DJI Inspire 3 - Incredible Specs - $16K Price Tag

herein2021 · Apr 13, 2023

I got an alert in my inbox from DJI that the Inspire 3 had been released (been awhile since I followed any DJI news) and decided to see what DJI's latest drone had to offer. Of course I expected it to be impressive since the Inspire 2 is already pretty much Hollywood grade, but I was still blown away by the camera specs. They managed to fit a full frame 45MP camera that can shoot 8K CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes RAW into their airframe along with other major upgrades. The flight times are a bit disappointing at 28min and IMO it has two Achilles heels.....no motor or ESC redundancy and of course the geofencing problem. There is no way I would want to lift off of the ground with a $16K drone that didn't have 100% electronics redundancy or geofencing restrictions.

I really want to be a DJI fan, they have great products, but buying a DJI drone is like buying a top-of-the-line pair of running shoes that don't let you tie up the shoelaces; so close to perfect yet so hamstrung where it counts the most.

GFields · Apr 14, 2023

I would think most Autel users will agree with you. You can probably find out more on our sister forum

Eagle928 · Apr 14, 2023

At the $16.5K price point, the Inspire 2 will hold some value for some time. Someone really needs to have that level of camera and drone to spend that kind of money to justify it.

Marcle · Apr 15, 2023

it will be mainly for cinematographers and production houses that can afford the price tag. Besides the $16,500 price tag, that doesn't give you much in the way of accessories. You would still have to purchase the ProRes license, the Cinema DNG license, the extra controller, at least 1 lens (out of 4). if you want the centimeter-level accuracy for repeatable shots you would also have to purchase the RTK module and base station so the price will go up exponentially from there. Not even mentioning the master wheels and O3+ transmission system and monitor from the Ronin 4D (however if you are in the business, you may already have that and might just require a firmware upgrade to use with the I3). To outfit it the way it's shown in the trailer, I'm sure you're looking at closer to $40,000.

Eagle928 · Apr 15, 2023

Marcle said:
it will be mainly for cinematographers and production houses that can afford the price tag. Besides the $16,500 price tag, that doesn't give you much in the way of accessories. You would still have to purchase the ProRes license, the Cinema DNG license, the extra controller, at least 1 lens (out of 4). if you want the centimeter-level accuracy for repeatable shots you would also have to purchase the RTK module and base station so the price will go up exponentially from there. Not even mentioning the master wheels and O3+ transmission system and monitor from the Ronin 4D (however if you are in the business, you may already have that and might just require a firmware upgrade to use with the I3). To outfit it the way it's shown in the trailer, I'm sure you're looking at closer to $40,000.

I guess if you're in the movie and tv filming business, this is not an exorbitant cost. To a recreational or real estate or modest professional photographer/videographer this is obviously cost prohibitive.

Anzacjack · May 10, 2023

I dont like the idea of that much money sitting under just 4 motors

andrew124C41 · May 12, 2023

herein2021 said:
I got an alert in my inbox from DJI that the Inspire 3 had been released (been awhile since I followed any DJI news) and decided to see what DJI's latest drone had to offer. Of course I expected it to be impressive since the Inspire 2 is already pretty much Hollywood grade, but I was still blown away by the camera specs. They managed to fit a full frame 45MP camera that can shoot 8K CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes RAW into their airframe along with other major upgrades. The flight times are a bit disappointing at 28min and IMO it has two Achilles heels.....no motor or ESC redundancy and of course the geofencing problem. There is no way I would want to lift off of the ground with a $16K drone that didn't have 100% electronics redundancy or geofencing restrictions.

I really want to be a DJI fan, they have great products, but buying a DJI drone is like buying a top-of-the-line pair of running shoes that don't let you tie up the shoelaces; so close to perfect yet so hamstrung where it counts the most.

This is what is what frustrates me as well. I have wanted an Inspire for years but I live near the DC SFRA/FRZ. There is so much controled air space here as well. But, it is so stupid that even if you are nowhere near Reagan National, you can't even fly in your own house or 50 feet above it.. really makes no sense but don't even get me started about 9-11 and it's aftermath. I have a friend with a M2 Zoom. He pretty much only uses it to try and find RC aircraft lost near the DCRC Club field. I just can't imagine spending so much money and going somewhere thinking I can fly and getting locked out. I have heard from Ken Booth that DJI is way ahead of Autel but the geofencing is just something I don't want to deal with. I know a guy who is retired law enforcement... Been on a SWAT team. He flew their drone missions. He said even law enforcement has problems with DJI with respect to geofencing. So, don't fence me in!

