Introduction
Today, a quadrocopter without a camera is unlikely to interest anyone, so manufacturers of household UAVs try to keep up with the times and equip all their products with cameras. Various Internet trading platforms offer a huge number of quadrics with a camera and, of course, a person who first decided to purchase a drone, looking at this abundance of drones, raises the question: "Which quadrocopter with a camera is better?"
To ease the pangs of choice, we have selected the top ten budget camera quads under $ 250. Why up to $ 250? Because in this price range, there are the products that are best suited for a first-time familiarization experience. Having gained experience in piloting drones from the budget segment, it will be possible to safely switch to more expensive models. The selection was carried out according to such criteria as: price, product quality, its functionality, quality of photo and video material.
If you think that some model is missing in our rating, then tell us about it in the comments below and we will definitely consider it. Let's start with the last - 10th place.
 Syma X8HW | |||||||
 Syma X8HG | |||||||
 Xiaomi MiTu | |||||||
 Hubsan X4 H502S | |||||||
 Ryse Tello Drone | |||||||
 Xiaomi Funsnap-iDol | |||||||
 Syma-W1 (PRO) | |||||||
 MJX Bugs 5W | |||||||
 Wltoys XK X1 | |||||||
 JJRC X12 AURORA |
10. Syma X8HW
Complete rebuild of the previously forgotten and criticized predecessor Syma X8W. The model has become larger, more powerful, received a barometric sensor for keeping altitude, a modified 1MP Wi-Fi camera, thanks to which shooting and flying in the first person now deserve respect, and a unique golden color. Max. FPV distance of 70 meters. Max. flight time with complete power supply - 7 minutes. The main purpose of the drone is the initial acquaintance with the basics of piloting in FPV mode with an emphasis on aerial photography. It is implemented by the developer through all well-known Internet marketplaces at a price of $ 105. More details about the model can be found in our review.
Pros
- Workmanship
- Durability
- FPV (for a first look)
- Altitude hold function (work barometer)
- Dynamic (especially without supports and protection)
- Headless mode
- 6-axis gyroscope
- LED backlight
Cons
- Brush motors (short life)
- FPV over Wi-Fi at 2.4GHz
- Balancing of the rotor is required
- Dislikes windy weather
Video
The quality of the complete Wi-Fi camera Syma X8HW.
9. Syma X8HG
Legendary continuation of the popular eighth series from Syma Toysreview.
Pros
- Workmanship
- Durability
- Camera (for a first time)
- GoPro gimbal
- Function
- Flight performance
- Pulls 2-axis AC gimbal with camera
- Headless mode
- 6-axis gyroscope
- LED backlight
Cons
- Brush motors (short life)
- Balancing of the rotor is required
- ) Does not like the wind
Video
Shooting quality of the complete camera Syma X8HG.
8. Xiaomi MiTu
Portable solution from Xiaomi
In the list of classic functions: first person flight (FPV), auto takeoff / landing, altitude hold. In the spirit of current trends, control is carried out using a smartphone / tablet. Max. FPV removal distance - 50 meters. Max. flight time - 10 minutes. The main purpose of MiTu is the initial acquaintance with the basics of piloting, first-person flight and aerial photography in the selfie format. It is implemented by the developer through all well-known Internet marketplaces at a price of $ 60. More details about the model can be found in our review.
Pros
- Design
- Value for Money
- Management (Stable)
- Excellent flight characteristics
- Camera (image quality)
- Air combat mode
- Built-in storage
Cons
- Small resource of collector motors (which is generally the norm for this type of motors; after a drop in thrust, they change to original ones or analogs)
- No image stabilization
- Not long distance of removal
- Flight time
Video
Shooting quality of the onboard camera of the Xiaomi MiTu quadcopter.
7. Hubsan X4 H502S
One of the most affordable and popular solutions in the hobby, built on an analog video transmission system without delays at 5.8 GHz. It has the best weight-to-power ratio for impressive dynamics even on brushed motors. In the arsenal of key features of the model: satellite positioning, two GPS flight modes (smooth flight with auto position hold), Manual flight mode (reveals all power potential without electronic assistants), 720P FPV camera built-in FPV monitor, “Follow me” mode, Headless mode and RTH function. Max. flight time - 12 minutes. It is implemented by the developer both through his own online store and through all well-known Internet trading platforms at a price of $ 120. Age limit 14. More details about the Hubsan X4 H502S quadrocopter can be found in our review.
Pros
- Design
- Performance
- Dynamic
- FPV
- GPS module
- Follow me / Manual mode
- Altitude hold
- Return to transmitter
- Ready to fly out of the box
- No registration required
Cons
- Collector motors (short life)
- Camera (no stabilization)
6. Tello Drone
The same case when they say: "small, but daring." Still, there were three top developers working on Tello at once ( Ryze TechnologyDJI Innovations
Aerial photography deserves no less respect. On board is a 5MP camera working in tandem with better electronic stabilization (compared to analogs). Provides max. photo resolution: 2592 × 1936. Video resolution: 1280 × 720P @ 30fps. Flying in the first person in 720P quality at a distance of up to 100 meters. Control can be carried out either separately by a smartphone / tablet, or in tandem with control equipment. Max. flight time - 13 minutes.
