Parrot asked me to review the Bebop 2 drone, and I was so excited to try an HD video drone for the first time. I've always wanted to capture photos from the skies, and with this drone I was able to take steady video footage. And as a new user the learning curve for flight was super easy!

Parrot sent me the full Bebop 2 kit with Skycontroller 2 add-on and the Parrot Cockpit Glasses. The set up took a few tries, but I finally got my drone hooked up to the remote and was able to fly with the remote's controllers. Next thing I knew I was soaring the skies and capturing great video content. I was impressed how easy it was to go from newbie to drone content creator in just a few days.

Features

There are a several features that make this drone great.

• lightweight: this drone is easy to carry around because it is only 1 LB!
• smooth flight: as a new drone user, I was nervous to fly the drone, but the drone has a full range of movement - spinning in place, forwards, backwards, changing elevation, and moving in pretty much any direction. The remote has great precision, so the device goes exactly where I'm expecting it to.
• video stabilization: as far as video recording, the Bebop 2 does a lot of the work for me. If there's a wind, it autocorrects to stay in place. Or if I am moving a fast speed, it keeps the camera still – making for seamless video.
• fast response: the drone responds to the controller quickly, meaning I was comfortable flying at faster speeds and was able to move through space in real-time.
• easy file retrieval: for me as a content creator, the ability to get my content onto my computer and uploaded is key, and the bebop 2 app makes it easy to download the files to my phone or computer.

Check out more product information here.

Flight

I practiced flying a few times. I was in fairly open spaces, but there were still obstacles like a few buildings and power lines to look out for. The first time I flew the drone I actually drove it straight into a building - eek! - but the Bebop 2 wasn't damaged and shut itself off right away.

See one of my early flights below (don't laugh!). I did stop and start quite a bit as I was getting comfortable steering in real-time. But I got some beautiful panoramas of the field at Langwood Barn. The location is where Cam and I had our wedding.

The video I captured had smooth movement – resulting in real-time panning and rotating effects. The panning and movement looks so professional. I didn't think I'd be able to produce such smooth drone footage.

Best Uses

I think this drone is great for a blogger. At $400 on their site, it's a reasonably priced drone for being full-featured and producing great video quality. Especially if you are a travel blogger or outdoor explorer, this drone is a great companion to catch content you might not otherwise be able to capture.

This drone is also great for hikers and climbers since it has this "Follow Me" feature where it can use visual recognition to follow you. I haven't tried that feature but it probably would be great for someone climbing a rock face or biking on a path.

I am excited to try this drone more in the next few months and capture some more content. I'm thinking skylines and fashion editorial from above. Mixing & editing the video in Premiere was so easy since it's smooth, seamless footage that can be chopped and slowed down or sped up.

My recommendation

This drone is great for a novice drone user like me. Content creators, drone nerds, and athletes will all find great use for this product. I was amazed how I could go from never flying a video drone to capturing high quality footage myself. Oh the doors this has opened!

This review was sponsored by Parrot.