Eagle928 · May 12, 2023

Yeah, I was on a real estate photo shoot last week that was about mile to the side of an airport runway. I got the FAA autho for 100' AGL and went through the whole DJI nonsense to get autho from them. It didn't work on location so I did it again and it would still not let me take off. I had to come back with an Autel drone because the 3rd party client didn't get back to me soon enough to allow me to use my Autel drone that I had with me. Fortunately the company did make it worth my while to do so.

herein2021 · May 12, 2023

Eagle928 said:
Yeah, I was on a real estate photo shoot last week that was about mile to the side of an airport runway. I got the FAA autho for 100' AGL and went through the whole DJI nonsense to get autho from them. It didn't work on location so I did it again and it would still not let me take off. I had to come back with an Autel drone because the 3rd party client didn't get back to me soon enough to allow me to use my Autel drone that I had with me. Fortunately the company did make it worth my while to do so.

It would have been way worse for you if it had been an event where you had to shoot the shot list with no time to go and come back or at a job site with the client standing right next to you privately thinking to themselves that its your incompetence keeping the drone from taking off.

Scenarios like those are why, no matter how good DJI's cameras and drones are, there's simply no way I can go back. TBH if I were to get a drone for personal/hobbyist use it would probably be a DJI drone but definitely not for professional use.

Eagle928 · May 12, 2023

herein2021 said:
It would have been way worse for you if it had been an event where you had to shoot the shot list with no time to go and come back or at a job site with the client standing right next to you privately thinking to themselves that its your incompetence keeping the drone from taking off.

Scenarios like those are why, no matter how good DJI's cameras and drones are, there's simply no way I can go back. TBH if I were to get a drone for personal/hobbyist use it would probably be a DJI drone but definitely not for professional use.

The Air 2s is a great drone when not flying in restricted airspace. Flight wise, it's my favorite drone. It's quick, stable, with a very good camera. I don't have a need or want for the Mavic 3 since I also have the Evo 2p with its awesome camera and stability. If I'm flying for fun and there's wind under 10 mph, I tend to reach for the little Nano+ rather than the Mini 3p. It's such a beast camera wise. Again, flight wise, I prefer the Mini 3p but it just doesn't measure up to the Nano+ camera for video. The one thing the Mavic 3 does have going for it is its ability to deal with wind better than any Autel drone I've flown. If that was a concern, then I'd probably get one. I also like the Mini/Nano drones due to the stealth. Even the Air 2s is loud enough to get attention from people on the ground from 150' agl whereas the Mini/Nano goes unnoticed if there's any ambient noise on the ground like wind or waves. Some people might hear them but probably chock it up to airplane noise.

The reality is that on social media/Youtube, it probably doesn't matter that much due to the compression those sites use and most people aren't nearly as anal as I am when it comes to picture quality. I've learned you can show them a video in 720p and the same one in 4k and the average non photographer/videographer won't notice the difference unless you point it out. They are much more focused on the content rather than video or photo quality.

herein2021 · May 12, 2023

Eagle928 said:
The Air 2s is a great drone when not flying in restricted airspace. Flight wise, it's my favorite drone. It's quick, stable, with a very good camera. I don't have a need or want for the Mavic 3 since I also have the Evo 2p with its awesome camera and stability. If I'm flying for fun and there's wind under 10 mph, I tend to reach for the little Nano+ rather than the Mini 3p. It's such a beast camera wise. Again, flight wise, I prefer the Mini 3p but it just doesn't measure up to the Nano+ camera for video. The one thing the Mavic 3 does have going for it is its ability to deal with wind better than any Autel drone I've flown. If that was a concern, then I'd probably get one. I also like the Mini/Nano drones due to the stealth. Even the Air 2s is loud enough to get attention from people on the ground from 150' agl whereas the Mini/Nano goes unnoticed if there's any ambient noise on the ground like wind or waves. Some people might hear them but probably chock it up to airplane noise.

The reality is that on social media/Youtube, it probably doesn't matter that much due to the compression those sites use and most people aren't nearly as anal as I am when it comes to picture quality. I've learned you can show them a video in 720p and the same one in 4k and the average non photographer/videographer won't notice the difference unless you point it out. They are much more focused on the content rather than video or photo quality.

If I were to get a drone for myself as a hobbyist I would definitely get the M3. The camera and video specs leapfrog the EVO II in every way and of course so does the software. I am also a Getty Images approved photographer so sometimes I think about getting the M3 and travelling around and shooting a ton of stock footage, if it doesn't take off due to geofencing it would be no big deal......but I just can't justify the time or cost when there would be no way to know if anyone would buy the footage.

