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DJI REVIEW AERIAL
footage, which I had to do on my first job with it, it’ll work. That job wanted to fly anamorphic lenses on the drone but it just wasn’t the right situation. I showed them a 6K image where they could take their crop out of the middle. I’ve seen the result and you wouldn’t know the difference. So you had a situation where they might have wanted a big heavy-lift drone and Hawk anamorphic lenses, but then there’s the insurance that goes with it when you’re chasing cars really close. For me it was a great feeling to see this new camera work like this on its first outing and to see people very impressed with what it could do. The speed and flexibility of the craft coupled with the sensor gives you the results that you just can’t do with other kit. I don’t think there is any other 6K kit you can throw around in any weather condition and get immaculate results from. There is no point in having a 6K image if it isn’t useable. In Switzerland I was at 4200m (14,000 feet) at -30˚C with about 20mph winds and I was flying it around like I was at sea level on a nice day. I was using high altitude props, but you just wouldn’t have taken any other kit out in those conditions. Also the truth is that the human gives out before the drone so if you’re setting up say a heavy-lift drone you wouldn’t have time for what you wanted to shoot as you would be too cold. On that project it was so cold that the airframe froze absolutely solid when I brought it in but I didn’t have a problem in flight.
sensor, low light, multiple aspect ratios, multiple frame rates – it does 4K 50p. It ticks all the boxes for the high-end. I’ve been using it quite a lot on high-end of TV. That market doesn’t want that sharp look, they want a subtler image and they know what’s available. There have been occasions where I have persuaded productions that they don’t need to be spending money on heavy-lift drones because they’re limited enough as it is when you’re trying to fly in tight situations. But it is the low-light capabilities that really shine. The previous sensors, the X5 and X5s, started to fall apart when fully open and you had to work with the ISO to get anything. It was never really respected as a low- light camera; it was never like a Sony A7S for instance. SHOOTINGWITH THE X7 I bought the camera and all the lenses and went straight to work. I really had to keep an eye on my focusing with the bigger sensor as it offers a significant depth-of-field, especially when you’re shooting high resolution like the 5.2K ProRes 4:2:2 – which is definitely the way forward for post work. The Raw stuff is lovely, but unless you have a DIT with a powerful workstation and the ability to do it, you almost have to wait for your results. The 5.2K ProRes is great and I use it all the time. It’s a wide image and not far off the full width of the sensor and keeps the height of HD so 2160x5280 which is 2.44:1 so if you need to drop it in with anamorphic
HASSELBLAD IMPACT When DJI bought Hasselblad I wondered whether together they would develop something for the heavy-lift market with a heavy-lift style camera and gimbal. Going that way would have made it difficult to close the ecosystem. Just think, for instance, of the glass combinations with a PL mount that people would try and make work. DJI products’ strength is their stability; the way they retain their stability in some conditions is almost like witchcraft. When the Zenmuse X7 came out it was like DJI’s first steps in attacking the high-end market. I wouldn’t say the film market especially as that market wants to retain what they are used to, what they want to use. But the specs on the X7 speak for themselves: 6K Raw, Super 35mm
ABOVE AND TOP Working at over 4000m and -30°C is a real test of any drone – and the human operator. Grab is Jungfrau research station. LEFT The wait is over: The Zenmuse X7 is the fruit of DJI and Hasselblad’s joint labours.
I DON’T THINK THERE IS ANY OTHER 6K KIT YOU CAN THROW AROUND IN ANY WEATHER CONDITION AND GET IMMACULATE RESULTS FROM
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MAY 2018 DEFINITION
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