Drones are awesome, but there are good reasons not to buy one

 

 

Drones allow you to capture images and video that would have been impossible not long ago. The proliferation of drones has allowed people to capture awesome images from really cool perspectives. They're very powerful creative tools. However, does that mean you should go buy a drone? In his latest video, Tony Northrup says probably not.

Why not get a drone then? After all, as he says, you can get a "five-figure shot on a three-figure budget." For under $1,000, or even under $500, you can shoot footage and photographs that you used to need a helicopter for, or even footage you could never get with anything but a drone. The places you want to shoot with a drone are probably areas you can't actually legally use a drone. There are rules and regulations prohibiting using drones in a lot of areas, with seemingly more places barring them all the time. You can't fly drones in United States national parks, for example, and you can't fly them near airports, which are located in and around essentially every major city.

Another reason to perhaps avoid getting a drone is that they can crash pretty easily. Manufacturers are regularly adding new safety features, but nonetheless, they crash and break and can be expensive to fix and replace. What starts as a somewhat affordable hobby can quickly spiral into something expensive.

If you still want a drone, there are so many great options out there today, particularly from DJI, which has essentially cornered the drone market. Negatives aside, drones are fun and they're cool and they empower you as a photographer and videographer in ways other gear cannot. Readers, do you have a drone? If so, have you ever had any issues flying it in places you want to shoot? Let us know in the comments below.

(Via Tony & Chelsea Northrup)