EDIT: DJI Spark drone was launched. Read all about it here: LINK On May 24th, DJI will hold a VIP event in New York releasing a new mini drone. With a brand-new promotional video out and about, it is for certain that we will see something along the lines of a DJI Mavic “mini-me”. DJI have been keeping the pressure on in the drone market. After a tumultuous start, GoPro are back on sale with GoPro Karma, so the market for “put your drone in a backpack and off you go” is becoming more populated with a huge audience on the other end. With the recent release of the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced at NAB just a few weeks ago, they obviously had a top secret plan up their sleeves to woe us all. Have a look at their promotional video below and gaze in awe how a drone can fly easily through canyons and through a library. As the saying goes “size doesn’t matter”, and the new mini drone – called “DJI Spark” according to several rumor sites – will surely live up to that. Based on what we have learned, this drone will be the mini-me counterpart to DJI Mavic. One of the titles that come up in their promotional video stood out of all of them. The word “Size” transforms into “Seize” and continues into “seize the moment”. “S(e)ize the moment” – May 24th Promotional Video Based on the video DJI have released, the new mini drone seems to fit in a small backpack or purse. It therefore must be an incredibly small drone that can fly through caves, canyons, poles and even indoors through a stack of books in a library. Screenshot of DJI Spark promotional video, showcasing its size when flying through a stack of books in a library Having seen the library shot, I would suspect it to still be fuelled with incredible features that we all know and have come to appreciate from DJI drone products. Coupled with DJI Goggles, this drone will surely create a new field of possibilities for DJI lovers. The DJI event will take place on May 24th 2017. cinema5D has been invited and will keep you up-to-date as we learn more about the new release. Stay tuned. DJI Firmware Update Alert In other news, it seems that unfortunately DJI is forcing a firmware upgrade on their users. DJI will soon introduce a new application activation process for international customers. This new step, to take effect at the end of next week, ensures you will use the correct set of geospatial information and flight functions for your aircraft, as determined by your geographical location and user profile. If this activation process is not performed, the aircraft will not have access to the correct geospatial information and flight functions for that region, and its operations will be restricted if you update the upcoming firmware: Live camera streaming will be disabled, and flight will be limited to a 50-meter (164-foot) radius up to 30 meters (98 feet) high.

At NAB we took a closer look at the new Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 audio recorders that double as a usb-interface and bring pro audio to DSLR shooters. The MixPre Series in fact is Sound Devices’ first foray into the DSLR market. Small camera manufacturers tend to treat audio as a bit of an afterthought, but the MixPre promises to solve that with 8 tracks, WAV Poly format recording, high-quality preamps and a maximum sampling rate of 192kHz (MixPre-6). All the details and a full spec comparison below. Sound Devices MixPre Audio Recorders We originally reported on this announcement just before NAB, but thought we would visit the folks over at the Sound Devices booth to take a closer look at their new MixPre Series. Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder Designed with small cameras such as the Panasonic GH5 or Sony a7S II in mind, both the Sound Devices MixPre-3 and Sound Devices MixPre-6 have Class-A mic preamps created by Sound Devices engineers. You can also feed timecode using the 3.5mm Aux/Mic in port, making it useful for professional productions where multiple cameras are in play. Here is the intro video to the Sound Devices MixPre series: The Sound Devices MixPre-6 is the larger of the two and features 6 inputs/8 tracks that can record to SD, SDHC or SDXC cards in WAV Poly. The base model (MixPre-3) has 3 inputs/5 tracks and a maximum sampling rate of 96kHZ, versus 192kHz for the larger model. You can power the Sound Devices MixPre series audio recorders a variety of ways: directly from a wall, AAs, via USB, or via a Sony L-Series lithium ion battery. Both models can accept a sled for either 4 or 8 AAs (not included), giving you numerous options when it comes to powering the devices. Below is a full comparison chat from Sound Devices that lays out all of the features in the Sound Devices MixPre-6 and Sound Devices MixPre-3: What do you think? Will the MixPre Series find its way into your kit for your next DSLR production? Let us know below!

