The Best Drone for Real Estate: Top Picks to Boost Your Aerial Photography Side Hustle
Do you have your Part 107 certification and are ready to start earning money with your drone? Real estate photography is one of the most lucrative sectors for drone pilots, and it's crucial to choose the right equipment to excel in this field. In this article, we'll explore the best drone for real estate photography, giving you all the information you need to make an informed decision and kick-start your aerial side hustle. Let's dive in!
The Best Drone for Real Estate Is One You Already Own
If you're just getting started with droning commercially, don't let the fact that you don't own a "premium" drone affect putting yourself out there to start your side hustle! Many beginners will worry that the drone they already own is not good enough to selling images and videos from, which isn't true. The majority of the challenges a pilot will face when starting a drone real estate photography business revolve around reaching out to clients, not the quality of the photos or videos.
If you own a drone that shoots a minimum of 12 megapixel photos and 1080p video, that's all you'll need to get started!
The Best Drones for Real Estate Photography
Below is a list of drones at several price points and use cases. Unquestionably, if you are a drone hobbyist learning about starting your own drone business, or seasoned pro looking for the next best drone for the job, this list has something for everyone:
- Best overall: DJI Mavic 3 Classic
- Best budget: DJI Mini 3
- Best for beginners: DJI Mavic Air 2S
- Best for professionals: DJI Inspire 3
How We Chose the Best Drones For Real Estate Photography
We're a team of active drone business owners who cut through the fluff and focus on real world applications for real estate clients. Overall, most reviews you'll read online focus on the features of the drone, rather than how it directly relates to your work photographing a property. Read the important qualities through the lens of real estate drone photography.
Aerial Imagery Quality
Firstly, the quality an an aerial image is directly correlated to the size of the image sensor. The bigger the sensor, the better the quality of the imagery. The megapixel count is important for a baseline understanding of the image quality, however the camera sensor is the deciding factor is how good those images look.
Video Quality
Aerial photography is the primary focus for drone real estate businesses, although aerial video plays an important part. Some real estate agents like to combine drone video of real estate with a house walk-through video to provide a complete picture of a property. Video quality higher than 1080p is ideal because viewers are able to see the details of the home. Most drones are capable of 4k footage which is preferred to shoot video in because of the higher quality, as well as ability to crop and shift as needed.
Flight Time
Thirdly, flight time is important when selecting a drone because it will determine how many photos and videos you'll be able to capture per battery. Generally speaking, you can capture all the photo angles within a single 8-10 minute flight. The longer the battery life, the more opportunities you'll have on a single flight to capture everything that's needed. It is recommended to have a least 2 batteries for real estate photo shoots.
Ease of Use
DJI manufactures the most popular drones in the world. All DJI drones have nearly identical controls, so it is easy to transition to any of their drones once you've mastered one. DJI drones are also the easiest to use right out of the box, saving you valuable time.
Flight Modes
Many pilots prefer to capture aerial imagery and video manually, however there are specific types of angles and shots that intelligent and autonomous flight modes can nail effortlessly. These include:
- Point of Interest/Orbit: set a building or property as a point of interest and the drone will orbit in a circle allowing 360 degrees of photos and videos
- Course Lock: this easy navigation allows you to fly in a set direction as you fly alongside moving objects or across scenes
- Waypoint Flight: automatically plan a flight route based on preset waypoints for the drone to precisely repeat routes
Drone Reliability
A reliable drone that just works when you arrive to a real estate property to shoot is so important. First of all, a reliable drone makes you look more professional because all the equipment is working as it should. It also keeps you focused on flying the drone and capturing images and video rather than troubleshooting.
Reviews and Recommendations for the Best Drones for Real Estate Photography
Best overall drone: DJI Mavic 3 Classic
Overview: The DJI Mavic 3 Classic is a workhorse drone that combines stunning photo and video capture with smart flight modes, and incredible flight time. This drone far exceeds everything you will need to get started with aerial photography. It sits in a spot of a mid-tier cost (sub $2000) while providing near best in class specs at nearly level. This is our recommended drone once you've established your business and are expanding and scaling.
Specs:
- Camera: 20 megapixel (4/3" CMOS Hasselblad Camera)
- Video Quality: 5.1K @ 24/25/30/48/50 fps, 4K @ 24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps, and 1080p @ 200fps video
- Max Flight Time: 46 minutes
- Range: 1.5-3km in an urban landscape (strong interference)
- Internal Storage: 8 GB
- Weight: 1.97 lbs (895 grams)
- Wind Resistance: 12 m/s
- Collision Avoidance: Omnidirectional binocular vision system, supplemented with an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft
Pros:
- The 20 megapixel Four Thirds sensor and Hasselblad color profile can capture incredible high-resolution images with accurate colors
- Multiple high quality footage options, including 4K at 120 frames per second which allows capture of buttery smooth video
- Ability to zoom up to 3X on video (digital zoom)
- The drone includes a "Cruise Control" feature which allows for constant flight speeds which can help with capturing smooth video footage
- Long battery life means less batteries are needed per real estate photo shoot
- 8 gigabytes of internal storage means you'll be able to capture photos and videos even if you forget a microSD card
- Incredible obstacle avoidance sensors and features
Cons:
- One of the main drawbacks is that it's still a bit pricey, which could be a consideration if you're just starting out with drone photography for real estate
- The drone takes up to 3 minutes to start up on cold fligh
- The new gimbal clamp has been described as a bit awkward
- 90+ minute charge time for batteries
DroneTribe Real Estate Rating: 10/10
Best budget drone: DJI Mini 3
Overview: The DJI Mini 3 is the best budget drone on the market for drone real estate photography. It combines all the features you would expect from a DJI drone, wrapping it in a small and light frame factor, and topping it off with a great camera sensor and video capabilities. This is the perfect drone for those just starting a drone business or are on a strict budget.
