The civilian drone has been a massive trend in the world of electronics over the past several years. Not only is it fun to fly, but it’s a great way to get beautiful aerial video footage and aerial photos. Drone rental is an easy way to try out a drone you might be interested in purchasing, or to get a high-quality drone for a one-time project. Here’s what you need to know about renting a civilian drone for your next film project.

Benefits of A Drone Rental

There are a number of reasons why you might consider renting a drone instead of purchasing one. High-quality drones are a big investment, and if you’re just getting started with drone photography, you may not have it in the budget to make this large purchase. Going through a rental site allows you to access some of the best drones on the market at an affordable price.

Drone videos are very dramatic and add a level of professionalism to any video you might want to make. However, if you’re only going to be using a drone for one specific project, it doesn’t make sense to invest in your own equipment. With a drone rental, you can get the equipment you need for your project without the long-term cost or responsibility of maintaining it. Rental drones are also a great way to get experience using this exciting new technology. There is a learning curve to flying and shooting with a drone, and a rental allows you to try this technology before you buy it.

How to Choose Your First Drone Rental

There are a number of different drones on the market to choose from. If you’re a beginner, it can be difficult to know exactly what to look for when choosing a drone for your project. Here are some of the key features you should look for when choosing a drone.

Range

The range is how far the drone can fly away from the controller without losing contact. Drones with a long range will allow you to get much more creative photo and video shots, because you’ll be able to get the drone over hard-to-reach places. You’ll also have more peace of mind when flying a drone with a long range, because you won’t have to worry about losing control of it.

Battery life

The battery life is another important factor to consider when choosing a drone. Some drones can last for several flights without needing to be recharged, while others need to recharge even after a very short flight. You should always make sure your drone is completely charged before sending it up in the air to avoid damage. A good way to deal with a drone that has a short battery life is to rent extra batteries and keep them charged before you go out to fly.

Ease of Controls

The control system is another very important thing to consider when choosing a drone, particularly if you haven’t flown before. You will want a control system that’s intuitive, so you can feel totally confident using it. The control system should also tell you the drone’s battery life, range, speed, altitude, and other key statistics while it’s in the air to give you more control.

Camera quality

Depending on what you will be using the drone for, you should also look at the quality of the camera. Some drones don’t actually come with a camera, but instead have a spot where you can attach a GoPro or similar model. If the drone does come with a camera, you’ll want to look at the frame rate and overall image quality to make sure it can capture the footage you need.

Durability

It’s important that any drone you rent can withstand some wear and tear. Drones are always at risk for an accidental crash – even if you are an experienced flyer, there are so many external factors that could affect your drone. The best drones are made of materials that are lightweight but are durable enough to handle a reasonable amount of impact. When renting a drone, you should always check the renter’s policy regarding damage. Some renters may require you to pay for the damage yourself, while others anticipate a certain amount of damage from the rental.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed when choosing a drone, a good place to start is by looking for a respected brand. DJI is one of the most popular drone brands on the market, and is known for its iconic Phantom model. Other notable drone brands to look at include Parrot, Freefly, and Yuneec.

Best Places To Find A Drone Rental

There are a number of online platforms that offer reliable civilian drone rentals. Here are some of the best places to rent a drone online.

Blue Skies Drones

Blue Skies is one of the leading outfitters in the drone industry. They offer an excellent selection of high-end drones for rent. You’ll also be able to find any other drone equipment you might need. If you like your drone rental, Blue Skies gives you the option to purchase it. They ship anywhere in the US, or you can opt to pick up the rental from one of their brick-and-mortar locations. All of their drones are registered with the FAA.

Fat Llama

Fat Llama is a peer-to-peer drone rental service operating in both the US and the UK. They allow you to buy or rent almost any item you could possibly think of, and there’s a huge drone base on the website already. Since the rentals are entirely peer-to-peer, you’ll get very low prices, and you can connect with other drone enthusiasts in your area.

Lens Depot

Lens Depot is a company that specializes in camera rentals, but they also rent equipment and other photo-related products, like drones. Lens Depot offers a selection of DJI products and equipment. They’re based in Florida and ship throughout the United States.

Lens Rentals

Lens Rentals is very similar to Lens Depot. Their initial focus was camera equipment, but they have since moved into drone rentals as the market became more profitable. You can rent from a number of top drone brands, and they also offer accessories.

Grover

For our European readers, Grover is a great service that allows you to rent a variety of DJI and Parrot drones as well as accessories like spare batteries and drone goggles. They have a minimum rental period of one month, which is a good amount of time for you to get acquainted with a popular drone model and some very useful experience in flying a drone. And if you already know how to fly a drone and you just need one in a pinch, they offer a very nice selection of drones with 4K cameras so that you can get the job done without having to spend four figures or more on a brand new drone.

What is also great about Grover is that if you damage the rental drone, they cover 90% of the repair costs, which is absolutely a fantastic deal, especially when it comes to drones, where the probability of a drone getting damaged is not insignificant.

You can choose to buy the drone at the end of the rental period or extend the rental, as they have a very flexible rental period policy. All in all, if you want to get some flying experience, Grover is an excellent way to do so at a low cost and without having to worry about paying massive repair costs should an accident happen.

Conclusion

Drones are a lot of fun to fly, but can get pretty expensive pretty quick too. Renting a drone before you buy one is a great way to test out different models to see which one best fits your needs, as well as learning how to operate one if you’re a newbie. If you’re new to flying or want to educate yourself on more advanced models, renting a civilian drone is an inexpensive way to get first-hand experience and not break the bank.

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