VENUS OPTICS has added a new version to their LAOWA range of lenses: the 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D, which is currently the widest lens for the DJI X7 Drone Camera. Something that will make many pilots using the DJI X7 camera very, very happy. Laowa 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D The Chinese company Venus Optics is relatively new to the lens market, but has repeatedly surprised shooters worldwide with innovative glass at reasonable price. Check out these articles, if you missed them and learn more about Venus Optics: Laowa Announces Eight New Lenses Including a Cine Zoom Lens Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T/2.9 Cine Zoom – Interview and First Footage Laowa Goes Wide With Four New Lenses For E Mount and Micro Four Thirds The Brain Behind Laowa Lenses Interviewed – Dayong Li One of the more interesting lenses that were released by any company last year was the LAOWA 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D that came out for the FUJIFILM-X, Sony-E and CANON EF-M mounts respectively. It’s funny because I was looking at reviews of the FUJIFILM-X version of that lens just a day or two ago, having halfway decided to buy one and what do my sore eyes see in my mailbox today? A press release of a new mount-version for that very same lens I am pondering to put my hard earned cash down to buy. Laowa 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D on DJI X7 camera 9mm is about as wide as it gets for MFT and APS-C sensors and LAOWA have pulled it off with de-facto zero distortion, while still maintaining a nice fast aperture of f2.8 — a dream for landscape photo- and videographers! Because Venus Optics also managed to make the lens small and light (210g) it was a small step for them to make a version of that lens with a DJI DL mount but a big leap for Inspire 2 drone pilots who now can take advantage of it’s epic 113° horizontal field of view. Laowa 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D on DJI Inspire 2 Drone The currently widest DL lens DJIs own 16mm lens only offers 80° horizontal Field-of-View and costs more than twice as much. The manufacturer states that the optical quality and specifications of the DL version is the same as with the other versions. Having read numerous reviews of the  FUJIFILM-X, Sony-E and CANON EOS-M versions, it is safe to assume that the DL version will suffer from the same problems as the other versions: Slight Field Curvature Error (Focal Plane not being entirely flat at the sensor) Vignetting (stronger at f2.8, better from f4 upward, but still there) Both flaws are almost impossible to get entirely rid of on a lens with such a short focal, length and physical size. However it looks like the 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D will be a winner giving the drone pilots the ability to capture creative angles and epic vistas — practically free of ugly barrel distortion that occurs with most ultra-wide-angle lenses. Check out the sample pics and videos at the end of the article to get a feel for what’s possible with that little lens. Specifications of the Widest Lens for the DJI X7 Drone Camera Focal Length 9mm Max. Aperture f/2.8 Angle of View 113° Format Compatibility Super35 Lens Structure 15 elements in 10 groups Aperture Blades 7 Filter Thread 49mm Dimensions 60 x 53mm Weight ~ 210g Mounts DJI DL Pricing & Availability The retail selling price of the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D DL mount in the US is USD 499/pc (ex- tax) and it is available for purchasing right now. Laowa 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D – epic vista Laowa 9mm f/2.8 DL Zero-D – another epic vista Let us know what you think about the lens and wether you are interested of flying this glass on your Inspire 2 with X7 camera.

New fully autonomous drone Hover 2 is very popular on Kickstarter. The campaign is already far above its goal and it goes on till 30th December. The drone offers many interesting autonomous features and its stabilized 4K camera has some promising specs. Autonomous Future for Drones Modern drones almost always feature some level of autonomous flying or at least partially autonomous smart features. There are, however, not that many fully autonomous drones yet. You might still remember the Skydio R1 autonomous drone, which was also released this year (links to our initial release article and firmware update announcement). My colleague Nino has the drone for testing and his review will be online within the next weeks, watch out for that. The Skydio R1 is however still quite pricey at $1,999.00. The newly presented Hover 2 should be significantly cheaper and its specs look quite promising. Hover 2 The company behind this drone is called Zero Zero Robotics and was founded in 2014 in California. Their first product was the Hover Camera Passport drone. It already offered some autonomous features and very compact foldable form factor. In the second generation – Hover 2 – autonomous flying has been expanded and further developed. They now run a Kickstarter campaign for the Hover 2 and already managed to raise almost ten times the financing goal. There is still enough time to back the product as the campaign goes on till 30th December. The new drone features the same folding design as the first generation Hover with only a few slight differences. The most visible difference is the camera gimbal and the optical radar on top of the body. Hover 2 now also offers two different propeller guards