Specs:
- Camera: 1/1.3-inch CMOS single shot 12 megapixels. 48 megapixel mode (stitched images).
- Video Quality: 4K/24/25/30 fps
- Max Flight Time: 38 minutes (Intelligent Flight Battery) to 51 minutes (Intelligent Flight Battery Plus)
- Range: 1.5-3km in an urban landscape (strong interference)
- Onboard Storage: n/a
- Weight: Under 249 g
- Wind Resistance: 10.7 m/s
- Collision Avoidance: Downward vision system
Pros:
- Ultra lightweight and portable design
- Beginner friendly, easy to fly and easy to use
- Good camera and video quality for the price point
- Great flight time - 1 battery is all you'll need for real estate shoots
- Amazing features for price point (<$500)
- Drone is 50% the cost of the DJI Mavic Air 2S, and 25% of the cost of the DJI Mavic 3 Classic
- 56 min fast charging for batteries
Cons:
- Lightweight and doesn't handle extremely windy days well
- Camera and video sensor not as advanced as more expensive drone options
DroneTribe Real Estate Rating: 8/10
Best drone for beginners: DJI Mavic Air 2S
Overview: The DJI Mavic Air 2S the best drone on the market for beginners starting out with drone real estate photography. It combines all the features you would expect from a DJI drone, wrapping it in a small and light frame factor, and topping it off with an incredible camera sensor and video capabilities. This drone provides more advanced features for real estate photography that allows beginners to grow into the drone.
Specs:
- Camera: 1-inch CMOS, Effective pixels: 20 MP
- Video Quality: 5.4K @ 24/25/30 fps and 4K @ 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps
- Max Flight Time: 31 minutes
- Range: 1.5-3km in an urban landscape (strong interference)
- Onboard Storage: 8 GB
- Weight: 595 g
- Wind Resistance: 10.7 m/s
- Collision Avoidance: Forward, backward, upward, and downward vision system
Pros:
- Ultra lightweight and portable design
- Beginner friendly, easy to fly and easy to use
- Great camera and video quality for the price point
- Great flight time - 1 battery is all you'll need for real estate shoots
- More advanced autonomous flight features
Cons:
- Lightweight and doesn't handle extremely windy days well
- Long charge time (1 hour 35 minutes)
DroneTribe Real Estate Rating: 9/10
Best drone for professionals: DJI Inspire 3
Overview: The DJI Inspire 3 is a beast of a cinematic and aerial photography drone. However, it's more drone than the majority of pilots need for drone real estate photography, however it's worth going over the details as something to aspire to.
Specs:
- Camera: 35mm full frame CMOS (44 megapixel)
- Video Quality: 8K @ 75 fps and 4K @ 120 fps
- Max Flight Time: 26 minutes
- Range: 1.5-3km in an urban landscape (strong interference)
- Onboard Storage: n/a (1 TB memory card)
- Weight: 3995 g
- Wind Resistance: 14 m/s
- Collision Avoidance: Omni directional sensing (forward, backward, upward, and downward vision system) that is fully customizable
Pros:
- Incredible cinematic quality imagery and video
- First person view (FPV) camera for pilot to see in front of drone
- Centimeter-level RTK position
- 80° Tilt Boost or 360° Pan Dual Configurations
- Fast acceleration and speeds
- Allows a 2nd operator (pilot + camera) to operate the drone and camera separately to capture one of a kind photos and videos
Cons:
- Significantly higher cost than any other drone listed in this review
- Large and heavy drone
- Setting up drone takes much more time
- Higher resolution photos and videos take longer to edit
- Requires a 2nd operator (pilot + camera) to harness the best out of the drone and capture the most amazing photos and videos
DroneTribe Real Estate Rating: 10/10
Conclusion: Choose the Best Drone for Your Real Estate Side Hustle
Selecting the best drone for real estate photography is crucial for success in this competitive field. The options we've discussed in this article offer a range of capabilities and price points, ensuring there's a drone to suit every pilot's needs.
Overall, whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned professional, investing in the right drone will enable you to capture stunning aerial imagery and grow your real estate photography side hustle. So go ahead and make your choice, and get ready to soar to new heights in your career!
If you're looking for more advice on drones and the real estate
industry, check out our comprehensive guide starting a drone real estate photography business. This resource will provide you with tips, tricks, and best practices to ensure you're well-prepared for this exciting field.
Did you find this article helpful? Don't forget to share it with fellow drone pilots and real estate enthusiasts! And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with these fantastic drones.
