The rise of the camera drones

On the CES show floor, if you came upon a crowded booth, often it was because a company was demonstrating a flying drone. Part of the allure—aside from the love or fear of Terminator movies—was that a number of these flying machines now come equipped with the ability to capture high-quality video and still photos. You no longer need to attach a GoPro or other actioncam. Drones are turning aerial photography into a game for ordinary photographers, allowing you to capture images in places that you otherwise couldn't get to, hovering above a soccer game or navigating through the bursts of a Fourth of July fireworks display.

Here are some of the photo-specific drones that drew attention at the show.

DJI's Inspire 1 drone: One of the hits of the show was DJI's hand-held gimbal and camera, which can capture 4K video and stills. The hand-held gimbal, which largely eliminates shaking, is based on a sophisticated drone-and-camera combination, the Inspire 1 system. The company designed the $2,900 drone with its carbon fiber arms positioned much higher than the camera, which hangs down below; this should allow photographers to capture better 360-degree panoramas. The camera can shoot 4K video at 30 fps or 1080p at 24 or 60 fps, as well as 12-megapixel photos. It even includes the ability to snap RAW image files, which can yield the best quality images and give you the most flexibility when manipulating the photos with software.  

This drone, like many at the show, has a versatile mobile app as well, which allows you to control the camera and flight system. You can use a smart phone or tablet to view what the Inspire 1 is capturing, reposition the camera, and then snap photos or video.

To learn more about non-flying camcorders, check out our buying guide.

Zano drone: This drone, which has the tagline, "Taking your selfies to new heights," is very compact and lightweight and, as the tagline implies, it focuses on photography. It has a 5-megapixel camera and can capture full HD video. You can record photos or video on a micro SD card on the drone itself, or have your phone or tablet capture it. And you can have the Zano follow you around using your phone or tablet's GPS. (We have more details here.)

Like the Inpsire 1, the Zano has a versatile app for controlling motion and functions. The company just completed getting funding through its Kickstarter campaign, and hopes to start selling in June of this year.

Parrot's Bebop drone: Like the Zano, this is a small drone, but it's still very capable when it comes to photography. Its camera includes a 14-megapixel sensor, a very wide-angle lens, full-HD resolution video, and image stabilization. It has a robust mobile app (which keeps track of your flying sessions, maximum speed and altitude, as well as other stats), and it includes 2 dual-band Wi-Fi antennas that allow it to handle both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz MIMO frequencies. The drone also generates its own Wi-Fi 802.11 network for syncing with a mobile device.

—Terry Sullivan

Click on the image above to find all of Consumer Reports' coverage from CES 2015.