Most people think that they can’t get any usable camera drone below $200. But the DROCON Bugs 3 is a quadcopter that proves that myth wrong. For just $70, it comes with all the necessary sensors and specifications a beginner’s camera drone needs, to be a strong contender for the best drone for the GoPro crown.
Why We Like It – DROCON Bugs 3
Toy drones aren’t exactly something professionals have in mind while buying a new camera drone. But the DROCON Bugs 3 is a full-fledged quadcopter that comes at a price similar to toy drones and sports an action camera mount for taking incredibly detailed videos.
- Maximum range of up to 500 meters
- 15-20 minutes of flight time
- 6-axis gyro sensor built-in
- GoPro Hero 5 and newer aren’t supported
Speed & Power
The Blue Bugs 3 quadcopter is a speedy drone. You get two speed modes, High and Low, with the latter option providing about 5 minutes of more battery life. Obviously, it won’t ever reach speeds quite close to something like the 3DR Solo Drone; it’s not really expected to either due to the vast price difference. However, if you are coming off of a professional drone, you’ll sorely miss headless mode as it doesn’t feature it.
Range
The range is about 300-500 meters. This Blue Bugs 3 doesn’t come with any fancy feature like altitude hold, but does get the job done in almost all instances. And that’s more than all you could ask for at this price. And if you need more range, you need to spend much more on a real professional-grade camera drone (e.g., the Yuneec Q500) without a doubt. Our DJI Spark Remote Controller review and our DJI Spark Fly More Combo review highlight two drones that can be controlled with your phone.
Durability
The Blue Bugs 3 is almost entirely made out of nylon fiber on the outside, which is excellent as small collisions don’t hurt this quadcopter as much. The internal components are almost entirely made out of metal, and that’s where most of the weight comes from. Brushless motors are much better as they don’t heat up as much, unlike brush motors. That is exactly why DROCON uses four powerful brushless motors inside this model.
Camera Features
Just like the DJI Phantom Vision 2, the DROCON Bugs 3 also has a camera mount instead of a built-in camera. And frankly, that is the better way of doing things when it comes to budget toy drones. So many cheap camera drones come with garbage-quality cameras built inside them. In that case, you may want drones like the E-flite Airplane or the EACHINE E010, which doesn’t support cameras at all. But this one is a far cry from those drones. Also, check out the Drone GoPro Karma review for a drone with an excellent camera and video shots.
Value
For just 70 bucks, DROCON offers so much to the users with their Blue Bugs 3; you won’t see that almost anywhere else. And on top of that, because it ships directly from Amazon, you won’t have to spend a dime on shipping anywhere in the United States. Frankly, the value proposition of this thing is completely unmatched right now.
DROCON Bugs 3 Wrap Up
So overall, the DROCON Bugs 3 is one of the best toy drones available right now. If you are just getting into camera drones as a newbie, it’s a phenomenal quadcopter to start with for cheap.
