The DJI Phantom 2 Vision Drone has just been revealed, and in combination with smartphones, it looks to do pretty much everything you could want out of a consumer priced drone.
The Phantom 2 Vision + (P2V+) is easily controlled by its bundled remote control. Its gyroscopic sensors combined with constant GPS monitoring that keep the drone centered and in the air. If you stop controlling it at anytime, it will stop and hover, making it much easier to keep your expensive toy intact.
It has a 700m range and if you ever exceed that, the P2V+ will automatically reverse course and return home. The same GPS technology that enables that also enables DJI’s no fly zones, helping users keep their drone out of the way of commercial jets and other sensitive areas.
What makes the P2V+ really special however, is its camera and the features behind it. First thing, its camera has its own gyroscopic sensor, keeping your shot steady regardless of what the wind or user piloting is doing to the drone.
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Better yet, the camera can be controlled directly from your smartphone and will send live video images back to it, users can even change the lens type, exposure, and capture type. Oh, and it can shoot straight down or forward.
Which brings us to what the camera itself can capture. It grabs 14 megapixel stills, takes 1080p video at 30fps and 720p video at 60fps.
Of course, this being a drone, the whole thing can fly autonomously as well using its GPS.
The Phantom 2 Vision + is available for preorder for $1299 (€946), which means it is for serious consumers, but still consumers. Plus, it comes with its high quality camera which is comparable to GoPro cameras that generally run about $300.
About the only potential downside I see with the device is its relatively short 25 minute fly time, which could make filming longer events a challenge. Extra batteries run at $160 but I suppose once you are at the $1,300 price range, another $160 isn’t that much.
DJI – Introducing the Phantom 2 Vision Plus from DJI on Vimeo.
[Photo Credit: DJI]
Well I must say the price tag does scare me off a bit but damn, this is a nice machine indeed.
I would really love one of these. Don’t they do a lower priced model?
Indeed they do, but lowest priced model that I could find that’s similar to this is almost $500 and no camera. You can look at their website I guess.