DJI Announce Their First Drone Zoom Camera – Zenmuse Z3

DJI Announce Their First Drone Zoom Camera – Zenmuse Z3 Sebastian Wöber by Sebastian Wöber | 14th July 2016 Zenmuse Z3 - Drone Zoom Camera DJI just announced the introduction of a drone zoom camera called the DJI Zenmuse Z3. It is an upgrade to the popular Zenmuse X3, which is their entry level integrated drone camera used on the DJI Inspire 1 and DJI Osmo. The Zenmuse Z3 will offer a zoom of up to 7x. That is a 3.5x optical zoom with a digital scaler doing the rest. Although the press release indicates this zoom camera is aimed mainly at industrial applications such as inspection and surveying, it certainly also gives filmmakers interesting new possibilities. A different focal length can come in handy in many filming situations. Zenmuse Z3 Side - Drone Zoom Camera The Zenmuse Z3 is compatible with the Inspire 1, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600 drones. Unfortunately it will not be compatible with the DJI Osmo, though a separate version for the Osmo will apparently be launched in August. It can capture the same 30fps 4K video and 12mp dng stills as the Zenmuse X3, so we can assume the quality will be similar. The higher-priced Zenmuse X5 and X5R offer much better quality in comparison (see our test video here). DJI Zenmuse Z3 on DJI Inspire 1 The DJI Zenmuse Z3 is integrated into the DJI GO app and uses a swipe gesture to zoom in and out. The effective zoom range of the DJI Zenmuse Z3 is 22 mm to 77 mm on its Sony 1/2.3-inch sensor, and it has a maximum aperture of F/2.8 and F/5.2 at 22 millimeters and 77 millimeters respectively. While low quality is a concern, this is certainly a step in the right direction for DJI. I think we can assume that an upgraded lens for the Zenmuse X5 and X5R is on its way, which may offer the same kind of zooming functionality via their app. DJI Zenmuse Z3 Drone Zoom Camera The only negative news about this announcement is that it might stir up people’s privacy concerns even more. The “I cannot zoom in anyway!” argument will certainly not hold water any longer.

