SAN FRANCISCO, July 9 ― Why not tray your had at drone flying for some vacation recreation this summer? With increasingly compact and high-tech models now on the market, these flying machines offer an interesting means of capturing stunning scenery and special moments in the great outdoors, whether at the seaside, the mountains, out and about in the countryside or enjoying some sporting action.
Parrot Anafi
Parrot's latest drone is a compact, lightweight (320g) and foldable model promising top-level image quality and boosted battery life. The drone can film 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) HDR video with a 1.4x zoom (or up to 2.8x in Full HD mode) and offers 25 minutes of flying time. This drone has a three-axis stabilization system and an onboard camera that can tilt 180 degrees vertically. Plus, this drone uses a USB Type-C charging system and can be charged with a power bank or a USB Type-C smartphone or laptop charger.
The Parrot Anafi costs US$699.99 (RM2,827.94).
DJI Spark
This perfectly portable drone is billed as a nimble, reliable and intuitive flyer. The Spark stands out with its original gesture-control system and can lift off from its owner's hand simply by recognizing their face, or take a high-res selfie by means of a simple hand gesture. It offers various shooting modes, as well as immersive real-time playback of what's being filmed via a smartphone or a virtual reality headset. The drone can even automatically avoid obstacles when traveling between two points, which is just as well, seeing as it doesn't come cheap.
The DJI Spark is priced from US$399. It sells in a pack with a remote controller, battery, shoulder bag, propeller guards and extra propellers for US$549.
Hubsan H107C
Kids can have a go flying a drone with the Hubsan H107C, a great-value, lightweight quadcopter that can film HD (720p) footage in a 100m range and can even do a few tricks ... with a bit of practice. However, the budget price tag means that video isn't amazing quality and you won't get more than seven minutes' flying time.
The Hubsan H107C is priced around the US$40 mark. ― AFP-Relaxnews
