Best Drone Holiday Gifts & Accessories for 2022
Written by Reza Malayeri
Reza Malayeri is a professional photographer, cinematographer, and educator based in Seattle WA. He specializes in a number of creative fields, including wedding photography, portrait photography, cinematography, and is an FAA Part 107 Remote Drone Pilot.
Check out more of his work on 42West.
There’s nothing quite like the experience of capturing a beautiful landscape from above, or that of exploring a majestic tropical reef from beneath the sea. Drones make for wonderful gifts because they can offer the opportunity to learn a new hobby, and to enjoy thrilling entertainment from a whole new perspective. In this guide, we’ll cover a diverse selection of drone gift ideas, including everything from toy drones that can help you take amazing selfies, to cutting edge cinematic drones that can capture stunning 8K footage. Lets take a look at the best gift ideas for drone lovers.
Weighing less than a golf ball with a footprint smaller than a smartphone, the AirSelfie Air Pix is an affordable and safe autonomous drone. It has convenient features such as face-tracking and gesture control. Also, you can easily shoot with or without the one-touch smartphone app — enjoying creative selfies or epic family photos.
The DJI Mini SE weighs in at a mere 249 grams, offers 30 minutes of flight time, 2.7K Quad HD video, and sharp 12 megapixel photos. You can automatically generate Quickshot videos with a simple tap of a button, using the highly polished DJI Fly app. Get ready to have fun and easily share your adventures on social media.
The DJI Mini 2 takes aerial imaging to the next level, offering stunning 4K video, 12 megapixel RAW photos, and best-in-class signal transmission, using DJI’s professional OcuSync 2.0 technology. The included landing pad, Fly More combo, SD card, and Corel software suite in this bundle make this a dream gift for drone lovers of any skill level.
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is compact, but comes equipped with a plethora of advanced and powerful features. It has a large 1/2 inch CMOS image sensor, 48 megapixel photos, 4K video at 60 FPS, 1080P slow motion video at 240 FPS, 34 minutes of flight time, autonomous subject tracking with ActiveTrack 3.0, Quickshots, and 8K Hyper-lapses.
The DJI Mavic Mini is an affordable, safe, and easy-to-use beginner drone. With its precision hover capabilities, 30 minutes of flight time, and smooth 3-axis motorized gimbal, the Mavic Mini is the perfect first drone. It comes highly recommended for drone lovers who are wanting a lightweight and convenient drone to take everywhere on the go.
The DJI Air 2S is one of the best drones available on the market. Equipped with a large 1-inch image sensor, it boasts powerful autonomous features like MasterShots, ActiveTrack 4.0, Point of Interest 3.0, and Spotlight 2.0. It can capture 20 megapixel RAW photos, sense obstacles in four directions, and features 5.4K 30P video with up to one billion colors.
Emax Tinyhawk II Freestyle Ready-To-Fly Kit with Controller & Goggles
Soar into the world of FPV drones with this ready-to-fly kit from Emax. The Tinyhawk II comes with everything needed to start flying right away, including the drone, controller, props, goggles, and batteries. Beginner mode allows new pilots to practice flying in FPV, prior to engaging Acro mode, which enables all of the acrobatic flight modes that make flying FPV drones so much fun.
Dive into the world of underwater drones with the Chasing Dory underwater drone. Its small and lightweight frame offers up to one hour of underwater exploration on a single charge, and has 8GB of onboard storage for its 1080P camera. It can dive up to a maximum of 49 feet, and is super easy to control with the Chasing GO2 smartphone app.
The RYZE Tello is a toy drone that comes equipped with enthusiast level hardware. The DJI flight controller and Intel processor give beginners the opportunity to try a more refined flight experience, with a super affordable price tag. Control the Tello with your smartphone, enjoy fun acrobatic tricks, and capture 720P electronically stabilized videos.
The PowerRay Explorer is an enthusiast level underwater drone that can dive up to 98 feet under the surface. It captures 4K video while streaming a live 1080P feed in real-time to a smartphone or tablet. Optional accessories like the PowerSeeker FishFinder can give fishermen information on fish distribution, water depth, and underwater temperature. Enjoy underwater exploration in freshwater, saltwater, and even under frozen ice, with a temperature tolerance of 50-120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Explore new horizons with the only 8K folding drone on the planet. The Auto EVO II can capture images that are an astonishing 100 inches wide. With the ability to capture an incredible resolution of 8000 x 6000, the EVO II can offer lossless camera zooming of up to 4X. 40 minutes of flight time and 360 degrees of obstacle avoidance are paired with a control signal that can reach over 9KM.
The Hubsan ZINO Pro Plus is a compact foldable drone with one of the longest flight times in its category. It can fly for over 43 minutes on a single battery, record amazing 4K 30P video, has five miles of signal range. It also offers creative and safety features like follow-me mode and automatic return-to-home.
Backup your aerial photos and videos on-set with the LaCie DJI Copilot BOSS. There's no need to carry around a computer, removable hard drive, cables, or any other complicated peripherals. It has a built-in 2TB hard drive, SD card reader, and a USB port for direct connection to your devices. You can manage your media using the Copilot BOSS app and keep your phone charged with the built in power bank feature.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our selection of picks for the best drone gifts in 2021. You can choose anything from DJI’s lineup of small and feature packed drones, to amazing underwater drones that can help you explore the open ocean. No matter the skill level, or whether you’re gifting to a recreational or professional drone lover, our 2021 gift guide has plenty of options to meet any need, interest, or budget.
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