The Matrice 600, released yesterday by Chinese drone giant DJI, is the most powerful drone the company, that is best known for its Phantom line, has introduced to the public. The drone-maker is targeting film makers as well as professional photographers to go to extreme altitudes with a variety of high-end cameras and will adjust its flight based on its photographic payload.
At $4,599 it truly is a powerhouse
This heavy lifter that is the M600 is able to fly with big, professional camera equipment and can stay aloft, even with a heavy camera payload, for over half an hour. This flight time is achieved with the arrival of six intelligent batteries embedded in the system and will include a new video downlink the company is calling LightBridge 2. The downlink allows streaming of 1080p video at 6fps when shooting from long-range.
Beyond the ability to mount heavy, professional camera rigs, the drone does have an embedded camera as well that is capable of 360 degrees of rotation and allows the pilot to utilize its new flight controller, being called A3. The three is a nod to the three inertial measurement units as well as the three GBS devices carried by the M600. Users who need more control will have the option of upgrading to either A3 Pro or the even more nimble flight system, Real Time Kinematic (D-RTK).
DJI on the Matrice 600
“The M600 is the most-powerful and easiest-to-use professional platform DJI has ever produced,” DJI’s senior product manager, Paul Pan, said in statement released on Sunday. “We’ve pre-programmed all M600 platform data and information into the A3 flight controller, remote and transmission system to minimize setup and get you flying as quickly as possible.”
While the Phantom line from DJI is an expensive line for the hobbyist, The Ronin line is marketed at professionals in need of handheld stabilizers. DJI’s first gimbal, the Ronin-MX, is selling like hotcakes because of the ability to attach numerous cameras from makers like Sony, Canon and Panasonic while remaining in the air for just shy of fifteen minutes.
The company seems to have scored a home run with this new release and Hollywood is already taking notice.
