The actual gold standard for prosumer drones would be the I2 with the X7 camera but the more common (affordable) standard used to be the P4P. I would say these days the Mavic 2 Pro, the
EVO II 6K, and the P4P are all about the same since they all have the same sized sensor (in fact it may actually be the exact same Sony sensor but I have not researched this). Any of them are capable of producing commercially viable images and only pixel peepers would argue otherwise. If all three shot the same image and each image was post processed properly; it would also be impossible to tell which was taken with which.
As far as metadata goes, you can absolutely edit anything in the data, it is just editable fields that are in no way protected from being changed. Even if you did hire the guy and he sent you the footage it is unlikely you would be able to tell what he used unless you specifically requested the RAW files in the contract which most people don't agree to or charge an extra fee for. I have a P4P in addition to the
EVO II 6K and I can tell you the P4P has been gathering dust since the day I bought the EVO mainly due to geofencing concerns.
I know that I personally never send the RAW files and instead send JPGs with the size and resolution dependent on the type of client. I do this because I shoot a specific way that I know will yield optimal results once the images have been processed using my workflow; this is the same reason why most other photographers do this as well. Once I deliver the JPGs all metadata has been stripped out except my copyright and website information. I would rather not take on a project than have my work misrepresented by someone who did not properly post process the footage.
To me sending raw files is like going to a restaurant and telling the chef you only want the ingredients for the meal and that you will make it yourself. But I digress, if I were you I wouldn't even ask or care what equipment the photographer used, I would look at their portfolio and let their body of work determine if their style and past work will match your vision for your current / future project.