A Drone Launch Pad? When we saw this on the NAB 2017 show floor, we just had to cover it. What an interesting, awkward and still potentially useful product idea. For most of us, this might seem like unnecessary bulk for your drone shoot, but Bob Schmidt from Hoodman thinks otherwise. Let him run you through the benefits of the Hoodman HDLP. Hoodman HDLP – Drone Launch Pad The idea of a glowing drone launch pad may seem funny at first, but after hearing about what the Hoodman HDLP can do for drone shooters, I’m not so sure that my initial reaction is fully justified anymore. I’ve done a lot of drone shoots (see my Master Drone Footage Tutorial Series Here) and I remember several situations when the grass was too high too take off and it needed to be cut in order to establish an acceptable home point. Concerning dust, I’ve had lenses get dirty too, which could be due to a dusty takeoff site, though I can’t be sure. The red and contrasty design on this drone launch pad might help finding my home point on the sunlit screen of my drone remote, and its glowing ring could be helpful when planning to fly at night. The Hoodman HDLP might not be what one would call a must-have for your drone shoot, but it could certainly help make some aspects of your professional shoot more professional. The design is not as trendy as could be, but there is certainly a practical idea behind it. The Hoodman HDLP is available now. The price of $60 for the small one seems OK, but $400 for the large pad seems like a bit of a stretch. Bear in mind: the glowing ring is an optional add-on.  Here’s a tutorial video that lets you see the Hoodman HDLP Drone Launch Pad in action: What do you think? Best idea ever? Or do you have a better way to spend $60? Let us know in the comments!

HOT OFF THE PRESS: DJI has just announced a new drone! The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced brings incredible upgrades to their mid-level drone series, such as 4K at 60fps, a mechanical shutter, and an all-new screen built into the controller. Here are the specifics in detail. DJI is like a gift that keeps on coming. It is difficult to keep up with them, as new drones seem to pop out of nowhere. However, it’s likely you won’t be disappointed with what the new DJI Phantom 4 Advanced has to offer. Mainly an update to the existing DJI Phantom 4 base model, it shares some of the features found in the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone. DJI Phantom 4 Advanced – Camera The new DJI Phantom 4 Advanced model has a 1-inch, 20-megapixel sensor and a mechanical shutter. This upgraded camera is capable of shooting H.264 4K video at 60 frames per second, as well as supporting H.265 4K at 30fps, both with a 100Mbps bitrate. DJI claim that the improvements in optical performance, sensors and processors ensure a higher dynamic range and more image detail. Flight Modes and Sensors As with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, the Advanced comes with many key intelligent features that allow smooth automatic flight modes. These include Draw, ActiveTrack, TapFly, Gesture and Tripod modes. The Phantom 4 Advanced is also equipped with the FlightAutonomy system, which is made up of five vision sensors, a forward-facing obstacle avoidance system, dual-band satellite positioning (GPS and GLONASS), and ultrasonic rangefinders. This allows the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced to hover precisely in places without GPS and to fly in complex environments. Built-In Screen and More The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced also allows for more storage capacity using a 128GB microSD card. The flight time has also been extended to up to 30 minutes. For a slight increase in price from the regular Advanced model, the Phantom 4 Advanced+ version offers a 5.5-inch 1080p screen integrated into the controller. The built-in display device is based on an Android system with 4 GB RAM and, according to DJI, the screen is twice as bright as conventional smart devices. According to DJI, the introduction of the Phantom 4 Advanced means that as of 30th April 2017 the Phantom 4 model will no longer be available. However, DJI will continue to provide after-sales support to Phantom 4 customers. DJI Phantom 4 Advanced – Tech Specs: Sensor: 1’’ CMOS, Effective pixels: 20M Lens: 24mm (35mm format equivalent). f/2.8 – f/11, with auto focus at 1 m – ∞ ISO Range: 100 – 6400 (Manual) Video Recording (h.265): C4K:4096×2160 24/25/30p @100Mbps 4K:3840×2160 24/25/30p @100Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 24/25/30p @65Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 48/50/60p @80Mbps FHD:1920×1080 24/25/30p @50Mbps FHD:1920×1080 48/50/60p @65Mbps FHD:1920×1080 120p @100Mbps Video Recording (h.264): C4K:4096×2160 24/25/30/48/50/60p @100Mbps 4K:3840×2160 24/25/30/48/50/60p @100Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 24/25/30p @80Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 48/50/60p @100Mbps FHD:1920×1080 24/25/30p @60Mbps FHD:1920×1080 48/50/60 @80Mbps FHD:1920×1080 120p @100Mbps Fore more details on specs, please visit the DJI website here. Pricing for the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced will be $1,349, with the Advanced+ version going for $1,649. Both models will be available as of April 30 2017. What do you think about the newly-updated DJI Phantom 4 Advanced? Would you choose it over the DJI Phantom Pro? Please let us know in the comments below.

