If you want to step into the world of drones, there are two primary types of quadcopters you can buy — a standard camera drone that records a top-down view, and an FPV drone that — as you may have guessed — records a first-person view. While the former is a good option for recording scenic landscapes, an FPV drone can be used to record fun perspectives and is often used for racing too. If you want to experience first-person PoV when flying, we recommend getting any of the best FPV drones for beginners from the list below.
These FPV drones let you see exactly what the drone sees in front of it. Some of them even come with a VR headset that simulates the view of sitting inside an aircraft cockpit. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? You too can experience this perspective by getting any of the affordable FPV drones from the list below. But before that –
1. Holy Stone HS440 Foldable FPV Drone
The camera onboard the Holy Stone HS440 is a 1080p shooter that can be tilted up to 90 degrees using the controller. The field of view is 112 degrees which is quite wide. As per reviews, the camera quality is average but it’s certainly better than most drones that are priced under the three-digit mark. If you plan on using the HS440 for content creation, you’ll certainly be disappointed with choppy footage.
But, if your primary use case is learning how to fly an FPV drone and you consider video recording as a bonus, the Holy Stone HS440 is a great beginner’s product. It flies well, has a decent 20-minute flying time, and the wings can be folded when traveling making it compact. The brand also provides a carrying case with the drone.
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2. Tiny Hawk Micro Indoor Racing Drone With FPV Goggles
The primary reason why the Tiny Hawk drone is meant to be flown indoors is that it doesn’t use Wi-Fi to send a live feed, unlike the Holy Stone HS440. Instead, it transmits a live preview without any delay to the bundled VR headset. This gives you the perspective of what the drone itself is seeing!
As a consequence, you cannot use the Tiny Hawk drone for outdoor recording. It’s primarily meant for racing indoors via the VR headset. Owing to this, the battery life is also limited to just four minutes on a single charge. This is plenty for a race but can be slightly limiting when you’re learning.
On the upside, users report that the Tiny Hawk drone is extremely durable and can sustain a crash or two thanks to its propeller guards. Note that the range is only 200ft and the camera quality is average. But, these are non-issues on a budget-friendly FPV drone.
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3. BetaFPV Cetus Pro FPV Drone Kit
The BetaFPV Cetus Pro is larger than the Hawk Micro FPV drone. Thanks to this, it’s also stronger with thicker propeller guards. Speaking of propellers, you get two sets so if the default ones get damaged, you can switch them easily by yourself. Apart from these nice little additions, the BetaFPC drone has useful features to help a beginner learn how to fly.
For example, multiple modes like Normal, Sport, and Manual can help you switch between different speeds. There’s also an altitude hold function that allows the drone to hover by itself in a fixed position. As for battery life, the brand claims anywhere from 4-5 minutes which is similar to the Hawk Micro mentioned above.
Since it’s meant solely for indoor racing, it shouldn’t be an issue. As per reviews, the BetaFPV Cetus Pro is extremely fun to use but it’s advisable to buy a few extra batteries since the drone performs its best only for the first two minutes before gradually losing power.
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4. DJI Avata Explorer Combo
The DJI Avata is an out-and-out professional FPV drone. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not meant for beginners. In fact, if you want the best drone to learn from, it’s the DJI Avata. But, the only downside is the asking price.
If you can get past that, DJI offers a high-quality headset in the package for viewing the drone’s perspective when flying. The controller is unique and is more like one that you would find with RC cars. It also has motion control which is an amazing feature for beginners learning to fly.
Along with the best flying experience, the DJI Avata also has a 4K camera with an extremely wide 155-degree field of view. DJI also offers up to 18 minutes of flight time and a range of 10km — both of which are among the highest when it comes to FPV drones.
However, one issue a few users have pointed out is that the battery can sometimes get dislodged when flying due to the design. This is a bummer for such an expensive product and will need some workarounds like using rubber bands to keep it in place.
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Fly With Thrill
Don’t worry if you can’t fly an airplane yet. Any of the best FPV drones for beginners from the list above can make you experience the thrill of flying an aircraft straight from the cockpit! Simply record the footage from the drone and view it on a large screen, or use a VR headset to live stream your drone races for an even more immersive experience!