Droning on

28 January 2019

One of the things I have wanted since we decided to embark on our travels is a drone.

I want to record the places we go and the things we do, and to this end we will be doing a lot of photography and video. I don’t really expect anyone will be watching us, but it’s for ourselves more than being for others. Perhaps some of our friends and family will follow us, but that’s about it. Nevertheless, with a Youtube channel on the horizon in addition to this blog, I’d like to be able to add some more cinematic touches and a drone seems to be the right choice for this. We already have some decent cameras and will be adding a dash-cam, so a drone is the next logical step.

The current leading contender is the DJI Mavic Air. Plenty of capability, from a leader in the field, but without going silly on the money side. Also in the frame for selection is the Parrot Anafi. Slightly less capable than the Mavic Air in some ways – such as a shorter range and a two axis gimbal vs the Mavic Air’s three axis, but still 4K, plus the camera gimbal can swivel 180 degrees in the vertical plain, allowing for flying under the subject you are filming, as well as a ‘lossless’ 1.4 times zoom.