High-end consumer drone producer DJI has announced the release of its Mini 5 Pro. Not only does it claim to be the world's first palm-sized drone with a one-inch image sensor, but it's got a few other hard-to-resist tricks up its sleeve.
When it comes to drones, size really does matter. That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself. If you're a drone hobbyist, you might be happy with a pocket-sized drone that flies in pre-determined patterns, doesn't require specialized goggles, and has a great return-home feature if something goes wrong. In that case, DJI's Flip or the HoverAir X1 Promax would do you right.
If you're more of a pro drone jockey, or someone who really cares about image quality, then DJI's larger and much more expensive (the size of your wallet matters in the drone game as well), Mavic 4 Pro would do the trick.
But size also matters when it comes to the image sensor embedded inside any drone's camera system. Until now, only larger drones had image sensors coming in at an inch or more (the Mavic has a 1.5-inch sensor, for example). Thanks to the Mini 5 Pro, though, consumers can now get pro-level image processing, in an easy-to-operate, lightweight, handheld flyer.
According to DJI, the one-inch CMOS sensor inside the Mini 5 Pro's camera will deliver pro-level images, even in low light. It supports 4K/60fps video recording with up to 14 stops of dynamic range, meaning it can handle itself well in a wide variety of lighting conditions. It can also step things up to 4K/120fps for slow-motion video capture. Of course, the camera is also packed with a range of onboard intelligent modes and algorithms that work hard to produce cinematographer-level images as they are being captured. The video quality certainly looks top-rate in the following promotional clip released today by DJI.
The drone also features a new 48-mm Med-Tele mode, which is a zoom feature besting what was previously available in the DJI's Mini Pro line. Additionally, the shooter comes with DJI's portrait optimization feature to make shots of people look their best.
An onboard gimbal supports 225° roll rotation for some very cool acrobatic shots, and the camera is also capable of what DJI calls True Vertical Shooting, which allows it to record in a portrait orientation rather than requiring post-capture editing to achieve the same effect. The Mini Pro 5 also has an upgraded version of DJI's tracking feature called ActiveTrack 360° which, the company says, means that "tracking performance has been enhanced to balance speed, agility, and safety."
In terms of the drone side of things, the Mini 5 Pro is equipped with a set of forward-facing LiDAR sensors, front and back fisheye lenses, and binocular lenses and a 3D infrared sensor on the bottom that keep it from running into obstacles, even when flying at night.
All of that comes in a package that measures 157 × 95 × 68 mm (about 6.2 x 3.7 x 2.6 in) when folded, and 255×181×91 mm (about 10 x 7 x 3.5 in) when unfolded, and weighs just under 250 grams (about a half pound). The drone promises a max flight time of 36 minutes when using the standard battery or 52 minutes when equipped with DJI's Intelligent Flight Battery Plus. That translates into a max flight distance of 32 km (about 20 miles) with the better battery.
The drone is available now in Europe for €809 (link not yet available in the USA), which includes a controller. Stepping that up to €1,019 will get you three Intelligent Flight Batteries, a charging hub, shoulder bag and a few other accessories.
We reached out to DJI regarding a possible US release and received the following response from a company spokesperson: "The DJI Mini 5 Pro will not be available officially in the United States upon its global launch on September 17. DJI remains dedicated to the US market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."
Source: DJI
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