Aircraft With 4K Camera Available For Order Now

The Lily "flying camera" drone was one of those meteoric rise and fall stories that ended with the company filing for bankruptcy in February, and many of the buyers who preordered through a kickstarter campaign are still waiting for refunds.

But some of the assets of the company were purchased by an established California drone retailer called Mota Group, and the drone has been revamped, outfitted with a 4K camera, and is now available for order with worldwide shipping expected in 2-4 weeks, according to the blog Droning On.

According to the report, this is a new aircraft with many of the same features that attracted the original investors to the Lily drone in the first place. It is reportedly easy to fly, has a "follow me" mode, can shoot 4K video in 60 FPS slow motion and 720p videos at 120 FPS. The flight time is about 18 minutes, and it folds to about the size of a GoPro Karma.

Buy while it carries the name "Lily", the new drone has some major differences. It is not waterproof, which was one of the big selling points for the original Lily. Not waterproofing the drone makes it significantly lighter, and allows the battery to be interchangeable. The new Lily comes with two batteries, according to the company. It also has eight motors and rotors, rather than four in the original version. The camera is said to have an internal mechanical stabilization as well as EIS (electronic image stabilization).

Mota Group manufactures consumer- and prosumer-grade drones. Their acquisition seems to be mostly limited to the name "Lily" and a database of customers. The did not buy the debt or liability for refunds. Droning On contacted Mota Group about the waterproofing issue, and received a response that it conducted a user survey that showed a lower price was more important than the ability to drop the aircraft in the water. However, many of the original Lily customers pre-ordered the drone specifically for that feature, as well as the waterproof tracking bracelet, which is also not offered with this "Version 2.0". Many commenters on the Droning On website also commented that being waterproof was what made the original Lily and attractive product.

So what is left seems to be another capable camera drone. The pre-order price is $499, with that expected to climb to $699 fairly quickly.

FMI: Original Report, www.lily.camera