A drone under the Christmas tree? How to choose

USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham takes a look at two new consumer drones: the Yuneec Breeze and Hover Camera Passport. LOS ANGELES -- So you want to buy a drone as a holiday gift. For the past few years, buyers were faced with a dilemma: splash out on a $1,000 drone that came with a video camera, a smart app and plenty of airborne functionality. Or spend near $100 for what was essentially a toy: learning to fly them was a challenge, and the camera optics, if they had any, were inferior. This year's crop of drones are easier to fly, smaller, cuter and can shoot sharp 4K-video footage in the air -- at prices near $500.