8 Best Professional Commercial Drones

Professional drones help to capture images that could not have been obtained in any other way. Every day more companies are committed to the services offered by professional drone operators

The professional drones fly over services like a business, committed to innovation, creativity, and professionalism.

These aircraft have achieved a more positive impact on different industries over a period of time. Its versatility, perfection, ability to capture high-quality images and the variety of cargo they can carry, making it an excellent choice for all commercial and industrial sectors. In fact, the industry forecasts that the drone market will multiply by ten over the next 5 years.

The output you get is only as good as your equipment. Here we are talking about stills and videos you capture when using a drone for commercial purposes.

There are quite a few brands in the market, but here we are going to share with you our top eight picks for the best professional commercial drones we found in the market.

Disclaimer – This article may contain affiliate links, this means that at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission for qualifying purchases.

The Best Professional Commercial Drones in 2021

1. DJI Inspire 1 Professional Drone

Here we have the first drone that a professional ought to consider purchasing. It is among the top in the market in the photography of the area, videography as well as cinematography. The Inspire 1 Pro has a Zenmuse X5 camera that shoots 4k video. The stills captured are 16MP. Should you need to change the lens for a different purpose, you’re able to do that with this drone. The battery life for the drone is 18-25 minutes with a flight range of 200 meters.

The arms on the DJI Inspire 1 Pro are made of carbon fiber. They fold away out of view when flying so that you can take unobstructed photos. As that happens, the pilot has the opportunity to capture a 360-degree view of the environment. Not a lot of drones can do that. If you’re doing professional filmmaking, you’re able to shoot raw video footage.

If you want a real-time feed from the camera to go to your smartphone, you’re able to do that quite easily. All you need to do is download the DJI app. You can also do more thanks to the app. It has a manual that shows you how to control the camera on the drone. You can also undertake auto takeoff and landing but equally, get flight telemetry data. That gives you access to control the drone when you want to use that instead of the remote controller provided.

Another aspect that professionals will love about the drone is that two people can control the quadcopter thanks to the dual-operator control. They can do that with each having their transmitters. One person can focus on controlling the drone while the other the camera. Such team effort is what gets you some incredible shots.

There are five intelligent flight modes on the Inspire 1 Pro. They are Home Lock, Waypoints, Course Lock, Point of Interest, and Follow Me. With these modes, you’re able to get professional aerial shots.

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2. DJI Phantom 3 Professional Drone

Here we have another DJI drone, the Phantom 3 Professional. As the name indicates, the primary target market is professionals. In the Phantom range, there is the Standard, Advanced, 4K and the Professional, with the last one proving to be most popular in the series. It is considered quite affordable and value for money given the features and specifications it has.

This quadcopter does have some impressive features, including 4k video. The flight time on Phantom 3 Professional is 23 minutes with an impressive flight range of 5km. The camera is kept steady when you’re busy taking shots by the 3-axis gimbal. It offers a 90-degree field of view. There is also the aspect of GPS positioning where there are access and Vision Positioning in areas where the GPS isn’t mapped out.

The controller is also a companion when you’re working this Phantom 3 Professional because you’re able to view live FPV streaming from the remote controller. There’s also a clamp where you can attach your smartphone or tablet where you can see footage via the DJI Pilot app.

There are also five advanced flight modes on the Professional: Course Lock, Home Lock, Waypoints, Point of Interest, and lastly Follow Me. These features and more make the drone easy to fly. You can operate the drone indoors as well, thanks to the ground scanning sensors. Some sensors help the drone hover in place without input from you. That’s important when you’re using the drone in a tight space.

The construction of the drone is made of hard plastic that gives you an allowance of a few bumps as you get the hang of flying. You can also bypass that by using the training guide on the app. It gives you time to get used to the apps without having to put your new drone in harm’s way. After, the best place to practice using the drone is outdoors in an open space where you’re least likely to crash into something.

Overall, the drone is compact; you can carry it in your backpack after you take out the rotor blades.

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3. Flyability Elios Professional Drone

Flyability Elios Drone is somewhat different from the list because beginner pilots are best placed to purchase this drone. That’s because the manufacturers made it withstand crashes, something a professional getting the hang of the drone might end up doing. Flyability kept in mind that when a drone is getting used for professional purposes, it is going to come across some tight spaces where collisions are inevitable even with fantastic piloting skills. 

