Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
DJI’s recent announcement was not the rumoured Mavic Mini drone that some had been expecting. Instead, it was the DJI Osmo 3, a folding handheld gimbal for smartphones. But that hasn’t stopped more leaks about a mythical DJI Spark upgrade from happening.
The video above, originally posted to TikTok by a user of a closed Facebook group about DJI gear, purports to show the new DJI Mavic Mini drone, folded up, from various angles.
DJI’s last two iterations of Osmo Mobile handheld gimbal for smartphones have been pretty popular. But like most smartphone gimbals, they can be a bit big when not in use, not that easy to transport. So, for the new Osmo Mobile 3 announced today (nope, it wasn’t a drone announcement), DJI has gone foldable. As well as being physically smaller than the Osmo Mobile 2, the price is a little smaller, too, at only $119 for the basic package.
The DJI Spark was announced in July 2017, and many felt it was a little underwhelming, especially since the DJI Mavic Air was announced just six months later in January 2018. The price point of the Mavic Air made it clear that this was not a Spark replacement, but it did make the shortcomings of the Spark more noticeable.
The DJI Spark 2 was expected to be announced at some point last month, but that announcement was rumoured to be delayed. Now reports suggest that the Spark replacement might actually an entirely new line of drone. The Mavic Mini.
Gizmodo Japan has spotted a design patent filed by DJI for a camera that looks remarkably similar to the Hasselblad X1D 50c. Of course, DJI essentially owns Hasselblad after becoming the majority stakeholder a couple of years ago, and DJI’s own Mavic 2 Pro contains a Hasselblad branded camera. But it seems now that DJI is going to be remaking Hasselblad cameras in their own image.
With the consumer and commercial video drone markets pretty much sewn up, DJI is turning its attention towards drone racing, with the new DJI Digital First Person Viewing (FPV) Transmission System. The system includes goggles, an FPV Air Unit Transmission Module, an FPV remote controller and an FPV camera.
Together, DJI says, the system offers smooth, clear HD video, with ultra-low latency and long-range transmission. The FPV camera can also record 1080p video at 60fps, or 720p at 120fps, while the goggles can record 720p at 60fps for instant playback. They also say it holds some strong anti-interference technology, too.
If you fly a drone as a recreational pilot in the U.S., here’s some good news. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it’s now granting you a near-instant authorization to fly in controlled airspace. The expanded Low Altitude Authorization and Capability (LAANC) system will allow recreational drone pilots to fly around approximately 600 airports.
The Gimbal Wars – we can call it that, right? – have been hotting up over the last few years with the likes of DJI, Zhiyun, Moza and others all competing for your gimbal dollars. There seems to be a constant struggle between them over load capacity, responsiveness, smoothness of motion, camera connectivity, mobile control and a bunch of other factors.
But probably the biggest complaint with the DJI Ronin-S was that of weight. It’s a hefty beast. Well now, DJI has announced the new DJI Ronin-SC motorised 3-axis gimbal designed specifically for use with mirrorless cameras, weighing in at only 1.1kg (2.4lbs – 41% lighter than the Ronin-S) and can be taken apart for easy storing in your backpack.[Read More…]
Earlier this year, the BBC aired two shows about drone safety. DJI has formally filed a complaint against the BBC in an open letter, calling them out for “sensationalist” and “biased” program about drones.
The DJI Ronin-S has been a very popular gimbal ever since it was first released. But one of the biggest complaints against it is its weight. After trying the Ronin-S side-by-side with my Zhiyun Crane 2, I can certainly sympathise with those complaints. But it looks like DJI might be getting ready to announce a newer, lighter gimbal for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
The teaser image at the top of this page was posted to the DJI website with a link to sign up for notifications. It obviously shows a gimbal with a DSLR mounted on it and the claim “Lighter and Smarter than Ever?”. A short teaser video was also posted by DJI to Twitter.
It appears that DJI’s newest toy isn’t a drone at all, but a battle robot kit you build yourself. Ok, so you don’t have to go sign up for Robot Wars with this thing, and you can probably configure it a bunch of different ways. But apparently it’s called the DJI Robomaster S1 and it’ll cost $499.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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