DRONE REVIEW: DJI MAVIC PRO

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The arc of technological progress bends toward miniaturization. While DJI wasn’t the first company to glimpse the potential of foldable drones, they’ve had the good fortune to be among the first to market with one that didn’t have to be recalled. We turned the tiny Mavic Pro over to N.J. photographer and director David Patiño to see if size really does matter. FEATURES Beyond its foldable design (more on that below), the Mavic Pro boasts a ½.3-inch CMOS sensor with a native ISO of 100-3200 for video and 100-1600 for stills. It can record 4K (4096 x 2160) at 24p or 30p video at 3840 x 2160. For faster moving subjects you can bump frame rates to 96p when shooting in full HD or up to 120p when shooting at 1280 x 720 resolution. The camera sports a 28mm f/2.2 equivalent lens and sits on a 3-axis gimbal. The Mavic can snap 12-megapixel RAW still images in the DNG format. You’ll have some basic control over exposure settings through the DJI Go app (iOS and Android). Beyond its imaging features, the Mavic Pro is the beneficiary of a number of DJI’s automated flying modes. Those modes include TapFly, which sends the drone off smoothly in the direction you tap on the DJI Go app, freeing you to focus on adjusting the camera. A Gesture Mode enables you to take aerial selfies (which we’re calling “dronies” now, apparently) by waving at the camera to trigger the shutter. There’s also a Tripod Mode to slow the drone’s movements to give you greater control. It boasts five sensors (two forward facing and three aimed to the ground) to create 3D obstacle maps during takeoff and flight. These sensors ensure that the Mavic Pro will automatically avoid obstacles in its path during any of the autonomous flying modes and during a return-to-home flight. They also enable safe indoor flight when a GPS connection is lost, provided the surrounding area doesn’t confuse those sensors. The Mavic Pro can hit speeds up to 40 MPH in sport mode, though Patiño tells us owners of larger drones may feel like the Mavic is even faster as its petite size gives it the appearance of speedier motion. DESIGN “It’s a Transformer, how cool is that?” Patiño tell us. And while Transformer fans will no doubt quibble with this description, it’s close enough to the mark. The Mavic Pro’s propellers and landing gear can be folded up so that they sit flush with the drone’s body. Once collapsed, the Mavic Pro is ridiculously small. It could be dropped into just about any backpack or handbag without trouble. At only 1.62 pounds, you could throw an extra battery in there and not notice. “Its size is its greatest asset,” Patiño says. For one thing, he says, you can likely dispense with the custom cases designed for large, fixed-propeller drones—for light day travel, you could use any well-padded photo gear bag. The Mavic Pro is small enough that it’s plausible that we’ll see dedicated compartments for it and similar-sized foldable drones in photo bags in the not-too-distant future. You would think that the Mavic Pro’s foldable design implies a flimsy build, but quite the contrary. It’s surprisingly sturdy. The drone took a few unintended bumps during one indoor flight (the obstacle avoidance system gets confused with large white spaces like cyc walls) and emerged unscathed. The folding/unfolding process is also quick—a matter of seconds, not minutes, to have it up and flying. For outdoor/action filmmakers and photographers, the Mavic Pro is a compelling travel companion. The remote control is also well designed, durable and the joysticks are responsive. It looks a bit like a PlayStation remote with a mount for Android or iOS phones. However, like other DJI remotes, the battery isn’t removable so if it craps out on you, you’re stuck. “This drives me nuts,” Patiño says. You can fly the Mavic Pro with just a phone using the DJI Go app, but that’s a much clumsier approach if you’re manually operating the craft. It also puts you at the mercy of your mobile phone battery, which could be shorter-lived than the Mavic’s own remote. IMAGE QUALITY Patiño says the image quality from the Mavic Pro was excellent, given its small sensor. While the Mavic Pro won’t deliver the wider dynamic range shots you can expect from DJI’s Inspire 1 or 2, the image quality isn’t dramatically different from the Phantom 4. Like small sensor action cams, you’re not enjoying a very wide ISO and highlights can get blown out. Color rendition was accurate. For aerial work that doesn’t require extensive pixel peeping, like some real estate photography, Patiño says the Mavic Pro should have no trouble fitting the bill. PERFORMANCE If you’re considering a Mavic Pro and have used a Phantom 4 or Inspire (or similarly sized drone), you may be surprised by just how much the Mavic sways under the breeze, Patiño warns. Fortunately, the gimbal is responsive enough that the footage remains steady despite the craft’s movement, Patiño adds. The battery life is also fairly solid at around 20-22 minutes of flight time in fairly calm weather. DJI has been at the forefront of refining and advancing automated flying modes and the Mavic Pro is the beneficiary of advancements rolled out in the Phantom 4. We were able to safely fly indoors (barring the unfortunate cyc wall bump), avoid obstacles automatically and track subjects. Despite its tiny size, the Mavic isn’t substantially less noisy than larger drones, so the angry-swarm-of-bees sound will be with drone operators a bit longer. BOTTOM LINE For Patiño, the Mavic Pro’s size (or lack thereof) is really nothing short of game changing. The image quality is not on par with the larger-sensor models, but just as smartphone image quality has continued to improve, so has the imaging on small chip action and drone cameras, Patiño says. With its compact form, durable build and suite of intelligent flying features, the Mavic Pro marks a welcome new era of travel-friendly flying cameras. DJI MAVIC PRO www.dji.com PROS: Tiny, foldable design; sturdy build; excellent remote; intelligent flying features; good image quality. CONS: Remote battery is non-removable; drone less stable in the wind. PRICE: $999

