Finding the Best Drone for Real Estate Photography

In these technological times, people want to see houses and properties from the comfort of their own homes. They want to click through high-quality images rather than having to plan and travel to visit a rental property.

Particularly during the ongoing pandemic, more and more aspects of running a successful rental property are handled online. Landlords who aren't poised to market their properties using the best available digital tools are bound to get left behind.

That's why real estate owners are increasingly turning to drones to showcase their property.

With a photography drone, you can take aerial photos and videos. Aerial photos allow you to showcase aspects of a property that would be impossible on your own. Well-shot drone footage can give your listings a sophisticated edge over your local competition.

If you are looking for the best drones for real estate aerial photography, you are in the right place.

This guide will show you fifteen of the best drones for real estate videography and photography. Whether you're looking for affordable drones, a mid level drone, or some high end options, we've got you covered. So, let’s get started!

Guide to Real Estate Drone Video and Photography

DJI Mavic Air 2

Pros Amazing battery life. Obstruction avoidance sensors. 4K video. Running lights for better visibility.
Cons Doesn't have a screen for live footage.
What We Think 9 / 10

Mavic Air 2 is a top option DJI. It is one of the few drones that offers 4K videos. So, if you want some high-quality and professional videos of your property, then Mavic Air 2 may just be the right choice for you.

Another solid feature is the flight time. You can fly it for about 34 minutes, which is significantly more than its precursor Mavic Air.

It has some amazing sensors that avoid obstacles on their own. Even though it is a professional drone, it is not particularly hard to use. That’s another reason why this drone is one of the best for real estate photography.

You can fly this drone to a height of about 400 feet, which is enough to capture all the aspects of your property. Moreover, Mavic Air 2 is a smooth and responsive drone.

DJI Mavic Mini

Pros Portable and travel-friendly. Lightweight. Plenty of cinematic effects. Onboard GPS.
Cons Doesn't shoot in 4K. Built material quality isn't great.
What We Think 9.5 / 10

DJI has some of the top drone options available on the market. Their Mavic Mini is a portable drone that you can take anywhere to shoot aerial videos and photos.

The best thing about Mavic Mini is that it offers you the quality of a professional drone at the price of an affordable one.

Mavic Mini offers you 2.7K video quality, which is not bad for real estate video. The main purpose of real estate photography is to accurately capture all aspects of the property, which this camera does very well.

It has plenty of cinematic features to make your videos unique and attractive. Its flight timing is about 30 minutes, which should be enough to capture video of your property.

Ruko F11 Pro Drone

Pros 4K camera quality. Easy to use. Can see live footage while recording, over 1600 feet. 90-day warranty.
Cons Max flying height is only 393 feet. Return home function doesn't always work perfectly.
What We Think 8 / 10

The Ruko F11 Pro Drone is one of the best drones for beginner drone users. If you know almost nothing about drones but still want one for your real estate photography, this offering is a great starting point.

The Ruko F11 Pro offers you 4K camera quality. This sort of impressive camera quality will attract more clients as they will be able to see in-depth details of your property.

It is an entry-level drone that performs like a professional one. The flight timing of Ruko F11 is around 30 minutes, which is the average flight time of most drones in the market.

The main reason why this is one of the best drone options for real estate photographers is that its controls are easy to use. You can see everything while you are recording live on the controller.

Holy Stone HS700D Drone

Pros Easy to use. Features panorama mode. Built-in Wi-fi and GPS. FOV angle lens.
Cons 2K video quality. Battery only lasts 22 minutes.
What We Think 8 / 10

Holy Stone HS700D Drone is one of the best drones for small and medium-sized properties. The best thing about this drone is its transmission power.

It offers you a 2K camera and FOV angle lens of 110 degrees. The angle lens gives your videos a professional look.

The HS700D has WiFi and GPS. but make sure you turn the GPS on the remote control or you could lose your drone!

Another amazing feature of this drone is the follow-me mode. You can turn on that mode and the drone will follow you. However, it is not a useful feature for real estate photography unless you want to make a house tour with you in the video.

The battery timing is not the best. It can fly up to 22 minutes and takes 5-7 hours to charge fully. Its controls are not complicated so a beginner can use them with no difficulty.

