DJI looks like it’s about to release a cinematic FPV drone to go with its FPV Goggles, judging by a leak fromTwitter and Weibo. It would be called the DJI FPV and feature three-bladed props, a hump with a frosted canopy, and what looks like a heat sync on the front of the drone. Also in the box are DJI’s FPV Goggles and a sleek controller spotted by “Aerial photography” on Weibo last month.
The product differs from DJI’s other drones, which are all designed for aerial photography rather than FPV. At the same time, it bears little resemblance to competition FPV drones. Rather, this model could be DJI’s attempt to capture the latest trend in drones, cinematic FPV flying. That involves capturing high-speed, dreamlike flying scenes as shown in the video below, or in others like this one from GoPro.
The drone looks to have a frosted plastic canopy that likely has the drone’s GPS and other brains in it. The battery likely goes in the rear of the drone. We can see a heat sink on top of the drone’s front section likely used to keep the camera cool in flight.
From the image, we can’t actually see the drone’s camera, so we can’t really talk much about it just yet. Osita mentions that someone who got an evaluation model didn’t stick to DJI’s NDA in the tweet with the images. He has said this as last month retailers began to receive models to test out before selling them.
Taking a look at the tweet, Osita starts by saying, “if the drone really comes out, this will be the specs.” This could mean two things. He isn’t sure when DJI plans to bring the drone out or is just saying it to have some fun with us.
The DJI FPV could have 4K 60 fps on-board recording with stabilization that’s more suitable for cinema-like video than racing (comp drones generally have low-latency, low-resolution cameras). The 150 km/h (93 mph) maximum speed is also good for video but slower than the 120 mph+ speeds of competition FPV drones. All that said, the DJI FPV would be likely be great for recreational FPV flying/racing, as well.
As it stands now, high-speed cinematic FPV drones are largely cobbled together with parts, using cameras from GoPro and others, often with stabilization software like ReelSteady. Those are then fitted to special racing drones that can handle the weight. If the leak is accurate it means that DJI is simplifying that idea and making it more consumer friendly, just as it did with aerial photography drones.