the Mavic Pro is a great flyer but now it's a great ground camera, too

The Mavic Pro is a great flyer but now it's a great ground camera, too  Zenmuse Z3,
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Adventure photography company PolarPro is aiming to bring more shooting possibilities with both the GoPro Hero5 and the DJI Mavic Pro. On April 17, PolarPro announced a Hero5 dome for capturing split footage both above and below the waterline, while the new Katana Mavic Tray allows Mavic Pro users to shoot stable footage from the ground. Both products are debuting at the NAB Expo, April 24-27. The GoPro Hero5 is designed to go almost anywhere, but the new PolarPro FiftyFifty Hero5 Dome makes it easy to place the camera right at the waterline, keeping half of the shot underwater and half of the shot above. A floating Yukon grip works with the lens dome to keep the camera steady at the water’s surface. The dome clips on to the front of the camera and uses optics designed for enhanced clarity at the water line, while the dome shape helps push the water away from the lens to create that split effect. The $50 accessory is designed to create the split level effect without expensive dive housings and includes the dome, floating grip, leash, and thumbscrew. The dome also carries the same 33-foot depth rating as the housing-free Hero5. DJI’s Mavic drone includes both a camera and a gimbal — and the PolarPro Katana Mavic Tray allows both to be used from the ground by creating an easier way to grip the system to shoot handheld. The grip wraps around the sides of the drone when folded, with two handles coming out on top for a comfortable grip. A smartphone slot allows users to frame the shot using the preview from the Mavic’s app. By giving the Mavic a comfortable grip and a preview screen, PolarPro aims to help the drone’s owners use the camera and gimbal system in no-fly areas or for adding more variety to the shots with some ground-based footage. The tray is constructed using glass-filled nylon and is expected to retail for $50. Both the lens dome and grip tray are now available for pre-order from PolarPro. Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/polarpro-launches-hero5-fiftyfifty-mavic-pro-tray/#ixzz4f4OKmu7S Follow us: @digitaltrends on Twitter | DigitalTrends on Facebook

The leaked DJI Spark looks to be the Mavic Pro’s little

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DJI appears to be about to launch a drone even smaller than the Mavic Pro. Supposedly called the Spark, pics of the little drone have been popping up on several sites, though DJI has yet to officially announce it. First, the Spark is smaller than the Mavic Pro when the Mavic’s prop arms are extended. The Spark appears to have fixed arms and brushless motors similar to the Mavic’s, just slightly smaller. The bottom of the drone seems to have downward-facing sensors, likely to assist in positioning. There’s also a panel on the front above the camera that could hide additional sensors, so the Spark might have the ability to avoid obstacles. The camera is mounted on a gimbal that looks a bit different from the one used on the Mavic. On the Spark, the camera appears to be only able to tilt up and down. Panning side-to-side could require the drone to rotate. The camera’s specs are unknown. Drone forums are speculating about the Spark’s intended market. Some argue that it will be a selfie drone, while others state a racing drone. Both seem possible. DJI already has impressive gesture controllers on the Phantom 4 and Mavic Pro, which, if incorporated in the Spark, would make it a fantastic selfie drone. And the diminutive size would work well for both uses, too. Others have speculated that the Spark would be compatible with DJI’s FPV goggles — a must for any racing drone. The leaked images show a drone that has DJI’s characteristics all over it. The fit and finish are superb and the bottom of the rotors feature the same caps used on the Mavic Pro. The battery design is similar to the Mavic’s, though features what appears to be four contact points that could be used for a charging dock or landing platform. DJI just registered a trademark for Spark, too. What about the controller? Nearly every bit of the Spark has leaked through various sources and yet the controller remains a secret. Either DJI is keeping this part of the drone close or the Spark is controlled through a smartphone app. We’ve been unable to track down the original source of some of the images. If they’re yours, shoot us a note. We want to give you credit and ask a couple of questions. The site that hosted the original images is down. Today, several videos (embedded below) were posted that show the drone powered on. Starting with just the Phantom, DJI has rapidly expanded its consumer drone line to hit different price points. The Inspire 1 gives professional consumers more control and capabilities while the Phantom 4 strikes a nice balance of size, camera quality and range. The Mavic Pro was DJI’s smallest drone when first released, yet it still packs most of the Phantom 4’s ability. The Spark will likely be available at an even lower price point and appeal to buyers curious about drones, but not willing to drop $1,000 on a Mavic Pro.