DJI is the market leader when it comes to camera-equipped drones, no doubt about that. But is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro deserving of that “Pro” label? Let’s find out! I took the DJI Phantom 4 Pro out for a spin over the past couple of weeks. Here’s my full review. Image Credit: Rin Ehlers Sheldon In January 2013 I immediately jumped into the pilot seat of the DJI Phantom 1. Back in those days you had to work hard to remove vibration from the video, and capturing useable professional footage out of the box wasn’t realistic. You also had only ten minutes of flight time and you needed third-party gadgets to really bring everything together. Nonetheless, I was a huge fan, and managed to utilize the footage in a few projects. Fast forward 4 years, and wow, what a difference. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro is a dream to fly and is clearly built with DP’s/occasional drone operators like me in mind. I have no intention on becoming a professional drone pilot, but on travel-heavy productions where having a dedicated drone operator is just not possible, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is the perfect solution. The video above was shot in 1080p/60 H.264 with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro at an abandoned waterpark in the desert. It was edited by Rin Ehlers Sheldon and features the music of Fire Chief Charlie. Let’s get it right out of the way: for you professional aerial operators out there with lots of spending cash, look no further than the DJI Inspire 2. You can read the cinema5D review on the Inspire 2 HERE. It is truly a beast of a machine, but lets get back to its charming baby cousin. Image Credit: Rin Ehlers Sheldon The DJI Phantom 4 Pro comes in a nifty styrofoam soft case that seems very capable for everyday transport – not checked baggage-friendly but easily tucked away into a Pelican case with other gear. I have no complaints about the packaging. Plenty of third-party hard cases are available online from retailers like B&H if you do plan on checking the Phantom 4 Pro body beneath the plane. As a reminder, please don’t check your lithium ion batteries. The drone body only fits in the provided case when the propellers are removed. Luckily, the propellers are easily removed through DJI’s press and twist system. Think child-protected vitamin lid. Propellers on the Phantom 4 series feel safer, and they’re a vast improvement over the third generation in my opinion. Calibration has improved dramatically over the years and it has now come down to simply placing the drone on each of its sides, corresponding to the picture indicated on the monitor – much more fun than the spinning-in-circles method from a few generations back. See the video below on the DJI Phantom 1 calibration system for a bit of healthy nostalgia: Flying is easy if you have ever operated a DJI product, or even another drone model before. If you’re new to the world of UAVs, I would suggest keeping the “Flight Restrictions” set to “Beginner Mode”. This restricts the aircraft’s speed, and it will keep you from flying outside a 30-foot diameter circle from the home point, which is great for getting your early pilot hours. I used this mode on the first flight, but then immediately turned it off upon landing so I could take things up a notch for my second flight out of the box. Obstacle sensing is improved in the Pro model, and the front sensors can now detect obstacles up to 98 ft away, with the infrared sensors on either side of the aircraft capable of detecting obstacles up to 23 ft away. I felt more secure flying with the new obstacle-sensing tech, but there were a few occasions where I did want to get closer to an obstacle to improve the shot and the aircraft would push back, even when I felt like I was in complete control. For these situations, you can switch on “Narrow Sensing” to give yourself the ability to fly a little closer to obstacles. Of all the Phantom generations on the market, I feel the most safe flying with the Phantom 4. Image Credit: Rin Ehlers Sheldon So, what makes the DJI Phantom 4 deserving of the Pro moniker? It really comes down to the new onboard camera equipped with a 24mm (35 mm format equivalent) lens, and its 1-inch sensor approximately four times larger than its predecessor, the DJI Phantom 4. The camera comes with a host of recording options in H.264 or the newer H.265 compression: The camera also handles higher ISO settings a bit better, but I certainly wouldn’t call this generation low-light friendly quite yet. Like the Phantom 4, D-Log is also available in the Pro, allowing for wider latitude in the color grade (See image below). Image: Graham Sheldon. Full resolution file available HERE. Other flight modes present in the Phantom Pro 4 include: AR Route, TapFly Backward, TapFly Free in Tap Fly mode, Profile, Circle, Spotlight, ActiveTrack, Draw and Gesture. Most are self explanatory, and all seemed to work well with the possible exception of ActiveTrack, which would occasionally lose its target. But I found I simply preferred to fly the aircraft myself. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro uses an improved, dual Lightbridge system that boasts a video transmission range of up to 4.3 unobstructed miles from the home point. I never had the guts to test the 4.3 mile range, but the new Lightbridge system does seem to have a more stable video transmission than past models I’ve flown. Very rarely I would see the transmission waver, and that would only occur when my line of sight would become blocked by thick trees. I tested the DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ version that comes with the 1080p monitor built into the remote and the screen which, while still reflective, is bright enough to make flying outside in direct sunlight doable without a sun hood. The “+” is DJI’s naming method for the combo that includes the monitor. Having the built-in monitor just feels more secure than using my own iOS device. The built-in monitor does come with a $300 up-charge from the base Phantom 4 Pro model priced at $1,499.00. It’s worth the price for me, but if you already have an Apple iPad Mini 4 laying around then it may not be necessary for you. After a few flights, I experienced an issue where the gimbal would constantly tilt up and down once powered on. After a few minutes of head scratching, I eventually found that the gimbal was simply grazing the cable behind it and correcting itself. Simply tucking the cable back into the body solved this issue. On the battery side, the Pro uses the same batteries as the non-Pro version, providing realistically about 26 minutes of flight time with the standard payload. I suspect in perfect weather with no wind you might get close to the 30 minutes of advertised flight time, though. I did have one battery that would get stuck in the battery compartment of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and required significant effort to pry out using a credit card. I also found that the plastic camera guard also worked well to wiggle the battery loose (see above image). HERE is a video of an owner experiencing the same issue with the base model of the Phantom 4. It should be noted that this was an issue with my supplied battery and not the Phantom body itself. Other batteries worked fine and wouldn’t get caught. The mini SD card, when incorrectly inserted logo up into the card compartment (see above image for what not to do), had a tendency to easily get stuck as well. For me, this was a little counter intuitive because my instinct was to insert the SD card with the logo face up — don’t do this. While flying in cold weather in Lake Tahoe, I did experience two corrupted files on the mini SD card that came with the drone. After searching the forums for a solution, I discovered a program for both Mac and PC called DJIFIX, which allowed me to use the two corrupted video files in Premiere. Please note that this a third-party solution and not endorsed by DJI, so please use at your own risk. Perhaps the files became corrupted from the temperature (hovering around freezing) or some other issue, but I switched over to my own SanDisk-branded mini SDs for the remainder of my flying and never had the problem again. The Phantom 4 Pro is rated for use between 32° to 104° F (0° to 40° C). I’ve always found the Phantom series most useful for aerial tracking shots of a subject, establishing shots of buildings and general beauty shots, and that doesn’t change with the Phantom 4 Pro. The gimbal is just not sensitive enough to allow for moves where the camera is tilting mid-shot. You’ll want to look at the Inspire series for those types of moves. For an orbiting shot around your subject, I would highly recommend switching over to the “Circle” mode. These minor quibbles aside, the Phantom 4 Pro does what it’s supposed to do and does it well. This is the perfect solution for quick aerials in the field and it’s a blast to fly. Can it hold up head to head image wise against the larger and much pricier DJI Inspire series? No, but it’s not trying to. Considering the size and ease of setup, you really can’t find another drone in this weight class that can deliver this kind of image.  Image Credit: Rin Ehlers Sheldon Technical Highlights:  Max resolution:  4K (4096X2160) at 60fps/100Mbps bitrate H.264 or H.265 compression Larger 1-inch sensor 20MP camera Improved video transmission with DJI Lightbridge (4.3-mile range) High Dynamic Range mode: D-Log Mechanical shutter reduces Jello effect What do you think? Is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro the perfect drone for you? Or, is the DJI Inspire 2 more useful for your upcoming productions? Comment below!