In FL it is nearly always windy so here I would only use a drone smaller than the EVO II or M3 for indoors work.

Eagle928 said:
The reality is that on social media/Youtube, it probably doesn't matter that much due to the compression those sites use and most people aren't nearly as anal as I am when it comes to picture quality. I've learned you can show them a video in 720p and the same one in 4k and the average non photographer/videographer won't notice the difference unless you point it out. They are much more focused on the content rather than video or photo quality.

I agree with you, cameras keep increasing in resolution and dynamic range yet all of that gets thrown away during the compression process before it ever gets viewed by people on their tiny cell phone screens. My current cameras all shoot billboard sized images and 4K/6K/8K video yet few are ever viewed on anything bigger than a 320p cell phone screen. I will admit, I no longer spend as much time on every single detail in the post processing process for images. I used to get down to the pixel level in PS to fix even the tiniest "flaw" in my eyes....but these days the client's budget is everything so if they didn't pay for the extra time needed then I don't do it.

andrew124C41 · May 12, 2023

herein2021 said:
If I were to get a drone for myself as a hobbyist I would definitely get the M3. The camera and video specs leapfrog the EVO II in every way and of course so does the software. I am also a Getty Images approved photographer so sometimes I think about getting the M3 and travelling around and shooting a ton of stock footage, if it doesn't take off due to geofencing it would be no big deal......but I just can't justify the time or cost when there would be no way to know if anyone would buy the footage.

In FL it is nearly always windy so here I would only use a drone smaller than the EVO II or M3 for indoors work.

I agree with you, cameras keep increasing in resolution and dynamic range yet all of that gets thrown away during the compression process before it ever gets viewed by people on their tiny cell phone screens. My current cameras all shoot billboard sized images and 4K/6K/8K video yet few are ever viewed on anything bigger than a 320p cell phone screen. I will admit, I no longer spend as much time on every single detail in the post processing process for images. I used to get down to the pixel level in PS to fix even the tiniest "flaw" in my eyes....but these days the client's budget is everything so if they didn't pay for the extra time needed then I don't do it.

I am still torn over what to get... A V3 Evo 2 Pro maybe RTK or Enterprise or the M3... But living in the DC area where I know guys get locked out even if not within the FRZ, I just don't want to have to deal with it. I have 3 new Evo batteries and a bunch of accessories, so it makes some sense to stick with it. I could let Autel give me another V2 and use the insurance money to buy a M3 but I really don't need two drones. The V2 lost connectivity and went into the side of a mountain!

herein2021 · May 12, 2023

andrew124C41 said:
I am still torn over what to get... A V3 Evo 2 Pro maybe RTK or Enterprise or the M3... But living in the DC area where I know guys get locked out even if not within the FRZ, I just don't want to have to deal with it. I have 3 new Evo batteries and a bunch of accessories, so it makes some sense to stick with it. I could let Autel give me another V2 and use the insurance money to buy a M3 but I really don't need two drones. The V2 lost connectivity and went into the side of a mountain!

There is no way I would get an RTK or Enterprise from Autel; their customer service and software remains equally bad regardless of what model you own. Since you are surrounded by airports, the V3 EVO 2 might be your best bet.

andrew124C41 · May 12, 2023

herein2021 said:
There is no way I would get an RTK or Enterprise from Autel; their customer service and software remains equally bad regardless of what model you own. Since you are surrounded by airports, the V3 EVO 2 might be your best bet.

It's not the airports. It's the SFRA/FRZ that sometimes prevents DJI owners from flying even if they are not within the ring. I totally agree about Customer Disservice. They don't know what they are doing. The reason for the RTK is because I want the larger Controller. It is cheaper for me to get the RTK with the larger one then get the regular one with the SE. Why are you against the RTK?

MikeReidPhotography · May 23, 2023

After losing the Carrot to a battery error, I sold off all my Autel stuff and now am focused on the Mavic 3 Pro and Inspire 2 X7

herein2021 · May 23, 2023

MikeReidPhotography said:
After losing the Carrot to a battery error, I sold off all my Autel stuff and now am focused on the Mavic 3 Pro and Inspire 2 X7

How bad is the geofencing or do you live in an area where there is not that many airports? I am surrounded by them here in Tampa.

MikeReidPhotography · May 29, 2023

I don't end up flying near many airports. I was limited to 600 feet here because of Boeing Field but it was more than enough (free plug for Public Storage)