Zenmuse-X5R-5

DJI is putting professional-quality micro four thirds video into the air with the announcement of the Zenmuse X5 and X5R camera modules for the Inspire 1 quadcopter drone.

The Inspire 1 has quickly become one of the more sought-after quadcopters for professional videography, with a compact yet stable frame coupled with high-resolution live-streamable video. The one knock that some have put forward is that its camera system, while good, still isn’t up to that of the often-used GoPro, much less those higher-quality DSLRs that larger systems use.

The Zenmuse X5/X5R, announced at Interdrone in Las Vegas, puts a compact M4/3 sensor with interchangeable lenses onto a gimbal that clips onto the Inspire 1’s camera mount, the first activation of the interchangeable interface that was touted with the Inspire 1’s release last year. With the oversized sensor, videographers can make high-resolution videos (up to 4k) at higher dynamic ranges than smaller cameras can provide. It shoots stills at 16mp. Read more…