Drone photography is a really hot branch of professional photography right now. Because of the interesting perspectives that drone photography offers on otherwise mundane scenes, more and more people are choosing to work with drones for their photography and videography.

If you’re considering getting a drone for your professional photography business, you may have heard about the build vs buy debate. Some people prefer buying their drones, while others insist on building their drones, especially if they’re going to be used for professional photography.

There is no right or wrong in this entire discussion, it all boils down to access of resources and personal preferences. For this article, we’re going to break down the pros and cons of what to expect if you build your own drone.

Pros:

You can customize it according to how you want it exactly

The best thing about building your own drone is that you can customize it according to your own personal preferences. If you’re more likely to shoot drone photography in areas that are heavily wooded and full of obstructions, you might want a much sturdier drone that can withstand those kinds of conditions.

If anything happens to it, you know exactly how to fix it

Another thing that makes building your own drone so appealing is that because you know the ins and outs of your drone gives you a better look into how to fix an issue if something happens. It’s also significantly less costly than having it repaired by a professional at the shop that you purchased it from.

Cons:

It might not work well right off the bat

While it’s great that you can customize your own drone, unless you’re an expert in drone building, it’s no guarantee that your drone is going to fly well right off the bat when you take it out for drone photography. Building your own drone isn’t like putting together a desk that comes with a set of instructions that you can refer to. Whether your drone flies well or not is based entirely on how good you are at putting your drone together.

It takes more time to put together

Putting a drone together takes a lot of time. You need to plan the entire design, build it, and test it until you’re happy with it. If you take into account that your drone might not fly well right after building, it might take months before you can take your drone out for its first flight and start using it for your drone photography.