The Best Professional Drones for Commercial Use in 2021

What Are The Different Types of Commercial Drones?

Drones are so flexible that they have changed the landscape of a lot of industries. Here are some ways commercial drones are used:

Wedding Photography and Videography

One of the first industries to be changed by drones was photography, specifically wedding photography. This allows for more unique and breathtaking ways to capture a couple’s special day that was previously impossible.

Now you can have awesome shots like a bird’s eye view of the ceremony and reception, 360-degree orbit shot of the couple, or a classic panning + zooming out shot.

A lot of couples nowadays also opt for a pre-nuptial photoshoot days before the wedding. This is usually done in some exotic locale or a place that has significance to the couple, such as where they first met. Drones add a special cinematic magic touch to these photos and videos.

Outdoor Photography

Outdoor enthusiasts have been using drones to take selfies and photos of their hiking trips, and professional photographers are quick to take notice. Now, drones are starting to have a place in the bag of tricks of landscape and wildlife photographers.

Drones allow outdoor photographers a new vantage point from which to take photos. Higher angles can make for much more unique and breathtaking shots. Plus, the photographer doesn’t even need to risk himself by climbing trees or cliffs just to get a good shot.

Wildlife photographers can also better capture animals from a distance using drones. Not only will this not disturb the wildlife, but it’s also safer for the photographer. There are lots of silent drones out there that can get the job done.

Filmmaking

For the most demanding video shoots, look no further than Hollywood. Movie magic often requires impossible looking shots like filming from high above a cliff, under a bridge, or following a fast-moving vehicle around.

Fortunately, drones are more than happy to oblige, and filmmakers are embracing UAVs as a filmmaking tool. Aerial shots used to involve hiring a costly helicopter or deploying complicated equipment. Drones simplify the process and lower the overall cost.

Drones also allow filmmakers to shoot difficult shots in challenging locations where setting up equipment is impossible, such as forests or mountains. Advanced drones also have autonomous flight features, which is useful for accurately flying the same path for multiple takes.

Live Coverage

Drones also make it easier to do TV coverage of live events, such as concerts or rallies. Reporters used to require a full crew and lots of equipment to capture these events. The large crowds that are often present can make things much more difficult to setup.

It’s much easier to deploy a drone and fly over the crowd to get fantastic angles of the event. You can even use multiple drones to cover different perspectives of the event.

Aerial coverage is also much more accessible. This used to be done with helicopters, which are more expensive to hire. Plus, helicopters can’t descend down to specific areas the way a drone can.

Drones can also help reporters do TV coverage of dangerous locations, such as war-torn areas or fires. With it, the crew can operate from a safe distance while still getting to capture the events close-up.

Real Estate

When it comes to real estate, first impressions are essential. With the majority of house hunters now browsing properties online, this is often done with photos or video tours.

Drones can give your real estate an edge by providing impressive-looking shots. You can do an aerial photo to provide prospects an overview of the property, and then even use the drone to shoot a video tour of your home. This gives your prospects a sense of the property and entices them enough to schedule an actual viewing with you.

And thanks to a drone’s stability, your real estate videos will look smooth and professional, and not jittery and amateurish.

Roofing and Construction

Drones are a welcome tool for architects and construction firms and are used in every stage of the process.

During construction, drones help inspect roofing much more accurately. This used to be done via manually laying measuring instruments on the property, which can introduce some error. Drones simply take an aerial photo and, through software, precisely measure a building or plot’s dimensions.

Drones are also great as an inspection tool. Contractors can verify if every inch of the building is built well and according to standards. Roofing contractors can utilize drones to inspect roofing, saving them the trouble and danger of climbing it themselves.

Surveying

Surveying is a complicated task that accurately measures a specific plot of land. As you can imagine, this involves a lot of computations and data. Usually, this requires you to go out in the field to get the data yourself, often for multiple times

A drone for surveying can become a game changer. First, they can take photos and videos from a higher vantage point, which makes measuring easier. The drone will then capture a photo or video of the area, which can be used by software to do the measurements for you.

Agriculture

One of the industries where drones can have a significant impact is in agriculture. The simple reason is that farmlands usually have vast stretches of land, which is difficult to tend to or gather data from. UAVs help by giving farmers an eye in the sky.

Drones can gather useful data, like check on the health of their crops or their livestock population, much more quickly than doing it on foot. They can also use it to get a picture of a farm’s irrigation system, to improve it further.

But drones are used far more than just an observation tool. Some drones can actually carry water and pesticides, and deploy it on the crops. It’s much more efficient and cheaper than using traditional crop-duster.

Performance Art

Drones are increasingly being used in shows and performances worldwide. Multiple drones can be made to move in a coordinated way, much like how individual swimmers are in synchronized swimming.

Individual drones can also light up in different colors, which can form a picture when viewed from afar, much like how a mosaic is made. Performance drones are still in its infant stages, but the future for it looks promising.

Do You Need A License For Commercial Drones?

In most countries, if you are to operate a commercial drone, you need a license or permit to do so. The specific rules and regulations differ from country to country and even city to city.

Drone use is usually in the jurisdiction of a government’s aviation agency. In the US, for example, this is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This is because drones are considered a type of aircraft.

To get a license, you first need to pass a certification course. This always involves a knowledge test and a practical exam to test actual flying skills. There is usually a minimum age requirement to qualify, which is around 16 years old on average.

Even with a license, there are always restrictions you need to adhere to when flying your commercial drone. These involve avoiding flying in prohibited airspace (airports, military bases) and only at certain speeds. The drone itself would also need to be registered.

