TOKYO: DJI has just announced a new camera drone, the Phantom 3 Standard, an oddly-named quadcopter that features a built-in HD video camera, 25 minutes of flight time on one charge, and a special follow mode that lets your drone become a flying stalker cam.
The 12-megapixel camera takes 2.7K HD video and includes a gimbal that will keep things steady. You can stream the video to a phone as you fly and record it with a flick of a switch. It also includes GPS and Wi-Fi.
This unit is aimed at folks who want a simpler flying experience. While the Phantoms have always been easy to fly, the Standard hopes to further prevent you from crashing into a tree by improving maneuverability and control. You can pick up the drone now for $799 and it should be shipping this summer.
Designed specifically for first-time pilots, the DJI Phantom 3 Standard brings DJI’s signature attention to stability, flight, and imaging to make capturing aerial images easier than ever before.
With a newly designed and integrated camera, the DJI Phantom 3 Standard records up to 2.7k HD video at 30 frames per second using a high-quality 94 degree distortion-free lens. The camera also shoots still images at 12 megapixels in both DNG Raw and JPG formats. Using a standard WiFi connection, the DJI Phantom 3 Standard allows pilots to see what their camera sees in near real time in HD, capture photos, start / stop record for video and adjust camera settings all from the updated DJI Go app.
The remote controller is an updated version of DJI’s previous Phantom 2 Vision+ controller, with an integrated WiFi range extender and wheel to angle the camera.
Based on the Phantom 3 design, the new DJI Phantom 3 Standard includes GPS-based stabilization and flight times up to 25 minutes using DJI’s interchangeable Intelligent Flight Batteries for the Phantom 3 series.
The DJI Phantom 3 Standard will be compatible with intelligent flight features including Follow Me, Waypoint Navigation and Point of Interest flight planning.
Follow Me – The drone intelligently follows the user based on their orientation.
Waypoint Navigation – Allows users to set a multi-point route that the Phantom 3 flies automatically while leaving camera control (pan and tilt) to the user. Users simply have to pull back on their controller and the Phantom will retrace its path to the beginning
Point of Interest – Lets users define an object that the Phantom will fly around in a circle with the object framed perfectly in the center – capturing a cinematic shot that is otherwise difficult to fly manually.
These intelligent features, originally released for DJI’s professional products, will be available through a firmware upgrade for the rest of the DJI Phantom 3 series in coming weeks. They are also available through SDK apps already developed by third party DJI developers.
