Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
The DJI Phantom line of drones are probably the most recognised drones around the world. But reports and circumstantial evidence suggests that the DJI Phantom’s time has come to an end. DJI representatives have even suggested the same, although DJI has officially denied this.
The websites of large retailers from around the world are reporting that they are out of stock of the current model Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. B&H lists the product as being discontinued.
Founded in 2012, ParaZero specialises in the development of parachute systems for both manned and unmanned vehicles. And we’ve shown you some of their drone parachute technology a couple of years ago being tested on a 3DR Solo. Since then, ParaZero has gone on to produce a range of “SafeAir” parachutes for larger drone models, like the DJI Matrice 600 series.
Now, though, they’re looking at a more mainstream audience, offering new SafeAir parachutes for DJI’s very popular Mavic Pro and Phantom series drones. The biggest benefit of this new model is that in the event the chute needs to be used, it can be repacked by the end user, and reused in the future.
High speed cameras are generally out of reach for most people. Sure, our iPhones can do 240fps now, and there’s a few postage stamp 1000fps compacts, but if you want to go faster, you’re generally out of luck. High speed cameras come with very high price tags, and even renting them is an absurd amount of money for the majority of us.
Now, there’s a new high speed player in the field, the Chronos. Developed from scratch by lone engineer David Kronstein, the Chronos costs less to own than the alternatives cost to hire for a day. It’s still not quite perfect. The software needs some work and it has a maximum resolution of 1280×1024, but it represents some much needed low cost competition in the high speed market. This video from Taofledermaus is the first unit to be sent out for testing and review.
This might sound like a click-baity title, but this is essentially what will happen if the current “Prototype regulations” go through. It’s difficult to know just where to begin when trying to describe how ludicrous some of these regulations are. They would essentially outlaw almost every drone currently on the market. The European Aviation Safety Authority also can’t seem to figure out the difference between drones and “model aircraft”, so they’re being pulled in as well.
In the UK and throughout Europe, right now, we have some fairly healthy drone rules which allow hobbyists a lot of freedom to pursue their hobby. The new regulations would place very impractical if not virtually impossible limitations on what and how you can fly. This video from First Person View goes through the basics of these regulations, and what they mean.
Gavin Free of the Slow Mo Guys is no stranger to Phantom cameras. In his time producing slow motion videos, he’s used pretty much all of the ones they make at some point. In this new video for their “Behind the Scenes” channel, Gavin takes a trip to Vision Research in New Jersey to see how they’re made.
Having donned his anti-static lab coat, Gavin, along with the rest of us, are taken on a tour of the production line. Starting with the bare circuit boards and resulting with a fully finished Phantom v1612, capable of capturing a million frames per second. We also see them testing out one of their new Phantom VEO 640 cameras with water droplets.
Food can be a difficult subject to photograph. There’s all kinds of things to take into account about the colour and texture of the food. You’ve got to make it look appetising to the camera, even if it doesn’t always look that way in real life. Shooting a single frame is difficult enough. So, imagine adding computer controlled knives, robot arm and a slow motion camera into the mix.
Then imagine dropping all the components of your meal from various heights and having them land perfectly. All this, while trying to keep it looking appetising throughout. Well, that’s exactly what director and visual engineer Steve Giralt did in his Deconstructed Burger Concept video.
DJI, manufacturer of the very popular series of Phantom drones, have opened up a new facility in South Korea. Named the DJI Arena, it allows drone owners to learn more about how to fly their craft. It’s a fairly substantial size, with 1,395 square metres (15,015 sq ft.) of space. It also offers an obstacle course, for those wanting to test their aerial prowess.
Their goal is to “help foster the local drone culture and play an important role in building a healthy UAV ecosystem in Korea”. A noble goal, but I do hope they consider doing this in other parts of the world, too.
DJI first introduced geofencing capabilities to its drones in 2013. It’s a technology that uses the GPS data to prevent drones from flying into no-fly-zones such as airports. Now, DJI have released GEO (Geospatial Environment Online) which provides drone pilots with up-to-date information on where restricted locations exist.
As well as the permanently restricted areas that have always been in place, the new system allows for the creation of temporary no-fly-zones for unfolding events, such as forest fires. This would prevent flights into, or taking off from within these areas. Drone operators also now have the ability to opt out.
It’s getting to become a pretty common occurrence lately. Somebody flies a drone, somebody else gets hit in the head by it. Well, when they’re not being speared out of the sky.
This time, however, it is believed that it wasn’t pilot error or a drone malfunction, but simply mother nature doing her thing as the drone collided with the face of aspiring model Jess Adams.
Manfrotto has launched a new lineup of backpacks made specifically for drones.
The first bag in the series is the Aviator D1, a traditional style camera backpack that swaps the traditional gridded insert design for medium-sized drones, specifically models found in DJI’s Phantom lineup.[Read More…]
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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