How to Choose A Personal Drone

I've been flying drones since they were nothing more than radio-controlled helicopters with camcorders attached to them. Back then, if you wanted to have a personal drone, you needed to build it yourself. But the market for controlled flying cameras has changed, and today the aspiring drone pilot has more options available than ever before. Here's a guide to how to choose a personal drone that fits your needs and budget.


1. What will you do with your drone?

This is the first and most important question to answer. If you're going to buy a drone, you need to have a good idea about what you're going to use it for. If you want to shoot video of your friends rock climbing or practicing extreme sports, your needs are going to be different from those of someone who simply wants to take pictures of his or her property or neighborhood. And there are all kinds of reasons in between. While there isn't a one-size fits all drone, right now, the single best drone I've had the pleasure of buying is the Phantom 2 Vision+ Quadcopter, so if you've just want one drone that can do most things right, start there. If you're a beginner, though, you might not have that much to spend, which leads to the second question...

2. How much drone can you afford?

This question is as important as the first. There are drones out there to fit all kinds of budgets, and I have spent more than I care to admit testing and enjoying hundreds of them. The truth is that the more you spend, the more you're going to get, feature-wise. However, at the same time, you can get as much fun from a $500 drone as you can from a $5000 one, so don't think the only way to enjoy flying personal drones is to spend as much as you would on a used car. I enjoy my Phantom FC40 Quadcopter as much as my Vision+ when my goal is simply to fly fast, high, and far. The truth of the matter is that the more expensive drones simply make it easier to do more complicated things with them, like shoot seamless and stable high-definition video, or to have your drone return to you automatically if your remote's batteries die. But the amount of fun you'll have isn't directly correlated with the amount you spend.

Which Drones Do You Recommend?

With all that said, here's my list of recommended drones. These, in my opinion, are the best of the best, sorted by features. Don't get too hung up on the features you don't need; just focus on the ones you'd like. And of course, feel free to email me with any questions you might have.

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Hi! My name is Mike, and I'm the author of this personal drone blog. If you find the information on my flying drone review blog useful, you can shop through Amazon here.