Has anyone ever used Drones to shoot video?

Dec 14, 2015

Our training department is just starting to dive into video learning.  I'm wondering if anyone uses drones to record video?  If so, any tips you have on selecting a drone would be really helpful.  I started researching and became immediately overwhelmed with all of the options available.  

10 Replies
Michael Hinze

True, I am a bit of a drone fanatic and I do agree there is a ton of options out there to shoot drone footage. I got into this because a client had asked me if drones could be used in sports eductation. Here is my very first test vid I had shot around a soccer field, just to see how stable the footage is. I used this very basic, simple drone (bascially a $300 toy I bought at BestBuy with no stablized camera) here for the test. That was almost three years ago and the capabilities of drones ( I'm referring to consumer and 'prosumer' drones, never mind the rather expensive, industrial-strength drones like this one here) have exploded since then. Even a simple, second-generation drone like the Parrot Bebop is now sooo much more improved in terms of video quality and features, such as a 'follow me' mode. There are also lots of simple, purpose-built 'selfie' drones like the Hexo+. There are tons of example videos available on YouTube and Vimeo.

For prosumer drones, the most popular choices are DJI Phantom series, the DJI Inspire and 3D Robotics Solo. These are just a few examples of very capable drones (some of these now shoot 4k quality video!) Which drone you select, very much depends on:

- what type of footage you want to shoot, e.g. fast action, overhead, indoor/outdoor

- how deep you want to get into this field, e.g. is this going to be a on-of or do you want to specialize in drone aerials

- how much money you want to spend.

For example, the DJI Inspire has a system that allows for very stable positioning indoors. That might be a selling point for someone wanting to shoot outdoor and indoor footage for sports, real estate or industrial vids. 

Since my initial tests, I have held off bying a more capable drone just because of the current legal uncertainty for commericial operators that Phil mentioned. I live in Canada and the legal framework is quite accomodating, but even here registration and insurance issues are still putting the brakes on serious hobbyists and commerical operators. If you don't want to wade into all these issuses, you could try and find a local drone operator.

Anyway, hope this helps a bit. Feel free to bug me with anything drone-related!

Michael Hinze
Lilli Larsen

I use drones for training material and presentation. I have a DJI Inspire pro and a Phantom 4 - and has the needed education and certification to fly with for Commercial use. I have assisted others with recordings for their presentations. So I am a Danish drone operator and its really funny ☺

Very cool Lilli! If you have any videos to share (maybe on YouTube or Vimeo), I'd love to see them.

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.