The main purpose of the drone is the initial acquaintance with the basics of piloting, block programming, first-person flight and aerial photography in the selfie format. It is implemented by the developer both through his own resources and through various Internet trading platforms at a price of $ 99 (depending on the configuration). Details of the model can be found in our review.
Pros
- Design / Quality
- Controllability (even with a smartphone)
- Dynamic
- Functionality
- Camera (image quality)
- FPV quality
- Block programming (easy and fun process)
- Flight time
- FPV ready flight out of the box
- Price
Cons
- Brush motors
- No external storage (recorded material is saved on the resources of a paired smartphone)
- The set does not include a USB cable for charging the drone's battery
Video
The quality of the shooting of the onboard camera of the Tello quadcopter.
5. Xiaomi Funsnap iDol
An affordable selfie drone with artificial intelligence, developed by two well-known companies Xiaomibrushless motors are installed, and GPS / Glonass modules, optical, ultrasonic, and barometric sensors are responsible for positioning, which provides iDol with maximum stability as outdoors and indoors. Equipped with a full-fledged FHD camera built into a 1-axis servo gimbal that allows you to remotely change the tilt angle. The electronics are responsible for image stabilization with the support of the 3D noise reduction algorithm.
On the list of key features of the drone: first-person flight (FPV), five intelligent flight and shooting modes, gesture control (take a photo / land), automatic return mode on loss of signal and low battery charge, and others standard functions. The control is realized both by means of a smartphone / tablet, and in tandem with a control panel. Max. removal distance - 60 meters. Max. flight speed - 18 km / h. Max. flight time - 10 minutes. The main purpose is the initial acquaintance with the basics of piloting, first-person flight and aerial photography in the selfie format. It is sold through various Internet trading platforms at a price of $ 140 (depending on the configuration). The model is described in detail in our review.
Pros
- Design / Quality
- Foldable
- Satellite & Touch Positioning
- Well tuned propulsion system (stable in flight)
- Automatic selfie modes
- Auto takeoff / landing / hold / altitude
- Camera (image quality)
- FPV quality / Mobile application (work, simplicity and convenience, social. network)
- RTH mode
- Price
Cons
- Work of gesture recognition technology and intelligent object tracking
- Flight time
- No mechanical stabilization
- Distance from the remote control
- Carrying case only in top configuration
Video
Shooting quality of the on-board selfie drone Xiaomi Funsnap iDol.
4. Syma W1 (PRO)
Portable novelty from Syma Toysreview.
Pros
- Portable design and dimensions
- Product quality
- Self-locking brushless motors
- Folding propellers
- Flight performance (dynamic / stable))
- Positioning accuracy (GPS optical and barometric sensors)
- FHD FPV camera
- FPV at 5GHz (up to 200 metro out of 250 announced)
- Price
Cons
- No 4K camera
- No EIS
- Smart functions do not work correctly
- FPV system is not compatible with older generation of smartphones (only modern devices with latest OS versions)
- Propellers require balancing
Video
The quality of the onboard Wi-Fi camera Syma W1 (PRO).
3. MJX Bugs 5W
One of the most popular quadcoptersreview.
Pros
- Design
- Product quality
- Ease of use (for beginners)
- Perfectly tuned brushless propulsion system with motor auto-braking when locked
- Flight performance / Autonomous flight modes
- FHD FPV camera (image quality, FOV)
- FPV flight at 5GHz (quality of Wi-Fi broadcast)
- Distance FPV removal
- Work mob. applications
- Price
Cons
- No mechanical camera stabilization
- No on / off button for the copter
- The sound cannot be adjusted. alarm (starts beeping loudly already at 50% of the battery charge)
- By default mob. the application (IOS / Android) does not display a full-fledged scalable map, which affects the accuracy of the flight mode by points
- propeller protection kit
Video
The quality of the complete Wi-Fi camera MJX Bugs 5W.
2. Wltoys XK X1
The best miniature copy of the drone popular in the unmanned hobby from one of the best UAV developers of the initial levelreview.
Pros
- Workmanship
- Phantom design
- GPS positioning
- S / C motors / Controllability
- FHD camera in a 2-axis mechanical gimbal
- FPV (in practice, confident distance up to 400 meters)
- Flight time (in practice 12-15 min) / Battery charge indication
- Holding position
- Auto takeoff / landing
- Price
Cons
- Operation of automatic flight and survey modes
- In mob. the application does not display the terrain map (even after forced loading)
- A slight jelly in the frame is noticeable (it is treated by balancing the props)
- Fixed camera tilt angles
Video
Shooting quality of the onboard camera of the Wltoys XK X1 quadrocopter.
1. JJRC X12 AURORA
The most talked about novelty of 2019 presented by JJRCbudgetary niche UAVpremium segmentreview.
Pros
- Portable Design / Quality
- Foldable Beams
- Satellite Positioning Sensors
- S / C motors (foldable props)
- FHD camera in 3-axis mech. gimbal
- FPV (in practice, confident distance up to 700 meters)
- Flight time (in practice, up to 21 minutes)
- Auto takeoff / landing
- Operation of auto modes flight and survey (for the budget model / excluding point flight)
- Position holding (accuracy of return to the landing site)
Cons
- The developer / Seller misleads the buyer with a non-existing 4K version of the drone
- The flight mode does not work by waypoints
- Does not fly at the declared distance
- In mob. the application does not display the map of the area
- Overpriced
Video
The quality of the JJRC onboard camera X12 AURORA.
.
