Mavic Air
Spark
CME GPS drone
Battery Life
Range
Camera
Motors
I know it looks small… but the CME GPS drone, well… actually is small.
However, that's why it's absolutely amazing that it has a1080p camera, GPS and can even follow you.
For what sacrifice? Basically well under $100.
There's really not much you can risk with this drone, but it has it's disadvantages. So read this article to figure things out yourself.
What to look for in a camera drone
Image stability
A very important feat when choosing a camera drone, however always take note that you can stabilize the footage in post processing too, in programs like adobe premiere or even free ones.
CME does fly pretty steady, but the camera doesn't have any stabilization itself. The only thing you can do is stabilize the video in post processing.
You should look for the following in a drone if you want good image stability:
- A 2 or preferably 3 axis gimbal is the best possible way to stabilize a camera. It's usually found in more expensive builds.
- Electronic image stabilization. Drones like Parrot Bebop 2 or even the cheaper Tello have it.
- Get yourself a GO Pro drone and use a very stable Action cam with electronic or optical image stabilization!
Battery Life
This is generally valid for any type of drone. How long it stays in the air is even more important for making sure you take a certain shot, usually with more expensive camera drones in professional setttings.
I generally recommend over 10 minutes of flight time for camera drones in case you want to take more calculated shots. But let's be real, the CME drone is basically a selfie drone with a pretty good camera, don't expect to do cinematic shots with it.
However, the battery life is quite nice for this range of price.
Drone GPS and stabile flight
You can take very nice shots with a drone that only has the previous items we've talked about, but if you want to be stress free… having a stable drone or GPS is the way to go.
The GPS of this drone does come with Return To home function, but to be real, you can only go a maximum of lets say about 50-100m of wifi range, so it's not like the GPS will help you a lot.
But it's very good for flying steady and returning back home in case it has low battery.
Besides that, drones with GPS also come with useful functions like return to home and follow me, that can be super useful for saving time and money.
- Drones with GPS
- great for stability at higher altitudes and distances
- Safer with RTH options and if battery is too low
- Drones with Optical flow cameras
- much cheaper
- holds position pretty well under 20m height
- can work indoors too
Price and specs
The price is a very strong point of this drone, as there are better ones in my opinion, but you need to pay at least twice that amount.
A pretty impressive feature of this quadcopter is it's quite capable camera. A 1080p one that can be moved up or down before flying.
If this drone had slightly bigger range I would definitely pay more to have it. Maybe 5g wifi would do that?
When it comes to price, I'm not even sure how a drone like this could be even cheaper, but here's a timeframe of how the price evolved:
If you want to wait, please enter your email down bellow and you'll be automatically notified when the price drops to your desired level.
CME video Review
compared to other drones
Bellow you can check my top drones in the same price category.
Please use the “Add to compare” button and then press on the icon on the right to compare them.
Camera and app
The camera is what it is: a 1080p camera that can swivell up or down if you want to change the angle.
The signal is transmitted directly though your phone by wifi and you'll have to use the app that's available for both apple and android.
I think the app is quite well made, as it even has the ability to change the camera settings like brightness, contrast and things like that.
So, if you're willing to take your time beforehand you might be actually able to take some nice selfie and videos overall.
In case you want a picture sample, here it is compared with the DJI tello that is more expensive:
This last picture makes it look like a story where some old people moved from their crappy house to the city,lol.
CME Drone
Flight functions
Think this drone only comes With simple Return to home?
Think again!
It also has the following:
- follow me (which basically follows the phone GPS)
- circle around me
- waypoints
The biggest disadvantage in my opinion is that the battery can't be removed, and that means you'll simply have to recharge it again when the quadcopter is out of it. I would have prefered to have it replaced so I can fly more.