Review Of DJI’s Mavic Pro

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Rick Smith is back. The career engineer, known for his meticulous tear-downs and no-nonsense reviews that have made Drone Valley such a success, is reviewing and scoring DJI’s Mavic Pro as part of his “TDC Scored” partnership with The Digital Circuit. Rick flies each drone he tests extensively, then assigns marks according to its various components and features. The final score is out of 100 – and there are different scoring criteria depending on the price point of the drones. Obviously, we couldn’t compare an entry-level hobby quad directly against a high-end system. Over time, we’ll build a database we believe will become the Gold Standard for drone scores in everything from the toy/beginner categories right through to professional models like the Inspire 2. The first time around, Rick did an amazingly thorough review of the prosumer DJI Phantom 4 Pro. So thorough, in fact, that his review clocked in at close to 40 minutes! We discussed the pros and cons of breaking up the reviews into smaller chunks and decided to do exactly that. This means we’ll be able to tap into Rick’s expertise on a more frequent basis. (He also imparts so much information, quite frankly, that smaller bites might be easier for viewers to process.) In this extensive Part 1 review, Rick takes a look at the “Quad” itself. What does that mean? Well, let’s have a look. There are 10 categories in all, each worth four points. RANGE: 4/4 Mavic Pro flight range Rick has flown his Mavic Pro for some six months now (though not continuously!), and has been incredibly impressed with the range. He offers more complete observations in the video, but clearly feels you can’t beat this machine for the price. It flies well beyond Visual Line of Sight, which means the signal is strong enough to avoid much of the noise that floats through our airwaves and could interfere with less robust quads. FLIGHT TIME: 4/4 Mavic Pro flight time Not much more to add here. It’s a very efficient machine, with DJI-designed and built motors. The body itself also has some aerodynamic qualities, and Rick is a big fan of the intelligent batteries, which contain their own circuit boards that ensure even charging of the cells (and discharging as well). BUILD QUALITY 3/4 Mavic Pro build quality Though Rick is very impressed by the build quality, he notes that the limited ground clearance can potentially cause a few problems. Landing in tall grass, for example, is likely to wrap a bit of foliage around those props – and he has some concerns about the camera protection (or lack thereof) due to the low clearance. Rick also notes that taking off from a dusty environment could lead to dust entering an intake fan, which might not be great over time. Overall, he’s a huge fan of the build, especially given this was a first-generation effort. But he felt a small deduction was required in this department. PORTABILITY: 4/4 Mavic Pro portability What can you say? With its folding form factor, Rick notes you could stick this thing in the pocket of a pair of baggy pants. Plus, the remote is a totally new and very compact design. And really, if you’re doing some travelling, what other drone so easily fits in a glove box or small shoulder bag? This was, and is, a revolutionary piece of engineering. WEIGHT: 4/4 Mavic Pro weight Again, the Mavic Pro’s low weight gives it high marks in Rick’s mind. He points out it weighs about the same as an iPad pro, and about half the weight of many other popular drones in this price point. STABILITY: 4/4 Mavic Pro stability Rick (and others) have noted that the Mavic Pro is a rock. Exceptionally stable in even high winds, the Mavic barely deviates from its point in 3D space. That’s pretty remarkable, and garners full marks for the category. OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE: 3/4 Mavic Pro obstacle avoidance Here, Rick points out that the Mavic Pro’s obstacle avoidance system, though good, is somewhat limited. The forward-facing stereo cameras do an excellent job and essentially create a 3D map of the area during flight – but there are no sensors on the sides or rear of the quad. The downward-facing vision system does, however, provide warning of uneven terrain – a bonus. RETURN TO HOME: 4/4 Mavic Pro return to home Rick is a big fan of the intelligent RTH abilities of the Mavic Pro. It can be set to recognize the controller as the home point (great if you happen to be walking while flying), but can also return precisely to the original take-off point. The downward-facing cameras snap images on take-off, and then compare that location as it settles in to land. Works great on a landing pad or clearly identifiable terrain; not as accurate on grass or areas with few distinguishing features. CONNECTION: 4/4 Mavic Pro OcuSync Once again, Rick gives high marks to the connectivity of the Mavic Pro. OcuSync scans for the best connectivity at liftoff, scans for the strongest channel in flight, and has very little lag. Rick says telemetry information lag is a mere 5ms, with 130ms lag for HD video. POSITIONING: 4/4 Mavic Pro Spatial Positioning Though similar to stability, it’s not exactly the same. The Mavic Pro, using both the GPS and GLONASS systems, knows precisely where it is in space. It’s almost like it’s locked there – unless you direct it to move. As an engineer, Rick knows that demands some pretty sophisticated electronics and algorithms. TOTAL SCORE Mavic Pro overall score So there you have Part One, with the Mavic Pro scoring a total of 38 of a possible 40 points on the Quad section. Coming up next? Controller: 20 possible marks Camera: 20 possible marks Software: 20 possible marks Bonus Section: Here, Rick will be allowed to add bonus marks if he feels the product has some particularly outstanding features in terms of Safety, Range, Gimbal or Price. One mark is permitted for each. Stay tuned: We’ll be looking for part two, The Controller, in about a week’s time. If you’d like to purchase a Mavic Pro through the DJI Store and help support our work, you can click this link. You pay the same price, and we receive a small commission to help continue work like this.