Dji Announces Inspire 2, Your Camera in the Sky

Posted on: 11-16-2016 Posted in: Photography

For those who are looking to get into serious aerial photography and videography, the newly announced DJI Inspire 2 can put a permanent smile on your face. Why should photographers care about a camera in the sky? Most don’t, but the future, opportunities and production value, far as video goes, your shoots may benefit from aerial shots, smooth professional cutting-edge video.

Just last week, I shot a dual page playboy layout from the air by using a drone.

The DJI Inspire 2 takes everything that was good about the Inspire 1 and improves it. An all-new image processing system records at up to 5.2K in CinemaDNG RAW, Apple ProRes, and more. It goes from 0 to 5 0mph (80 kph) in just 4 seconds and hits a maximum speed of 67 mph (108 kph) and has a max descent speed of 9m/s.

A dual battery system prolongs the flight time to a maximum of 27 minutes (when used with an X4S gimbal camera), while self-heating technology allows it to fly even in low temperatures.

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FlightAutonomy has been revised and developed specifically for the Inspire 2, providing two directions of obstacle avoidance as well as sensor redundancy. Increased intelligence adds multiple intelligent flight modes, including Spotlight Pro, giving even single pilots the ability to create complex, dramatic shots. An upgraded video transmission system is now capable of dual signal frequency and dual channel streaming video from an onboard FPV camera and the main camera simultaneously, allowing for better pilot and camera operator collaboration. Before investing it is wise to compare DJI drones and understand the features base don your requirements.

Advanced Obstacle Sensing

Forward and downward vision systems enable the Inspire 2 to detect obstacles up to 30 meters ahead, allowing for protected flight at up to 34mph at a controllable attitude angle of 25°. Upward facing infrared sensors scan obstacles 16′ above, adding protection when flying in enclosed spaces. Obstacle sensing systems are active during normal flight, RTH and all Intelligent Flight Modes.

Spotlight Pro

Spotlight Pro is a powerful tracking mode that allows even single pilots to capture complex, dramatic images. It uses advanced visual tracking algorithms to lock onto a subject during flight, regardless of the direction that the Inspire 2 flies, creating shots that would once have required a dedicated camera operator. If the gimbal comes close to reaching its rotation limits, the Inspire 2 itself will rotate in the same direction without affecting flight control or the shot being captured to free up gimbal movement.

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Spotlight Pro has two shooting modes, Quick Mode and Composition Mode. In Quick Mode, select an object to begin tracking. In Composition Mode, select the subject and the tracking position. When the subject enters the preset tracking position, press the shortcut to begin tracking. The gimbal can be moved during shooting for composition adjustments. Spotlight Pro is available in all Intelligent Flight Modes including ActiveTrack, TapFly, Waypoint and Point of Interest.

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Spotlight Pro

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Product Highlights

Compatible with 5.2K Gimbal Cameras
2-Axis Stabilized FPV Camera
CineCore 2.0 Image Processing
Dual Battery Design
67 mph Maximum Velocity
Fast Ascent and Descent
8200′ Maximum Altitude (Above Sea Level)
Advanced Obstacle Sensing
Precision Hover

TapFly

The 2-axis onboard FPV camera separates the flight view from the main camera view, effectively giving the Inspire 2 a dedicated “tap-to-fly” camera. Tap a point onscreen in the FPV view to set a flight route and the Inspire 2 will automatically fly along that route, leaving the pilot to focus on gimbal movement.

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Hollywood Grade Video

Using CineCore 2.0, the Zenmuse X5S records video at a maximum resolution of 5.2K/30fps in CinemaDNG 12bit1, 5.2K 30fps Apple ProRes 422 HQ and 4K 30fps Apple ProRes 4444 XQ (no alpha)2. Additional recording options include video in 4K/60fps using H.264 or oversampling video in 4K/30fps using H.264/H.265, both with a bitrate of 100Mbps.

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ActiveTrack

The ActiveTrack Mode allows the Inspire 2 to recognize a range of objects, from people to bikes to cars to boats. Tracking profiles that can be adjusted based on the subject being tracked means greater tracking precision.

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Smart Return Home

Forward and downward vision systems allow the Inspire 2 to create a real-time map of its flight route as it flies. If the video transmission system signal is lost and Smart Return Home is enabled, it is able to fly home along its original route, and change to a straight line when it regains a signal. As it returns, it will use the primary camera to identify obstacles as far as 200m in front, allowing it to plan a safe route home. It is also able to reconnect more quickly after losing connection.

Video Transmission System

The Inspire 2 features DJI’s Lightbridge technology. This iteration has an effective transmission distance of up to 4.3mi (under ideal conditions) and is capable of delivering both 1080p/720p video as well as the FPV view to pilot and camera operator. Users can also switch between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz control frequencies to avoid interference for greater signal stability.

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Master and Slave setups are also supported. The master controller can transmit an HD video signal to the slave controller up to 300′ away without image quality loss.

Broadcast Mode

Broadcasters can broadcast direct from the Inspire 2 using its dedicated 1080i50 and 720p60 transmission signal. Aerial live-streaming direct to TV is as simple as connecting the Inspire 2 transmitter to the satellite truck.

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Powerful Flight Performance

The propulsion system can thrust the Inspire 2 up to 67 mph, and allows for descents at up to 29′ per second and ascents at up to 19′ per second. It can accelerate from 0 to 50 mph in just four seconds and flies at a max attitude angle of 40°. The two controller sticks on the transmitter are tuned for more sensitivity, making delicate maneuvers easier.

Dual Battery Design

Dual batteries mean that if a problem occurs on one battery the other is able to continue flight long enough for a safe landing. At the same time, the Inspire 2 propulsion system is driven a PWM signal with serial port signal redundancy so that if PWM signals are lost, transmission will continue through the serial port.

The Inspire 2 starts at $2,999 without a camera. You have the freedom to choose which camera you’d like to use, which will determine your final cost, the drone with the X5S and one controller will cost around $5000.