Introducing Real Estate Photography
Real estate photography has reached a new frontier with drones, giving users the ability to film properties from a brand-new perspective. This exciting form of photography requires high-quality, safe, and intelligent drones. Join us as we take a look at the best DJI real estate drones, which include industry-leading optics, intelligent flight modes, and advanced obstacle avoidance systems.
Recommended Real Estate Drones
Best Value
Mavic Air 2
$799
Top Pick
Mavic 2 Pro
$1599
Professional
Inspire 2
$3299
Specs Comparison
Drone | Camera | Video | Transmission | Max Flight Time | Portability | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12MP 1/2.3” CMOS | 2.7K/30fps 40 Mbps | Enhanced Wi-Fi | 30 minutes | 249 g Foldable | ||
48 MP 1/2" CMOS | 4K/60fps 120 Mbps | OcuSync 2.0 | 34 minutes | 570 g Foldable | ||
20 MP 1” CMOS | 4K/30fps 100 Mbps | OcuSync 2.0 | 31 minutes | 907 g Foldable | ||
12 MP 1/2.3” CMOS | 4K/30fps 100 Mbps | OcuSync 2.0 | 31 minutes | 905 g Foldable | ||
20 MP 1" CMOS | 4K/60fps 100 Mbps | OcuSync | 30 minutes | 1375 g | ||
Zenmuse X4S Zenmuse X5S Zenmuse X5 Zenmuse X7 | 6K CinemaDNG/RAW (Zenmuse X7) | Dual-band Lightbridge | 27min (Zenmuse X4S) | 3440 g (Propellers + two batteries, without gimbal and camera) |
Mavic Mini
Mini Drone for Indoor Footage
Capturing stunning indoor images has never been easier than with Mavic Mini. A 2.7K camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal produces high-quality stills and videos. The Everyday Flycam is compact, portable, and weighs under 250 g, making it maneuverable in smaller spaces. Make sure you get the propeller guards and follow these safety steps to ensure you fly safely indoors. The new DJI Fly app simplifies your entire flying experience, which makes Mavic Mini a truly special drone for interior real estate photography.
Recommended Users
Mavic Mini is perfect for users that require an ultraportable mini drone for indoor footage.
Mavic Air 2
Exceptional Flight Performance
If you want to improve your real estate photography with incredible 48MP photos, 4K/60fps video, and state-of-the-art drone features, Mavic Air 2 is the drone for you. The newest drone in the Mavic series offers crystal-clear footage as you fly around a property. Additionally, DJI included their most advanced obstacle avoidance, which provides expert safety when flying near objects. Mavic Air 2 also has a 10 km range and 34-min max flight time, which rounds up an incredible real estate photography drone that will empower you with boundless potential.
Recommended Users
Mavic Air 2 is ideal for users that are looking for exceptional flight performance for real estate photography.
Mavic 2 Pro
Portable Drone with Professional Features
Imagine telling the story of your property or location with the same camera brand used by Apollo 11 astronauts on the first moon landing. The Mavic 2 Pro comes equipped with the all-new Hasselblad L1D-20c camera, 1” CMOS sensor, and 10-bit Dlog-M color profile that capture spectacular colors in low-light environments. Mavic 2 Pro is a pure photographer’s drone that will add professional touches to all of your real estate photography.
Recommended Users
Get Mavic 2 Pro now if you are looking for the best photo quality in a portable, foldable drone of its size.
Mavic 2 Zoom
Optical Zoom for Dynamic Footage
Some properties require a dynamic perspective to reveal their full potential. The Mavic 2 Zoom comes with a 1/2.3” 12MP sensor with up to 4x zoom, including a 2x optical zoom (24–48 mm). The zoom capabilities give you more creative freedom for incredibly useful zoom shots. With Dolly Zoom, you can capture real estate photography from close or far away with exceptional dynamic effects, without sacrificing image quality. Hybrid autofocus combines phase and contrast detection for higher focus accuracy.
Recommended Users
Mavic 2 Zoom is perfect for real estate photographers that want to get more dynamic footage.
Phantom 4 Pro V2.0
Professional 4K Camera Drone
The Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is one of the best drones for real estate photography. With a 1” CMOS sensor, mechanical shutter, 4K/60fps videos, and 20MP photos, professionals have everything they need to showcase residential and commercial properties. A mechanical shutter eliminates rolling shutter distortion, so you can fly quickly over a location and capture beautiful shots without distortion. Built-in flight modes and advanced flying features make the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 an incredible choice for all your real estate photography.
