Famed poet William Cullen Bryant once wrote: “Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
Today this observation rings as true as ever; thanks to the latest advances in both imagery and UAV technology, you can purchase a ready-to-fly drone to easily capture autumn’s “loveliest smile” like never before.
Here are four models that will help you create the most memorable images of amazing fall vistas.
Parrot AR 2.0
At $299, the Parrot AR 2.0 is one of the best values for a “fly-it-out-of-the-box” UAV solution. The AR is simple to use and offers a free mobile app allowing the user to soar over the autumnal beauty with a few taps of a smartphone or tablet. If you just can’t wait to see the leaves, the AR can live-stream video at 720p resolution and save the footage right to your device (uploading to social media is then a cinch). For those panoramic mountain scenes, the AR offers automatic position hold. It’s perfect for getting lower level footage or shots within a range of about 50 meters.
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DJI Phantom 2 Vision +
Like the colorful mountain vistas you hope to capture, the Phantom 2 Vision + flies at a higher price elevation at $1,159. But for those who want to immerse themselves in the full autumn experience, the Vision lives up to its namesake. For example, the UAV is equipped standard with a 14 megapixel, 1080p HD camera as well as a 3-axis camera stabilization gimbal. With that kind of hardware, you’re bound to produce unrivaled feats of foliage footage.
As with the AR 2.0, the Vision provides a live stream via the DJI Vision app to a smartphone via Wi-Fi and offers a range of 700 meters, making its higher price tag well worth it. And, if you know the exact location of the perfect foliage viewpoint, you can pair the Vision with DJI’s Ground Station app for the iPad and set an autonomous flight path using GPS waypoints.
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Walkera QR X350 Pro
Perhaps you love capturing gorgeous fall footage but not enough to purchase a four-figure drone. The Walkera QRX350 Pro comes in just under a $1000, and is outfitted with Walkera’s G-2D brushless gimbal and a 1280x720p iLook camera.
One advantage of the QR X350 Pro is there is no additional screen needed to fly FPV; Walkera’s DEVO F12E flight controller comes with a built in LCD screen. So if you are truly entering the drone world at square one, the QR X350 Pro might be your best option. But, if you already have your own iLook or GoPro, you can configure the QR X350 package without a camera and save a chunk money that way.
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Quanum Nova
For those who do prefer to use their own camera, the Quanum Nova by Hobby King flies right up your photographic alley. Like the AR 2.0, the Nova is ready to fly out of the package and is around the same price point of $300. Its Q-2D brushless GoPro gimbal, the Nova provides amazing, focused control over the tilt and roll functions for gimbal.
By allowing users to choose their own camera (sold separately), the Nova offers a new level of flexibility for the serious photographer/videographer. A cool enhancment to the Quanum Nova is its GPS capabilities which allows it to hold specific positions and altitude while offering waypoint navigation. With a range of 300 meters, the Quanum Nova will allow leaf lookers to get a birds-eye view of the best autumn scenery can offer.
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Images courtesy of reddit user termanader
Jason is a longstanding contributor to DroneLife with an avid interest in all things tech. He focuses on anti-drone technologies and the public safety sector; police, fire, and search and rescue.
Beginning his career as a journalist in 1996, Jason has since written and edited thousands of engaging news articles, blog posts, press releases and online content.
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which camera is recommended for the Quanum Nova?
Quanum or Walkera….which should I buy?
If you are starting from scratch, probably Walkera because it includes everything you need to fly and there are more resources online should you have any trouble. If you have some components already (controller, GoPro, etc.) and don’t mind a bit of tinkering, save some money and go with the Quanum. Let us know how it goes!