Photography is a great hobby to get into, and it even has a lot of potential to turn into a profession if you want to go that route, but if you want to take things to the next level, you should consider grabbing yourself a drone. Not only do they open up a whole new perspective when it comes to things you can shoot, but there are a lot of interesting ways you can use them. That said, owning a drone is often seen as a really expensive hobby, with expensive brands like DJI easily costing thousands of dollars. Luckily, there are a lot of great budget-oriented options, including quality DJI alternatives, and a lot of them have great deals on them, bringing them down to as low as $46. We’ve collected a few of our favorites below — all of which make great gifts for the holidays for the person in your life who appreciates the revolutionary bird’s-eye view they offer.
Of course, if you prefer a more traditional experience, you could always check out these GoPro deals and camera deals instead.
Radclo Mini Drone — $40 $67 40% off
The Radclo Mini Drone may be affordable, but you won’t think that’s it’s cheap because it’s equipped with a 1080p lens that you can operate through the drone’s companion app. You can look through its camera for a real-time panoramic view while you take pictures and videos, and it can fly for up to 22 minutes with its pair of 800 mAh batteries. The drone is easy to operate as it only takes the push of a button to have it take off and land, and once you’re done using it, it conveniently folds into a compact carrying case.
Holy Stone HS440 — $80 $130 38% off
Another excellent beginner drone is the Holy Stone HS440, especially with things like automatic takeoff and precision hover, as well as a more streamlined and easier control scheme to make life easier. It can fly for up to 20 minutes, which isn’t too bad for this price point, and it records in 1080p with a 112-degree wide-angle lens. This set comes with a controller and a nice carrying case for your drone and controller, so you don’t have to spring for a separate set of gear.
Bwine F7 — $429 $630 32% off
If you’re planning to use your drone for photography, you can’t go wrong with the Bwine F7. It features a detachable 4K camera with up to 5x digital zoom, and a three-axis gimbal that will keep the lens stable until you’re able to take the perfect shot. It’s equipped with GPS so it can return to you when its battery gets low, and its companion app enables first-person view. The Bwine F7 can fly for up to 75 minutes on a single charge, and it can reach heights of up to 2,000 meters with its brushless motor and strong wind resistance.
Holy Stone HS110D — $72 $90 20% off
The Holy Stone HS110G is a great drone for beginners, as it’s very easy to operate with its GPS Auto Return function that allows it to get back to you when its battery runs low or it loses signal, and intelligent flight features such as Follow Me mode on the Holy Stone app. The drone offers a maximum flight time of 26 minutes and a 100 meter range. The Holy Stone HS110G is equipped with a 1080p HD camera with a 120-degree field of view.
DJI Avata 2 Fly More Combo (refurbished) — $950 $1,000 5% off
The DJI Avata is a drone that’s designed to give you a first-person view through its upgraded camera system that offers 4K Ultra HD resolution, a 155-degree field of view, and DJI’s trademark stabilization, for an exciting flight experience. The drone can fly for up to 18 minutes, and it has a built-in propeller guard that will allow it to withstand minor contact. The DJI Avata Explorer Combo comes with the RC Motion 2 controller for complete control of the drone’s flight, and the Goggles Integra that comes with built-in GPS so it connects directly to the drone.
DJI Mini 4 Pro Drone (refurbished) — $910 $960 5% off
DJI is probably one of the best brands when it comes to drones, and since it’s a premium brand, it’s pretty rare to find cheap DJI drones. Luckily, DJI has made the Mini 4 Pro, an excellent mid-to-high-range drone with a solid deal on it, and this bundle even throws in the controller, which is excellent, although it is refurbished. It has a 31-minute flight time, can withstand a 38kph wind, and has a couple of smart features, such as quick shots and one-tap pans for some excellent aerial shots.
Autel Robotics EVO 2 Pro Premium Bundle — $1,994 $2,099 5% off
The EVO Lite+ from Autel Robotics is a very striking-looking yet powerful drone, as it has a very impressive 4k camera and quite a lot of automation. It’s great for having an easy-to-carry drone for aerial photos and videos, and it even has an adjustable aperture from f/2.8-f/11, which is a great addition. It also has a defog mode so that you don’t have to stop your filming because of the weather, and this premium bundle helps with that by giving you extra batteries to help extend flight time, as well as a few other options. Just be aware that you need Amazon Prime to take advantage of this deal.
DJI Mini 3 Fly bundle — $1,100 $1,150 4% off
The Mini 3 Fly is very similar to the DJI Mini 3 Pro, and is an incredibly small and light drone with a foldable design for further portability, but it’s capable of recording 4K HDR video and shooting 48MP photos. It offers a total flight time of up to 34 minutes, tri-directional obstacle sensing to keep in safe while in the air. This bundle comes with the DJI RC Smart Controller that features a built-in screen, two Intelligent Flight Battery, a travel backpack for carrying the drone, and a 64GB microSDXC card, among other tools and accessories.
More drone deals we love
If you want to take a look at alternatives to the drone deals we highlighted above, you don’t have to go anywhere else because we’ve gathered more bargains below, including drones that are cheap or refurbished to let you get more bang for your buck. Demand for dependable drones is increasing because of their many applications, so if you want to take advantage of any of these discounts, we recommend that you do so right away because they may be gone by the next time you check on them.
- Holy Stone HS720G —
