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Generally speaking, consumer UAVs are divided into two main camps right now. There’s the toy-ish, sub-$100 group that fly for about 5 minutes on a full charge, and then there’s the $700+ group that come fully stocked with HD cameras, GPS, and long range radio controllers. Unfortunately, there’s not much in the middle right now. You’ll be hard pressed to find a decent ready-to-fly quadcopter for under 500 bucks — but lucky for you, we already hunted down the best ones and put together a list. Below you’ll find the five best drones you can get your paws on for $500 or less. Enjoy!
Parrot Bebop ($450)
If you want a lot of bang for your buck, get yourself a Bebop. It doesn’t have the range or responsiveness you’d get with a $1000 drone from DJI, but what it lacks in precision it makes up for with simplicity, durability, and a really enjoyable flying experience. Instead of using a traditional joystick controller, the Bebop takes commands from your smartphone or tablet — which is a bit limiting at first, but also pretty fun and approachable for beginners. A wireless connection shows you a first-person view of what the drone sees, and you simply tilt your phone to steer it around. Ships with two batteries for a grand total of 22 minutes of flight time. Read our full review here.
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Lumenier QAV250-G10-RTF Mini FPV Quadcopter ($450)
As long as you don’t mind a little bit of extra assembly, this is one hell of a drone. Unlike most of the popular consumer quads out there right now, the QAV250 isn’t designed for aerial videography. Instead, its’ made for FPV flying. Sure, it can do aerial video if that’s what you’re after, but in this drone the camera doesn’t move and isn’t stabilized, so your video won’t be super smooth and sexy. Instead, if you have the right gear, the QAV250 will let you see what the drone sees in real time, so you can finally know what it’s like to fly. Alternatively, if you happen to have a 3D printer, you can print your own frame and put together a DIY clone of this beast for well under 200 bucks.
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Blade Chroma BLH8680 BNF with Fixed GoPro Mount ($500)
If you’re looking for a great budget drone that can do aerial photography and videography, look no further. This is the most stripped-down version of the Chroma Blade quadcopter, so unfortunately you’ll need to supply your own controller and radio receiver — but if you don’t mind that, this quad has a lot to offer. It’s got GPS and altimeter to hold its position, a gimbal for super-smooth video, and even a smart orientation feature that makes the drone ridiculously easy to fly while filming. There’s also a neat return-to-home feature you can activate at the flip of a switch, as well as adjustable flight boundaries that help you confine the drone to a certain area. You can expect to dish out a few hundred more for a compatible radio controller, but even with the extra costs, this is one of the most feature-packed drones you can get in this price range.
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Walkera Runner 250(R) Racing Drone ($409)
Much like the QAV250, the Walkera Runner 250R is designed for FPV flying. Get yourself a compatible headset, and you’ll be able to see exactly what the drone sees in real time while you fly. This particular model is actually designed for FPV racing, so it’s got a built-in camera, intelligent directional warning lights (for when you get too close to something), and a loud buzzer that goes off if your drone ever crashes or goes out of range (making it easier to find). It’s also modular, and allows you to modify and upgrade its components. Unlike the Lumenier QAV250, this one comes with an included controller and camera, so you can start flying straight out of the box without any extra assembly.
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XIRO Xplorer Aerial UAV Drone Quadcopter, standard version ($459)
XIRO’s Xplorer is yet another quadcopter designed for aerial photography and videography, and the Standard Version is the most bare-bones (and affordable) package you can get. Unfortunately you’ll need to dish out some extra dough to outfit it with a camera or stabilization system, but if you’ve already got a GoPro, this would be a great choice. The Xplorer platform is built to accomodate a wide range of attachments and expansions, so you can start small and beef it up as much as you like. Plus, for what it’s worth, the Xplorer’s sharp, angular design is way more badass looking than pretty much every other drone you’ll see in the sky.
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- No piloting experience? No problem. Here’s the 5 best drones for beginners
- Got a Benjamin to burn? Here are 14 of our favorite tech toys to spend it on
- Grab the gear you’ve been waiting all year for with the best Cyber Monday deals
from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1PbRiaI
Drew Prindle
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