Hi! So im looking to buy my first drone but cant seem to land on one i like. Ive looked on Amazon but i cant seem to find one thay has the uk0 mark (cant remember what its called) and none harldy any of them tell you if they have lights on for night time flying.
Ive got a budget or around £500. I know that might sound like a lot for a first time flyer but ive wanted one for years and dont want to get a crappy one that ill have to replace in a year or 2.
Anyone got any suggestions please???
Thank you. xXx
Just to kick things off, UK class marks are only required for drones that are new to the UK market since 01/01/2026, so there will be very few out there, if any, that currently have one.
You can read all about it here:
And here for the lights:
The best current equivalent for the UK0 will be a C0/sub-250g, which you can currently fly in the Open A1 category (“most places” - check Good 2 Go).
As for a first drone, the DJI Mini series will always be top of the recommendations (for a regular camera drone, which I assume is what you’re after) and they range from the budget-friendly Mini 4k, weighing in at around £275 for a Fly More Combo to the latest and greatest Mini 5 Pro at around £640 for the basic package.
A Potensic ATOM 2 may also be worth a look, but DJI are the market leaders for a reason.
If you get the bug, and finances allow, you’ll be getting new ones frequently anyway.
Anyway, I personally haven’t flown a camera drone in a long time, so I’m sure you’ll get some more reliable advice shortly.
Oh, and since you’re new, welcome! Head over to Introductions and say, “hi”.
1st, get a DJI drone.
I’d recommend either the DJI Mini 4k or the DJI Mini 3.
The Mini 4k is currently on offer at £189 which is a fantastic deal for what you get.
The Mini 3 is £239, a discount of £100.
Forget the UKx marking, if you love the hobby you’ll be upgrading long before that anyway.
thanks guys. I’ve decided to go for the DJI Mini 4K. arriving tomorrow. cant wait haha. thank you. I was actually looking at the DJI Mini 4K before asking to be honest and with it being recommended here I did. definitely thinking that I’m going to be getting the 5 at some point though haha. so yeah, thank you very much.
Hasn’t the CAA now tightened up its official stance on operational compliance regarding in-built green flashing lights on C0 drones that automatically turn off whilst recording video during night flying? There was some updated official statement they released on 17 March.
If you get potensic get it with the controller. I have to say it is irritating setting it up but it is pretty easy to use once you get going. Talking of mobile phone as screen for controller a friend got rid of their DJI mini 3 because of similar issues in the end they couldn’t be bothered pairing them all the time so got rid of it.
I have a potensic atom 2…I like it too fly, pairing with phone is frustrating especially the cable and the camera quality is pretty good. Only bought it a few weeks ago and haven’t really been able to use it until recently so cannot give you much more info on it.
