DJI Inspire

Lore & Background

The Inspire series began with the Inspire 1, announced on 13 November 2014. Built on lessons from the Phantom 2 and Spreading Wings series, it featured a Zenmuse X3 camera with a 12-megapixel 1/2.3" CMOS Sony Exmor sensor capable of 4K video at 30 FPS. The arms and landing legs retracted upward in flight, allowing the three-axis gimbal to rotate 360 degrees without obstruction. An Optical Flow system using a downward-facing camera and ultrasonic sensors enabled indoor navigation. The drone was powered by four 350 KV Model 3510 motors and a 4500 mAh TB47 battery, with an optional 5700 mAh TB48 battery providing about 18 minutes of flight time. In September 2015, DJI released the 16MP Zenmuse X5 and X5R Micro Four Thirds cameras as upgrades; the X5R could shoot raw images. In November 2015, the motors were swapped for 420 KV Model 3510H motors with an updated propeller locking system.

The Inspire 2 was released alongside the Phantom 4 Pro in November 2016. It featured a magnesium-aluminum alloy body, forward, upward, and downward-facing obstacle avoidance sensors, and a forward-facing FPV camera allowing two-person operation. It was powered by four Model 3512 motors and a dual-battery system with two 4280 mAh TB50 batteries. Camera options included the 20MP 1" CMOS Zenmuse X4S, the 20.8MP 3/4" CMOS Zenmuse X5S with swappable lens and raw imaging, and the Zenmuse X7. Flight time ranged from 23 to 27 minutes depending on the camera. The Inspire 2 ProRes and Inspire 2 L variants offered pre-activated Apple ProRes and CinemaDNG. The series was discontinued in February 2022 in favor of the Inspire 3.

The Inspire 3 was announced in April 2023 with a more aerodynamic design. It retained two-person control and added a night vision FPV camera. The primary camera was a Zenmuse X9-8K Air with interchangeable lenses, capable of 8K CinemaDNG video at 25 FPS or 8K ProRes RAW video at 75 FPS (both requiring a license key). It featured an O3 Pro video transmission system, omnidirectional collision avoidance, and GNSS and RTK positioning with GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou satellites. Power came from four Model 3511s motors and two 4280 mAh TB51 batteries, yielding about 28 minutes of flight time with landing legs extended or 26 minutes when retracted.

Reader's Guide

The DJI Inspire series represents a significant evolution in professional aerial cinematography, offering modular camera systems that allowed users to upgrade as technology advanced. The Inspire 1 introduced retractable landing gear that cleared the camera's field of view, a design feature that became a hallmark of the series. The Inspire 2 expanded on this with a more robust structure, obstacle avoidance, and dual-operator capability, making it suitable for complex productions. The Inspire 3 further refined the platform with higher-resolution video, night vision, and advanced positioning systems. The series saw adoption by various government and military operators, including the New York City Police Department, the Chilean Army, the Colombian Air Force, the French Armed Forces, the Lithuanian Land Forces, and the Azov Regiment. The Inspire 1 was introduced for training and testing by the NYPD in 2018, while the Chilean Army adopted the Inspire 2 in 2018. The Colombian Air Force introduced the Inspire 1 in 2016, with two still in service as of 2019. The French Armed Forces and Lithuanian Land Forces used the Inspire as of 2019. The Azov Regiment introduced the Inspire 1 in 2016, and it remained in Ukrainian paramilitary service as of 2019.

Did You Know?

• The Inspire 1's arms and landing legs retract upward in flight to allow the camera gimbal to rotate 360 degrees without obstruction.
• The Inspire 2 features a forward-facing FPV camera enabling two-person operation: a pilot and a main camera operator.
• The Inspire 3 can shoot 8K ProRes RAW video at 75 FPS, but requires a license key to use.
• The Inspire 1 Pro Black Edition replaced the standard white body shell and controller with matte black versions.