DJI Phantom 4 is the sexiest * drone ever made

* At least that's what the creators say about him. Phantom 4 was introduced on March 1, at the same time pre-orders in the United States started, and the first copies will go to owners on April 15. Today we will try to tell you what one of the industry leaders brought to the new generation of its drones.

Specifications

Claimed flight time: up to 28 minutes (in Phantom 3 Pro it was up to 23 minutes)
Weight: 1380 grams
Max. rise / descent / flight speed: 21.5 / 14.3 / 72 km / h
Flight altitude ceiling: 6000 meters
Remote control: operating frequency 2.400 GHz - 2.483 GHz, signal transmission range 5 km
Battery: 5350 mAh (81.3 Wh; LiPo 4S, 15.2 Volts, 462 grams)
Camera: 12 MP, 1 / 2.3 "sensor, viewing angle 94 ° (EFR 20 mm), aperture f / 2.8, exposure range from 8 s to 1/8000 s
Photo capabilities: shooting in RAW ( DNG), image size 4000x3000, ISO in the range 100 - 1600
Video recording:4K at 24/25/30 fps, FHD up to 120 frames per second, video bitrate 60 Mbps, ISO: 100-3200
Declared price: $ 1,400 in the US, € 1,599 in Europe

More features on the official website .

DJI thoroughly prepared for the release of a new product and prepared a whole horde of promotional materials, including videos. Perhaps the most informative of these is this:

Materials, aerodynamics and a new battery

Goodies in the form of a visual positioning system will be left for later, but for now we will consider changes in physical dimensions and flight characteristics.

In the 4th version, according to the company, the aerodynamics of the body and the general maneuverability of the device are radically redesigned. The quadrocopter’s base is now made of magnesium alloy, which, together with the new battery and housing, allowed shifting the center of gravity closer to the level of the propellers, and this, in turn, should save the final picture from the “sudden” propellers in the frame with strong angles of the quadcopter.


Photo: The Verge

The weight of the device compared to the Phantom 3 Pro has increased by 100 grams due to the use of a more capacious battery. Apparently the company found the perfect balance between its capacity, the total weight of the quadrocopter and the power of the motors. The latter, by the way, were also processed. The maximum flight speed is now 20 meters per second or 72 km / h. The motors were made as open as possible for better blowing and cooling, which is important given the increased power.

Sensors, cameras, TapFly, ActiveTrack and that's it

An innovation in the third version of the Phantom series was the optical position sensor, which debuted in DJI Inspire 1. In fact, it is an ultrasonic sensor and a camera. Such a bundle made it possible to better maintain position and fly at low altitudes (up to 3 meters) in places with poor GPS reception.


In the 4th version of the quadrocopter, this system was improved by the introduction of another camera on the bottom of the quadrocopter. In addition, two cameras were installed in the front of the quadrocopter - they are mounted in the chassis. Thus, a bunch of four camera sensors, the main camera for recording video and an ultrasonic sensor form the so-called computer vision . All the most interesting innovations are tied to this system:

• ActiveTrack
  How did the Follow Me system work in previous drone models? The quadcopter simply tied to the coordinates of the smartphone and stupidly flew after it. Now, thanks to the system mentioned above, the device has learned to "see." It is enough to indicate on the screen a person, a car, a boat, yes anything - the quadrocopter will follow the indicated goal. Without any additional transceivers. Those. in fact, the drone was taught to recognize and remember images.
  
  
• Obstacle Sensing Systems
  The obstacle avoidance system is based on the same technology, only it monitors obstacles (logically, yeah). If it is possible to fly around it, the quadrocopter will continue to move, otherwise it will slow down and freeze at a safe distance from the obstacle in anticipation of further commands from the pilot.
  
  
• TAPFLY
  Essentially is an advanced point-to-point flight mode. The manufacturer says that “managing sticks and maintaining altitude, course and speed can be difficult, so TapFly takes on all these responsibilities, leaving you the opportunity to concentrate on your subject.” You simply indicate the direction or object on the screen and the quadrocopter flies following your instructions. In other words, the replacement of the co-pilot.
  

Video and photo capabilities

In terms of video, GoPro with its action cameras may soon be caught up. The main camera in DJI Phantom 4 has been improved again. In addition to the ephemeral stability improvements of the three-axis gimbal or advanced lenses, the camera learned to shoot SlowMo video (120fps) in FullHD resolution. Still available in 4K and 30fps with cine profiles Cine-D and D-Log. Video shot using these profiles is ideal for post-processing.


The camera's capabilities have remained the same: it can take pictures in the resolution of 4000x3000, both in JPEG and in RAW (DNG) format. The shutter speed range is from 8 to 1/8000 s. By the way, the range of ISO (photosensitivity) varies in the photo mode from 100 to 1600, and in the video range extends to 3200 units.

In addition to all of the above, in the new “phantom” the propeller mounting mechanism was changed, a new flight mode for beginners and a sports mode were added, an automatic flight logging system was organized. Phantom 4 is also equipped with two IMU and compass modules for even more accurate and reliable positioning. But perhaps all this information is beyond the scope of regular news. So let's talk about these innovations in a full review.

Finally, an example video from a DJI Phantom 4 camera:



The new drone really turned out to be interesting, but its price and availability at the moment leave much to be desired. So for now, welcome to our store, where at least now you can buy the previous version of DJI Phantom 3 in various versions. We already wrote about Professional and Standard at Geektimes.

Thank you and have a nice weekend! Girls - happy holiday!