designs. The standard enclosed propellers are made for easy manipulation by hands – the propellers are in some sort of “cage”, which minimizes the risk of injury when catching the drone. The aerial propeller guards offer improved aerodynamics and are designed for the BlastOff mode (more on that further). The Hover 2 drone has quite a capable camera module too. Specs-wise, it reminds me of the DJI Mavic Air. There is a 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor with the resolution of 12MP. The camera can film MP4 video in 4K UHD up to 30fps, 2.7K up to 60fps and 1080p up to 120fps with the maximum bitrate of 100Mbps. The lens is a fixed f/2.2 28mm (full frame equivalent) focal length. The whole camera unit is attached to a 2-axis mechanical gimbal. There are more packages available on Kickstarter, which open up different ways how to operate the Hover 2 drone. There is an Essential and Standard package, Palm Pilot package and the BlastOff package. If you get the essential or standard package, you can control the drone with a smartphone. Palm Pilot package includes the Palm Pilot remote control for one-hand operation. It auto-pairs with the Hover 2 and offers shortcuts to the favorite flight and capture features. Maximum control distance with this remote is 100m. An LCD screen on the controller displays first-person POV from the drone. The BlastOff package includes the BlastOff controller, which features rather a classic approach to drone flying. The Hover 2 can be controlled from up to 5km (3 miles) away when paired with the BlastOff controller. Aerially enhanced propeller guards offer improved aerodynamics. Hover 2 Smart Features AutoFrame Mode – after selecting one of four preset shots (waist-up, full-body, backdrop, and birds-eye), the Hover 2 will fly into position, frame, and capture the shot with the tap of a button. Omni-Follow keeps the subject in the frame from any angle. Hover 2 can follow the subject from the front, back, side, or switch between all three in the same shot. The Optical Radar is always focused on the direction of movement. That means Hover 2 can avoid obstacles even while flying sideways or backwards and filming the subject from the front or side. Pivot follow keeps the Hover 2 stationary as the camera tracks subject’s movements to keep it in the center of the frame. TrackShot allows users to capture videos of them with interesting presets. Hover 2 keeps the subject as the focal point as it navigates around it, even when the subject moves. Cinematic themes – Hover 2 offers a selection of “cinematic themes” (with soundtrack and filters) in the app. This feature is made for quick short clips creation and sharing to social media. 360º Obstacle Avoidance and Intelligent Tracking Hover 2’s proprietary Optical Radar is a swiveling stereo sensor that gives the drone depth perception in every direction. Combined with SLAM 3D mapping, VIO (Visual Inertial Odometry), and path planning features, the drone can navigate new environments with 360º obstacle avoidance and bypass obstacles while tracking a target in real time. The computing power is provided by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The computer vision system of Hover 2 is able to accurately lock onto the target even after significant changes in appearance and shape of the target. By modeling the environment and monitoring the surrounding figures, the algorithm can accurately assess the cause of the obstruction and intelligently adjust its tracking strategy. The video demonstration of the A.I.-trained tracking algorithm looks quite impressive as it shows the awareness of distance and orientation of the subject as well as re-finding the target after occlusion. Hover 2 Key Specs folded dimensions: 230 x 45 x 172 mm weight: 490 g maximum flight time: 23 minutes battery: 2900 mAh operating frequency: 2.4 GHz, 5 GH storage: 8GB internal storage + up to 128GB microSD cards sensor: 1/2.3″ CMOS, effective pixels: 12 MP lens: f/2.2, FOV 78.8°, equivalent focal length: 28 mm ISO: video: 100 ~ 1600, Photo: 100 ~ 1600 (auto) and 100 ~ 3200 (manual) photos (JPEG, DNG RAW, RAW+JPEG) max size: 4048 x 3036 (single shot, burst shooting, self-timer, HDR) video resolutions (MP4): 4K: 3840×2160 @ 30 fps, 2.7K: 2720×1530 @ 30/60 fps, 1080p: 1920×1080 @ 30/60/120 fps, 720p: 1280×720 @ 30/60/120 fps, max video bitrate is 100Mbps stabilization: 2-axis gimbal and EIS (digital stabilization), user control range (pitch)：-90°~0° detectable obstacle：furthest detectable distance: 10 m, max obstacle avoidance speed: ≤ 7 m/s The creators of this drone expect to be shipping the units to backers in March 2019. You can still participate on the Kickstarter campaign by following this link. Prices range from $449,- to $799,- depending on the selected package. As with all crowdfunding projects you should be aware of the concept and potential risks when backing a campaign. What do you think of the new Hover 2 autonomous drone? Do you think fully autonomous drones are the future of aerial filmmaking? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Finally – today is the release day for the new DJI Mavic 2 drones. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro with integrated 1″ sensor Hasselblad camera and Mavic 2 Zoom, the world’s first foldable consumer drone with optical zoom capability. Both drones offer lots of smart features, flight time of up to 31 minutes and a more stable video transmission system. The new DJI Mavic 2 Drones. Source: DJI Every drone enthusiast was waiting for this. The day when DJI releases their new Mavic 2 drone. That day is today! As we already know since a month ago – DJI is not revealing one new drone, but two new drones. Number one: Mavic 2 Pro, the world’s first drone with an integrated Hasselblad camera. Number two: Mavic 2 Zoom, the world’s first foldable consumer drone with optical zoom capability. Both drones share the same foldable body design and offer a flight time of up to 31 minutes as well as a more stable video transmission system. DJI did a very good job in putting the promotional video for the new Mavics together. Take a look for yourself: Brief History of the Mavic When the original DJI Mavic Pro (our review here) came out in 2016, it caused a small revolution in the drone world – it featured an unprecedented combination of portability and image quality. With its foldable design it fitted in every bag and made drone shooting accessible to masses. Even despite its low bitrate of 60Mbps, and therefore not so great dynamic range, it carried much more strengths and is still a very popular product, to this day. New DJI Mavic 2 Series Drones. Source: DJI In january 2018 DJI presented Mavic Pro’s smaller brother – the DJI Mavic Air (hands-on video here, Mavic Pro comparison here). It featured a higher bitrate of 100Mbps in a smaller, lighter and more affordable body. There were, however, some trade-offs when compared to the older Mavic Pro. For instance, the lower range due to different wireless technology used (OcuSync in Pro vs Extended Wifi in Air). Both the Mavic Pro and the Mavic Air shared the same 1/2.3″ sensor. The field-of-view of the lens was 26mm (full frame equivalent) with the Pro and 24mm (full frame equivalent) with the Air. DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Image Quality is Everything The DJI Mavic 2 Pro features the brand-new camera module which DJI co-engineered with Hasselblad. The partnership with the medium format photography pioneer is very clear, as the Mavic 2 Pro proudly carries the Hasselblad logo right above the lens. Now it gets very interesting – the camera module houses a 1″ CMOS sensor with a 10-bit Dlog-M colour profile. This means the camera captures four times as many levels of colour per channel compared to the Mavic Pro, to provide much higher flexibility for photo and video editing. It can capture 4K UHD video in H.265 codec with 100Mbps bitrate. The built-in lens is 28mm (full frame equivalent) focal length with an adjustable aperture of f/2.8-f/11. Folded DJI Mavic 2 Pro with a Camera Protection Bubble. Source: DJI The Mavic 2 Pro supports 4K 10-bit HDR and can therefore be plugged into a 4K TV with HLG and will play back footage with the right colour tones. On the photo side – the Mavic 2 Pro can capture 20-megapixel aerial shots with the Hasselblad Natural Colour Solution (HNCS) technology. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom – Flexibility is Everything The second new release is the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. It features a 1/2.3″ sized CMOS sensor and it is DJI’s first foldable consumer drone with zoom feature. The camera module combines 2x optical zoom of 24-48mm (full frame equivalent) with 2x digital zoom. It can therefore simulate a 96mm telephoto lens with lossless video in full HD resolution. In 4K only until 48mm – logically without the digital zoom. It also captures 4K UHD video with the H.265 codec with 100Mbps bitrate, but only in 8-bit depth with the D-cinelike color profile. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. Source: DJI Hybrid auto-focus combines phase and contrast detection for higher focus accuracy with an increased focus speed. The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom can shoot 12-megapixel photos or take advantage of the new Super Resolution feature that uses optical zoom to automatically capture and stitch nine photos together for a highly detailed 48-megapixel image. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom – Bottom Side with Sensors and Cameras. Source: DJI What sounds very interesting to me is the Dolly Zoom QuickShot mode. It can automatically zoom in as it flies away from the subject. Dolly zooms have never been easier. DJI Mavic 2 Key Specs Sensor (Pro) – 1” CMOS, Effective Pixels: 20 million Sensor (Zoom) – 1/2.3″ CMOS, Effective Pixels: 12 million Lens (Pro) – FOV: about 77°, 35 mm Format Equivalent: 28 mm, Aperture: f/2.8–f/11, Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞ Lens (Zoom) – FOV: about 83° (24 mm); about 48° (48 mm), 35 mm Format Equivalent: 24-48 mm, Aperture: f/2.8 (24 mm)–f/3.8 (48 mm), Shooting Range: 0.5 m to ∞ Video Resolution – 4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p, 2.7K: 2688×1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p, FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p Max Video Bitrate – 100Mbps Video Format – MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) Color Mode (Pro) – Dlog-M (10bit), support HDR video (HLG 10bit) Color Mode (Zoom) – D-Clinelike ISO Range (Pro) – Video: 100-6400, Photo: 100-3200 (auto) and 100-12800 (manual) ISO Range (Zoom) – Video: 100-3200, Photo: 100-1600 (auto) and 100-3200 (manual) Supported SD Cards – Micro SD with capacity up to 128 GB and R/W speed up to UHS-I Speed Grade 3 Takeoff Weight – Mavic 2 Pro: 907 g, Mavic 2 Zoom: 905g Dimensions – Folded: 214×91×84 mm (length×width×height), Unfolded: 322×242×84 mm (length×width×height) Hyperlapse Feature The new DJI Mavic 2 drones can automatically capture movement timelapses and