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LAS VEGAS — In November of last year, drone manufacturer DJI announced the Inspire 1, a quadcopter with a 4K-resolution camera for capturing aerial videos and photos.
While that’s sure to result in some impressive shots, it’s a lot of camera to be used solely for up in the air. Enter the Inspire 1 camera mount announced at CES 2015.
The Inspire 1’s camera is actually a camera and gimbal, a motorized device used to stabilize the camera when moving. Since the camera and gimbal can be removed entirely from the drone, DJI developed a mount to turn them into a handheld camera.
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You simply plug the camera into the top of the handle and under your thumb are controls for shooting photos and video. There is a built-in microphone — since the camera itself doesn’t have one — and there’s a jack for adding an external mic.
The camera also doesn’t have a battery of its own, so there’s a removable rechargeable one in the handle that’s good for up to 70 minutes of shooting.
The handle works in two different modes. One fixes the camera direction so that no matter how you move, it stays on target. Mode two lets you smoothly pan and tilt the camera while tracking your subject.
Pricing and availability weren’t announced, but it will be out in 2015.
DJI also announced Zenmuse H4-3D gimbal for the GoPro Hero4 Black to use with its Phantom 2 drone.
