In the present time, drone photography and videography are very popular. Many people do it for business, while some enjoy it as their hobby. With this, many models of drones today come with built-in cameras. Drones can take beautiful photos of landscapes and sceneries, and they are perfect for those who love to travel.
For those who own drones and multi-copters that do not have built-in cameras, you can still use them for photography by mounting a camera to them. In fact, a lot of drone users today wish to fit a camera on their toy to use for aerial shooting or for First Person View (FPV), wherein they pilot their drones with the help of a video stream in real-time on a screen or by using special glasses.
If you are one of those who are looking into mounting a camera on their drones, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we are giving you two different ways on how you can mount a camera on your drone.
1. Mount a Camera on a Drone via Direct Fitting
This is the simplest way on how you can mount a camera on your drone. You can fix the camera on it by using scratch, adhesive tape, or glue, depending on your drone and camera. There are some frames that are equipped with attachments for watertight cases, while others have bars that will allow hanging a little support. Using this technique is great for FPV or occasional video.
The advantage of this technique is that it is lightweight, and you don’t need to spend any amount. However, you need to note that by doing this, every movement of your drone will be visible on the image. Also, you need to pilot quietly if you wish to exploit your video shootings.
2. Mount a Camera on a Drone by Using Stabilizing Gimbals
Gimbals are very popular today. You can find many different models of gimbals with varying qualities. There are those build for mini cameras and DSLR cameras. There are two main types of gimbals. One is a servo gimbal, and the other is a brushless gimbal.
Servo Gimbal
Servo gimbals are smaller in size, making them perfect for small model-making cameras and as well as other mini cameras like GoPro. The best things about servo gimbals are that they are lightweight, can stabilize the image well, and can be piloted directly by a large number of flight controllers. However, they can limit the movements of your drone, and they also slightly lack fluidity when it comes to stabilization.
Brushless Gimbal
Brushless gimbals, on the other hand, are larger and are perfect for reflex cameras. These have perfect stabilization and ultra-fluid movements. They will give you freedom of movement and a possibility of centering what you are shooting without the need to move the drone. It also does not make any sounds. The drawbacks of brushless gimbals are their price, which is rather expensive, and as well as its weight, which is a bit heavy. Also, it will require you to buy or have a dedicated stabilization card.
Important Things to Remember
Whatever mounting technique or method you choose, remember that it is very important to balance the propellers correctly. It’s because if the propellers are not balanced well, it will produce high-frequency vibrations in your frame and interrupt the sensor of your camera with a more or less awkward distortion of your image. Also, there are gimbals that have a fixing system. Most of them have rubber damping slippers to limit the damages. This will help you get a much better result when it comes to balancing the propellers.
Conclusion
Mounting cameras on drones is indeed easy, and there are various techniques to choose from. You just have to ensure that the camera is secured and safe when you fly your drone. But if you want to take drone photography or videography seriously, it is better if you can buy a drone that has a built-in camera. This way, you no longer need to worry about how to mount your camera on the drone, and it also does not come with a risk of the camera falling. In addition to that, drones with built-in cameras also deliver better images and videos if you want high-quality results.