Recommended Users
Get the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 if you are looking for a professional camera drone that has become the industry standard for excellence.
Inspire 2
Industry-level 6K Filmmaking Solution
Let’s make this easy. Inspire 2 is one of the best photography drones for sale.
Filming majestic mansions or vast expanses of pristine land requires cinematic quality footage. Inspire 2 offers you safe maneuvering around even the most challenging properties with FlightAutonomy, providing two directions of obstacle avoidance and sensor redundancy.
Image quality, power, and intelligence are available in a single platform with multiple payloads to suit your needs. Inspire 2 goes from 0-80 kph in 5 seconds, features Spotlight Pro for professional shots, and can film up to 6K in CinemaDNG/RAW. Combine this all with HD video transmission system, a 360° rotating gimbal, and ActiveTrack, and Inspire 2 is simply one of the best real estate photography drones money can buy.
Recommended Users
Inspire 2 is a complete filmmaking package that offers professional industry users jaw-dropping Hollywood-style footage.
How to Choose a Real Estate Photography Drone
Selecting the right drone for real estate photography comes with understanding your individual needs and how the drones’ capabilities meet or exceed those needs. Let's take a look at all the factors you need to consider.
Camera Performance
From the 1/2.3” CMOS sensor of Mavic Mini to the S35 sensor of the Inspire 2 outfitted with the Zenmuse X7, there are camera performance levels for all needs. For smaller properties such as family homes, sensors like the 1/2.3” CMOS are more than capable of producing quality images. As your properties and your advertising projects become more extensive, look to tap into your full creative potential with more powerful sensors.
Flight Performance
When choosing a real estate photography drone, speed and battery life are important features to consider. Powerful drones such as the Inspire 2 are capable of reaching speeds up to 58mph (94 kph), which is fantastic for capturing real estate while following fast-moving objects like boats or cars. New drones like the Mavic Air 2 offer up to 34 minutes of battery life, which gives you plenty of time to shoot everything you need. Examine the needs of your project and choose a drone that offers an extensive flight performance.
Flight Safety
The most important thing to consider is keeping yourself, others, and the environment safe around you while you fly. DJI drones offer several flight safety features that make them ideal for real estate photography. Ultralight, portable drones like Mavic Mini offer GPS positioning and vision sensors, but if you're shooting in complex environments, you should look for a drone with more vision sensors, like the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 or Mavic 2 Pro.
Built-in safety features become more advanced as you move toward more advanced drones. Research the safety features available and choose a drone that is fit for your shooting requirements.
Transmission
This is a really important factor to consider when buying a real estate drone. If you plan to shoot exciting, dynamic perspectives of a location from various distances, choose a drone with a reliable and extensive transmission. Wi-Fi transmission is great for everyday flying, and it is better suited in open areas where there isn't much signal interference. OcuSync2.0 is a new transmission type that offers an extended transmission flight distance and better transmission feed quality. Light bridge transmission is the reliable transmission system found on professional and enterprise DJI drones. Do you only need the Wi-Fi transmission found on Mavic Mini, or do you require a more robust transmission system like OcuSync2.0 found on Mavic Air 2? Look at the locations you typically photograph and choose a transmission that supports all your shooting requirements.
Intelligent Functions
Without intelligent flight modes, many of the most awe-inspiring shots in real estate photography could only be captured by pilots with hundreds of flight hours. Intelligent flight modes offer even new pilots the ability to create masterpieces effortlessly. If the type of real estate you film requires dramatic footage and intricate flight patterns, look for drones that offer intelligent flight modes.
Portability
Drone size and portability are hugely important when considering a real estate drone. If you are always moving from one location to another, small drones like the Mavic Mini make it incredibly easy to shoot on the go. If you’re looking for a combination between power and portability, Mavic series drones offer a great lineup of options. When ultimate power is your main consideration, larger drones like the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 and the Inspire 2 will be a great choice. We recommend starting with a portable real estate drone and upgrading to an advanced real estate drone as your develop your skills and shooting requirements.
Ease of Use
At the end of the day, the best real estate drone is the one that is easiest to use. The aircraft, remote controller, and software must all be easy for you to use. Look for a proven setup where you can quickly build on your abilities as a photographer and a pilot. Research the features available on the drone’s app and check out all the in-app features before you make a purchase.
Best Real Estate Photography Tips
Creative Tips for Real Estate Photography
It's time to discover the best tips for real estate photography. We've put together a list of tips that cover creativity, camera settings, and safety.