It has revolutionized the spaces that professionals can explore, giving them access to where they couldn’t go before. The carbon-fiber structure is collusion tolerant on speeds up to 15km/h and also has a modular design that makes maintenance easier.

From the design, you’ll understand why the drone can hit something and keep right on flying. The inspiration for such a drone came about from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 2011. That was because the drones available at the time were unable to successfully access the interior of the power plant to inspect the extent the tsunami caused. Do note that the drone can get used in varying

The camera on this drone is HD with submillimeter resolution. The controller gives you live video feedback thanks to the cutting edge wireless communication the drone offers. After inspection, the Elios software gives you mission data that you can use for future reference. You’re also able to access the footage captured via the SD card; the footage you get hardly requires editing or other forms of tweaking. Additionally, the Elios can take thermal imagery recording and also able to adjust the angle the camera is in.

Do note that the Elios can get used in an extensive range of weathers. That is from 32° to 122° Fahrenheit; it’ll perform quite well. There are also powerful LEDs that make inspecting dark places or the night possible.

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4. 3DR Solo Professional Drone

Next, we have the 3DR Solo, a drone that is ideal for sports videographers and photographers. The drone is fantastic at catching the action. It has the Smart Short technology that makes it super easy to capture action footage without having to consider yourself a pro at piloting. It gives you the freedom to capture a wide variety of fantastic aerial imagery.

What makes this drone stand out is that you’re able to stream wireless HD video right from your GoPro right to your smartphone or tablet. In the market, the Solo is the first of its kind to grant in-flight access to your GoPro. You’re able to make adjustments to the camera settings, and start and stop recording all the while you’re on the ground, and the drone is in the air.

The battery life on the Solo is 20-22 minutes, giving you ample time to capture sporting shots and the like. With the extra battery provided, you can get a whole lot more footage. To get the drone going, you age to push a button, and the drone is off. There are equally safety features which include the safety net and the pause button. The action shots you get are also stable thanks to the 6-axis gyro.

One aspect of this drone though that you ought to know about is the weight. It is quite heavy and over the 0.5-pound minimum weight limit. If you purchase this drone, do know that you’ll have to register with the FAA. Otherwise, the drone does have LEDs under the motor that let you see the direction the drone is facing, particularly at night. With the active gimbal, you’re able to rotate, pan and tilt the camera.

When it comes to the controller, you have a small OLED display amid buttons, dials and control sticks. This controller is different from others in the market. Instead of showing live video from the drone, it instead indicates the drone’s status such as the battery life, the GPS satellites visible and also the flight mode.

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5. DJI Spreading Wings S900 Professional Drone

Here we have a hexacopter that is ideal for professionals. The drone is heavy with the multirotor making it possible to pack on weight. That is, for example, if you’re using dual REDs, the drone can handle it. The takeoff weight for this drone is 8.2kgs. Overall, the carbon fiber frame is lightweight while the arms are foldable, thus making it easier for transportation. Even with the construction being as such, you’re still able to get your equipment up on the air with minimal effort and safely.

The battery life on the Spreading Wings S900 is about 18 minutes in fair weather. The flight time does also depends on the kind of day it is and the camera’s weight. The upper center board of the Spreading Wings S900 is removable. You’re thus able to install your IMU and flight remote controller easily. It also provides a convenient way for you to set up the power distribution system. This system is made to improve reliability and safety. If you want to install more software, you’re able to do that fast.

The landing gear on the Spreading Wings S900 is retractable. Thanks to the low gimbal mounting bracket, you’re able to get a vast range of camera motions and shooting angels. As for the camera gimbals, the S900 can support the Zenmuse Z15, GH3, GH4, and BMPCC gimbals. Also, with this drone, you’re able to get brighter and sharper shots because the gimbal bracket is separated from the mainframe.

The motors on the drone are single wire stator design that makes for improved heat dissipation. That is especially important given the kind of load the drone has to carry. The system is thus reliable and gives you better performance. As for the arm, they are made to be more stable when pitching and rolling, but also equally flexible when rotating the drone.

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6. DJI Mavic Pro Professional Drone

The DJI Mavic Pro is another great drone for professional and commercial use. The aerial cinematographer will be particularly happy with this drone because of the small size and also the affordability. The design of the Mavic Pro is something that a filmmaker or a photographer will want as they undertake their work. For such a portable drone, it is worth noting that it is super powerful.

