Small drones are not new. Toy-sized quadcopters have been on the market for years helping kids (and dads) start flying for a relatively reasonable price and not much expertise. Yet small drones that can do almost anything a big drone can do That's new.

It's super fun; especially for the price

Gesture control could use some work

Excellent auto-flying modes; Incredibly small and light; Crisp and colourful HD video; Manual options for levelling up;

Battery life means you need spares; Noisy at low altitude; Expensive, particularly in the UK;

The Spark has found the drone sweet spot and auto-landed right on its bullseye. In some ways, it's the equivalent of our favourite compact system cameras - loads of auto modes for hassle-free flying, but with enough manual controls to tempt anyone looking to hone their drone skills. You could even say it has spiritual similarities to the Super 8. That classic little handheld camera gave amateurs an exciting new way to make home movies in the '70s, despite limitations like a three-minute recording time. The Spark has some limitations too. Its 10-15 minute flying time means I wouldn’t recommend buying it without at least one spare battery. The gesture controls need some fine-tuning. And it can be pretty damn noisy when flying at low altitude. But it's just so much fun to use, and capable of producing such great videos from barely more than three taps of your smartphone, that you quickly forget all this and start daydreaming about where you can take it next. That's a sign of gadget greatness, and it'll surely sell like flying hot cakes later this month. I suggest you join the queue while the summer is still young.

Excellent auto-flying modes; Incredibly small and light; Crisp and colourful HD video; Manual options for levelling up;

Battery life means you need spares; Noisy at low altitude; Expensive, particularly in the UK;

You know how Apple sometimes seems to be behind its competition in performance, design or features, only to eventually leapfrog them and take the lead That's what DJI did with the Spark.

The DJI Spark delivers a tiny, lightweight design; excellent mechanically stabilized camera; USB charging and advanced features like gesture controls and obstacle detection. It travels well and is great for aerial photos and video

Flight time can be as short as 10 to 14 minutes; The app can be frustrating to use, especially on smaller screens; And you should expect to buy batteries and possibly the optional controller

You know how Apple sometimes seems to be behind its competition in performance, design or features, only to eventually leapfrog them and take the lead? That's what DJI did with the Spark.

The DJI Spark delivers all of the camera drone features most people will ever need in an impossibly small package.

The DJI Spark delivers a tiny, lightweight design; excellent mechanically stabilized camera; USB charging and advanced features like gesture controls and obstacle detection. It travels well and is great for aerial photos and video.

Flight time can be as short as 10 to 14 minutes; The app can be frustrating to use, especially on smaller screens; And you should expect to buy batteries and possibly the optional controller.

a way too expensive toy, within 2 weeks you'll be wanting a better model by other makers for less money

The DJI Spark is one of the best budget drones out there and is a lot of fun to fly. It's not perfect, but it's a really neat toy.

The Spark is small; affordable; and portable yet impressively capable; ActiveTrack and QuickShots are really neat + video quality is pretty good at 1080p30; Easy to use with plenty of obstacle avoidance features + Return-to-Home; Can fly drone only using gesture controls

Short battery life at ~15 minutes on a single charge; Gimbal is only 2-axis; whereas more expensive drones like the MAVIC Pro use a 3-axis stabilizer; Would love to have 1080p60 for fast-moving subjects; Does not handle winds well; Does not come with a remote controller…you have to use gesture...

DJI wowed the crowds when they pulled the wraps off the Mavic Pro in September last year. It was the smallest drone by the famed manufacturer at that time. Capable of shooting clear and crips 4K video, it was aimed towards enthusiasts and filmmakers alike.

There are times when you wish you could really extend out your selfie sticks perhaps a little further to capture more of the background. Perhaps even get a "higher" perspective of things and take a shot from above the trees.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of small drones capable of recording video, so what makes the DJI Spark so different For one, it's the company's first real attempt at a mass market drone - that is, if the masses have $500 to drop on what's essentially a toy.

Small and portable; Easy to fly; Stable; clear video; Autonomous flight modes

Still expensive for most; Gesture controls not always recognized; No 4K video