Sometimes you need a cute little quadcopter to play with at a family picnic. Other times, you need a six-rotor pro-level monster drone that looks like it spends nights and weekends hunting for Sarah Connor. Like, say, the DJI Matrice 600.
Unlike most drones you’ve heard of, the M600 does not work as a lazy dad-gift. At $4,600, only filmmakers, photographers and other professional need apply.
Then again, only a professional needs a beast capable of carrying a 13-pound payload. The Matrice 600 features DJI’s new A3 flight controller, which can adjust its flight systems based on what it’s carrying. You can upgrade it with three GNSS GPS units for extra precision, or at least a little reassurance that it’s where it’s supposed to be.
The real star, though, may be Lightbridge 2, DJI’s new video-transmission technology. It can stream 1080p high-definition video at 60fps from a bit more than three miles away. Even with a hulking RED Epic camera, a fully juiced M600 can stay aloft for up to 16 minutes, plenty of time to get sweeping shots of your favorite skyline. Lighter cameras, like DJI’s own Zenmuse line, can yield twice that flight time.
DJI has a sidekick for the M600 as well, the Ronin-MX gimbal. The universal gimbal is compatible with high-end cameras like Arri, RED, Black Magic, and the other usual suspects, and can be deployed in shooting situations that range from handheld to video crane-worthy. When mounted to the M600, it can leach flight controller data for positional awareness, pan 360 degrees, offer major degrees of tilt, and haul up to 10 pounds. It costs $1,600, but you get a small discount when you bundle it with the drone.
For most of us, though, the best part of the M600’s existence isn’t so much any particular spec as it is the stunning shots it’ll help put in a slew movies and shows. Hopefully soon.
