Full European legislation on drone flights came into force on January 1st this year. The transitional arrangement ended after three years. From 2024, many drones will only be allowed to fly in the A3 subcategory, with the corresponding restrictions.
Switching to a drone with a Cx marking offers you more flying freedom. In this blog you will learn which drones are the best choice for 2024.
Why switch to a drone with a Cx label?
During the interim rule, the weight of your drone was used to determine where you can fly your drone. That’s a thing of the past. From 2024, new drone rules will apply and the drone’s Cx label will determine which subcategory the drone falls into.
Does the drone not have a Cx label and is heavier than 249 grams? Then from 2024 you must fly in subcategory A3 and maintain a minimum distance of 150 meters from buildings, industry and recreational areas.
Please note if your drone has a Cx label, the following distance criteria apply:
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C0/C1 |
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C2 |
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From January 1, 2024, newly registered aircraft must have a Cx marking.
Which drone should I choose in 2024?
Are you looking for a drone that offers you all the flying freedom you need?
The best drones are listed here.
DJI Air 3
Coming out in 2023 | C1 label
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Specifications DJI Air 3 Weight: 720 grams Cx label: C1 Price: from €1099 |
Equipped with a wide-angle and a telephoto lens, the DJI Air 3 allows the drone to record vertical videos by cropping the image vertically. The wide-angle lens can capture images in 48 megapixel RAW and videos in 4K at 100 fps.
With obstacle sensors in all flight directions and support for the APAS 5.0 system, flying around obstacles is child’s play. The DJI Air 3 offers additional features including Focus Track (Spotlight 2.0, ActiveTrack 5.0, Point of Interest 3.0) and QuickShots (Rocket, Drone, Circle, Helix, Boomerang and Asteroid). In addition, it is possible to carry out waypoint missions.
With an impressive flight time of up to 46 minutes per battery, the DJI Air 3 is controlled via the new RC-N2 controller, which connects to a smartphone and is controlled via the DJI Fly app.
Advantages DJI Air 3 in 2024
These are the main advantages in terms of the rules:
Get your A1-A3 certificate to fly this drone.
DJI Mavic 3 Classic
Published in 2022 | C1 label
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Specifications DJI Mavic 3 Classic Weight: 895 grams Cx label: C1 Price:from €1,499 |
The DJI Mavic 3 Classic is known for its impressive flight characteristics and excellent camera, making it the ideal choice for professional, high-quality recordings.
Equipped with a Hasselblad main camera with a 4/3-inch CMOS sensor, the DJI Mavic 3 Classic offers the ability to record videos in 5.1K at 50 fps and 4K at 120 fps, allowing you to capture sharp videos at any time, even in low light can accommodate. The adjustable aperture value from f/2.8 to f/11 and the ability to shoot in 20 megapixel RAW make this camera even more versatile.
With six obstacle sensors, the drone can automatically avoid obstacles in both normal flight mode and sport mode. The DJI Mavic 3 Classic offers a wide range of flight features including Mastershot and ActiveTrack 5.0. Mastershot automatically calculates the optimal route for a given camera movement, while the improved version of ActiveTrack continues to track objects even if they temporarily disappear from view.
Thanks to the improved batteries, this drone has an extended flight time of up to 46 minutes, making the problem of empty batteries a thing of the past.
Advantages DJI Mavic 3 Classic in 2024
These are the main advantages in terms of the rules:
Get your A1-A3 certificate to fly this drone.
DJI Mavic 3 Pro
Coming out in 2023 | C2 label
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Specifications DJI Mavic 3 Pro Weight:958 grams Cx label: C2 Price: from €2,099 |
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is characterized by its combination of three cameras. Equipped with a Hasselblad main camera and two telephoto lenses, the DJI Mavic 3 Pro offers limitless possibilities, making it the ultimate drone for both photography and videography, from every imaginable perspective.
The cameras of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro:
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camera |
Hasselblad camera > |
Medium telephoto lens > |
Telephoto lens |
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sensor |
4/3 CMOS |
1/1.3 CMOS |
1/2 CMOS |
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Aperture |
f/2.8-f/11 |
f/2.8 |
f/3.4 |
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resolution |
5.1/50fps | 20MP |
4l/60fps | 48MP |
4k/60fps | 12MP |
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zoom |
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3x optical zoom |
7x optical zoom |
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro features a Hasselblad camera with a 4/3-inch CMOS sensor. This drone can record videos in impressive resolutions like 5.1K at 50fps and 4K at 120fps. The Hasselblad camera’s aperture is adjustable between f/2.8 and f/11, while photos are possible in 20-megapixel RAW.
The medium telephoto lens, equipped with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor and an aperture of f/3.4, captures more details and produces sharp images without noise or loss of detail. The telephoto lens offers a zoom range of 7x optical zoom and 28x hybrid zoom, allowing you to bring out every detail from a distance.
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is equipped with six obstacle sensors that allow the drone to automatically avoid obstacles in both normal flight mode and sport mode.
Functionalities such as Mastershot and ActiveTrack 5.0 make the DJI Mavic 3 Pro versatile. Mastershot itself calculates the best route for a given camera movement, while the updated ActiveTrack version allows the drone to continue tracking objects even if they briefly disappear from view.
The cine version of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro is also available for professionals. This uses the Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec, an industry standard for high-quality recordings. The drone comes with 1TB of storage but also offers the option to add a microSD card for additional storage capacity.
Advantages DJI Mavic 3 Pro in 2024
These are the main advantages in terms of the rules:
Get your A2 certificate to fly this drone.
Drone tips for 2024
Looking for a new drone for 2024? We would love to help you! Our drone experts have years of experience with various drones and can advise you accordingly. Don’t hesitate, contact to take up with us.
