There is a huge range in the price of drones. You can easily drop thousands and still not have the latest and ‘greatest’. On the other end of the spectrum there are tonnes of cheap alternatives but many of these compromise on quality and performance. In this article I take a look at the best drone under $500, and how to score it at that price.
Can you get a good quality drone at an affordable price while the price on EVERYTHING keeps going up?
The Best Drone Under $500 | DJI Mini 2
Aerial photography doesn’t have to be expensive and nobody said it has to be a crappy experience either. All drone enthusiasts should be able to take impressive drone footage and photographs without breaking the bank.
There are many drones online that cost less than 500 dollars, but none of them come close to the quality of satisfying flying experience and high-quality output that the DJI Mini 2 provides.
Now, you might be thinking “The DJI Mini is advertised way over $500!” . Yes, you can spend hundreds more on this drone but stick with us on how to get this drone under $500.
The DJI Mini 2 is an upgrade of the earlier models of the Mavic family of drones by DJI, the DJI Mavic Mini and DJI Mini SE. It’s a very portable drone quadcopter, that weighs 249 grams. You can easily put the drone in one jacket pocket and the remote control in the other and go take some quick aerial shots. But let’s get to the real cool reasons why this drone is worth your money and how to score it at this price.
Why this is the best drone under 500 dollars
Whether you are a hobbyist, a professional photographer, or just someone who thinks a drone is a cool toy, you probably know that a drone is primarily a camera. A drone’s ability to take high-quality shots is what we all look for first. The cool and unique perspectives are sensational. Then there is the fun in the flying experience itself.
Let’s look at some of the great features and why the DJI Mini 2 is the best drone under 500 dollars on the market.
High Video and Control Transmission Range
All drone pilots will agree that it’s annoying to fly a drone and have the connection between the drone and your remote control deteriorate as it flies further away. This happens when the drone is flying out of range or, as with most drones, the native Wifi connection is using a channel with heavy traffic.
This affects how far you can fly the drone from the controller. It also affects the quality of the video feed you get on your phone, affecting the visibility.
The DJI Mini 2 does not use native Wifi for video transmission. It uses the OcuSync 2.0 wireless transmission system. This offers a low latency wireless video signal and control signal, allowing you to control the drone from a distance of over 10 miles with 4K video quality. This is a big upgrade from the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Mini SE models that have a transmission range of just over 2 miles.
Increased Flight Time
The time a drone can stay afloat matters for every drone user. The longer it can fly, the more time we have to get the perfect photo or video footage.
The DJI Mini 2 has a flight time of 31 minutes. This is a minute longer that the DJI Mavic Mini and DJI Mini SE, also the DJI Phantom 4 which has a flight time of 28 minutes.
These max times are of course measured in a controlled environment with no wind.
Camera Quality
The camera on the DJI Mini 2 captures 4k videos at either 24, 25, or 30 frames per second. This makes it possible to get high-resolution aerial videos and photos at higher frame rates. The camera also has a 2 times digital zoom in 4K or 2.7K resolution, and 4 times digital zoom in 1080p resolution.
The camera on the DJI Mini 2 also has a manual mode. which gives you more freedom to control your shots. Photos taken can be of flat JPEG format or the DNG format, giving you a lot of data to work with if you plan to do any post-production.
Excellent Wind Resistance
Flying a drone in wind is hard. A drone has to have enough power to overcome the resistance from the wind. The DJI Mini 2 has the ability to maintain its flying position against winds of up to 23 mph. It’s what DJI calls Level 5 wind resistance. The DJI Mini has Level 4 wind resistance, for comparison’s sake, which can withstand wind speeds of up to 17mph.
A Higher Maximum Fly Speed
Drone videos shot at low speed create awesome cinematic footage. But there are other times that you want your drone to fly fast, whether to shoot moving vehicles or boats at high speed, or just to fly to a location quickly before flight time runs out. This is where the speed of the drone matters.
The DJI Mini 2 has a maximum flying speed of up to 35mph. this ranks high in contrast to the DJI Mavic Mini, which clocks 29mph.
Pre-Programmed QuickShots
For beginners with no or little flying experience, or when you want to take quick videos, the DJI Mini 2 has a number of quick shooting modes. They are called QuickShots. This feature is used to select a subject and let the drone hover around the subject, taking great cinematic shots according to the type of QuickShots selected. You can also select multiple subjects.
The DJI Mini 2 has 5 QuickShots modes. These are Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle, and Boomerang. Boomerang is new, this mode is not programmed in the previous models.
How to get the DJI Mini 2 Drone for under $500
So how can you get this awesome, feature packed mini drone for under $500. The DJI Mini 2 is often advertised around the $800 mark in a ‘fly-more’ bundle. However, many drone enthusiasts move on to the latest and greatest and rather than accumulating drones they don’t use anymore, they sell them to companies that can re-furbish them and roll the money into their next drone.
Retailers like Beach Cameras not only fully check over and restore the drone, they also package it up will all the essentials like a FPV headset, memory card and carry case. Going through a certified re-seller means you have 3 months to take advantage of their full refund offer if the drone isn’t working as expected. On top of this there is also 2 and 3 year protection plans on offer.
Wrap up on DJI Mini 2 - The Best Drone Under $500
With all the features we have discussed, it might come as a surprise that we also recommend the DJI Mini 2 for beginners. It gives a great experience even to those with no flying experience and provides high-quality images and video. You get access to the best features from other competing drone models plus some features from advanced drone models. It is truly the best drone under 500 dollars on the market today.