If portability is a concern of yours, then the Mavic Pro is the right choice. When folded, it is about the size of a water bottle. That means it can fit in nicely in your backpack without packing extra weight, or put in a large jacket pocket. You can use it for commercial purposes, or for merely taking fantastic shots if you’re a hobbyist. You can either use the WIFI controlled remote or your smartphone, depending on your preferences. Thanks to the DJI GO 4 app you can check the real-time flight footage and check the battery status.

The camera on the Mavic Pro gives 12MP stills and 4K @30FPS video footage. The flight range stands at 7Km, which is quite impressive. The battery life stands at 27 minutes, which also depends on if the conditions you’re flying in are windy. Other features that the drone has are obstacle avoidance and sensor redundancy. It can also do vision positioning when paired with GLONASS and GPS so that you get precise flying when you’re both indoors and outdoors. There are also two sensors; in the event, one fails, the other can kick in.

The 3-axis mechanical gimbal stabilizes the 4k camera, giving you bright and sharp images. Even over uneven terrain, the drone can keep the right height above the ground without your input.

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7. DJI Mavic 2 Pro Professional Drone

After the Mavic Pro, we have the updated Mavic 2 Pro. There are updated features, such as the 20MP still the camera takes and the 4K 10-bit HDR footage. The camera is professional-grade, having been made from Hasselblad, a Swedish camera manufacturer. With that, you get enhanced color sensitivity and HDR. The battery life is also improved, coming up to 31 minutes, which is among the longest flight time on this list of professional commercial drones.

Other features that make the Mavic 2 Pro impressive is that it has are the fact that it is foldable, making it quite the portable drone. This drone also has a 1-inch CMOS sensor that is larger as compared to other modes. It means that you get better performance even in low-light environments. The ISO range is extensive as well, giving you crisp imaging even in dimly lit areas. Thanks to the 10-bit Dlog-M color profile, you’re able to get incredible imagery even when it comes to shadows and highlights. That makes post-production more enjoyable, as you’re ready to capture the subtlest of gradations.

This drone, just as with most DJI drones, has obstacle sensing. However, in this version, the company takes it a notch higher. The Mavic 2 Pro has omnidirectional obstacle sensing meaning it can sense obstacles from five different sides. That’s forward, backward, downwards and to the right and the left. The features in the other DJI drones are also updated, and that includes Point of Interest, ActiveTrack, and Waypoint modes. For the creative, there are many more possibilities of what to capture and how to do it. 

Another place where the Mavic 2 Pro impresses is when it comes to speed. In Sport mode, it goes up to 72kph when there is no wind. Even with such speeds, the drone features low-noise flight technology so you can fly anywhere you want discreetly. As mentioned, ActiveTrack has been upgraded and is capable of creating a 3D view of the object being tracked. That makes it give greater accuracy when it comes to recognizing something as opposed to the 2D image tracking used before. That makes it fantastic for when you’re tracking an object even when it gets obstructed temporarily.

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8. Yuneec Mantis Q Professional Camera Drone

Last, but not least, on the list, we have the Yuneex Mantis Q. It comes with a 4k HD camera and an incredible flight time of 33 minutes, making it the longest flight time available on our list. In general, this drone is ideal for both professional and hobbyist who want more.

Mantis Q is unique on our list in that it features voice control technology. With that, it is setting itself up as a competitor with the top drones when it comes to features that any professional or hobbyist would like. With voice control, you’re able to take photos or start recording for the perfect shot. You want the drone to fly up, all you have to say is “Wake Up Mantis,” and the drone obeys your command.

As if that is not great enough, the Mantis Q offers facial detection and gesture control. These functions are particularly essential when you want to take selfies even over 13 feet away. It will detect a waving hand and take a photo, or you can say “Mantis, take a selfie” or give a similar command to take a video or a picture. You can also alternatively use a remote control to fly the drone or your smartphone.

The Mantis Q is also quite fast. Just as the Mavic 2 Pro it can go for speeds up to 70kph. That is when it is in the Sport mode. The drone is also able to do visual tracking. Other modes are Journey, Point of Interest, and Return Home. You can fly the drone either indoors or outdoors thanks to the Down-facing dual sonar sensors as well as infrared detection.

This drone is quite portable; you’re able to tuck it away in your bag when traveling comfortably. That is thanks to the foldable arms it has. In general, for the price of what you have to pay for this drone, you’re getting a super good deal, making it a worthwhile purchase for the features it has.

Resource

Skydio’s next self-flying drone is ready to take on DJI – Engadget