Aerial Reveal
One of the best shots for real estate is the aerial reveal. Fly your drone over your property to reveal the surrounding landscape. You can also adjust the gimbal pitch and smoothness to add a smooth transition effect to your footage.
@Moera Creative, SkyPixel
Intelligent Flight Modes
Intelligent flight modes offer new pilots and seasoned professionals the ability to create stunning videos of the property and surrounding area. The Point of Interest (POI) intelligent flight mode is one of the best to use for this task. Bring your drone to 150 feet (45 m) above ground level. When prompted to on the app, extend the radius of the circle flight path to around 600-700 feet (200 m). Tilt the gimbal so that approximately 15-20% of the screen shows the horizon. The video will give viewers an immersive idea of what is around the location. Remember to only use intelligent flight modes in large, open areas.
@Moera Creative, SkyPixel
Camera Angles
When shooting just above ground level, it is essential to show the property where it looks the best. The goal of your footage is to showcase the property. Raise the height of your drone to just about the height of the roof. Tilt the camera to 45° and back off just enough to get the property and a little extra space around it in frame. Adding a little bit of space will give you more freedom in the editing process.
@Moera Creative, SkyPixel
Immersive Shots
If you are creating a video of a large property with a smaller drone like Mavic Mini, you can capture immersive shots with ease. Before trying out any interior shots, attach propeller guards to Mavic Mini, clear the area, set Mavic Mini to hover in the DJI fly app in case of signal loss, and ensure there is ample lighting in order for the vision sensors to work. For the full set of instructions, check out these tips for flying Mavic Mini indoors.
@Moera Creative, SkyPixel
Lighting Conditions
The best time to film is from around 11:00 to 15:00, keeping the sun behind the drone. Tilt the gimbal so that the top 10% of the frame shows the horizon and sky.
@Moera Creative, SkyPixel
Add Labels
Adding labels to aerial images can point out significant attractions and infrastructure around your subject, which can be useful for advertising your location. Most editing software allows for animations or overlays to be added in post-production.
Camera Settings for Real Estate Photography
Let's take a look at the best camera settings you can use to improve your real estate photography.
Manual Settings
Professional photographers know that when it comes to camera settings, manual settings are a must for full camera control. Automatic settings are helpful, but to truly showcase your real estate subject, shoot with full manual control.
Auto White Balance (AWB)
AWB is an excellent tool for shooting for general photography. For full control over your real estate photography, turn AWB off and use a custom setting.
Overexposure
A helpful setting to leave on is the overexposure warning, which identifies any overexposed sections within the frame, making them appear with zebra stripes. This is extremely useful when you are filming any landscape shots or general scenery shots.
Resolution
When you are choosing your shooting resolution, you should always take into account where you are shooting and the type of project you are working on. Not every shot requires 4K/60fps. Select the quality you need, and remember, you can always save space on your SD card for additional shots.
Color
When deciding on color options, many drones offer different color profiles like normal and D-Cinelike modes. In D-Cinelike, colors will look flat but will give your great flexibility in post-production. Take the time to explore the full range of manual options available.
Safety Tips
Last but no least, make sure you follow all these safety tips when shooting real estate photography.
Get Permission to Fly
Always obtain permission to fly and comply with local laws and regulations.
Survey Your Environment
Real estate photography can bring your drone into proximity with all sorts of obstacles. Take the time to explore the property for potential dangers before you take off. Hanging objects should always be identified before you begin your flight.
Use Propeller Guards
Propeller guards protect yourself, others, and the environment around you. Use propellers guards whenever possible.
Monitor Drone Status
It’s crucial that you monitor your drone status whenever you are flying. Check the battery life, speed, and any other prompts on the flight app screen.
Safety Features
Whatever drone you are using, make sure you use safety features. If you are filming outdoors, turn the Return to Home function on to allow your drone to return safely to its takeoff position.
Fly Within Line of Sight
Always fly your drone within your line of sight and pay particular attention to all of your surroundings when you are flying.
Conclusion
The best drones for real estate need to be safe, reliable, and produce high-quality photos and videos. DJI has numerous drones designed to exceed the needs of everyone in this field. Whether you are looking for a mini drone like Mavic Mini for everyday filming, a portable and powerful drone like Mavic Air 2 or Mavic 2, or even a professional setup like the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 or Inspire 2.0, there is an exciting lineup of drones available at the DJI Online Store for real estate photography!
