Phantom3 drone launches

The world’s most popular* aerial drone just got an update.

The Phantom 3 is the new version of DJI’s hugely successful series and is offered in two configurations: “professional”, which shoots 4K – including “true” 4K 4096 x 2160 at 24 & 25fps – and “advanced” which is HD only at up to 60p. The bitrate’s only 60Mbps though so we’ll wait to see how detailed the footage looks when the drone’s actually underway. The camera is fixed and non-replaceable.

A smartphone app now offers a real time 720p display to smartphone or tablet along with livestreaming to YouTube as you fly, and a real time map display of your position

The battery is said to be “intelligent” (there’s an alarming thought) in that it works out much more accurately how much charge it has left and lets you know about it in time to recharge. The charger is upgraded to provide “substantially” reduced powering times too. Flight time should be around 23 minutes, say DJI.

The camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal and uses a 1/2.3″ Sony EXMOR sensor with over 12 megapixels. The lens runs at f2.8 with a 94-degree field of view.

There’s a shedload of sample videos at www.dji.com/product/phantom-3/video but in the meantime here’s their overview: