As a result of improved technology, drones have now been brought closer to people than before. Flying drone video cameras have now replaced air vehicles like choppers and copters in taking still pictures and motion pictures (video) without the necessary intervention or guide by any crew or airman.
Just picture a plane on autopilot mode. Here the plane would not require the “total” hands control by the pilot(s). Same with these flying cameras except that this pilot does not exist at all. Awesome, right? High end drones are now mostly used by still and landscape photographers and aerial videographer in capturing quality images and recording “dope” videos due to; their flight capability which allows them to shoot from the sky, the convenience they offer, and the professional cameras that comes mostly with them.
Not limited to photography generally, these drone video cameras also serve some purposes like surveillance, bomb detection, filming sports and games, and mapping.

How much is a drone camera?
Flying cameras come with different functions, different sophisticated components and sizes. So this will surely affect the price of each drone. The drone camera price varies depending on the specifications you desire and the capabilities you want from your drones. As we know, the higher the price, the higher will be the quality. Though there are affordably cheap drone cameras with good quality and performance. The price range can be as low as $200 (e.g. MJX B2W Bugs 2) and as high as over $10,000. High end drones seem expensive due to the extreme low demands in market and the huge amount of money put in getting their components by the manufacturers. Most of these drones are manufactured by top manufacturers like DJI, Hubsan, Parrot, Yuneec etc.
Before you buy that drone video camera, this guide gives a review of the best affordable drone camera (available on Amazon).
HOLY STONE F181C RC QUACOPTER DRONE
SPECS:
- Dimensions: 12.2 x 12.2 x 3.7 inches (31 x 31 x 9.4 cm)
- Control battery: 3.7v 750 mAh
- Range: 50-100 meters
- Charging time: 1h 20 minutes
- Flight time: 7-9 minutes
- Flight speed: 10mph
PROS:
- Cheap price: The HOLY STONE F181C RC is known for its very cheap price in the market. The price range is as low as $100, sold for $79.99 on Amazon. This drone is invariably cheap .
- Durability: The F181 comes with a LED light which allows it to be use at night, avoiding crashes. It has a durable plastic shell which makes it resistant to crash and spare parts are readily on ground for sale.
- Replaceable part: Incase of mild crashes, some parts of this drone camera are replaceable and can be purchased.
- Easy flight: The F181 is very easy and ready to fly. It is a ready to use drone which does not require much flying tips. This drone can be flown once it is taken from the box. You can fly the drone as close as 50 meters and as much as 100 meters.
CONS:
- Camera quality: The camera quality of the F181C is very low and poor. It comes with 720p, 2 megapixel camera. It might not be highly recommended for professional pictures.
- Heat radiation: Another con of this drone is that, it radiates a lot of heat within five to ten minutes of usage. Although the Holy Stone F181C is equipped with a cooling fan inside it engine to avoid overheating the engine yet it does not stop it from heating generally.
- Battery life: The battery does not last long. It is usually within the time frame of seven to ten minutes flight of time.
DJI Phantom 3 Standard
SPECS:
- Flight Battery: 4480mAh
- Charging time: 50 minutes
- Flight time: 25- 30 minutes
- Flight speed: 16 m/s
- Dimensions: 15 x 14 x 8.2
PROS:
- Affordable: DJI Phantom 3 Standard is one of the most affordable beginner quad copter that can be found. It is sold for as low as $610.99 on Amazon
- Ready to fly: The phantom 3 drone comes assembled and ready to fly with a simple remote control. The camera and the battery come installed, except for the propellers which can be easily installed. It takes little flying skills to guide the Phantom 3, also known as P3.
- Camera Quality: The P3 has a 4k UHD video camera of 12mp,a video ISO of 100-3200 and a photo ISO ranging from 100-1600 . It uses a camera similar to the Phantom 3 pro.
CONS
- Low quality material: This denies the use of the P3 for some special purposes like travelling.
DJI Inspire 2
Specs
– Battery: 6000mAh
– Flight time: 27 minutes
– flight speed: 67mph
Pros:
- Durability and stamina: After the Inspire 1 come the Inspire 2. It uses two batteries which gives it stamina and durability more than the Inspire 1.
- Tougher Housing: Apart from its stamina, it offers a tougher housing with its aluminum shell and a good stereo vision sensor which allows from crashing and avoiding obstacles.
- Good flight time: The DJI Inspire provides a flight time of 25-27 minutes when it is fully charged and a speed of 67mph
- It is also compatible with lens between 18 to 90mm.
Cons:
- It is very expensive, around $2999 plus $90.00 shipping fee on Amazon.
- For this drone camera to run fully on a 27 minutes flight time, it needs the two batteries
CONCLUSION
Having seen the pros and cons of these flying cameras, I would recommend the Holy Stone F181C. This drone camera is not the most expensive gadgets yet it offers a good ease of flight for its users and a durable compartments for such a small gadget. It’s absolutely how a drone camera so cheap can still offer a good quality of its price. This drone can hover around with the help of an altitude hold function and has a one key return home.