hyperlapses (given the maximum flight time). The so called “Task Library” feature will be available soon and sounds very cool. It can save the flight path for repeated shots that can capture the same image at different times of the day (of the year?). Both JPEG and RAW photos can be simultaneously saved on a Micro SD card or the internal storage. The drones offer 4 modes to create hyperlapses with a simple tap of a button in the DJI GO 4 Mobile App: Free – pilots the drone manually while shooting a Hyperlapse video. Circle – automatically flies the drone in a circular pattern around a selected subject. Course Lock – keeps the camera fixed on selected subject while the drone flies in a straight direction. Waypoint – plans a complex flight path based on both altitude and GPS coordinates to capture complex shots. DJI Mavic 2 Drones. Source: DJI Autonomous Features ActiveTrack 2.0 is all about keeping a moving subject in the frame. It combines autonomous tracking and obstacle sensing capabilities by using the main camera and the front dual vision cameras. The Mavic 2 creates a 3D map of the area in front of it and uses new trajectory algorithms to analyze motion and predict the subject’s path up to three seconds in the future. It can stay on target even if the subject momentarily moves behind an obstacle. This works at higher speeds of up to 44 mph (72 km/h), but the Mavic 2 cannot sense obstacles during high speed flight (high speed tracking and Sport mode). DJI Mavic 2 can Predict Subject’s Movement. Source: DJI The DJI Mavic 2 delivers autonomous flight capabilities with an upgraded FlightAutonomy system for more accurate obstacle sensing and safer flight. There are 10 sensors on all sides of the aircraft to automatically detect obstacles in its path and help prevent collisions. The new Mavic 2 does not offer fully autonomous flying though. An improved Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) allows the aircraft to analyze its surrounding environment and automatically fly around obstacles without stopping. The Mavic 2 also has a bottom auxiliary light that turns on automatically to ensure safe and precise landings in low-light situations. Better Video Transmission A newly designed OcuSync 2.0 video transmission system enables a more stable connection between the drone and its remote controller. The system features stronger interference resistance and auto-switching capabilities that supports both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands with the capability to use different frequencies for uplink and downlink data streams. It delivers 1080p video transmission feeds at a distance of up to 8km (when unobstructed and free of interference). Users can now instantly edit and upload Full HD footage directly from the video cache in the DJI app. Original resolution photos in JPEG can be saved directly to the mobile device, so users can immediately share what they create without the need to transfer files from the drone. Aerodynamic Design and Flight Time The body of the DJI Mavic 2 looks very similar to the original Mavic Pro as there is no need to drastically redesign something what is very functional. Yet DJI claims the new modified aerodynamic airframe reduces body drag by up to 19% compared to the Mavic Pro, allowing the Mavic 2 to fly at speeds of up to 44 mph (72 km/h) in Sport mode. More efficient and quieter propulsion system and noise reducing propellers result in the maximum flight time of up to 31 minutes. DJI Mavic 2 Drone. Source: DJI Other Features, Price and Availability The DJI Mavic Pro 2 Offers 8 GB onboard storage in addition to the Micro SD card slot. The redesigned remote controller features detachable control sticks for increased portability. The drone is compatible with DJI Goggles with the gimbal (yaw) control range up from -75° to +75° in Head Tracking mode for a more immersive FPV flight experience. The retail price of a DJI Mavic 2 Pro (including the drone, battery, remote controller, charger, and four pairs of propellers) is €1,449 (£1,299). The retail price of a Mavic 2 Zoom (including the drone, battery, charger, remote controller and four pairs of propellers) is €1,249 (£1,099). Fly More Kit (including two additional batteries, a multi-battery charging hub, a car charger, a battery to power bank adapter, two pairs of propellers and a carrying bag) retails at €319 (£279). DJI Care Refresh (available in selected countries) covers accidental damage to the aircraft, gimbal or camera during normal use for up to 12 months. The plan will offer up to two full replacements that are new or equivalent in condition. It is available for €129 (£109) before the new Mavic 2 is activated, or within the first 48 hours after activation. For more info visit the DJI Care Refresh website. DJI cooperated with Hasselblad. Source: DJI Starting today, the Mavic 2 is available for purchase at DJI’s online shop and flagship stores. For more information on all the new features and capabilities of the DJI Mavic 2, please visit the product page on DJI’s website. DJI informed us, that “gimbal replacement service exclusively for Mavic 2, will be available soon”. This sounds quite interesting to me. Does that mean it will be possible to buy one Mavic 2 body and both gimbals to have the option to change it whenever needed? I am not sure, but I think it would be quite an interesting feature for many drone enthusiasts out there. What do you think of the new DJI Mavic 2 drones? Which one is more appealing to you? Let us know in the comments below.

