DJI made its mark in the industry a few years ago when the company released the first Phantom drone. Suddenly, anyone with a thousand bucks to spare and a GoPro were taking flight and capturing sweeping aerial images previously impossible. Now, DJI is once again leading the way in the prosumer drone market with the release of the new 4K Inspire 1 drone.
The DJI Inspire is a big step up from the Phantom in many ways, though it’s worth noting that it comes in at about three times the price. The Inspire 1 includes its own built-in 4K, 3-axis detachable gimbal camera. The drone’s arms lift up when in flight so that you can get a full, unobstructed 360-degree pan with the camera.
The Inspire 1 uses a more advanced GPS-based stabilization system able to hold a position even when experiencing wind interference. It can compensate for overzealous pilot inputs to help avoid stalling, automatically brings the aircraft home in the event of signal loss or at the press of a button, and makes possible a number of semi-automated flight modes enabled through the app. There’s also an “indoor” mode which relies on Optical Flow technology – essentially a special camera – to provide stability where GPS is unavailable.
Let Phillip Bloom explain why the Inspire 1 is so awesome:
Here’s a recap of DJI Inspire 1 Drone’s Key Specs:
- 4K Video and 12MP Stills
- 4096 x 2160: 24p, 25p
- 3840 x 2160: 24p, 25p, 30p
- 1920 x 1080: 24p, 25p, 30p, 48p, 50p, 60p
- 1280 x 720: 24p, 25p, 30p, 48p, 50p, 60p
- Max Bitrate: 60 Mbps
- Photography: Single shot, Burst: 3, 5, 7 fps, Time-lapse
- Up to 1.2 Mile Radio Range
- Optical Flow Sensor for Indoor Flying
- Live 720p HD Monitoring with Lightbridge
At the time of writing, the drone is expected to ship this December. It is available for $2,900 with one transmitter, or $3,400 with two.