Parrot PF728000 Anafi Drone

Pros Excellent GPS. Unique camera positioning. Easy to use. HDR camera sensors.
Cons Weak battery life.
What We Think 7.5 / 10

The Parrot Anafi has a 4K camera with HDR sensors. The unique thing about this drone is the positioning of its camera. The camera can move up and down, which can give your videos quite a distinctive look.

Although the battery life is not the best (25 minutes) this camera offers precision during flight because of its amazing GPS. You won’t need to know your way in the air much when you use this camera. This feature is what makes the Parrot Anafi one of the best drones for real estate.

The drone is small in size, which makes it travel friendly. You can transport this drone to film far off properties without any difficulty. Moreover, it is a foldable drone which further reduces its size while carrying it around.

DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter

Pros Great for all sizes of properties. 4K video quality. HD photo quality. Slow-motion videos. Plenty of internal storage.
Cons Battery life isn't great. Doesn't work well in poor weather conditions.
What We Think 9 / 10

Mavic Air Quadcopter is the previous version of Mavic Air 2 by DJI. Being an old version doesn’t mean this drone isn't worth it. It is a great drone for all sorts of real estate properties.

The build quality of this drone is excellent, and it's very durable. But it doesn't work well in poor weather, as the stabilizers are not designed for adverse weather conditions.

It has a 32 MP camera and can record 4K video. You can shoot professional and high-quality videos and photos of your property using this drone.

Another unique feature of this drone is the slow-motion video function. Slow-motion videos of your property can provide you with attractive and interesting videos.

The battery life is 21 minutes, and some users even say that it works less than that. But otherwise, it is an excellent option for large, medium, and small properties.

DJI Mavic Pro Quadcopter

Pros Easy to use. Travel friendly and foldable. Obstruction avoidance feature. Long battery life. 4K video quality.
Cons Difficult to repair.
What We Think 9 / 10

Another great drone by DJI is the Mavic Pro Quadcopter. It is another DJI drone that offers 4K video quality. The reason why it is better than many other drones is its improved battery life. You can use it for 27 minutes in the air.

It is a small-sized portable drone that you can fold. The folding feature makes it extra travel friendly. The built-in GPS works well on this drone.

Another great feature is the sensors for obstacle avoidance. You can shoot photos and videos of your property without worrying about your drone hitting a tree or other obstacle.

DJI Spark

Pros 3D obstacle avoidance feature. High-speed function.
Cons Low battery life.
What We Think 8 / 10

The DJI Spark is a great drone for all kinds of shoots such as indoor, outdoor video tours, and more. The built-in GPS works great in this drone and you won’t have to worry about losing it.

The obstacle avoidance feature is what makes the DJI Spark real estate photography ready. It is easy to use and the controls are not complicated at all, though it can be a little tricky to set up at first. The price range is a little higher but the features make it worth it.

It has a 12 MP camera which is enough to get detailed and high-quality photos and videos of your property.
Another unique thing about this drone is its speed. It works at a speed of 31 mph, which makes your work quick and easy.

Even at high speed, you can control the drone over long distances. Overall, it is a great drone for real estate photographers looking for quality photos and videos without complication.

Yuneec Typhoon H Pro Drone

Pros Easy to control. 3D obstacle avoidance. 180-degree panoramic pictures. 4K and HD videos.
Cons Charging takes a while.
What We Think 7.5 / 10

The Yuneec Typhoon H Pro has a 4K video camera that provides you HD photos and videos. It has a 360-degree gimbal which helps you get stable and smooth videos that other drones lack. You'll be able to capture amazing aerial photos and videos using this drone.

You can also get time-lapse and 180 panoramic pictures using this drone.

The best thing about this drone is that it has a built-in screen. You can view the live transmission of your drone on the control screen. Drones that lack this feature require a smartphone to view what’s happening, which can be an added complication.

Another amazing feature is the 3D obstruction avoidance feature. Beginner drone operators find this feature the most useful.

Even with so many amazing features, the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro drone is easy to control and fly. It doesn’t have any complicated controls. So, any level of real estate photographer can use this drone for their property.

DJI Mavic 2 Zoom Drone

Pros Obstruction avoidance feature. High resolution photos with 2x zoom. 4K video. Long flight times.
Cons Software updates can cause feature changes. Expensive.
What We Think 9 / 10

DJI makes many of the best selling drones on the market. The reason for such successful drones is the camera quality. All the DJI cameras capture high-quality photos and videos. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is not an exception in this case.