A truckload full of gear just to pull off some nice aerial shots? These days are certainly over. In 2018 all you need a modestly sized backpack, a smartphone and off you go. Inside that backpack? A Yuneec Mantis Q foldable drone, a couple of batteries and some sunglasses for that awesome selfie you are about to snap. The above picture of the new Yuneec Mantis Q drone might look somewhat familiar. DJI kind of introduced this form factor and the foldable design with their Mavic line of foldable travel drones. Especially the Mavic Air looks almost identically to the new Yuneec Mantis Q. So apart from the similarities, what are the differences? Yuneec Mantis Q One thing needs to be said upfront:  The Mantis Q does not feature a 3-axis hardware gimbal for stabilizing the camera. It does offer electronic 3-axis stabilization but that’s certainly not the same thing. If this is a downgrade in quality? We don’t really know yet but that’s something worth checking out for sure. Apart from the missing gimbal, this little drone is pretty feature-packed! Watch the video below to get an idea what’s the Mantis Q is capable of: So what do we have here: Video resolutions of up to UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) @ 30fps or FullHD (1920 x 1080) @30fps/60fps. Note: Electronic video stabilization only applies when FullHD video is being captured, not in 4K. The camera’s heart is a 1/3.06 inch CMOS sensor that captures videos in either MOV or MP4 formats on to a microSD card. The Mantis Q can stay up in the air for a solid 33 minutes, with no harsh winds involved and at a moderate speed of about 25 km/h. Speaking of speed: In sport mode it can achieve top speeds of about 72 km/h! The camera can tilt from -90° to 20° but it can’t be panned horizontally. For that you need to move the drone itself. But being able to tilt -90° down towards earth is a great angle of view, at least for my taste. The whole thing weights 480g (1.06 lb) and is 250 x 187 x 58 mm (LxWxH) / 168 x 96 x 58 mm (LxWxH, folded) in size. It can snap stills, too. The Mantis takes pictures with a resolution of 4160×2340 (16:9) or 4160×3120 (4:3) pixels in JPEG or DNG format (for later editing). Did you bring your fancy sunglasses for some selfies? The drone comes with a dedicated hardware controller which houses your smartphone (iOS 9 and above / Android 5.0 and above). You actually don’t have to use the controller. A smartphone with the app will do but the hardware receiver will perform better in terms of latency and range, obviously. As with a lot of devices nowadays the accompanying app really brings the Mantis Q to life. There are several convenient modes available, all of them taking away the pain of manually controlling the drone. Different Modes In Journey Mode, the Mantis Q will fly upwards on a linear path for a cool shot and then return automatically. Point of Interest: Select an object while in POI (Point of Interest) mode and the Mantis Q will circle this object automatically. A Return Home mode might come in handy when you’re not so sure where the drone actually is right now (although you definitely should know that!). The Mantis Q is also suitable for indoor flying: Its IPS and ultrasonic sensors take over so the drone is independent of GPS or GLONASS satellites. Speeds of up to 15 km/h in indoor environments are possible. The sensors perform obstacle-avoidance, too. The drone can be activated and controlled by voice commands as well as by gestures. To me this  is a little gimmicky but at least it’s there. You don’t have to use it but then again.. what about that awesome sunset selfie? Just smile at the Mantis Q and it will fly into position and take the selfie for you. A more useful feature is the ability of following a moving object (or subject of course) by visually tracking it. That way the drone autonomously follows any object without without you having to do anything. Pricing and Availability The Yuneec Mantis Q will start shipping in September and it sells for $499. There are two different versions available, the standard pack contains the Mantis Q itself, controller, battery (1 pc.), spare rotor blades (1 set), screws (8 pcs.), serial 3-port charger, power and USB cable. The X Pack adds a dedicated photo bag, 2 more batteries and an additional set of blades and screws. This drone sure looks interesting but the lack of hardware stabilization, limited frame rates and the complete absence of any stabilization when shooting in 4K is a real bummer. Most of the features such as visual tracking are software-based. I think this could be a really cool drone if the hardware was as innovative as its software features.. But in contrary to software the hardware of the Mantis Q can’t be upgraded over time, unfortunately. At $499 it comes at a pretty competitive price, though. Links: Yuneec.com Do you own such a so-called travel drone? Which one and what are your experiences with it? Let us know in the comments below! 

