones with cameras this year.

Drone weight and the law: what you need to know

For most people, the simplest way to get up and running, without additional expense or worry, is to look for a drone under 250g / 0.55lbs, as there are stricter rules for drones that weigh more than this. This is not very much in terms of weight – a bag of microwave rice generally weighs about 250g. However, drones are typically constructed from extremely lightweight materials, so you can get quite a sophisticated drone that still comes under this limit.

In the US you’ll need certification called TRUST, for recreational flying of drones under 250g. Luckily this is simply an online test that takes around an hour to complete. You can find more information on the FAA website. If your drone weighs over 250g (0.55lb), then you’ll need to register your drone with the FAA, on the FAADroneZone site.

In the UK you’ll want a a sub-250g drone if you don’t have a licence, and you will need to get a Flyer ID and Operator ID from the CAA to fly a drone over 250g.

If you’re located elsewhere, or travelling to a different location, make sure you check local restrictions as they may differ!

Once you have your licence / certification, you’re able to fly a drone in most places, apart from in the flight restriction zones around airports, military bases and prisons etc. You can even fly over people as long as there isn’t a crowd.

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Related reading:

• How to edit an engaging FPV drone video
• Capture your best aerial photos and videos with a drone
• DJI Mini 4 Pro: new lightweight drone released

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If you’d like more help in choosing a great camera or lens, have a look at our latest reviews, and buying guides.

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