A few years ago, on Kickstarter and a few other crowdsourcing platforms, we saw something quite intriguing. We saw a small drone that is supposed to be sold to consumers. It is made to eliminate the need for selfie sticks, allowing self-portrait subjects a free range of movements in their own photos. It allows them to have a more flexible control on the frame of the photos. We thought that it was brilliant and odd at the same time. The idea never really took off anywhere though, at least until now. Snap, the people behind Snapchat (obviously), introduces a new hardware for Snapchat users, the Pixy.
The idea of Pixy is nothing new. Ever since DJI started selling consumer grade drones that is smaller than smartphones, the idea of using a drone to capture selfies has been born. It makes a lot of sense too since with a drone, you have a larger creative canvas anyway. You can push it further than you physically can with a selfie stick and bring it closer when you need it to. Like what DJI does with their drones, a flying camera can also be a personal vlogging camera that gives you the full motion of both your hands.
That is basically what Pixy is. It is a pocket-sized, free-flying personal camera that you can take with you anywhere you go. Unlike DJI drones, it does not come with a comprehensive remote. It is made to be used quickly and seamlessly, so we assume that you can control it with your smartphone. We suspect also that the controls on the smartphone could be limited since Snap has mentioned in their release that the Pixy can fly in four preset flight paths. Once you set the flight path, you should not need to look at your smartphone until you are done with it.
Unlike DJI’s devices as well, the Pixy is made with less powerful motors, because it is a simpler and lighter compact drone anyway. Because of that, they designed the Pixy to take off and land on your hands instead of the ground.
We also assume that the Pixy is going to be fully controlled via the Snapchat app. Snap says that the Pixy will be a companion device to the app in the future. All videos and photos from the drone can be transferred to a smartphone device wirelessly to be saved into Snapchat Memories. Everything captured via the Pixy can also be edited on the Snapchat app itself.
The Pixy is now available in the United States and France only. There are no mentions on its availability elsewhere, but we expect that the Pixy will at least make a few more markets in the North American and European regions. It will set you back US$ 229.99 (MYR 1,001*). If you are planning to get one somehow, do check with the local laws to ensure you do not get into trouble taking a selfie. More information on the Pixy can be found on their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.35 as of 28/04/2022 on xe.com
Rarely today you get a product that is leaps and bound from its previous generation product that it would replace. Then again, there is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX, the new 12th Generation Intel Core Alder Lake processors, and even AMD’s Ryzen processors. Maybe a huge generational gap is not that unique after all. This DJI Mavic 3 though, is a special one.
The DJI Mavic 3 is meant to replace the DJI Mavic 2 series of drones. If you remember, the DJI Mavic 2 came in two flavours; the Pro and Zoom. The Pro variant comes with a Hasselblad engineered camera module while the Zoom variant comes with a camera module with optical zoom lens, you get the idea. The DJI Mavic 3 does not follow the same path with the Mavic 2 series though. Instead, DJI introduced one Mavic 3, and one Mavic 3 Cine edition.
An Aerial Video Powerhouse
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
The Mavic 3 series has more in common with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro than the Zoom variant. It packs a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad engineered camera. The only traces of the Zoom variant is its 28x hybrid zoom capability.
The camera module, to be fair, is not that big of an improvement compared to the older Mavic 2 Pro to be fair. It records videos at up to 5.1K resolution at 50 fps. The biggest improvement is on its 4K resolution recording though. Now you can record 4K videos at 120fps for even better-looking slow-motion videos. This is where the Mavic 3 stops and where the Cine edition starts.
The Mavic 3 Cine edition is truly a special thing. It offers Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding for even higher quality videos for post processing. It is not RAW, but it is the first integrated drone system that can record at ProRes 422 HQ format. Of course, if you choose to record at that format, ou are going to run out of storage space pretty quickly if you use a humble SDXC memory card. The Cine edition has a 1TB internal SSD storage for all your recording needs though.
