Recent Drone Articles

Video Shows Photographer Breaking Back in Deathly Surf

“I just remember feeling weightless and it taking a really long time to come down." What came next for surf photographer Ryan Moss wasn't pretty. He's now in a hospital bed in Honolulu. To see exactly what happened in waves never seen before, read on.

A Small Hobby Drone Reaches 33,000 Feet

A Russian drone pilot managed to fly his little 2.3 lbs drone close to the cruising altitude of most airliners. As surprising as it sounds, the technology used for this flight is very common.

DJI Phantom 5 - Release Date, Specifications, and Features: What to Expect?

The rumor mill is going strong with the potential release of the Phantom 5. Forum experts and unverifiable sources estimate that DJI will announce the new version of its best seller drone sometime in September of this year. Due to the lack of official information, we can only speculate at this point. However, we can analyze DJI's past strategy and actual technological development to estimate the possible specifications and features that may end up in the Phantom 5.

DJI Spark Attacked in the Sky

We have heard stories of drones being shot down from the sky before, but have you heard of them being attacked midflight? That’s exactly what happened when Colin Smith from P hotoshop Cafe decided to fly a new DJI Spark for a review.

New DJI Drone: Possible Specifications and Features

DJI will announce a new product on Tuesday. Based on the short teaser published a few days ago, we know that this product will be a foldable drone. Everything beyond that is unknown. However, we can analyze DJI's past strategy and actual technological development to estimate the possible specifications and features that this new drone may offer.

Our $3,000 DSLR Was Stolen in Italy and We Filmed It Happen

Yes, you read that title correctly. In this episode of the behind the scenes of “Photographing the World 3,” we face the most disastrous day of filming yet! While Lee was recovering our crashed DJI Mavic in the mountains of Matera, someone on the hiking trail stole our brand new Nikon D500 DSLR and Tamron 18-270mm lens.

The U.S. Army Ban on DJI - What Is Really Going On?

According to an internal memo published by sUAS News, the U.S. Army is asking to terminate the use of all DJI products, including cameras and software “due to increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products.” This unusual request leaves a lot of unanswered questions such as the nature of the threats and the reason behind of this global ban. What is really going on?

DJI: False Advertisement or Failure to Read Fine Print?

In a recent and popular advertisement, DJI uses Chris Burkard to showcase the new Mavic Air. But when advertisements don't line up with reality and end up costing customers a few hundred, maybe a thousand bucks, what is there to do?

DJI Tello, Spark, Mavic Air, or Mavic Pro: What Are the Differences and Which Drone Should You Pick?

In less than a year, DJI released four entry-level drones, from the cheap Tello to the more advanced Mavic Platinum. The mid-range segment is now occupied by the Spark and the newly announced Mavic Air. In some aspects, the latest DJI drone outperforms the pricier models, which can be confusing. Is the Mavic Air better than the Mavic Pro? Which one should you buy and why? The answer: it depends of your needs. Up next, we provide a complete comparison to help you navigate through the main differences of each drone, including their strengths and weaknesses.

DJI Mavic Pro Reviews Are Flying In

DJI announced their newest drone to the world this week, and it’s creating quite a buzz. If you haven’t heard about it yet, jump over to our article on the announcement of this new compact drone. At first, I thought the GoPro Karma looked great, then DJI swooped in with their Mavic which looks amazing as well.

DJI Just Made a Big Drone Announcement Today at IFA 2017

There’s been speculation for some time now, but the wait is over. Today in Berlin, DJI made three major and exciting announcements about their line of drones. Specifically, they've introduced the new Mavic Pro Platinum, the new Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian, and an update to DJI Spark.

Casey Neistat Hides an Ad Behind His Vlog

One of the latest vlogs from Casey Neistat was a little different to the others. If you are like me, you have subscribed to his channel, and have noticed that his approach and energy towards it has changed quite significantly since he took his break. But now it’s become a marketing platform, and his vlogs are just marketing brands and products. This vlog especially, with a teenage fantasy that he’s always wanted to experience during summertime as concept, and him pursuing it. At the end of the video the sponsorship messaging, which is obviously great from the brand’s perspective, but not so much for the viewer. We watch vlogs because of its candid, honest nature. With this vlog, it’s not true anymore.

Five Tips for the DJI Mavic You Probably Don't Know About

As into the aerials as I am over here, Instagram has, believe it or not, changed the way I shoot. On my drone, it is only possible to capture landscape-oriented photos, which take up less space on a phone's display compared to a portrait-oriented image. It wasn't until yesterday that a buddy of mine showed me this little trick where I can spin the camera on my Mavic into portrait mode and shoot that way. How to do this, along with four other tips, is covered in this helpful video by iProDan.

Video is Changing: Creative Edits Reach New Heights

Video is an amazing way to showcase things when people are watching something of interest. For years, people have been glued to TV shows and movies but now there seems to be a shift to fast paced, fun edits that people can watch and be inspired by.

Has DJI Beaten GoPro?

Remember when GoPro was the innovative camera company? The fight was taken to the skies, and as we look back, it’s clear that DJI took over.

How Intel Flew Over 300 Drones Behind Lady Gaga at One of the Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Shows

Tonight, you may have witnessed one of the greatest Super Bowl matches in history between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. For the first time, we saw two teams take the epic battle into overtime and ultimately watched the Patriots take their fifth championship. We witnessed yet another incredible performance from Lady Gaga, in which she used 300 drones to coordinate a light show behind her during the game. This is how it was done.

Meet the DJI Simulator

For the past three years I've been flying, I found the only way to really advance my skills with the drone is to go out and actually fly. Sometimes, it's tough to get out there every day for whatever reason, which is where I see the simulator becoming very beneficial for pilots looking to increase their skill level.