The Amazon Prime Original series “You Are Wanted” extensively used the Inspire 2. We find it really interesting to what extent the production crew was able to use their DJI Inspire 2 drone with the Zenmuse X7. There are many shots in the series which you would have never guessed were shot with a drone – interiors, close-ups and tight spaces shots. Inspire 2 in action for “You are wanted”. Source: DJI The second season of the Amazon Prime Original series “You Are Wanted” has premiered (obviously) exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on May 18th, 2018. The series is originally produced in German language, but has been dubbed into English, French, Spanish and Italian. During shooting, the DJI Inspire 2 drone with a Zenmuse X7 Super 35 camera and the DJI Ronin 2 camera gimbal were used extensively. Not Your Usual Kind of Drone Shots What we find particularly interesting about the production is the specific extensive use of drone shots. The DJI Inspire 2 drone (cinema5D review here) in combination with the Zenmuse X7 camera (cinema5D review here) is a very powerful cinematic tool. The Super 35 sensor inside the Zenmuse X7 is quite a performer even in low light, which means the drone could also be used for various interior and night shots. It is capable of 6K Cinema DNG and has 14 stops of dynamic range according to DJI. The company also provides a lightweight prime lens set for the camera (16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm). Inspire 2 in action for “You are wanted”. Source: DJI Drone Instead of Cranes, Cable Cams or Sliders – even Indoors The production not only used the drone for the obvious landscape and aerial shots. There are many shots in the series where it is not obvious at all that it is actually a drone shot. I am talking shots like close-up of an actor’s face who is walking through an array of balconies or smooth crane-like or slider-like interior shots. As the DP/co-director of the series Bernhard Jasper said, the DJI Inspire 2 workflow helped them save time, because the drone could be used on many shots which would otherwise be done with a dolly, crane or cable cams. When shooting the conventional way, some shots would have taken much more time to achieve – building dolly rails, setting up crane, etc. Inspire 2 in action for “You are wanted”. Source: DJI First Time Major Production for Zenmuse X7 & Ronin 2 – Before Launch According to DJI this was a first time that the Zenmuse X7 was used in a major production (months before DJI launched the camera on the market). Feedback from the production team flowed into the development of the X7. The same was true for DJI’s camera gimbal, Ronin 2. At the time of filming, it was still in the test phase. In the behind the scenes video below you can see the DJI Ronin 2 in action rigged onto a suspension arm from a car during a fast-paced tunnel shot. Behind-the-scenes Video of “You Are Wanted” with Inspire 2 and Ronin 2 Check out this informative behind-the-scenes video by DJI from the shoot which emphasizes the use of the DJI Inspire 2 drone in the series. It is clear to me that the crew used the DJI Inspire 2 on so many shots because of the tight cooperation with the company and DJI also used this production as a nice promotion for their technology. I have to admit however that the shots are really nice and the innovative time-saving approach is appealing to me. When I watch the episodes, I personally do not miss the conventional cranes and dollies shots in the series. Or maybe better – I don’t see the difference as a viewer. The Zenmuse X7 combined with the DJI Inspire 2 is really an impressive piece of technology given its size and weight and this is a great showcase for how it can be used to even make big budget productions more flexible and fast during the shoot. Did you also used the DJI Inspire 2 in your productions? How do you like working with it? Do you see the extensive use of drones in productions as a future trend? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Yesterday, drone giant DJI announced an improved Phantom 4 Pro. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro v2.0 brings a 60% reduction in propeller noise and OcuSync transmission for an improved FPV experience. The new DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is only a slightly upgraded Phantom 4 Pro which was already introduced in 2016. The video features like resolution, framerate, bitrate, codec and so on all remain the same. For a significant specs upgrade we will need to wait for the Phantom 5. What’s old Here’s a quick roundup of specs which DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 inherits from its older brother, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro: 1″ CMOS Sensor In H.265 Codec – resolutions up to C4K (4096×2160) at 30fps with 100Mbps Bitrate. In H.264 Codec – resolutions up to C4K (4096×2160) at 60fps with 100Mbps Bitrate. Up to 30 minutes flight time up to 7 km (4.3 miles) transmission range (without obstruction or interference) 5-directional obstacle sensing system For more info you can check out the Phantom 4 Pro review which my colleague Graham Sheldon did in 2017. What’s new Now let’s take a look at what’s new with the V2.0. DJI introduced new propellers which have slightly different shape. Together with improved motors the drone should produce 60% less propeller noise, according to DJI. Another improvement is the implementing of DJI’s OcuSync transmission technology for high-resolution and low-latency digital video transmission. Users who utilize the first-person-view (FPV) experience can directly connect the P4P V2.0 with their DJI Goggles for easier FPV flying experience. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 has the same white airframe design as the Phantom 4 Pro. It is also available as a Pro+ Version, which comes with a very bright 5.5-inch, 1080p resolution screen built-in to the remote controller for users who want to fly the new P4P V2.0 under direct sunlight. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 along with its Pro+version are available now. The US retail price of $1,499 USD includes the aircraft, battery, remote controller, four pairs of propellers, battery charger, power cable, gimbal clamp, Micro USB cable, Micro SD Card and a carrying case. The Phantom 4 Pro+ V2.0 retails at USD$1,799 and includes all P4P V2.0 accessories plus the 5.5-inch monitor built into the remote controller. What do you think of the new P4P V2.0? Would you expect more from an update like this? Let us know in the comments below.

