DJI says its AVATA 360 drone is its flagship. I’d agree.
Having had one for a month or two now, and still nowhere near explored its full potential, I can however, see what that potential is.
Casting back a few years, I had the privilege of reviewing DJI’s first FPV drone, the, well, DJI FPV. Although I could see what the potential there was, it wasn’t my cup of tea as it was aimed at the FPV flyer with goggles and motion controller, and as a person with a need for fulltime glasses, it just didn’t work for me.
Now, for those that want the thrill of the goggles and motion controller experience, th AVATA 360 will give you that in spades – but there is so much more!
Difference
The difference with the AVATA 360, and AVATA series drones before it, is the “360” factor, making a brilliant drone for videographers due to what I call the “infinite camera’.
You see, with the AVATA 360, it is continuously filming in all directions, effectively giving you an infinite number of cameras to switch to when editing in post. In essence it gives you the ability to get different angles of the same all-around scene.
The companion you need is the DJI Studio app, and once this is thrown into the mix, along with footage from the drone selectively edited, my, what a sequence of shots you can get.
Of course, you also need a decent initial flight plan, but that is your problem to sort out. The AVATA 360 can only shoot what it sees, and it is up to you to make the cut.
Examples of Possibilites
These two shots are identical; the difference is in the editing. The first video shows the original footage from the DJI AVATA 360 from the “camera view”, that is, the front of the drone as would be normal from any standard drone.
The second video – and this is a rough cut that took maybe 5 minutes – shows what the possibilities are.
Conclusion
The DJI AVATA 360 with the controller having the onboard screen is around AUD$1200. There are plenty of bundle options available, so shop around, see what each vendor will offer (including the online D1 Store).
If you are a photographer or especially a videographer, I am certain you’ll be impressed.
The DJI Studio software has a few tricks up its sleeve I have not yet even looked at such as filters, music, transitions and titling, but equally, if you want more editing grunt for your 360° videos, then Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is free and very much up to the task after suitable exporting from DJI Studio in equilateral format.
If you need a tutorial on doing this, just let me know.