Chinese lightweight drones are conquering the U.S. commercial market from real estate to filmmaking businesses. (Photo : YouTube)
DJI recently unveiled its Phantom 3 drones that finally paves the way for easy 4K aerial footages.
The new Phantom 3 line has been upgraded with more powerful motors and a camera that can take 4K videos and pictures.
At $1259, the DJI Phantom 3 Professional can capture 4K videos and 12MP photos, while the cheaper $999 Phantom 3 Advanced also captures 12MP pictures and up to 1080p video. Both newer models have eliminated the fisheye lens from its Phantom 2 predecessor.
Phantom 3 drones can save photos in Adobe DNG RAW format. 4K footages can be recorded in 24, 25 or 30 FPS. 1080p videos can be recorded in 60 FPS for those who want slow motion, according to Ars Technica.
DJI said that the Phantom 3 motors are faster and more efficient, compared to the Phantom to in terms of acceleration and deceleration. The new drones can reach speeds of up to 36 MPH with the maximum ascent speed around 13 MPH and descent speed of about 4 MPH.
The new Phantom 3 drones weigh almost the same at 1280g, but it is powered by a smaller battery of 4480mAh, compared to the Phantom 2's 5200mAh. However, the flight duration is still the same at 23 minutes.
In addition, DJI is also making the Lightbridge downlink from the drones to live stream 720p video to Android and iOS devices. There is also a one-click option for automatic YouTube streaming integrated with the Pilot firmware, according to Tech Crunch.
DJI also added an app dubbed as "Director," which compiles all the best parts of a flight footage into a video, complete with music, just before the drone lands on the ground. It will also be able to share the video on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and YouKu.
Philip Bloom from the upcoming "The Wonder List with Bill Weir" show on CNN used a Phantom 2 for footages.
"Anybody who shoots, anybody who films like I do, most of their stuff is on a tripod," Bloom said in an interview. But once you start using this, it opens up your creativity in a way that no other piece of gear does," said Bloom.
