Cinematography Is The Focus

Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies Ltd.—more widely known as Da Jiang Innovations, or simply DJI—is a Chinese state-backed designer and manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). DJI drones are widely used in the music, television, and film industries. In 2021 DJI models accounted for approximately 76-percent of consumer drone sales.

DJI has debuted its Inspire 3 model, a streamlined, precise, full-frame 8K cinema drone the company asserts “sets a new standard for cinematic-grade aerial filming systems.”

The Inspire 3 features a sleek, integrated design, a 160° Field Of View (FOV) night-vision First Person View (FPV), and DJI’s O3 Pro transmission and control system—a nifty bit of command architecture that supports a dual-control mode in which one operator can manage the drone’s camera exclusively while a second operator pilots the contraption via a front-facing first-person view (FPV) camera.

The technology by which the Inspire 3’s video stream is transmitted is the latest iteration of DJI’s proprietary Occusync tech, the O3 Pro—which facilitates streaming 1080p at 60-frames-per-second at ranges of up to eight-nautical-miles (15-kilometers). Unique to the Inspire 3 is a secondary ability to stream 4K at 30-frames-per-second at a 2.7-nautical-mile (five-kilometer) range.

The Inspire 3’s Zenmuse X9-8K Air main cinematic camera is among the drone’s most significant upgrades. The camera is the lightest full-frame system yet developed and makes use of CineCore 3.0—DJI’s new image processing system. The Zenmuse X9-8K supports 8K Cinema Digital Negative (DNG) video recording at 25-frames-per-second.

After the fashion of professional cinematic cameras, the Inspire 3 supports interchangeable lenses. DJI’s current lineup of Inspire 3-compatible DL-mount lenses includes telephoto and full-frames available in 18-millimeter F2.8, 24-millimeter, 35-millimeter, and 50-millimeter options. In addition to the DL lens-mounting system—an integrated aerial lens-mount that allows rapid switching between primary lenses—the Inspire 3 features an option to support Sony E-mount lenses.

The Inspire 3 offers best-in-class flight performance and a full pro ecosystem eminently compatible with even the largest film sets. What’s more, the Inspire 3 is DJI’s only cinema-grade drone that supports both RTK-powered Waypoint Pro and omnidirectional sensing to perform flight and filming missions more safely and with higher precision than previously possible.

DJI’s Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning tech accurately locates and repeats the Inspire 3 drone’s movements with a degree of accuracy measurable in centimeters. Ergo, movie-makers can film multiple takes of a given scene secure in the knowledge that the shot’s appearance will remain consistent.

DJI creative director Ferdinand Wolf stated: “The Inspire 3 is the professional-level aerial platform all filmmakers have been waiting for. It empowers users to fully maximize the potential of any shot as they can record in cinematic-grade image quality previously only available with large and clunky camera systems. We are looking forward to seeing how the Inspire 3 will push aerial cinematography to a completely new level.”

The completely redesigned Inspire 3 comprises a lightweight, highly-portable, integrated body surrounding a rigid, robust, and transformable frame. The device’s FPV camera, visual sensors, positioning antennas, and storage card slot are seamlessly integrated into the airframe for a minimalist look and modern industrial aesthetics.

The Inspire 3’s design supports the newly added Tilt Boost (cant) as well as 360° pan structures. When the drone’s landing gear is lowered, the main camera’s gimbal supports obstruction-free 80° upward-angle shooting by dint of which cinematographers can capture strikingly innovative shots.

To the subject of flight, the Inspire 3’s propulsion system is capable of motivating the drone to a maximum horizontal velocity of 50-knots (94-kilometers-per-hour), a climb-rate of 8-meters-per-second (1,574-feet-per-minute), and a dive-speed of up to 10-meters-per-second (1,968-feet-per-minute). The Inspire 3’s propulsion, control, and camera systems are powered by an all-new hot-swappable TB51 intelligent dual-battery arrangement which DJI claims supports flight times of up to 28-minutes.

The Inspire 3 is the successor to DJI’s 2016-vintage Inspire 2 drone. The two machines share a common, arachnid-like design, the landing-gear and two-rotor-pairs of which swing upward on liftoff, allowing their respective gimbal and camera combos to hang beneath for unobstructed filming.

The DJI Inspire 3 is priced at $16,499 and will be available for purchase by the end of June 2023. The retail price covers the DJI Inspire 3 aircraft, Zenmuse X9-8K air gimbal camera, RC Plus remote controller, 6x TB51 Intelligent Battery, Charging Hub, PROSSD 1TB, trolley case, three pairs of foldable quick-release rotors, a lens-carrying box, RC controller strap, and various peripherals.

FMI: www.dji.com