Longer, Smarter Flights
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
To ensure that your Mavic 3 does not get tumbled around mid-air, it has even more sensors than before too. It now packs omnidirectional sensors that can detect objects up to 200 meters away just so that it knows where and when to stop or how to avoid the obstacle. It is the easiest full-sized Mavic to fly. It is even cleverer too. It can track a subject, lose it if it goes out of frame, and pick it back up as soon as the subject comes back into the frame with ActiveTrack 5.0. It can even follow the subject wherever it moves. Of course, it also comes with the array of other precision sensors to ensure that it knows where it is at any given time. With the help of GPS, GLONASS< and BeiDou satellites too, it knows where to return to when you call it home or when its battery is running out.
It boasts 15km of remote range with DJI O3+. Even with interference, you are not going to lose remote signal or even clear video signal from 15km away. DJI boasts that this drone can transmit 1080p Full HD/60fps live feed over that distance without loss or lag. Of course, you might not fly the DJI Mavic 3 to that full range, but it is nice to know it can. What is more impressive is that DJI managed to extend the battery life of the Mavic 3 to up to 46 minutes instead of the mere 30 minutes the previous versions used to boast.
Price and Availability
The DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine edition is now available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on either from DJI’s authorised retailers across Malaysia or from DJI’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada. The DJI Mavic 3 starts at MYR 9,799, which is quite a little bit more expensive compared to the Mavic 2 Pro. The Mavic 3 Cine edition however starts at MYR 22,899. For that money you are getting the drone itself with a few extra ND filters, two extra Intelligent Flight batteries, a charging hub, and a special carrying bag. For more information on the DJI Mavic 3, you can visit their website.
You know those really impressive aerial footages you see on YouTube and such. There used to be a time where getting a video shot like that requires you to hire a helicopter, bring a video camera on-board, strap yourself in, and take off for 30 minutes at a time. It was a huge affair, and it was not cheap, as you might have guessed.
Flying drone technology though took all of the pains of aerial photography and videography away. It made aerial videos and photography way more affordable than before. It made them way simpler than before too. Basically the rise of the likes of DJI made aerial photography and videography accessible to the regular public.
For 15 years DJI has been the leader in consumer drone technology. For 15 years also they have innovated non-stop to make drone flying easier, safer, and even more affordable than before. For 15 years, they have stuck to the same recipe of multiple rotors and small electronic body housing the battery and camera package with their world renown 3-axis gimbal.
Once again, DJI innovated and revolutionised consumer grade flying drones with their latest DJI FPV. As suspected, FPV stands for First Person View. This is a different breed of flying drones.
The DJI FPV shares more similarities in looks with the DJI Aspire professional filmmaker drones than the consumer level Mavic or even the prosumer level DJI Phantoms. But it is unlike any other drone that DJI has ever made. It even flies a little differently compared to DJI’s existing drones.
For one, the camera gimbal assembly is mounted a little differently compared to the regular DJI drone. The whole design concept allows for better aerodynamics to keep flight as stable and smooth as possible.
If you look at the marketing shots too, you realise that the drone looks like it is in a forward moving position, with its front propellers point toward the ground and the rear propellers pointing up. That is because this is default state it should be at, on the move.
What the marketing photos do not tell you though is how the new DJI FPV is modular. According to DJI, each part of the FPV, including the rotor arms, the outer shell housing, and camera gimbal is detachable and replaceable. That also means that servicing or fixing or even replacing parts on the drone is much cheaper and easier than before.
Of course, in-line with its name, the DJI FPV comes with DJI’s FPV Goggles V2 for an immersive flight experience. You can get video feeds at 1440 x 810 resolution at up to 120fps in 142o Field of View. Or you can get up to 150o field of view at 50fps. You can get your video feed at about 28ms latency. In wireless video feed mode, that is as close to instant as you can get. If you want, you can take on up to eight passengers on the flight too with audience mode.
You can even record your flights at 4K resolution at up to 60fps on its single-axis gimbal camera. While that sounds like you are going to get choppy videos, the DJI FPV features their RockSteady stabilisation technology to ensure that you get that DJI smooth video. You can even record videos at 1080p resolution at up to 120fps for 4x slow motion videos.
