You Can Now Purchase the Highly Anticipated DJI Phantom 4 Camera Drone
If you're new to all of this drone stuff, or just haven't been paying attention, let me quickly run you through what makes the Phantom 4 Camera Drone so incredible. You might as well take out your wallet right now. Go ahead, I'll wait...
First of all, if you're like me, you've bought an R/C helicopter before from some kiosk at the mall. "For the kids" you said. And 5 minutes after the unboxing, your kids watched in horror as you rammed it into the side of the house, shattering all critical components, and your ego.
So those days are done. The new Phantom 4 utilizes up to 24 satellites plus an advanced positioning system to know exactly where it is, where you are, and what's around it at all times. Optical sensors allow it to detect and avoid objects. Even at full throttle, if the drone detects an object in its path it will stop and hover, or safely fly around it. If it loses connection with you, it will enter an automatic "go home" mode that returns it to starting position safely using obstacle-avoidance. And if you short-circuit while flying the drone (spontaneous panic, confusion, boredom, etc), there's a pause button on the controller that tells the drone to just stop and hover until you collect yourself again. So in short, flying this drone is safe and effortless.
This is a camera drone, and those features are best-in-class as well. Photographers can take 12MP photos in Adobe DNG RAW format that are ready for post-production. In terms of video, it's capable of up to 4K at 30fps and Full HD 1080p at 120fps for slow motion.
The Phantom 4 features an amazing visual tracking system. With a few taps on your iPhone or iPad screen (which shows you what your drone sees), point your drone to an object and it will stay locked, even if the subject is in motion.
The Phantom performs all of these tricks at speeds of up to 45mph, if "sport mode" is enabled.
Battery life is reasonable at just short of 30 minutes.
There has been a lot of hype around DJI's new model, and if you're willing to part with $1,399.95 (with free shipping -- See more at Apple.com) it will be on your doorstep as early as March 10th (as of this article publication date).
If you're like me, you'll probably buy it -- for your kids, of course.