Drone photography kit
Shoot aerial video like a pro, and scout amazing locations, with our top tech picks
the reader
Greg Simpson
T3 reader Greg picked up his first drone last year and now wants to shoot better footage, edit like a boss and equip himself to scout locations beyond the local park.
10DJI Phantom 4
There’s little point in finding stunning locations if you’re shooting them with a drone packing a half-baked camera. The Phantom 4’s 4K shooter is mounted to an integrated 3-axis gimbal, and the drone itself is kept airborne via four brushless motors, ensuring your flybys are always smooth. If your piloting skills don’t cut it, intelligent obstacleavoidance tech and autonomous flight features such as Visual Tracking mean you’ll nail the perfect shot every time. £1,229, dji.com
20Manfrotto Aviator D1
Trekking between locations with all your gear is no fun. This dedicated drone backpack lightens your load with a bespoke internal compartment, within which you can stow your DJI Phantom 4. Once the propellers are fitted, you can attach your drone to the outside of the bag so that it’s ready to fly when you are. The pack also has compartments for essentials like spare batteries, and there’s even a fold-out rain protector. £160, manfrotto.co.uk
30App le MacBook Pro
Load Final Cut Pro X onto this 15-inch portable powerhouse and chop your fabulous 4k aerial footage with ease, courtesy of the quad-core i7 processor and 16GB of memory. The combination of Intel Iris Pro Graphics and gorgeous Retina Display will make your footage look like it was shot by Peter Jackson himself. From £1,599, apple.com/uk
the expert
Chris Barnes
T3 ‘s drone expert has flown everything from autonomous hexacopters to 4K super-shooters. He loves venturing into the wild to discover cool new locations for his aerial epics. 40Berghaus Men’s Explorer Ac tive GTX Berghaus’s new, trainer-style Explorer shoe features a waterproof Gore-Tex membrane to help your clammy toes breathe during a long day of walking and flying, while a Vibram Opti-Stud multi-active outsole delivers superb grip and shock absorption for when you’re clinging to that mountaintop. £115, berghaus.com
50Garmin Oregon 750t
Relying on memory alone to retrace your steps to a secret flying location is a recipe for disaster. Happily, Garmin’s latest handheld GPS features an enhanced antenna for improved reception, and a compass with accelerometer and barometric-altimeter sensors so you’ll never get lost. And if you find a spot you want to shoot at a later date, snap it via the 8MP camera and the Garmin will geotag the location. Bluetooth connectivity means you’re never far from your notifications, either. £470, garmin.com 60Fat Shark Dominator V3 Strap on these first-person-view gogs, connect them to your drone controller with an HDMI cable, and immerse yourself in the 720p live feed from your drone’s camera – it’s the closest you’ll ever get to flying. The Dominators will give you improved control over your drone, resulting in amazing footage. Plus, you’ll look like you’re from the future! £350, fatshark.com