11 Drones for Pilots of All Budgets (and Skill Levels)

Most drones come with their own camera of… debatable quality. This one lets you swap out the camera, and even the gimbal, to get exactly the photos and video you want. There are gimbals that work with GoPro Hero cameras, and ones that can take larger Sony DSLRs. You can fly it with the controller or your phone, take off and land with exactly one tap, and generally take badass footage without having any idea what you're doing. $549

There's probably someone on your list for whom only the best, highest-end, most professional stuff will do. Get them the Phantom 4 Pro ($799), which is not only amazingly easy to fly but has one of the best cameras anyone's ever put on a drone. You can draw routes ahead of time to get exactly the shot you want, or just fly the thing willy-nilly and trust that the obstacle avoidance tech will do its job. (It will.)

It's a drone. Made out of Lego bricks. With a little Lego pilot. And it actually flies. What in the world are you waiting for? $189

This is the perfect beginner drone because it's pretty hard to break and even harder to break anything with it. Put on the included rotor protector, and it'll just bounce right off of every wall, lamp, and pet in the house. It's more hummingbird-size than pterodactyl, but it's still insanely fun to fly and an awesome way to hone your skills before you take on the bigger aircraft. $45

Maybe aerial photography isn't your thing. Is aerial warfare a little more your speed? Strap the cannon on top of the Mambo ($100) and you'll be in charge of the skies in no time. (Just don't fire at the kids. That's frowned upon.) And, when it's cease-fire time, there's a grabber attachment that can fetch snacks from the kitchen. But if someone steals your gummy worms first, well, you know what to do.

Four blades isn't cool. You know what's cool? Six blades. Yuneec's hexacopter shoots great video and has all the autonomous flying modes you'd want, but it's also ridiculously easy to maneuver through even the tightest of spaces, since its many rotors can work independently to keep you moving. And if you get in a scrape and lose one, no worries—the Typhoon only needs five to stay in the air. $1,000

Step up your Insta game. This drone is more camera than aircraft, really: just hold it up in front of you, let it go, and watch it hover in place to take the perfect selfie. (Dronie?) You can have it follow you for that awesome over-the-shoulder footage, and when you're finished you just snatch it out of mid-air and put it away. It's like hiring yourself a personal photographer, only at least slightly less vain. $600

This one's for the grounded drone pilot. This two-wheeled beast can traverse almost any terrain, and can jump more than two feet straight up with a moment's notice. It lights its path with two headlights, and captures it with a forward-facing camera. From the controller app on your phone, you can even see what the drone sees. James Bond definitely had an explorer like this. $80

Camera drones are one thing, but true racing drones are another breed entirely. It ain't pretty, and you'll have to do a bit of tinkering to get it up and running, but the Arris is built for speed, and for the kind of first-person-view racing all the pros are doing. It's a perfect model to hone your fast-twitch reflexes with, and be ready whenever someone wants to race for pink slips. $159