Drones and quadcopters have become increasingly accessible in the last few years. As the cost of designing and manufacturing a good quality drone has gone down, more people have been able to get into drone flying as a hobby — or to up their photography game.

There are different types of drone-based fun —from aerial photography to FPV racing — plus regulations you need to know about. Here are the basics to get you started before spending any cash.

One of the most popular gadgets of recent years — not to mention an occasional headline grabber thanks to their role in military and security tech — drones are remote-controlled aerial vehicles. The most common type used for leisure activities are quadcopters — small drones with four rotors.

Sometimes they’re small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. This is especially common with beginner-level models. They can be controlled and utilised in a variety of ways and flown at various distances and heights. This all depends on how advanced the drone is.

The most common uses for drones are photography and racing. Drones can be fitted with HD cameras and are capable of recording and transmitting 4K quality footage. Depending on the drone, device, and app you're using, they may be able to transmit this footage in real time or even post straight to social media. Drones are used by filmmakers and professional photographers, but are also great for taking fun snaps.

If you know your way around a games controller, it’s a breeze to learn. Drones are controlled by either a handheld controller or a smart device app.

FPV drones are their own category of drone — generally the same as regular drones in how they’re built and fly, but with a key difference: how you control them. FPV drones (the FPV stands for First Person View) are flown as if you’re in the cockpit, with a camera transmitting the drone’s point-of-view to your device or a set of VR-style goggles. FPV used to be quite niche but it's grown in popularity. They’re most commonly used for drone racing.

Basic drones tend to fly between a range of 80 and 500 metres. Top drones, however, will fly out several miles. It all depends on the kind of tech you want and how much you’re willing to spend.

Once again, all depends on how hi-spec and advanced your drone is — or how much it’s geared towards racing and high-speed performance. The kinds of drone we’ve included in this list will go somewhere between 29 and 45 mph.

If your drone weighs 250 grams or more, you need to register the drone with the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) for a small fee — even if it's just a hobby and you're only planning to fly it in your garden. Piloting an unregistered drone is against the law.

Even if your drone doesn't weight 250 grams, visit CAA.co.uk for all the rules and regulations and CAA Consultations for drone registration.

Whether you're a novice, an expert, a photographer, or racer, we can recommend a drone that's perfect for you.

These are the best drones in 2021.