For more information on getting a drone license, check out these resources:

• For US residents: FAA Remote Pilot Certificate page.
• For Canada residents: Drone Pilot Certificate
• For UK residents: Commercial drone pilot permission information
• For Australia residents: CASA Remote Pilot License
• For all other countries, check with your country’s aviation agency for more details

Buyer’s Guide: Commercial Drones

Compared to hobby drones, a lot more is expected out of a commercial drone. Every minute they can’t operate out in the field is going to cost money. Hence, these drones need to be robust and reliable, with the best specs available.

Regardless of the industry, here are some of the common factors of good commercial drones:

Flight Time

Flight time is one of the most critical elements of any commercial drone, as they need to spend as much time as they need to in the air.

A lot of applications, like wedding photography and roof inspections, can take more extended periods to achieve great results. Slowing down to charge or swap batteries merely is unacceptable and may cost you money.

Commercial drones need the most extended flight times they can get. Anything above 20 minutes is the absolute minimum, with 30 minutes being the gold standard. It’s also vital that you invest in a few extra batteries on hand, and an external charger to top up any used up spares. For day-long engagements such as for photoshoots, it’s the only way to keep up.

Range

Range defines how far out your drone can fly before you lose control of it. It’s an often overlooked spec in hobby drones, but one that you should absolutely consider for a commercial drone.

For some industries that deal with larger areas, like agriculture and construction, long-ranged drones are a must. Outdoor and wildlife photographers also need this to be able to extend the area which they can capture. And even if you’re just doing wedding photography, you never know when that range can come in handy.

A good range to shoot for is around 4 km, as it gives a good balance of distance vs. cost. If you know you’ll be deploying your drone in extreme distances, go for 8 km. 

FPV

For most applications, drones are primarily used as an eye in the sky. This means it should give you a real-time view of what the drones “sees” via its camera. This is achieved through First Person View or FPV.

The number one thing you need when it comes to FPV is transmission strength. This will make the live video feed stream to your smartphone or controller as real-time as possible, without any lags. This is vital when you’re using FPV to navigate your drone (i.e., during inspections), as any FPV lag can delay your reaction time, which can lead to crashes.

The video quality of the FPV is a secondary concern, although still relevant. Aim for 1080p HD quality, although 720p HD is good enough for drone navigation purposes.

GPS

One of the chief reasons for getting a GPS onboard your drone is that you’ll know its exact location at any given time. For industries where you don’t have a line of sight with your drone, this is essential in case the drone gets lost.

But more than that, GPS opens up a slew of new abilities for your drone. For one, it allows your drone to accurately maintains its position even if it gets knocked out. It’s also necessary for a lot of a drone’s advanced flight and safety features, which we cover on next:

Safety Features

Drone crashes are catastrophic. Not only does the drone itself cost money to repair, but it can also disrupt your operations, which arguably costs a lot more. That’s why drones need to have safety features installed.

The minimum you should go for is Return to Home (RTH). This GPS-powered feature makes the drone automatically return to its takeoff point whenever its battery gets too low, or when it loses its signal. This prevents the drone from shutting down mid-air and crashing.

Getting drones with Obstacle Avoidance is also prudent. These would have sensors around the drone’s body, which can detect whenever it’s about to crash with an obstacle. Some drones will then automatically avoid the obstruction or hover safely in place.

Also, never underestimate the importance of indicators! Your remote controller or smartphone app should alert you during key triggers like low battery, weak signal, or if the drone is flying at an unsafe altitude.

And remember, safety features should never replace a pilot’s skill. Always fly any drone safely.

Autonomous Flight Modes

Drones have different autonomous flight modes that are useful with specific applications.

Roof inspections, for example, benefit from Orbit Mode, which makes the drone autonomously circle a house around. It allows you to focus on inspecting the roof rather than flying the drone.

Another example is Waypoint Mode, which a filmmaker can use to execute complicate shots easily by drawing a flight path for the drone to follow. The added bonus is that these paths are repeatable, making it easy as well to do multiple takes.

We recommend taking into consideration how you would use your drone, explore the different auto flight modes of a drone, and choose accordingly.

Camera Quality

For photography and videography applications, this is the #1 concern. Fortunately, the specs of a drone’s camera can pretty much compete with the best pro SLR cameras and film cameras out there.

Specs-wise, it’s pretty easy – 4K UHD video resolution is a non-negotiable, as well as anything above 15 megapixels for photos. The CMOS sensor is as much an essential concern as the resolution, and you should go for sizes of 1″ and above.

If you’re doing video, image stabilization is a must-have. This is done with a gimbal. This is a mechanical device that can rotate the camera independent of the drone. By canceling out the drone’s movement, it keeps the camera as stable as possible.

Gimbals also allow you to tilt the camera in angles ranging from 0 – 180 degrees. Together with zooming (make sure it’s lossless), it can help you frame shots better at a distance, a requirement for some applications.

Weatherproof

Because they perform a crucial role, commercial drones need to be as durable and rugged in the field as possible. At the minimum, they should be able to withstand moderate to strong winds without losing their altitude or position.

If possible, also get a water-resistant drone. You never know what will happen outdoors, and it’s unfortunate if a light drizzle will delay your drone’s tasks. With an utterly weatherproof drone, you can still carry on and finish your operations on time regardless of the weather conditions.

Carrying Capacity

Depending on the activity you’re carrying out, some commercial drones need to be able to bring different instruments, such as LIDAR or thermal cameras. Others, like in agriculture, are used to carry and drop a payload in the field.

If your industry requires these kinds of devices, then your drone should be able to accommodate them.

An important consideration here is the maximum carrying capacity that your drone can handle. Most professional drones should have a capacity in the range of 18kg on average.