The California-based startup Skydio has introduced a fully autonomous drone named Skydio R1. Its development took 4 years. The R1 is an artificial intelligence-powered quadcopter capable of shooting 4K video of a subject and maneuvering complex environments entirely on its own. It uses 13 onboard cameras and vision-based computer system to actually see the obstacles and avoid them while following and filming the desired subject. Skydio R1. Image source: The Verge, Skydio There were initiatives to make autonomous drones before. We still remember the sad story behind the autonomous drone Lilly, which never made it in production. It is obviously quite a challenging task to design a drone that can safely fly in busy and changing environments. Skydio seems to have succeeded with the R1. Interesting fact is that their first batch of drones called “the frontier edition” is being assembled directly in their facility in the USA. The company did not say anything about outsourcing their production to China yet. The Skydio R1 does not come with a controller. It can be controlled with a smartphone using the Skydio mobile app. Since this is an autonomous drone, users will not need the controls so often though. Mostly only take-off and landing of the drone are being managed through the app. Furthermore users can see video previews of footage there or control how the drone captures that footage with presets like: follow – drone follows and films the subject from behind side – drone films the subject from the side lead – drone films its subject from the front tripod – drone hovers at one place and turns to have the subject in the picture orbit – drone circles around the subject to create 360-degree shots The Skydio app also has a manual flying mode, but all of the drone’s autonomous safety features remain active at all times, so it can’t be flown into obstacles. Controlling the R1 is quite intuitive, with an on-screen vertical slider and a virtual directional pad for moving the drone forward and backward and for rotating it left or right. Nvidia’s Tegra-based Jetson TX1 chipset, originaly designed to serve as the brain of prototype self-driving cars, is used for Skydio R1 onboard processing. The software processes all that data with built-in algorithms trained to recognize humans and other distinct objects like trees and cars. That way, the drone is able to avoid dangerous elements in an environment and follow the subject through a variety of terrains and situations. How Skydio R1 sees. Image credit: Skydio Nick Statt writes in his article about an experience with the Skydio R1: In a demo yesterday on the edge of John McLaren Park, in the Excelsior neighborhood of San Francisco, I saw the R1 in action — and it works as advertised. CEO Adam Bry pulled the R1 out of a backpack as if it were a MacBook Pro, and he had it lift off using the device’s mobile app. Within seconds, the R1 was dodging and darting through a maze of trees, with the drone adjusting its distance and height to account for Bry’s sporadic movements. The R1 had never seen this particular environment, nor had it ever laid eyes on me, yet within seconds it was following me around as well as I tried to crash it into tree trunks and random branches. All Bry had to do was tap the image of me on the live feed in the Skydio mobile app, and the R1 picked up on my presence. Bry says that the R1 takes into account visual data — like the blue color of the jacket I was wearing — to improve its tracking in real time, allowing it to better keep track of subjects that are in dense, object-rich environments. Skydio R1. Image source: The Verge, Skydio Skydio R1 Key Specs Shoots 4K at up to 30fps, 1080p at up to 60fps Offers 16 Minutes flight time on a single charge Features 64GB onboard storage – enought for more than 1.5 hours in 4K, or 4.5 hours in 1080p 30fps Not waterproof Dimensions: 13”x 16”x 1.5” (33cm x 41cm x 4cm) Can currently only track people, not cars or other objects Maximum speed: 25mph Maximum distance is 300ft (91,44m) from its user. R1’s height is limited in software to approximately 60ft (18,29m) above a user. I could not find any information about the recorded codec, bitrate or color curve on Skydio’s website. Judging from the given numbers about the storage capacity it seems the bitrate in 4K mode would be somewhere around 94Mbps and in 1080p 30fps mode somewhere around 30Mbps. The Skydio R1 is not intended for video professionals and therefore I guess it is not vital to publish these specs. I also did not find any information about the camera stabilization. It looks like the Skydio uses some kind of gimbal head. It reminds me of the 2-axis gimbal head used in DJI Spark. The Skydio R1 is marketed mainly towards athletes and sports enthusiasts. Youtuber Casey Neistat did a review of it in late March (you can see it above) and it certainly convinced many in the audience about the feasibility of this product. There is zero drone flying experience required to use the R1 and that is also its unique selling proposition. I can imagine skiers, snowboarders, bikers or runners to just take out the R1 out of the backpack and let it film them while focusing on the sport performance. Price point for the first batch (frontier edition) drone is (a quite hefty) $2,500 which includes an extra battery and extra set of propellers. This price is certainly not comparable with other popular drones on the market, but as said before, its feature set is quite unique (so far). We have for instance a variety of DJI products which beat the Skydio R1 in both price and image quality, but I think this product should not be compared with the regular manually-controled drones. Its level of autonomous flying puts it in a different category. In the end, first generations of highly innovative products always have a higher price point to cover for significant R&D costs. Eventually autonomous drones will probably be very affordable. Via: The Verge What do you think of fully autonomous flying technology in drones? Let us know in the comments below.

