Questions & answers

For a drone of 250 grams or heavier you need the EU drone licence A1/A3 and you must register as an operator with the RDW. A drone under 250 grams without a camera does not have to be registered; with a camera you do need to register, but you do not need a drone licence in that case.

An ND filter blocks light so that you can stay at a shutter speed of 1/50 s. Rule of thumb: ND8 when overcast, ND16 in sunshine, ND32 in bright midday sun and ND64 over white sand or reflective water.

4K, 24 or 25 fps, shutter speed 1/50 s (the 180° rule), ISO 100, white balance set manually to about 5500 K, colour profile Normal and sharpness −1. Leaving white balance on auto is the biggest pitfall.

No, large parts of the Veluwe (forest and heath) and of the IJssel floodplains are Natura 2000 areas, where flying a drone is prohibited. Fly over open farmland outside those protected areas, under the ordinary EU rules, and check the exact boundaries beforehand.

Yes, but registration is compulsory there: register your drone in advance with the RAC and check the rules of the CCAA. Without proof of registration your drone may be confiscated at customs.

Set your white balance to the underwater mode (or manually to ~5500 K just below the surface). The DJI Osmo Action 6 is waterproof to 20 metres without a housing; deeper than that you use the Dive Case. This camera films filterless, so you do not use colour filters underwater — you correct the colour in the settings and afterwards. Get close and keep the sun behind you.

In practice, reckon on about 30 minutes per battery. The DJI Mini 5 Pro is around 36 minutes on paper, but wind and active filming bring that down to some 25 to 30 minutes. Always return at your reserve limit (for example 30%), not at 0%, and keep extra margin in hand for the return flight when flying into a headwind.

For most people a light drone under 250 grams (the Mini class) is the smartest start: it fits in a coat pocket, falls under the most lenient rules and still delivers excellent footage. The most important accessory is an ND filter set.

The golden hour is the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. The light is warm, soft and low, with long shadows — ideal for cinematic footage.

Yes. The Flight Filmer (DJI Mini 5 Pro) and The Ground Filmer (Osmo Pocket 4) are both completely free — from first start-up to a fully edited cinematic film.