Of course, this would not be a DJI drone if it is not easy to fly. You can fly it in Normal (N) mode with all the flight assistance tool available to you like proximity sensors, smart flight modes, and even GPS. You can turn it to Manual (M) mode if you are a more experienced or confident flyer. There is also Sports (S) mode that sits in between both N and M modes. It offers the flexibilities and controls from M mode but retains the safety measures that N mode offers.
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
Source; DJI
There is also a new way to fly the DJI FPV. You can now fly it with a single motion sensitive joystick instead of the traditional remote. Of course, that will take a little bit of practice still. You can practice with the drone with DJI’s Virtual Flight App too, to ensure that you are ready to take on the skies when you are out of your home. You would want the practice, this thing can fly at north of 100km/h.
The DJI FPV is available now in Malaysia from DJI’s local retailer. You can get your hands on one from both DJI’s official store on Lazada and Shopee as well. The price of this flying goodness is MYR 5,299 (US$ 1,299*). For that money you are getting your hands on the drone itself, a regular remote controller, a DJI FPV Goggles V2, additional replacement propellers and the usual chargers, cables, and battery pack. For more information on the DJI FPV, you can visit DJI’s website.
Sony made large strides last year starting with CES 2020. They introduced their very own electric vehicle concept that can also drive itself, the Vision S. They also made the gaming community very happy by releasing the PlayStation 5 at the end of the year 2020. Sadly, we still have not been able to get our hands on one just yet.
This year is no different for Sony. They kicked off the year with CES 2021, and they look amazing at it. No new earphones to introduce, not new smartphones just yet too. But they did introduce a new concept, a new idea, a new project. They introduced the AirPeak.
If you see DJI printed all over this, you are not the only one. We see DJI all over this too. We see DJI’s Matrice line-up in this AirPeak. This is not a DJI device though, it is by Sony, for Sony.
Source: Sony
When we say, ‘for Sony’, we meant that this is designed around their Alpha camera system. It could be a mid-range mirrorless line-up or a high-end mirrorless camera, the AirPeak is designed to take on any payload from any Alpha lien-up from Sony. It is also the world’s smallest drone to boast such feat.
It is designed to take these cameras off the ground and into the air. It is a clever system too, that stabilises itself in the air with multiple sensors. All these features, and it is still smaller than the Matrice line-up from DJI. Yes, the DJI can lift even heavier payloads and can be retrofitted to be used in industrial cases. The AirPeak is not about that though. It is about expanding film making capabilities and open up new creative avenues with Sony’s very popular Alpha camera line-up.
The AirPeak, at this time, is still in its project phases and Sony is looking for professional collaborators to work on the project. Very much like the Vision S, but the technology is technically already available and easy to work with. This also means that the AirPeak is closer to reality than you might think.
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
There are no mentions on specs and weight limits on the AirPeak just yet at this point, but we are guessing they might want to look into making the drone powerful enough to carry a Sony FX6 at the very maximum, and still keep it small enough that you do not need to own a lorry to carry it around. More information on the Sony AirPeak on their website.
There is one thing that plenty of us miss during this quarantine period. That thing is travelling. Specifically, we all miss flying away to faraway lands and see the beauty of this ball of dirt floating through space from high up above.
There is, of course, another way to fly. There is another way to explore the vast outside world in this ‘stay home, stay safe’ period. After all, staying indoors for about 40 days without seeing what grass or trees look like is difficult and depressing. Buy a drone, any drone.
Thing is, just any drone does not cut it sometimes. There is so much potential with a drone. If you invest in one now, you can take it to your travel destinations after the whole COVID-19 situation blows over and create some stunning videos and photos to make your friends all jealous of you.
It is true, a simple aerial shot can be more stunning than it seems. Aerial photos and videos make the plainest places in your eyes look even more stunning than you can imagine. That is why plenty go for DJI drones. They are the best in the business, so it only makes sense.
