Cheapest 4K drone for stock footage

Hello, I want to ask you if you have any suggestions concerning a cheap 4k drone which I could use to shoot stock footage for shutterstock, pond5 and other stock agencies.
thank you in advance!

It depends what you call "cheap" :) I don't have a drone yet but in a couple of weeks I'll be getting a DJI Mini 3 Pro. It's expensive, but that's the minimum I'd use for stock. The sensor size is the main thing to look at, and the Mini 3 Pro has the largest sensor of the smaller "cheaper" drones. There is a competitor but DJI are well thought of as market leaders and most people rate the Mini 3 Pro better than the alternative.

I'd say that if you just wanted 4K footage (not photos) and were happy to stick to well lit locations and didn't plan on colour grading much, you'd probably get away with the DJI Mini 2. The sensor is much smaller though so I wouldn't consider it up to the task. It might be worth checking out reviews of the Mini 2 though and watch videos taken with it.

Even the Mini 3 Pro sensor is very small compared to what I'm used to, but the pixel size is larger compared to other similar sensors, which gives it an edge. If I could choose, I'd go for something with a 1 inch sensor minimum but that's not currently possible on a sub-250g drone, which is what I'm restricted to for what I want to shoot in the UK.

I consider the Mini3Pro pretty cheap, relative to other drones (I have now Mavic 2 Pro, Inspire 2/X5s. - but have had a couple Mavic 1 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro, Inspire 1, TurboAce Matrix, a couple Typhoon H, and a terrible Walkera piece of junk) ... but I have heard from a respected professional that I know has seen the footage from both, and who has seen footage from the Mini 3, and was very very impressed. Having had several drones, and made several bad decisions, I would say that I sure wish I had the Mini 3 as an option "back then". You could do a lot worse. But don't. Don't cheap out more than the Mini 3. You'll be sorry!

Air 2S is still a good choice.

I agree, sorry I forgot to mention that. Costs a bit more than the Mini 3 Pro, (which I have not seen footage from personally) but I did see 5K video files a friend sent from the Air2S and frankly, I have to say the video looks better, more detailed (but not flickery or oversharpened) than the Mavic 2 Pro (plus is higher rez). Longer air time, as well, if I recall correctly, although less than the Mini 3 Pro (I think). Not sure if the Air2S has a 1:1 crop mode like the Mavic (in essence you have 2 focal lengths to choose from in 4K, "normal" and pretty wide) which is a function I use a lot.

It does have a crop mode up to 4X but it's not available when shooting 10 bit.

Catch-22! Kinda like the new Maic 3 Cine has all the great stuff, BUT ... no more abity to fly far, then RTH and control gimbal, whereas the M2P can. (+/- 80 degrees yaw).

(typed with nasty burns on fingertips that have healed considerably with the magic of aloe vera)

I use DJI mavic Air and Mavic 2 Pro for my stock videos and photos and they both are expensive drone but definitely quality stuff.

I'd get a Mini 3 Pro. Make sure to shoot at 10-bit Cinelike-D and you'll be surprised at how great it can look, especially if exposed and graded correctly. Anyhow, that's what almost all my footage is (I enjoy filming with it more than my Mavic 2 Pro). Big plus is that you can aim the camera up to get unique shots that you can't get with most other drones. Example...

Sky jib! That's cool ... so the cam can aim up more than the M2P by a lot, it looks like. Had that on my TurboAce Matrix ... could not only look up, but over the back ... Great use to fly under tree boughs.