[14:19 Tue,12.January 2021 by Thomas Richter] |
Sony first announced its Airpeak drone ![]() Sony Airpeak
In the ![]() It is clear that the camera quality will be very high given the Alpha cameras used, now Sony just has to make sure that the flight characteristics and functions as well as the video transmission keep up with it. On the one hand, the decision to use an external camera is practical because it means that an already existing high-quality camera including lenses can be used, but on the other hand - compared to a dedicated drone camera integrated into the gimbal - this naturally comes at the expense of weight and thus also flight time. After all, Sony can rely on its experience from the ![]() Observations and speculations. This demo video shows flight footage of an Airpeak drone tracking a prototype of Sony&s VISION-S electric car: As Sony continues to hold back on technical data, we have to infer more data from the demo clips. According to this, the Airpeak has two detachable landing skids, which fold up in flight to avoid blocking the camera&s view. The carbon fiber arms of the rotors do not appear to be retractable, meaning the Airpeak is relatively bulky to transport. The camera seen in the photos is a Sony Alpha 7s mounted on a 3-axis gimbal mounted under the drone body. ![]() Sony Airpeak Integrated Sensors Furthermore, several small integrated cameras/sensors can be seen (at least three on the front, two on the back, one on top and two on each side), which serve to automatically avoid obstacles - very likely the one central moving (FPV) camera provides its own video stream for the pilot - the (extra) cameraman can thus concentrate entirely on controlling it via gimbal for the ideal setting via live transmission of images from the Sony Alpha camera - a professional setup. ![]() Sony Airpeak Controller You can also see several spherical structures located at the bottom between the drone&s housing and the gimbal&s suspension, probably to dampen in-flight vibrations from the rotors and allow the camera to shoot without shaking. The Airpeak&s actual housing apparently has room for two large, apparently easy-to-change batteries - good for near-continuous flight - along with battery level indicators via four LEDs. ![]() Sony Airpeak batteries The open questions. The Sony Airpeak is expected to hit the market this spring - we can only assume that it won&t be cheap, as it is aimed at more professional users and requires a Sony Alpha camera as a drone camera. For more info on the camera (what are the flight and recording modes? How is the transmission of the videos, what is the range of the or resolution and frame rate? What is the payload (for camera and lens)? How long can the Airpeak stay in the air? And can cameras from other manufacturers be used (then possibly not optimally supported) together with the Airpeak (otherwise the market for it would be quite limited)? And of course, how much does it cost?) - let&s wait for more releases from Sony. While DJI dominates the consumer and pro drone market, with new restrictions on Chinese manufacturers in the US, there may be an opportunity for Sony and other manufacturers. ![]() deutsche Version dieser Seite: Airpeak: Sony stellt Profi-Drohne für seine Alpha Kameras offiziell vor |
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