If you are thinking of taking your drone photography to the next level, a drone with a gimbal attachment is a must! But what exactly is it?
Gimbal is a support system that allows for an object to rotate around a single axis. Drone gimbals allow for the drone camera to remain in the same position, regardless of the motion of the drone. If you want to have the most stable, fantastic camera footage, you need to have a gimbal attachment.
Keep reading to find out more about gimbals and the best drones on the market that have gimbals,
How Do Drone Gimbals Work?
A gimbal is very easily described as a device that allows an object to remain stable or to stay in one place while everything around it moves. Gimbals are widely used on waterborne vessels like ships to keep the instruments and equipment upright with respect to the horizon, regardless of the motion, the vessel is in.
Gimbals are even used to keep cup holders stable on these vessels.
Why do You Need Gimbal?
No More Shaking! Before gimbals were implemented in photography, photographers would have to hold their cameras and make sure to keep their arms steady, or the footage would be shaky.
Before drones had gimbals, pilots would have to focus on flying as steady as possible to try and keep the camera steady.
Even with pilots trying to keep the drone steady during the flight, there would always be some sort of shake or vibration, depending on how well the drone could fly.
However, with a gimbal, the worry of having to keep the drone steady while flying is removed because the gimbal will do that for you without you needing to do anything.
Now, no matter how the drone pilot maneuvers in the air, the gimbal will keep the footage steady.
More Movement And Motions! As I mentioned before, drone pilots would always have to worry about their movement when flying and recording at the same time because of the fact that the footage would be shaky.
Now that most drone manufacturers are designing and building drones with gimbals built into them, worrying about shaky footage is a thing of the past.
In most cases, in order to take a photo at a certain angle, the pilot would have to hover the drone in a specific way to try to reduce camera shake, but also trying to get the right angle.
Less Time Spent Editing Footage! Not having a gimbal when shooting with a drone can be tedious work, and sometimes very disappointing, when you record tons of footage and come to find that all of it is shaky.
With a gimbal attachment, you do not have to worry about your drone footage being shaky when you try to edit. The footage will be shot once at different angles, which means your shooting time will be cut in half and that will free up time for you to shoot more shots!
5 Best Drones With Gimbal
| Drone Name: | Gimbal Type: | Camera Quality: | Price: | Purchase Link: |
| Mavic 2 | 3-axis gimbal | 4K | $1,599 | VIEW |
| Mavic 2 Zoom | 3-axis gimbal | 4K | $1,599 | VIEW |
| Phantom 4 Pro V2 | 3-axis gimbal | 4K | $1,599 | VIEW |
| Inspire 2 | 2-axis gimbal | 5.2K | $3,299 | VIEW |
| Parrot Anafi | 3-axis gimbal | 4K | $699 | VIEW |
NOTE: Looking for the cheapest drones that have gimbals on the market? Read 10 Best Cheap Drones With Gimbals (Gimbal, Price, Flight Time.)
Mavic 2 Pro
The DJI Mavic 2 Pro was introduced to the world in August 2018 and became DJI’s leading consumer-class folding drone. DJI is the leading company when it comes to producing drones. This is why the Mavic 2 Pro is the leading consumer-class folding drone in the world.
Camera. The original Mavic Pro was an amazing drone as well, but the Mavic 2 Pro has a 1-inch camera sensor that allows for 4K video capture at 100Mbps.
The multi-directional obstacle avoidance also is a big help for the drone pilot so they do not have to worry too much about crashing their drone into various obstacles. Instead, pilots can focus on taking amazing footage using the drones Hasselblad camera.
Both the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 2 Zoom have OcuSync 2.0 which allows for the drone to transmit 1080p live stream video to the controller of the drone.
This can be transmitted well beyond the legal line-of-sight straight to the phone to allow for better control and safer flight, even if the drone is not in sight.
Flight time. The Mavic 2 Pro has a maximum flight time of 31 minutes with no wind.
Price. The Mavic Pro 2 will set you back $1,225.
DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is the second version of the Mavic 2. This version of the Mavic 2 has a fantastic optical zoom lens that is currently the best in the game.
The Mavic 2 Zoom has tons of new and improved features that make it a real powerhouse in the drone world.
Camera: The Zoom shoots in Ultra 4K and DJI added a 2X optical zoom lens to make this drone the best camera drone.
Flight Time: It has an improved 31 minute flight time compared to the original Mavic Pro.
Price: It comes at a cost price of $1,599, which is pricey for a drone this size, but it is definitely worth its price tag!
DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2
The earlier versions of this drone were the first drones to feature a gimbal-stabilized camera rather than requiring the user to supply their own. The Phantom series of drones was sadly discontinued, but DJI has come back with the Phantom 4 Pro V2.
Camera: The Phantom 4 allows enthusiasts to take amazing 4K video.
It also has an OcuSync radio system that allows for 1080p video streaming to the monitor on the controller.
Flight Time: The DJI Phantom 4 gives you 30 minutes of flight time to explore and shoot amazing footage.
Price: You can purchase the Phantom 4 for $1,599.
DJI Inspire 2
The first version of this drone the DJI Inspire 1 has a unique design that keeps the propellers comfortably out of most shots while allowing for a big, stable frame.
The Inspire 2 keeps that same frame and quality as the original version. It also has a dual battery to increase battery life and flight time.
Camera: The Inspire 2 is able to attach a variety of cameras to its frame with gimbals.
- X4S. This camera is comparable to the Phantom camera.
- X5S. This camera is the same as the X4S, but the difference is that you can attach a zoom lens to this one which opens more possibilities for better shots. It also has a better image sensor.
- Zenmuse X7. The X7 is extremely expensive but is a far better camera than the other two mentioned.
Flight Time: With a flight time of 27 minutes, the Inspire 2 is great for professionals in the industry who are looking to capture amazing footage. The flight time also depends on the type of camera it is carrying at the time.
Price: The drone is a little pricey with a $3,299 price tag, but if you are part of an industry that requires quality aerial footage, then this is the drone for you.
Parrot Anafi FPV
In 2018 Parrot released the Anafi drone in order to compete with other high-class camera drones.
Even though the drone has the quality to compete with other camera drones, Parrot didn’t just amp up its prices, instead, they put fewer sensors on the drone and left the responsibility of avoiding obstacles to the pilot.
Camera: The Anafi has a 4K camera, which is a first of its kind from the company, and it put it on the map of top photography drones.
The drone also comes with a new FPV(first-person view) kit from Parrot which combines this drone with head-up display goggles for a fully immersive flying experience.
Flight Time: The drone has 25 minutes of flight time, giving the pilot plenty of time for amazing footage!
Price: The Parrot Anafi comes at a very reasonable $699 cost price.
