Have you ever wanted to experience the thrill of flight — without the expense and danger? A camera drone is the closest that you can get to becoming a pilot without taking to the air yourself. Fly your drone anywhere you like using the included radio controller or your smartphone — and use the drone’s built-in camera to document your journey. For many people, buying a camera drone even leads to a lucrative career as a freelance photographer!
Camera drones typically use artificial intelligence and sensor arrays to maintain awareness of their surroundings. Thanks to the extensive safety features of drones, you can buy one and fly it without any prior experience.
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Ready to get started? These are the best camera drones under £100.
PARROT Mambo Drone
Specification
- iOS 7 and up / Android 4.3 and up
- Up to 9 minutes flight time
- Bluetooth V4.0 BLE connection
- 65 ft / 20 m with smartphone
- 200 ft / 60 m with Parrot Flypad
- For more information, visit Parrot website.
With its ability to pick up and carry small objects — and shoot plastic balls from a built-in cannon — the PARROT Mambo is a quad copter designed for pure indoor and outdoor fun. Control it with your smartphone, or purchase the PARROT FLYPAD separately to control the Mambo with a physical controller.
Pros
- Includes Cannon and Grabber accessories
- Built-in camera doubles as a sensor that allows the drone to return to a previous position
- Stable flight; release the controls to make the drone hover in place
Cons
- Built-in camera is 0.3 megapixels and only points down
- No live camera feed
- Carrying capacity limited to 4 gramme
- Flies in two modes; Quadcopter & plane
- Fly indoors and outdoors
- Amazing stunts, Looping, U-turn, barrel Roll
- Flies up to 19 mph/ 30 km/h
- Up to 7 minutes Flight time
PARROT Hydrofoil New Z
Specification
- Battery life: 9 mins (7 mins with frame)
- Connection: Via Bluetooth® Smart / Bluetooth V4.0 BLE
- For more information, visit Parrot website.
Have you ever wanted to play with a quadcopter that glides over the water as effortlessly as it flies through the air? The PARROT Evo is an excellent choice for you. Take off from and land on the water — and snap pictures in midair with the bottom-mounted camera. The PARROT Evo uses Bluetooth connectivity control from your iOS or Android smartphone.
Pros
- Amphibious drone operates on water or in the air
- Reaches a top speed of 11 mph in the air or 6.2 mph on the water
- Performs midair flips automatically
Cons
- Fixed camera only takes vertical photos
- Not waterproof — drone could be damaged if inverted in the water
- May require a firmware update before use
- Remarkable flight stability and removable nautical structure
- A 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope A vertical camera for geat snapshots : 300
- A vertical camera for geat snapshots : 300,000 pixels
- Rechargeable battery lasts up to 9 min
- Speed : Up to 18km/h in the air or 11km/h on water
KAISER BAAS Alpha Drone
Specification
- Built in HD 720P Camera for Video & Images
- 4 Ch 2.4Ghz RF controller with 60M Range & LED Status Screen
- For more information, visit kaiserbaas website.
One of the few drones in its price range with a true HD camera, the KAISER BAAS Alpha records 720p videos and takes 2.0 megapixel still photos from its fixed bottom-mounted camera. The BAAS Alpha includes its own radio controller with a maximum range of 60 meters. It also features six-axis gyroscopic stabilisation for better camera imagery and flight characteristics.
Pros
- True HD camera records videos and high-resolution photos
- Camera continues to record when outside the controller’s range
- Push a button on the controller to make the drone flip in midair
Cons
- Fixed camera takes pictures from one angle only
- Shorter flight distance than some drones in its price range
- Flights limited to seven minutes
- Built in HD 720P Camera for Video & Images
- 4 Ch 2.4Ghz RF controller with 60M Range & LED Status Screen
- Rechargeable 600mAh Battery
- Superior stabilisation with In-built 6-axis gyroscopic control
- Includes 1 spare set of Rotor Blades & Rotor Guards