The rumored DJI Avata drone has appeared in a new leaked photo that gives us a closer look at the indoor flying camera, easing recent fears about launch delays.
The photo below, posted by regular DJI leaker @OsitaLV (opens in new tab) on Twitter, is the first time we’ve seen the FPV (first-person view) drone in the wild, and shows a very different design from the drone king’s existing models.
Unlike DJI’s current Mavic, Air Mini and FPV ranges, the compact DJI Avata has guarded propellors that will help it fly safely among people and in confined spaces. This means it could be ideal for shooting aerial videos for social media, much like the recent Snap Pixy.
Not that the DJI Avata and Snap Pixy, which fits in your pocket and weighs only 101g, are likely to be direct rivals. For a start, the Avata is expected to be an FPV drone, which means it’ll likely be flown using an included headset, rather than via your phone.
DJI’s indoor-friendly drone looks similar in size to its Mini series, which means it should have room for a much better camera than the Pixy, plus all of the software smarts that DJI is known for. These are likely to include the RockSteady 2.0 and HorizonSteady stabilization seen on previous cameras like the DJI Action 2 action cam.
Electronic stabilization smarts are likely to be particularly important on the Avata, as the new leaked image appears to confirm that the drone will only have a single-axis gimbal. Other DJI drones have three-axis gimbals to ensure that aerial footage remains smooth and stable, but that’s less suitable for so-called ‘cinewhoop’ drones that are largely designed for shooting dynamic, fast-paced indoor footage.
Recent rumors suggested that the DJI Avata’s release date had been pushed back from its proposed July take-off, but the emergence of a new leaked image suggests that it’s still on track for a launch soon.
Analysis: A mini, indoor-friendly DJI FPV?
DJI drones have traditionally been made for shooting epic aerial videos in the great outdoors, but these leaked Avata images suggest it could be something very different.
While it’s possible to fly drones relatively close to people who are “involved in what you’re doing” (in the words of the UK’s Drone Code), models like the DJI Mini 3 Pro lack the built-in prop guards that will seemingly be offered by the DJI Avata.
Like the DJI FPV, the Avata will also likely be designed to shoot a very different style of video to DJI’s other consumer drones. So-called ‘cinewhoop’ drones are designed for filming slow, steady footage in tight spaces.
This makes them particularly good tools for shooting the dynamic indoor videos that have gone viral on social media in recent years, like the bowling alley video above that emerged last year.
That said, today’s leaked image does show the Avata drone outside, so it’s possible that DJI is also designing it to be a smaller, beginner-friendly version of the DJI FPV for shooting a different kind of outdoor video to its other drones.
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