Hey everyone, I’m a real estate photographer trying to find a cost-effective drone setup for home walkthroughs. Are you all using homemade setups or something like a DJI bundle? Would love some recommendations. Thanks!
For outside shots, pretty much any drone works fine. I use the Air 3, but something like a Mini 4 Pro would also do the job. For interiors, the Avata 2 is your best bet, but it does take some time to get good at flying it indoors. Skilled FPV pilots sometimes use mini FPV drones to get really cool footage inside houses.
When you say ‘walkthroughs,’ what exactly do you mean? Personally, I use the DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo (for the extra battery life) for general real estate work. It doesn’t have as many sensors as the Mini 4, but you probably won’t notice a huge difference. If you’re planning on shooting indoors, consider the Avata or Avata 2. These are mini FPV drones that will need a lot of practice before you’re comfortable flying them indoors. The Avata isn’t the best outside, and the Mini series isn’t ideal inside, so you’ll have to choose one and see if you want to go down the other route later. I’d suggest starting with the Mini 3 since it’s more versatile.
My brother does this as a side gig and uses the DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More bundle. He loves the flexibility and control it offers.
Spencer said:
My brother does this as a side gig and uses the DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More bundle. He loves the flexibility and control it offers.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out.
Spencer said:
My brother does this as a side gig and uses the DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More bundle. He loves the flexibility and control it offers.
This setup is perfect if you’ve got your Part 107 in the US. Lots of good side hustle opportunities with it.
Whereabouts are you in the UK?
Grayden said:
Whereabouts are you in the UK?
I’m based in Suffolk.
I’d recommend the DJI Mini 4. It shoots in true portrait mode by rotating the entire camera, which is a nice feature.
For indoor shots, a lot of photographers I know prefer using 360 cameras instead of drones. It’s simpler and you don’t risk crashing indoors.
For indoors, maybe try a 4-inch propeller FPV with prop guards.
Everyone’s saying it, and I agree—Mini 4 Pro all the way. Don’t waste time on anything else.
This question came up a couple of days ago. Some good advice in this thread:
If by ‘walkthroughs’ you mean indoor fly-throughs, it might be best to hire a pro FPV pilot for that. They’re great for tight indoor spaces. For exterior shots, you’ll do well with a Mini 3 or 4 Pro. Just make sure to grab the Fly More kit to get those extra batteries and a nicer charger.
FPV drones are definitely the future for this kind of work.
If you’re planning on making money from this, you’ll need to get your Part 107 license.
Blayne said:
If you’re planning on making money from this, you’ll need to get your Part 107 license.
I’m in the UK, so I’ve got the equivalent certification for over here.