Best Quadcopter with Camera

Getting into the hobby of flying a quadcopter is exciting in it's own right. But what if you added a camera into the mix? As drones have gained a lot of popularity over the past few years and High Definition have become lighter and cheaper at the same time, their use in aerial photography and videography has also increased significantly. Unlike a decade ago, drones with the ability to take pictures or videos from above are now readily available and don't cost a fortune.

The ability to record videos from the vantage point of your drone can be highly addictive as it can transform an environment that you know very well into something spectacular, only because you see it from a new point of view. Not to mention the places you get to see that you have never seen before.

Quadcopters with a camera come in 2 different flavors:
First, you have drones that have an integrated or pre-installed camera. Most of the time, these are also First-Person-View (FPV) drones, that allow you to see a live feed of the drones camera. On top of that, for some of them, you are able to adjust the camera angle separately from the drone, which allows you to tweak the photo or video exactly to your liking.

On the other hand you have drones that don't feature a pre-installed camera, but have an extra mount that is designed to hold a GoPro action camera. You might not have the versatility you have with a drone that comes pre-installed with a camera, but depending on the drone, the video quality might be superior.

The following table gives you an overview of the available models on the market:

Name	Preinstalled / GoPro	Price Range	Rating
Parrot BeBop	Preinstalled	$$	3.5 of 5
Parrot AR.Drone 2.0	Preinstalled	$$	3.5 of 5
DJI Phantom 2	GoPro (Hero3 or Hero3+)	$$$	4 of 5
DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ V3.0	Preinstalled (Full HD)	$$$	4 of 5
3DR IRIS+	GoPro (Hero3 or newer)	$$$	4 of 5
DJI Inspire 1	Preinstalled (4K)	$$$$	3.5 of 5
UDI U818A	Preinstalled	$	4 of 5

Legend: $ = less than $100, $$ = $100 - $500, $$$ = $500 - $2000, $$$$ = $2000+

Best Quadcopter with a camera: Parrot Bebop

Out of the drones listed in our table above, the following is currently the best drone that comes with a builtin camera that has a moderate price point:

The Drone

Drone Control

The BeBop drone is Parrots newest creation. After being anticipated for quite some time by drone enthusiasts, it was finally released in December of 2014. Compared to it's predecessor, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, the Bebop is smaller in size, weighs less but is more powerful at the same time. Like other Parrot drones, you will need a smartphone or tablet if you want to fly it, as it has no dedicated controller. Using the Parrot FreeFlight 3.0 app (which is available on Android and iOS) you can see a live feed of the drones camera and control every aspect of the drone: You can take pictures, record a video or tell the drone to automatically fly back to you. The app is intuitive and thus easy to understand and learn.

FreeFlight 3 app

If you spend some extra money, you can get the Skycontroller. It enhances the range of the Bebop quite a bit and allows for more fine-tuned control. It does look a little bit like it was taken out of a science fiction movie, but that makes it even cooler than it already is.

Skycontroller

Specifications

Best Quadcopter for GoPro: DJI Phantom 2

If you already own a GoPro action camera, you don't need to buy a drone that comes with a preinstalled camera, as there are numerous drones out there, that allow you to mount your GoPro.

The Drone

Even though the Phantom 2 is not the newest model DJI has to offer, it still is the best choice when it comes to a quadcopter with a GoPro mount.

The Phantom 2 was released in late 2013, dethroning its predecessor as the go-to drone for GoPro mounted aerial videography. Compared to the original Phantom, the flight times have been almost doubled (up to 28 minutes).

Gimbal

You can mount your GoPro to the Phantom directly, though we do not recommend you do. But due to the movements of the quadcopter and the overall vibrations it produces, the quality of the video is greatly reduced. We strongly suggest you order an extra gimbal and attach it to the drone. A gimbal is a device that stabilizes the GoPro camera on multiple axis, to ensure the best quality possible. It uses small rubber elements and motors to mitigate the drones' vibrations. There are several options available, but the best option comes from DJI itself: The Zenmuse H3-3D. As the name suggests it stabilizes the GoPro on 3 axis during the flight. You can even find offers on Amazon that include the H3-3D gimbal.

Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal

Drone Control

Unlike the Parrot Bebop, the Phantom 2 comes with a dedicated transmitter that has all the required control elements nicely integrated. On top of the basic controls for flying the drone, it has a dial on the top left to control the gimbal. Due to the strong antenna, you can still control the drone when it is roughly 3200 feet away from you.

DJI Phantom 2 transmitter

Specifications

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