Drones

DJI Inspire 2: Professional-grade aerial cinematography in an all-in-one, ready to fly package

DJI Inspire 2: Professional-grade aerial cinematography in an all-in-one, ready to fly package
DJI Inspire 2: the most advanced all-in-one, pro-grade aerial camera platform on the market
DJI Inspire 2: the most advanced all-in-one, pro-grade aerial camera platform on the market
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DJI Inspire 2: upgraded motors and controllers give the Inspire a new top speed of 67mph and faster vertical rise and fall rates
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DJI Inspire 2: upgraded motors and controllers give the Inspire a new top speed of 67mph and faster vertical rise and fall rates
DJI Inspire 2: multiple camera and lens options make this the most sophisticated all-in-one camera drone out there
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DJI Inspire 2: multiple camera and lens options make this the most sophisticated all-in-one camera drone out there
DJI Inspire 2: the X5S camera option provides up to 5.2K RAW video capability. It's no joke.
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DJI Inspire 2: the X5S camera option provides up to 5.2K RAW video capability. It's no joke.
DJI Inspire 2: dual batteries boost the flight time up to 27 minutes - impressive for a large craft - and add redundancy in case of battery failure.
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DJI Inspire 2: dual batteries boost the flight time up to 27 minutes - impressive for a large craft - and add redundancy in case of battery failure.
DJI Inspire 2: dual batteries are self-heating for use in harsh, cold environments
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DJI Inspire 2: dual batteries are self-heating for use in harsh, cold environments
DJI Inspire 2: snap-on props make for quick setup
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DJI Inspire 2: snap-on props make for quick setup
DJI Inspire 2: downward facing ultrasound sensors and camera assist in terrain mapping and landing site management
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DJI Inspire 2: downward facing ultrasound sensors and camera assist in terrain mapping and landing site management
Magnesium aluminum composite shell helps keep the airframe weight down
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Magnesium aluminum composite shell helps keep the airframe weight down
DJI Inspire 2: a secondary, stabilized forward facing camera gives the pilot a different view from the cameraman in multi-operator situations
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DJI Inspire 2: a secondary, stabilized forward facing camera gives the pilot a different view from the cameraman in multi-operator situations
DJI Inspire 2: gimbal mount can accept several different DJI camera options
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DJI Inspire 2: gimbal mount can accept several different DJI camera options
DJI Inspire 2: clearly aiming at the professional user this time
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DJI Inspire 2: clearly aiming at the professional user this time
DJI Inspire 2: smaller camera increases flight endurance
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DJI Inspire 2: smaller camera increases flight endurance
DJI Inspire 2: bristling with pro video funcationality
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DJI Inspire 2: bristling with pro video funcationality
DJI Inspire 2: new controller supports the improved Lightbridge transmitter, which now gives you up to 7km of range
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DJI Inspire 2: new controller supports the improved Lightbridge transmitter, which now gives you up to 7km of range
DJI Inspire 2: multiple operators are possible with extra controllers
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DJI Inspire 2: multiple operators are possible with extra controllers
DJI Inspire 2: upgraded controller
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DJI Inspire 2: upgraded controller
DJI Zenmuse X4S camera: up to 4K/60fps. This is the cheaper, lightweight camera for the Inspire 2.
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DJI Zenmuse X4S camera: up to 4K/60fps. This is the cheaper, lightweight camera for the Inspire 2.
DJI Zenmuse X5S camera: up to 5.2k vision at high RAW bitrates.
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DJI Zenmuse X5S camera: up to 5.2k vision at high RAW bitrates.
DJI Zenmuse X5S: micro 4/3rds camera with interchangeable lenses
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DJI Zenmuse X5S: micro 4/3rds camera with interchangeable lenses
DJI Zenmuse X5S camera: pro grade RAW shooting capability with impressive dynamic range
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DJI Zenmuse X5S camera: pro grade RAW shooting capability with impressive dynamic range 
DJI Zenmuse X5S camera: capable of accepting zoom lenses
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DJI Zenmuse X5S camera: capable of accepting zoom lenses
DJI Inspire 2: the most advanced all-in-one, pro-grade aerial camera platform on the market
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DJI Inspire 2: the most advanced all-in-one, pro-grade aerial camera platform on the market
DJI Inspire 2: downward facing sensors track terrain to ensure it's suitable for landing. Not sure how it ended up here.
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DJI Inspire 2: downward facing sensors track terrain to ensure it's suitable for landing. Not sure how it ended up here.
DJI Inspire 2: redundant battery, compass, IMU and barometers will give filmmakers more confidence to fly over water
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DJI Inspire 2: redundant battery, compass, IMU and barometers will give filmmakers more confidence to fly over water
DJI Inspire 2: long range, high speed, smart aerial cinematography platform
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DJI Inspire 2: long range, high speed, smart aerial cinematography platform
DJI Inspire 2: no sideways obstacle avoidance gear, but there's forward, backward, upward and downward obstacle sensors
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DJI Inspire 2: no sideways obstacle avoidance gear, but there's forward, backward, upward and downward obstacle sensors
DJI Inspire 2: clearly positioned for use on professional film sets
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DJI Inspire 2: clearly positioned for use on professional film sets
DJI Inspire 2: instant live broadcast is now possible - if you've got a satellite truck handy
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DJI Inspire 2: instant live broadcast is now possible - if you've got a satellite truck handy
DJI Inspire 2: now boasts a 67mph top speed
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DJI Inspire 2: now boasts a 67mph top speed 
DJI Inspire 2: this dual-camera monster is the most advanced, pro-grade all-in-one aerial camera platform on the market
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DJI Inspire 2: this dual-camera monster is the most advanced, pro-grade all-in-one aerial camera platform on the market
DJI Inspire 2: by far the most advanced all-in-one aerial camera platform on the market
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DJI Inspire 2: by far the most advanced all-in-one aerial camera platform on the market
View gallery - 31 images

