Adorama has announced its own line of quadcopters under the Aries brand. The first of the new line is the Blackbird X10, which retails for $799 as an all-inclusive, ready-to-fly drone and camera package. [Read more…]
DJI Unveils Inspire 1 Quadcopter with 4K Camera
DJI has announced its new Inspire 1 quadcopter that is equipped with a 4K camera on an integrated 3-axis gimbal. [Read more…]
Video: Drone Inside Air Space of Mexico City International Airport
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMWeVvjXytE&w=700]
Check out this impressive video shot with full permission of the authorities inside of the Mexico City International Airport during flight operations. It offers some unique looks at airport operations from perspectives that are otherwise impossible to observe.
The video was shot using a DJI F450, a Zenmuse H3-2D and 3D and a GoPro HERO3 Black Edition. It was shot to celebrate the anniversary of SENEAM (Spanish acronym translation: Navigation Services for Mexican Airspace) and was made by the Mexico-based aerial production company Post and Fly.
DJI F550 Drone Return-to-Home Function Causes Collision with Rock Wall
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F74VKHUwn8s&w=700]
The return-to-home function on RC drones like the DJI Phantom and F550 is a pretty cool feature, which we saw saved the day for Eric Cheng when he took his Phantom over an active volcano. Of course, if there is a rock wall between you and your drone, it could present some problems. [Read more…]
FAA Grants Exemptions for 6 Companies to Fly Drones on Film Sets
The FAA announced that it has issued exemptions for 6 aerial photo and video production companies to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) (aka drones) for commercial use.
The FAA’s authority to regulate the hobby-sized drones was called into question when a judge for the National Transportation Safety Board threw out a $10,000 fine the FAA levied against a commercial filmmaker in Virginia earlier this year.
To date, the FAA has not updated the regulations wherein it is attempting to enforce a ban on hobby-sized drones (e.g., the DJI Phantom) as an “unmanned aircraft system” (the legal term used in the regulations. Yet, the FAA is still exempting certain companies from its (currently unenforceable) regulations. [Read more…]
Forget the $500 Gimbal; Make a DIY Anti-Vibration Drone Camera Mount for $10
The problem with mounting a GoPro to a DJI Phantom or other drone is that the vibration of the propellers creates a terrible jello effect in the footage. This is the main reason that gimbals have become such a popular accessory for drones. But gimbals are expensive.
Two grad students from USC were searching for a cheaper way to reduce the jello effect in their footage from their Phantom-mounted GoPro. After months of failure in testing several aftermarket products, they finally built their own mount with household items for less than $10.
They discovered that they had to dampen the attachment between the GoPro and the Phantom, which is something that none of the attachments on the market allowed. In the end, they used a pair of sponges and some semi-rigid wires to connect a mount that was constructed from a plastic lid.
The results are impressive and resemble the look of an expensive gimbal when viewing the output footage. You can see a full walkthrough, along with sample footage, in the video above.
Federal Judge Rules Commercial Use of Drones is Legal . . . For Now
A ruling last week by a National Transportation Safety Board judge declared that the FAA’s ban on commercial use of aerial drones carries no weight under federal law. [Read more…]