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We liked
The Parrot Bebop 2's fisheye lens is a fairly novel feature on a drone, and when combined with the vibration-dampening design it can produce some amazingly stable and smooth footage. The quality of the camera is excellent too, and having around 20 minutes of flight time on a single battery charge enables you to capture plenty of photos and video before you need to recharge or swap out the battery.
It's the optional FPV pack really takes the Bebop 2 to the next level, though: being able to see what the drone is seeing is quite a strange sensation at first, but once you've experienced it it's hard to think about flying one of these things any other way.
We disliked
It's disappointing how glitchy the video feed gets when you're using your smartphone to control the Parrot Bebop 2, even at short distances; using the optional SkyController 2 solves this problem, but it's an additional cost on top of the price of the drone itself.
The fisheye camera lens is also susceptible to quite severe flare, which can ruin certain shots and videos. It's also disappointing that some of the FreeFlight Pro's autonomous functions are locked behind a paywall, especially when the Bebop 2 costs over £400/$500.
Final verdict
The Parrot Bebop 2 is a great entry-level drone for buyers who want to get a feel for aerial photography and video capture, and cuts the cost by allowing you to use your smartphone as a controller. However, if you can afford it then you really should fork out the extra for the FPV bundle – the experience of flying your drone from a first-person viewpoint is stunning, and more than justifies the additional cost over the base package.
