Whether you’re looking to upgrade your photography with breathtaking aerial views or just have the sudden urge to own a drone, these flying machines can greatly enrich both your toolkit and your photography pursuits.With fast-improving cameras, long-lasting battery lives and a whole host of features previously available on professional DSLR models only, drones have become an essential part of every serious photographer’s repertoire.

Here we’ve rounded up our top 5 drones of 2021 for those looking to get started with aerial photography and video.

1. DJI Mini 2

When flying your first drone, one of the most important factors to consider is ease of use — the last thing you want is to end up crashing your craft because you’re struggling to control it. The DJI Mini 2 is small enough to easily fit in your pocket or bag while still providing accessible controls, fantastic footage and good battery life.

Despite its lightweight package, the Mini 2 captures exceptionally crisp images in 4K at 30fps. Right off the bat, unedited footage looks underexposed and rather unimpressive — but make no mistake, it’s only because DJI processes footage cautiously to allow for easy editing. If you’re shooting in 4K, you can expect digital zooming to be fairly limited at 2x. But if you’re willing to compromise on image quality a little, you can get away with 3x digital zooming.

Its revamped controller looks nothing like the ultra-complex, Transformer-worthy ones you get with pro models, but its simplicity and ease of use makes the Mini 2 a great choice for beginners.

2. DJI Mavic Mini

Another DJI product, the Mavic Mini gives you everything you need in a compact and straightforward package. Far from a toy, it shoots sharp 2.7k video footage and fantastic-looking 12MP stills. 4K isn’t a thing with this drone model, which might explain its slightly lower price tag as well.

Depending on what you’re looking to shoot, you can choose from a range of modes, including sports mode for high-speed flight, position mode for basic shooting and CineSmooth mode, which gives more cinematic footage and smoother shots.

One downside to the Mavic Mini is the lack of handy object-tracking and avoidance — two features that are available with its larger DJI siblings.

3. Ryze Tello

The Ryze Tello is synonymous with simple, lightweight and affordable flying — it’s both fun and educational for first-time drone users. The refreshingly simplistic range of features, controls and design makes it an affordable beginner-friendly drone option.

Much like the Mini 2, the Ryze Tello offers plenty: 13 minutes of flight time per battery charge, 100m control range, downward-facing light sensors that allows the machine to perform rather impressive flying stunts and a handful of automated modes.

The 5MP camera isn’t particularly outstanding — its dynamic range is limited, compression artifacts are rather noticeable and the video shooting is unreliable (largely due to the fact that it is beamed directly to your smartphone, so any issues with your connection strength will affect its frame rate).

The app allows for straightforward piloting, which is ideal for serious photographers who are new to flying a drone. The on-screen twin-stick setup is pleasantly responsive, which makes the Tello the perfect budget-friendly choice to get your drone-flying skills up to par.

4. Eachine 520S

If you’re looking for a drone specially designed for beginners that doesn’t compromise on features, look no further than the Eachine 520S. The camera offers 4K resolution photos and fantastic-looking 2K videos — a decided step-up from Tello’s 5MP camera. There’s no kind of stabilization, however, which means videos tend to be shaky and rather distorted because of the wide-angle lens. It might not come close to DJI Mavic Mini’s performance, but it’s undeniably good for the price.

With this entry-level drone, you get decent battery life at 15 minutes per charge. The control range is between 200m and 300m, which feels appropriate for a larger affordable drone. The inclusion of GPS makes it far more reliable than most GPS-free models out there; you’ll get accurate location plotting and reasonably sturdy flying even in trickier weather.

5. Revell Icon

The Revell Icon might be the last on our list, but that’s not to say it’s a disappointing choice. Though on the cheaper spectrum, the Icon sports an unexpectedly decent build quality that surpasses that of the Eachine 520S.

This flying machine can shoot images in 4K and videos in 1080p — similar to some of the pricier models on the market. It lacks stabilization features, which means your shots will likely turn out shaky and distorted if the weather is windy.

The Icon is an especially good choice if you’re looking for a drone with a physical controller rather than an app controller. It’s very handy if you’re new to flying too, as it lets you get a good grasp of controlling it both indoors and outdoors.

Get Your Priorities Straight

As an advanced photographer, it’s easy to lean towards drone models aimed at advanced users. But that’s not necessarily the wisest choice — shooting 4K footage means nothing if you can’t get to grips with actually controlling the craft. That’s why practicality should be a priority, more so than camera resolution and other bells and whistles that are likely unnecessary for beginners.

Take time to get used to actually piloting a drone before you invest in a model that gives you the kind of image quality you’re looking for — and choosing an entry-level drone will help you achieve just that.