Pro drone DJI Inspire 3: Is the big upgrade coming in March?
[12:12 Tue,14.February 2023 by Thomas Richter]
It&s been 7 years since DJI&s top model Inspire 2 was released - so it&s high time for an update. That the time has come is not only indicated by increased rumors about the release date, but also by the fact that the Inspire 2 is displayed as "sold out" in several versions in DJI&s webstore - until now, this has always been a fairly reliable sign that a model update is imminent.
DJI Inspire 3?
The rumors say that the new Inspire 3 will be presented in March. According to a release schedule of new DJI products posted by the well-known insider @DealsDrone, an SE version of the Goggles as well as the RC Motion 2 will be released in February and then the Inspire 3 drone including the new Z9 Zenmuse gimbal camera in March. Unfortunately, there are no high-quality images of the Inspire 3 so far - only images from a distance or from parts of crashed models. The latter often use a P1 or X7 Zenmuse camera.
DJI&s release schedule
New Zenmuse Gimbal Camera
In 2018, DJI began offering the Zenmuse X7 gimbal camera for the Inspire 2 drone. It costs around ,000 and uses a Super 35 camera sensor (23.5 x 12.5mm) with a dynamic range of 14 stops and records 6K CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30 fps.
Zenmuse X7
The latest version of DJI&s Zenmuse camera, however, is the 2021 Zenmuse X9 6K/8K camera, which was introduced as part of the Ronin 4D gimbal camera system. However, it is not compatible with the Inspire 2, only with the Ronin 4D gimbal. So we can expect that a new Inspire 3 drone will also use a new Zenmuse gimbal camera similar in features to those of the X9 6K/8K - according to a rumor, this could be a Zenmuse X9-8K Air. Ideally, in keeping with its modular nature, this Zenmuse camera would also be usable with a DJI gimbal without a drone - a cross-compatibility that was actually already hoped for with the X9.
Zenmuse X9 with L-Mount
As a reminder, the Zenmuse X9 is offered in two versions, the X9-6K supports internal recording in H.264 (4:2:0 10-bit), Apple ProRes RAW (HQ), Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) formats of up to 6K/60fps and 4K/120fps. The Zenmuse X9-8K supports up to 8K/75fps via 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor and features a dynamic range of over 14 stops, a dual native EI (exposure index) of 800/5,000, and a built-in physical ND filter with nine stops. The two models are identical in their other functionalities, such as the interchangeable lens mount system for DJI DL-mount, Sony E-mount and Leica M-mount. However, recording ProRes RAW requires DJI&s proprietary PROSSD 1 TB as the recording medium.
What could be the improvements?
That the Inspire 2 is already quite old, actually numerous improvements would be due. Starting with the obstacle detection system, which on the Inspire 2 only includes sensors for the front, bottom and top and could be upgraded to an omnidirectional Advanced Pilot Assistance System, to the intelligent recording functions, which are now already surpassed by DJI&s current consunmer drones, to the rather measly flight time of only 23 minutes - the Mini 3 Pro reaches 34 minutes, with special battery even up to 47 minutes and the Mavic 3 46 minutes. An upgrade to the current O3+ version (or even a new O4) could also tolerate the Inspire 3&s old Lightbridge video transmission system, increasing the range from 7km to at least double 15km in the US (like the Mavic 3).
Crashed DJI Inspire 3.
According to the leaked pictures, the design of the new version will be similar to the previous one and will also have a retractable landing gear - the weight will probably be in the range of the previous one with 4.2kg including the camera. According to the rumors, the remote control will be the new RC Plus controller, which so far only worked with the large Matrice 30. It features a 1,200 nits bright FullHD 7" screen (RC Pro: 5.5") with HDMI 1.4 port and supports the Inspire&s Dual Operator mode, which is especially important for professional shoots and allows independent control of the drone and camera by pilot and camera operator.
DJI RC Plus Remote Control
Inspire 3: the price?
The (now sold out) Inspire 2 costs around 3,400 euros, with the Zenmuse X5S camera around 5,500 euros and with the X7 7,800 euros or 2,000 euros more each with the ability to also record in CinemaDNG and ProRes. For comparison, the Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo costs around 4,800 euros - here is our www.slashcam.de/artikel/Test/DJI-Mavic-3-Cine--Erstes-Hands-On-inkl--Cine-Setup-mit-5-1K-ProRes-HQ-50p-LOG.html(test with recordings in 5.1K ProRes HQ 50p LOG). The new Inspire 3 should clearly improve its features compared to this one and will therefore probably be significantly more expensive.
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