I remember the first time a friend of mine got a camera drone almost over a decade ago. That thrill of going out to a park with them and launching that drone into the sky for the first time was exhilarating, to say the least—topped only by the thrill of seeing the footage shot from it a few hours later when we uploaded it to their laptop after.
Years have come and gone since then, flight laws have changed (you would absolutely not be able to fly a drone at that park again for the record), and there is almost an endless amount of prosumer-level to Hollywood standard camera drone options now available to the public. All with excellent image quality.
It’s safe to say that while some things about drone cinematography remain the same, there’s quite a bit more to learn and understand these days — especially if you’re looking to invest and launch a $16K drone like the DJI Inspire 3 into the sky. So let’s take a look at a recent hands-on review of this 8K capable Hollywood standard and explore everything you need to know before flying one yourself for the first time.
Getting Started with the DJI Inspire 3
As you can see in the video above from Peter Lindgren, there’s a lot to literally unbox before launching a DJI Inspire 3 into the air for the first time. With its current out-of-the-box price tag of $16,499, the DJI Inspire 3 is no small investment. It’s also a huge product itself which ships with an array of pieces of tools and gear that might take you a bit to figure out and assemble if you don’t know what you’re doing.
To be honest, though, it’s fun to watch someone unbox a product like this for the first time. Of course, most cameras or pieces of film gear come like this and require some assembly, but to think that these pieces of gear are going to fit together into a precision flying and cinematography machine is still pretty impressive.
The DJI Inspire 3 flying high in the sky on setCredit: DJI
In the box alone, you have your Inspire 3 itself, the Zenmuse X9-8K Air Gimbal Camera, your RC Plus controller, and a myriad of batteries, foldable propellers, different cases, boxes, and even a handy screwdriver. Of course, your DJI Inspire 3 will also come with its easy-to-follow manual and instruction set to get started as well—or you can always watch a YouTube video.
Tips for Safety and Cinematography
Once our video host finally gets his DJI Inspire 3 setup and ready to go, we get some very important lessons in safety and cinematography, which I highly recommend you watch and thoroughly review yourself before launching your first flights. And, if you’re more interested in getting caught up to speed with all the rules and regulations for flying your drone in 2023, you should probably watch this video below with all the guidelines as they currently stand.
Perhaps the most fun parts of Lindgren’s video have to do with their attempts to discover and quickly master the art of drone cinematography. There are so many shot types, moves, and maneuvers which anyone would be dying to try out when first getting started with a high-end 8K capable drone like the DJI Inspire 3. As you can see in the video, the possibilities are endless when you start trying to shoot commercial product-type videos along with your usual landscape-revealing high-air shots.
If you’d like to check out some more drone cinematography tips (which aren’t just tied to the DJI Inspire 3), this video below is another great resource to review.
Specs and Price
Now, as cool as everything about the DJI Inspire 3 is, it obviously might not be the right drone or investment for everyone. It is referred to as a high-end “Hollywood” drone for a reason, as it’s really meant for higher-end shoots and drone cinematographers needing to use it for lots of projects and work.
If you’re first starting off it’s perfectly okay to begin your drone journey with the DJI Inspire 2 or any other drone for that matter, as long as you use it to learn the basics and start your own journey with drone cinematography. All that being said, if you are interested in launching with the DJI Inspire 3, here are the full specs and price below.
- X9-8K Air Full-Frame 3-Axis Gimbal
- 8K25 CinemaDNG or 8K75 Apple ProRES
- CineCore 3.0 Image Processing
- Centimeter-Level RTK Positioning
- 1/1.8" FVP Camera with 161° DFOV
- Spotlight Pro Subject Tracking
- Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance
- Up to 9.3-Mile Control via O3 Pro
- Up to 58.4 mph Flight Speed
- RC Plus Remote with 7" 1200-nit Display
Price: $16,499
Let us know your thoughts about this DJI Inspire 3 launch video and if you’re interested in starting your own drone journey in the comments below.