The Mavic Pro 2 Image Quality Might Not Be Hasselblad Quality

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Hasselblad is how expensive the gear is, and secondly, the amazing quality of the images, and what you get with the medium format sensor regarding dynamic range and the great colors images taken with the cameras they contain. But when they partnered with DJI with the Mavic Pro 2, image quality seems to be a problem.

A First Look at the New Affordable and Portable DJI Mini SE Drone

DJI's latest drone, the Mini SE, is a bit strange, essentially taking some of the tech from the original Mavic Mini and putting it into the body of the Mini 2. Nonetheless, at $299, the Mini SE is highly affordable and remarkably portable, making it a potentially great option for a casual user or anyone who wants a drone they can drop in their bag for occasional photos and video without adding a ton of heft. This great first look video takes a look at the Mini SE and the kind of performance you can expect from it.

Drone Comparison: New Parrot Anafi vs. DJI Mavic Air

Parrot just announced a new drone that may be able to challenge DJI's domination in the hobby market. Let’s take a look at the specifications and check if the French manufacturer can take on the Chinese leader.

Fstoppers Reviews the DJI Mavic Mini Drone

The Mavic Mini is one of the smallest HD drones on the market right now, and it actually performs well. If you are looking to get into drones, but don't want to break the bank, this could be what you are looking for.

DJI Mavic Pro Footage in Focus

With the new reviews of the DJI Mavic Pro, there’s been one popular concern from many of us: the quality wasn’t quite 100 percent and looked a bit blurry, especially when compared with other drones. Then we shared the 4K comparison with the Phantom 4, and even though the camera specs are very close between the two, it was apparent that the Mavic quality was not quite there. The Phantom 4 was the clear winner here, but the size still made the Mavic a viable contender for many of us who would compromise portability over quality and sharpness.

BTS: The Incredible 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Drone Light Show

What is it like to see a larger-than-life bird made up of a record-setting 1,218 individual drones fly seamlessly over a full stadium? What did it take to plan for that number of drones to come together to create the shapes of snowboarders and skiers and the five Olympic rings? While that was the plan, that didn't quite happen as expected, possibly due to hacking. But take a look behind the scenes of Intel's Olympic drone team as they prepared for this year's winter Olympics ceremonies and completed the record-setting flight that made NBC's delayed U.S. broadcasting of the opening ceremony.

Flirting With Disaster: Filmmaker Duo Flies Drone Inside Byzantine Church and the Result Is Beautiful

Flying a drone indoors is always a challenge. You have to remain absolutely calm and collected, and generally, I highly recommend not flying a drone indoors, especially if you're new to them in general. That's also the warning that Filmmakers Guillaume Juin and Joris Favraud give anyone wanting to recreate this feat. They are a pair of rather brazen drone operators if I've ever seen any, coming together to form their company BigFly. Normally, the risk of flying a drone inside of a structure is already high, but usually, the highest risk is to the safety of your equipment, as the ease with which your drone could come into contact with any number of disastrous endings is increased exponentially.

This 20-Year Old Aerial Photographer's Work Is So Good That It Will Make You Want To Give Up

I might as well sell my drone and you may think about it too after seeing what Australian photographer, Gabriel Scanu, has put together in the recent months. With aerial photography being more accessible than ever, there have a rise of amazing artists popping up in this rapidly growing genre, Scanu is definitely one that stands out from the growing crowd.
Man Catches His Wife 'Cheating' On Him With Drone

We have all heard about drones being used to spy on people. Which is extremely difficult, as most drones don't even have a zoom lens;,unless we invest the money into a drone that can use different lenses or one with a larger resolution to crop the image. After hearing about the GoPro Karma failing to fly, and the awesome new announcements by DJI, this has nothing to do with any type of drone news aside from a little humor.

DJI Inspire Pro and X5 Camera Review - An Absolute Game Changer

I recently had the pleasure of picking up one of the first final production models of the Inspire Pro and X5 Micro 4/3 Camera, and immediately took it to one of the most beautiful photography destinations in the world to test it out: Meteora Greece. I spent the better part of a week there getting the hang of flying and capturing both photos and videos and I was able to come away with some stunning results. This review is meant to showcase what I was able to capture and give you an idea about the capability of the new X5 Camera and the key differences between the Inspire and...

Casey Neistat Tries Out GoPro's New Drone Karma

Yesterday GoPro announced their new drone Karma along with the Hero5 action camera, and the additional handheld gimbal. Casey Neistat was also able to get his hands on and test out the early prototype of the GoPro Karma in New York City.

DJI Spark, Mavic, Phantom, or Inspire - Which Drone Should You Buy?

DJI has released many drones over the past few years. The different models may seem similar to a newcomer, but each one actually addresses a different need. In the end, it all boils down to size and portability versus image quality and performance. Here we’ll analyze the main differences between the DJI drones to help you determine which one is the right fit for you.

9 Days in Iceland, Part Two: The Sexy South

The drive south from Akureyri had been eventful, to say the least, but the snow subsided and we managed to stop briefly and get some minimal shots every now and again. As color began once again to show in the landscape we began to feel more hopeful as we headed towards Vestrahorn.

How Casey Neistat's Style of Editing Made Him So Famous

The Nerdwriter is a Youtube channel run by a guy called Evan Puschak. He uploads great analysis video essays about movies, writers, and most recently, about one of the great vloggers of our time, Casey Neistat. Now although Casey finished his daily vlog, it’s still important to analyze and see how Casey as an editor of his vlog went about shooting, and most importantly, how he edited his vlogs to make it entertaining and fun to watch.

How to Capture Amazing Detail in Your Drone Photography

In the last decade, drones have created a completely new genre of photography for the average consumer. Their biggest hurdle has been poor resolution and dynamic range but with these few tips, you can get a lot more detail out of your drone photography.