The Mavic 2 Zoom has some of the longest flight times available. It can work for about 31 minutes in the air. This is more than average, which makes this drone one of the best for real estate photography.

The motion analysis system in the Mavic 2 Zoom helps the drone to detect all sorts of obstacles in its way. Thus, it can avoid obstacles during flight. This feature helps beginners have a smooth drone flight for effective property tours.

It has a 12 MP pixel camera which can zoom 2x. This zooming capability is just another feature that makes the Mavic 2 Zoom unique.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Drone

Pros Long flight times. Obstacle avoidance feature. 4K video. Home return feature.
Cons Built in screen isn't of the highest quality.
What We Think 9 / 10

Another offering from DJI is the Phantom 4 Pro drone. It is more on the professional side and is much larger than some of the other drones on this list. It has a 20 MP camera that can capture 4K videos as well.

You can get amazing aerial videos of your house property using the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone.
One of its top features is the auto home return feature. With one click, the drone flies back to you. This feature comes in handy for beginner drone users.

It also has an obstacle avoidance feature which works very smoothly. Some drones have obstacle avoidance, but it few work as well as this drone.

It comes with a lot of unique flight modes that can enhance the quality of your videos. The flight timing of this drone is also great.

Hubsan Zino Pro Drone

Pros 4K video. Auto home return feature. Detachable lens. Panoramic mode. Easy to control.
Cons Charging takes longer than average. Flight time isn't very long.
What We Think 9 / 10

Hubsan Zino Pro is an amazing drone by a well-known drone company. The camera quality is 4K with professional quality photo and video.

You can take panorama photos using this drone. It also comes with a home return feature which is amazing for new users.

For novice real estate photographers, the Zino Pro is a great option because its controls are not complicated at all. You can easily fly it shortly after unboxing.

The detachable lens and filtering option helps you get customized photos and videos. For real estate photographers, this feature can help you showcase your property in the best possible light.

This drone can travel up to 4 kilometers, so property owners with small and medium-sized properties can easily use this drone.

DJI Inspire 1 Drone

Pros Smooth videos and high quality photos. Can use two controllers at once. 4K video.
Cons Short flight duration. Relatively expensive.
What We Think 7 / 10

The DJI Inspire 1 is one of the most expensive drones by DJI. But is it worth the price?

The DJI Inspire 1 has amazing build quality. Its arms raise while its flying, which gives your videos the least amount of jittering. Smooth and high-quality photos and videos are what attract your clients. And you get all of it in the Inspire 1 drone.

Another feature that almost ensures smooth photos and videos is the 3-axis stabilization. You can see that this drone is more focused on great picture and video quality than any other drone. This is the reason why it is one of the best drones for those looking for the highest quality real estate photography.

A unique feature of this drone is that you can control it using two different controllers. It means that both you and a partner can control the drone and add different aspects to the videos and photos using it.

DJI Phantom 4 Drone

Pros 4K video. 3D obstruction avoidance. Good battery life. Reasonable price.
Cons Battery life issues. Not the latest model.
What We Think 9 / 10

The DJI Phantom 4 is the previous generation of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. Even though it is an older version it still has some amazing features.

It is a great all-around unit that offers you 4K video and a 20 MP camera.

Some other features include obstacle avoidance, TapFly, and active track. It stays in the frame and detects obstacles. Once detected, it successfully avoids the obstacles and you don’t need to do anything in this regard.

Using this drone, you get high-quality photos and smooth videos without any complicated controls.

Autel Robotics Evo 2 Drone

Pros 8K video quality. Long flight time. Built-in screen.
Cons Doesn't have great zoom.
What We Think 9 / 10

Last but not least is the Autel Robotics Evo 2 Drone. It is an amazing drone in many respects. One of its best features is its long batter life. You can fly it for about 40 minutes in the air, which is longer than any other drone on this list. With this drone, you can take all kinds of shots of your real estate property in one go.

You don’t need a smartphone to control or view the transmission. It comes with a built-in screen that also has amazing battery life.

Another thing that makes the Autel Evo 2 amazing is its 8K videos and 48 MP camera. Using this drone, you're sure to get professional quality photos and videos.