DJI's Inspire One was kind of like a Phantom drone for pilots with a bit of extra cash. But the Inspire 2 is a whole new ball game, with a distinct focus on industrial grade professional cinematography. And DJI has commissioned a short film, shot using only the Inspire 2, to prove the point.

There are some things a hobbyist user would probably enjoy a lot about the Inspire 2; its new top speed of 67 mph (108 km/h) would make for exhilarating flying, and could start to keep up with quick cars and motorcycles on vehicle shoots, for example.

Spotlight Pro is another pretty cool idea; it automatically tracks a subject even beyond the rotation range of the 360-degree camera gimbal by rotating the drone and reconfiguring the control inputs so the flight isn't interrupted. And in Composition mode, you can optically track a subject while keeping it locked to a non-central point of the screen, so you can set up a shot that makes more visual sense than your average tracking shot.

DJI Inspire 2: by far the most advanced all-in-one aerial camera platform on the market
DJI Inspire 2: by far the most advanced all-in-one aerial camera platform on the market

Also, some of the obstacle avoidance gear has come across from the Phantom 4 Pro, meaning limited forward facing sensors can stop you from running into things at up to 34 mph (55 km/h). Upward facing sensors assist with indoor flight, downward facing sensors assist in stable hovering while also detecting whether the terrain below is suitable for landing, and all these sensors build up a 3D map of the area you're flying in so the aircraft can safely return to home while steering clear of trouble.

But most of the toys added in the first major update of this flying camera platform are squarely aimed at video professionals.

An added front FPV camera with 2-axis stabilization means that in multiple operator scenarios, the pilot can still see straight ahead while the cinema camera is being pointed in any direction.

DJI Inspire 2: the X5S camera option provides up to 5.2K RAW video capability. It's no joke.
DJI Inspire 2: the X5S camera option provides up to 5.2K RAW video capability. It's no joke.

Dual batteries offer 98 watt-hours of capacity and a maximum 27 minute flight time with battery failure redundancy. They also self-heat to cope with icy environments for high altitude winter shoots. Further system redundancy comes in the form of dual inertial measurement units (IMUs), compasses and barometers, which are constantly monitored for faults.

Advanced image processing capabilities let the Inspire 2 handle 5.2K RAW video recording at 4.2 Gbps, which gives you plenty of room to cut an image down to 4K ultra HD. Built-in CINESSD allows super-quick data transfer on set. There's options, at extra cost, to record straight into CinemaDNG or ProRes 5.2K if that suits your workflow better.

There's simultaneous recording to both CINESSD and a MicroSD card, although at lower H.264/265 quality, that lets you do very quick 1080p previews of what you've shot without needing to trawl through the huge 5.2K files.

DJI Inspire 2: instant live broadcast is now possible - if you've got a satellite truck handy
DJI Inspire 2: instant live broadcast is now possible - if you've got a satellite truck handy

The upgraded Lightbridge video transmission system can now send high quality 1080p feeds back home from both the FPV and cinema camera, over a range up to 4.3 miles (7 km). Like the Phantom 4 Pro, you've now got the ability to switch between 2.4 Ghz and 5.8 Ghz if one delivers a stronger signal than the other in a given environment.

In Broadcast mode, you can live-stream in 1080i or 720p direct to TV by plugging the remote controller into a satellite broadcast truck.

To demonstrate the Inspire 2's filmmaking chops, DJI hired Life of Pi, Tomorrowland and Benjamin Button Director of Photography Claudio Miranda to shoot a short film using the drone with a top of the line DJI X5S camera. The film itself is … pretty ordinary. But it looks good, and it's fun to watch how Miranda and his team used the drone as an aerial camera, a steadicam, and in a few other fun ways during the shoot. Check out the behind the scenes video below.

DJI – Inspire 2 – Behind the Scenes – X5S Camera

As for the price tag for this monster of a thing? Well, you can pre-order it now for US$2,999 – that's just the airframe. A "premium combo" that includes the X5S camera and the CinemaDNG and Prores license keys will set you back $5,999. 480G CINESSD cards will set you back another $899, and the quick CINESSD reader for your PC will be another $149. If you want to use a separate focus puller, you're up for a further $1028.

It's not small bikkies. But considering the capabilities of this thing are approaching pro-level, and more than enough to make compelling content in the right hands, it's not outrageously expensive, either.

Take a look at the promo video below:

DJI – Introducing the Inspire 2

Source: DJI

View gallery - 31 images
2 comments
2 comments
MichaelScarborough
The turnkey price for the production build on this aircraft is staggering. Compared to using a helicopter for aerial work, the Inspire 2 is practically free.
ErstO
Wonder if this will ship faster then the DJI Mavic, ordered mine over a month ago and it still has not shipped :-(