A Guide to Essential Accessories for Your Drone

Straight out of the box, the best drones are high-achievers - but to really make the most of their power, there are several handy drone accessories all drone lovers should add to their kit. Read this for Ted’s Cameras guide to the must-have accessories for your drone:

Drone Batteries

Even the most advanced drone will have a relatively limited flight time, typically less than half an hour. To avoid any disappointment or mishaps, a spare battery like the Tello Drone Battery, is a wise idea for day trips, and essential for any travel with drones. Purchasing a boost kit is another great way to ensure you don’t miss an opportunity to fly.

Drone Propellers

It’s sad but it’s true - if your propellers get damaged, your flight is over. If you’re flying your drone in a remote place or on the other side of the world, this could really spoil the fun.

Carry a spare set of propellers in your kit to prolong the life of your drone and serve as a backup in case of an emergency. Some of the best drone propellers on the market include the DJI Phantom PT25 Propellers.

Drone propeller guards

Drone propeller guards, if available for your specific drone, can save your propellers from becoming damaged upon impact. These easy-to-install items are also good for protecting people and objects from being damaged by your propellers in the case of an accident. You can get great propeller guards for the Mavic Air Drone, while the DJI Spark Drone Fly More Combo provides additional propeller guards, 5 pairs of spare propellers, intelligent flight batteries and more.

Multi-battery charger

Taking your drone on a road trip, or flying overseas for some drone travel photography? If you’re taking your drone on long drives or flights, and want to make use of several spare batteries, a charger that can handle more than one battery at a time is a smart choice. A car charging unit can also be handy for keeping your drone flight-ready while you travel.

Memory cards

Most drones store their video files to MicroSD memory cards. Carrying a spare or two can help you store more video if your shoot goes overtime, or if for some reason or another the card in your drone fails. The Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB Micro SD is a great example of a quality memory card, allowing you to capture 4K Ultra HD and Full HD videos while enjoying transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s. 

External hard drive

Video files are large. You can’t store them all on your memory cards, as you’ll quickly run out of space for new footage. A portable, external hard drive keeps your memory cards free and ready to fire, and can generally be accessed anywhere that there is a computer.

Filter kit

ND filter kits are the most commonly used by drone users, and they are essential for landscape photography lovers of every kind. ND filters restrict the amount of light entering a lens and come in varying strengths for different conditions. The DJI Mavic PT47 ND Filter Set is a great choice for the Mavic Pro drone and Pro Platinum range, giving you the freedom to create your own unique work by allowing more control of the camera's aperture, exposure time and sensor sensitivity settings.

Camera cleaning kit

As with any piece of camera gear, your drone requires some maintenance and cleaning to keep it performing at its peak for a longer period. A standard cleaning kit like the Hahnel Travel Cleaning Kit or the Hahnel Teds 5 in 1 Cleaning Kit features soft cloths, air blowers and similar items that prevent dust and dirt from damaging your drone or its lens and impeding its performance.

Sturdy drone backpack or guard

Your drone gear is precious - so you’ll want something to keep all of it safe, secure and easy to access. When choosing the best drone backpack or guard, look for something spacious, with padded dividers that you can customise to suit your kit and needs, and easy to carry. You will also want to choose something that is made from weather-resistant materials, like the Sunnylife DJI Drone Backpack.