What is the best low budget drone?

PIX4Dcapture PIX4Dcapture Questions/Troubleshooting
1

Hi.

Just looking for some advice on the best budget drone to use with Pix4D Capture.
My choices are Mavic Pro Platinum, Parrot Anafi, or the older Parrot Bebop 2.

Is there anyone who can tell me witch one of these drones yields the best results.\

Thanks
Johan

2

Hello,

Regarding which drone to buy, Pix4Dmapper can process images captured by any UAV and any camera, there is no limitation from that side.
The only requirement is to have images, JPEG or TIFF. More information here on the inputs:

However, depending on what you want to reconstruct, which results you want to obtain, how accurate, etc. there are several factors to consider to find the most suitable drone for your needs. If you intend to model a large area (for example 10 km sq.), a fixed-wing might be better than a copter since it can cover larger areas.
For 3D object reconstruction (buildings for example), it is needed to fly around the object and then a copter is better.
You may also consider the following factors:

  • The legal aspects and restrictions of the country/state where you plan to fly.
  • The impact of wind on the drone/UAV.
  • How big the area you want to map is.
  • If it is easy to take off and land in the area you want to map: Copters can take off and land vertically while fixed wings need more space.
  • If you are interested in mosaics or 3D reconstruction.
  • How easy it is to send and receive the drone/UAV in case that it needs reparations, etc.
  • If the drone manufacturer provides training and gives support.
    In general, copters are recommended for 3D modeling, e.g. of urban areas.
    Copters need less space for taking off and landing, but they can cover less area than fixed wings.
    In addition, they can fly around an object and fully capture it, making possible the 3D reconstruction of the object, for example, the facades of a building.
    On the other hand, fixed wings are recommended for mapping applications of bigger areas, like fields for example.
    They need more space for taking off and landing, they can fly faster and cover bigger areas.
    A very good fixed wing that is perfectly compatible with Pix4Dmapper is eBee by Sensefly.
    DJI drones are also used by most of our clients, especially Phantom 4, Mavic Pro and Inspire 1 and also the parrot drones such as Parrot Anafi.

I hope the above information is useful to you.

Regards,

3

Tanks for the feedback and advice, it is truly appreciated.

Kind regard

Johan