This is a guest review by drone expert and cinema5D reader Chris Boyes from 5kdigitalfilm, who had a chance to work with DJI’s new high-end camera on a job. He created some beautiful imagery and made this DJI Zenmuse X7 review for you. Enjoy! (Intro by Sebastian Wöber) DJI Zenmuse X7 Review We have been using the DJI Inspire 2 and Zenmuse X5s professionally for the last nine months and regardless of much that I have read in the forums, ours has proved very reliable. Yes, the props are a bit loose and it’s irritating having to drive to get a connection to log in sometimes, but let’s not forget it’s a highly complicated and technologically advanced bit of kit that, for us, always delivered when it mattered. I think many of us were excited after the press release revealed the specs for the Zenmuse X7. A few weeks after we had an offer for an ad job filming Tirol’s beautiful landscapes for the Cine Tirol Film Commission. For this project, DJI provided a sample of the DJI Zenmuse X7 along with a complete set of lenses, which led to this Zenmuse X7 review. Preparation We were running a Beta software from DJI on the Inspire 2, with 2 CrystalSky monitors and the latest firmware on everything else. The test flight went well with everything more or less working as it should, we filmed a few minutes in a few different formats just to check we were up and running. We decided that 4K ProRes 4444XQ was the best option for the project. Winter had arrived a month early making our story board obsolete and planning extremely difficult as our primary brief was to capture the Autumn/Winter transition in the mountains. Shooting in Difficult Conditions From the next morning on, we went out daily, battling the cold wind and snow waiting for a moment where the clouds parted to try and catch some colour before the landscape turned monochrome. We worked in very difficult conditions with extreme temperatures of sometimes down to -15°C, high altitudes of up to 3300m as well as strong winds. We had to keep batteries in our pockets and even hover 1m over ground to heat them up quick enough as to not miss a shot. The DJI Inspire 2 was so solid, I thought more than once that it would never come home. But it did. Again, and again. The DJI Zenmuse X7 felt great in the air, the gimbal was smooth, and operation over CrystalSky reactive. Lens changes were a breeze and restart occurred immediately, which in these harsh conditions was a godsend. We filmed mostly landscapes in early morning or late evening, I found my 1.2 & 1.5 ND filters that I used on the x5s had a tendency to be a bit much. ND 8 seemed to keep me where I wanted to be aperture wise. Filming mainly big panoramas the camera performed well at its native ISO 400 and open to about f5,6-f8. On this project, apart from a few shots closer to the ground, we didn’t really benefit from the shallow depth of field obtainable from the larger sensor. Images From the Zenmuse X7 I noticed that monitoring exposure of areas with brightly lit snow was causing me some headaches, as my CrystalSky was often blown out even though my histogram told me I was safe. Later, the results seemed to be somewhere in the middle. Some of the snow in the bright sunshine was blown out, which seemed to be some kind of firmware issue that I soon had to get used to. The images are not over sharpened off the sensor and for some uses they may be a bit soft. Some may worry that the lenses do not perform well, but if you look at the image in a proper post environment you can see that processing off the sensor seems to be the reason, as it is uniform across all material. We shot two sequences at dusk: it was very dark and I found myself quickly pushing the ISO to 1600 which is the max in EI mode. The low-light performance is inhibited by the slow lenses and might in comparisons or charts not be outstanding. However, in the grade and handled professionally, the images came up great and looked organic and natural. The DJI Zenmuse X7 does have much better highlight roll-off than the DJI Zenmuse X5S. This was evident when shooting against the sun. An improved dynamic range was also noticeable in the material, but in order to get the best out of both of these, correct exposure was critical and, in my opinion, could only be achieved after more experience with the camera.   File Handling & Post Production We have used the X5s and inspire 2 on quite a few high-end jobs, and the amount of Raw we have actually shot is percentage wise quite low. Is this likely to change with the X7? I don’t think so. At the end of the day running out of media is just another reason to have to come down and land. ProRes 4444XQ is good enough for most situations unless you have extreme lighting/contrast problems or your shot will have heavy VFX or will be used for background replacement. With one 480GB SSD we had over 30 mins of 4444 XQ footage which was more than enough for one location, meaning we rarely had to change SSD´s in the field. We edited the ProRes files natively on a windows based high end machine running the latest Adobe software. We use a powerful  i7-6900 with 64GB Ram and multiple m.2 SSD drives along with two fast 4TB spinners in a Raid 0 for footage playback. We can edit and playback the ProRes 4444 D-log footage in full res with effects and a basic grade without issues, which results in a very pleasing straight forward editing experience. When locked we play out a XML/EDL and the footage was send for grading in Resolve. The 6K RAW DNG feature with the X7 is a nice and useful addition, but if you are not being rung up regularly by Hollywood or BMW then the chances of you really needing it are small. Conclusion My personal conclusion to this Zenmuse X7 review is this: the DJI Zenmuse X7 is a great camera that produces great images in the right hands. It’s not as plug-and-play as the X5s, and you have to get to know it and get a feeling for its strengths. I have always been someone who prefers to look subjectively at the picture over graphs and figures. And to me, the X7 has a very cinematic image that we have never seen from a drone camera before. It is obviously designed to fit into a high-end production environment and deserves proper handling in post. Exposure is more critical especially in bright scenes like sunlit snow, and it seems that the Log footage from the X7 likes to be exposed a tick under what I am used too from shooting different logs. There will always be those moments where you just don’t have much light – for these moments I would like to see at least a couple of faster lenses become available in the future. If you shoot aerials professionally and already own the DJI Inspire 2, then it makes sense to invest in this small but powerful bit of technology. We hope you enjoyed this DJI Zenmuse X7 review. Have you worked with DJI’s new high-end camera yourself? Share your experience in the comments.