The update to the DJI GO app for the Inspire, Phantom, Matrice and Osmo products brings compatibility with Facebook’s Live video streaming platform. After waiting over a month since their demonstration at Facebook’s F8 conference, DJI has finally made good on their promise. The latest update to the DJI GO App for compatible DJI products is already available on the iTunes App Store, with the Google Play Store to follow suit very soon. DJI’s GO App update is available now! Using your Facebook login details from within DJI’s GO app allows you to send a feed directly to your account. From there, the stream happens just like normal, with the quality of the feed depending on your network coverage. The app uses your phone’s built-in microphone too, so you can talk to your viewers in real time. It has been a great first half of the year for DJI, having released the Phantom 4, the latest incarnation of their budget line of drones. 2016 also saw the release of the Matrice 600 aerial platform, as well as improvements to the Osmo handheld gimbal, offering RAW capabilities and better stabilisation. All of these products are compatible with the DJI Go app, which probably means you will start seeing some quite interesting perspectives popping up as live video streams on your Facebook timeline in the near future. Will you be broadcasting live to Facebook using a DJI device? Make sure to let us and the whole cinema5D Facebook community know! You can find us @c5Dnews. via CNET

It is quite possibly the coolest camera around. Due to its price, it is unfortunately out of reach for most users. With the capability of shooting 1000fps at 4K resolution, the Phantom Flex 4K is a beast to be reckoned with. The data media management side, on the other hand, has always been troublesome. 64GB are used for a 5 second shot (in real time terms), with only limited ways to access the footage from the camera. That is where PHANTOMfuse from Kamerawerk comes in. Digital Image Technicians fear the word “Phantom.” Converting Phantom Cine Files is cumbersome and takes a lot of time. In order to combat this, Vision Research recently launched a new firmware upgrade for the Phantom Flex 4K camera, which allows for simultaneous CineRaw and ProRes422(HQ) recording. This has almost completely cut out the need to convert Phantom RAW files on set. It does however also mean that less space is available on the CineMag, thus enforcing a faster turnaround to make safe and verified copies. To get access to the Phantom’s CineFiles, DIT’s connected a CineStation via a 10GB ethernet hub to a Mac or PC. Only limited software such as Seance on MacOS or PCC on Windows could read the CineMag. It doesn’t show on the desktop as a card or a virtual drive, it had to go through specific software to get access to the Cine RAW files from the Phantom, and then to be able to download CineFiles from the CineStation. The Files would be processed through this software, and then copies would be made afterwards. With PHANTOMfuse, you can knock two birds with one stone. By just installing the software, it creates a virtual drive of the CineMags that are docked in the CineStation and displays it in the File Browser. This either allows for easy drag-and-drop from the card straight onto a drive, or for media management software, such as Pomfort’s Silverstack, to recognize the card and perform verified and safe copies on-set within their Browser. PHANTOMfuse automatically detects CineMags and creates reels for them. Usually, the Phantom is not an A Camera on-set, and I haven’t been able to figure out whether one can change the naming convention from A to something else. This could be a slight setback. The software is currently in BETA stage, available for OSX and is free to test for 14 Days. Price is yet to be determined. Feel free to look at PHANTOMfuse website.

Blackmagic Design just introduced their first 4K disk recorder / monitor, challenging the Atomos Shogun recorders with a high resolution 1080p display and SDI / HDMI connectivity at an impressive pricepoint of just $895. Blackmagic Design Video Assist 4K After Atomos surprised us with yet another version of their high end HDR disk recorder, the Atomos Shogun Inferno, Blackmagic seems to be right at their heels with the new Blackmagic Video Assist 4K. What is interesting about this 4K SDI / HDMI recorder is mainly its price of $895. In comparison, the original Atomos Shogun is still $1495. At this point, I should also mention that the while the Blackmagic Video Assist 4K shares the SDI and HDMI connectivity of the Shogun, the Atomos has gone through a year’s worth of numerous firmware updates that have made it a very feature-rich tool. Just like the original HD Video Assist, I presume the Video Assist 4K is still very basic in terms of its features. If you’re searching for basic functionality though, the Blackmagic Video Assist 4K looks like a pretty interesting deal. It also offers a few nice features: it records directly to affordable and compact UHS-II SDHC Media and can even record to both simultaneously for a quick backup solution. Also when one card is full it switches over to the next card for continuous recording. There are also 2 mini XLR connectors for audio, including 48V phantom power for microphones and last but not least LANC control and HDMI and SDI rec-trigger: a very important feature when you’re working in the field and want to be quick as a single operator shooter. The 6G SDI input will enable recording from some of Blackmagic’s new cameras for a higher data rate. In comparison, most other camera manufacturers still use 3G-SDI that cause problems when working with 4K footage, degrading external recordings like on the FS7. Blackmagic Video Assist 4K Key Features 7 inch LCD touch screen with 1920 x 1200 high resolution monitor. 10-bit 4:2:2 HD ProRes or DNxHD recording. Dual high speed UHS-II SDHC card slots. Dual recorders allow non-stop recording. 2 mini XLR connectors with 48V phantom power. -128dBV electrical noise floor. LANC connection for remote control. Auto start/stop recording using HDMI or SDI triggers. Includes slots for 2 hot pluggable batteries as well as 12V DC power input. Included kickstand. Includes 6G-SDI input. The Blackmagic Video Assist 4K is available now and retails for $895.