Last year they introduced a near perfect drone package in the DJI Mavic Air. The compact, lightweight Mavic remote controlled drone was half the weight and size of the larger Mavic 2. That also means that it is more travel friendly than before with its foldable propeller arms introduced into the world with the DJI Mavic Pro.
It was no larger than a 500ml drinks bottle, which was quite fascinating. Considering you still can shoot videos at 4K 30fps with such a small package was wonderful. It even has longer battery life compared to the Mavic Pro all while costing less. Even the fly more combo was still cheaper that the basic DJI Mavic 2.
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
Source: DJI
There is no way they could top that within 6 months, we thought. Then earlier today they released their new DJI Mavic Air 2 and all hell broke loose. It is the successor to the DJI Mavic Air and it comes with a whole list of upgrades that they conveniently put in a single video.
Source: DJI
Bigger, Better, Faster
Source: DJI
The first upgrade, which will yield the most thumbs up is its sensor itself. The DJI Mavic Air 2 now features a larger ½-inch sensor that give you the power of 48 million pixels. You get to shoot at 4K resolution still, but now you can do it at 60fps instead of 30fps. 1080p Full HD videos can be shot at 240fps for a nice, smooth slow-motion videos, if you really need one in the air.
48-Megapixel sensor also means that you get incredibly detailed and sharp photos. You can choose between that or a compressed 12-Megapixel photos for your Social Media needs. Then there are more clever stuffs like HDR photos, Hyperlight low-light mode, and even scene recognition.
Beefed Up, Souped Up
Source: DJI
It is a bigger drone than the original Mavic Air. It even looks like its bigger brother now. No more cheap white plastic you can draw on or customise on your own. It is now built with the same materials as the bigger Mavic Pro. It is built to the same quality standards too meaning. It is still lighter than the bigger Mavic Pro at 570g but put on quite a lot of weight compared to the older Mavic Air 480g body.
The added weight also means that the DJI Mavic Air 2 packs a longer battery life at 34-minutes of flight time. There is a whole slew of new sensors packed with Mavic Air 2 as well to keep it flying and not hitting anything in front of it. That might make for some remarkably interesting review video though, obstacle avoidance. They call the new system Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 3.0. Even if you are a rubbish drone operator, you can still fly it. I did not say you cannot crash it, you can if you try hard enough.
Source: DJI
Still, the added weight also helps with in-air stability if anything. You really want that stability in windy conditions especially when you can keep it about 10km away from you with the new remote system and OcuSync 2.0. Oh yes, the remote is also now beefier and a little cleverer.
Clever Flying, Clever Shooting
The new DJI Fly app has been improving with each iteration and that is no doubt the case with the app. It should be more intuitive than ever and even better to use than ever. But shooting aerial photographs or videos is much more than that.
Source: DJI
There are new sets of ND filters you can equip the camera with, because you really want to block out some harsh sunlight in super sunny conditions. You are shooting outdoors anyway, and ND filters are important in outdoor shoots just to compensate for the harsh lighting.
The drone itself can now shoot timelapses in 8K resolution if you really want to. With timelapse mode you have Free movement, Circle, CourseLock, and WayPoints mode to get that stunning moving timelapse. Of course there are other shooting modes that you might be used to with the DJI Mavic Air.
There is a new cleverer ActiveTrack 3.0 that should be a large improvement over the ActiveTrack 2.0 from the older Mavic Air though. With the new Point of Interest 3.0 also, tracking subjects on a shoot is much more accurate and natural. That is also true for the new Spotlight 2.0 mode that is usually only found on DJI’s professional drones. All this makes for an independent aerial photography and videography a breeze for single operators.
Pricing and Availability
The DJI Mavic Air 2 will be available 10th May 2020 onward. You can pre-order your’s today onward though via authorised DJI retailers in Malaysia. Of course, with a beefier spec, comes a beefier price tag too. A standard package will set you back MYR 3,299. The Fly More Combo that comes with an extra piece (two pieces of battery) of everything you get from a standard package (except for the drone itself, of course) a shoulder bag, ND filters, and a charging hub for MYR 4,299. For more information on DJI’s latest portable and foldable flyer, check out their website.
