Reviews |DJI launches Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 drones

DJI launches Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 drones

DJI launches Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 drones
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Just two months after unveiling the Mavic Pro and Photokina 2016, DJI has introduced two more drones, the Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2.

Aimed at professional photographers and videographers, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro offers an improved 1in, 20-megapixel sensor, packing nearly 12 stops of dynamic range.

DJI says the new drone’s mechanical shutter eliminates rolling shutter distortion in fast-moving scenes and can capture slow-motion 4K video up to 60fps at a maximum bitrate of 100 mbps.

The Phantom 4 Pro also offers H.265 video compression for improved clarity at the same bitrate.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro uses an enhanced FlightAutonomy system for obstacle avoidance that employs three sets of visual systems that build a 3D map of any obstacles that appear in front, behind or below the drone. These are bolstered by infrared sensing systems on the sides of the Phantom 4 Pro.

DJI says that its FlightAutonomy functionality can position the Phantom 4 Pro, navigate and plan routes for the new DJI drone, enabling it to avoid obstacles in a sensing range up to 98 feet at front and rear, even in complex 3D environments.

An enhanced Landing Protection function is able to detect and help the Phantom 4 Pro avoid landing on uneven ground or water. The Phantom 4 Pro also boasts up to 30 minutes of flight time and can fly at 31 mph in P mode or a 45 mph top speed in sport mode.

A new remote controller offers built-in GPS, compass, a micro SD card slot and an HDMI port, while a new new Draw Mode allows operators to draw lines on the controller display and direct the Phantom 4 Pro to fly that route.

Narrow sensing enhances obstacle avoidance sensitivity so the aircraft can fly through complex environments like narrow doorways.

TapFly now works backwards and comes with a new Free mode that allows a pilot to set the direction of flight, turn the Phantom 4 Pro or tilt the gimbal without changing the direction of flight. With the new AR Route feature, operators will be able to tell the flight route on the screen.

As an additional safety feature, within a minute of losing GPS signal, the aircraft will automatically return to the last connected position and hover there precisely to wait for the pilot’s command.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro price tag will be £1,589 / $1,499 with a standard controller. The Phantom 4 Pro+, which includes a Phantom 4 Pro aircraft and a high luminance display remote controller, will be available at £1,819 / $1,799. Both options are available now for pre-order.

DJI launches Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 drones

DJI Inspire 2

The DJI Inspire 2 offers a new magnesium-aluminum alloy body and boasts a top speed of 67mph, DJI says, and takes just 4secs to accelerate to 50mph.

Flight time is up to 27min with the Inspire 2’s new dual battery system, flight time is up to 27 minutes.

The DJI Inspire 2 also offers a new forward-facing camera with a flight view, while the camera operator receives a separate feed from the professional Zenmuse camera mounted on the main gimbal. The Inspire 2 supports the brand-new Zenmuse X4S and X5S cameras and will support additional cameras in the future, DJI says.

Also new with the Inspire 2 the CineCore 2.0 image processing system, which is embedded into the airframe and allows you to process large files faster than ever before.

Inspire 2 captures 5.2K video at 4.2 Gbps for Adobe CinemaDNG RAW videos and leverages a newly-designed, fast CINESSD storage for a smooth work experience.

CineCore 2.0 supports a number of video compression formats, such as Adobe CinemaDNG, Apple ProRes 422 HQ (5.2K, 4K) and ProRes 4444 XQ (4K), H.264, and H.265. When recording 4K video in H.264 and H.265, the birate is up to 100Mbps.

Inspire 2 offers professional capability and control suitable for many scenarios. With optional high-altitude propellers, Inspire 2 can reach a maximum service ceiling of 16,404 feet above sea level, and the self-heating dual battery redundancy system maintains good performance of the battery to -4 degrees Fahrenheit.

And via an optimized mode, the Inspire 2 streams video at the 1080i50/720p60 broadcast standard, while a redesigned propulsion system can carry the Inspire 2 through vertical camera moves, climbing at almost 20 feet/second and descending at almost 30 feet/second.

Redundant systems provide reliability for the IMU, barometer, electronic speed controller communication and satellite navigation modules. The master and slave controller range now extends to 328 feet and users can switch between 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequencies to cut through any noise for greater signal stability.

The DJI Inspire 2 price tag will be £2,059 / $2,999. The Inspire 2 Combo, which includes one Inspire 2 aircraft, one Zenmuse X5S, CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes License Key, is available for £6,398 / $6,198.

Customers who order the Inspire 2 Combo before January 1, 2017 can get it for a special price of £6,269 / $5,999.

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