Quadcopter versus Octocopter
We here at FiveSix Productions happily employ the DJI Inspire 1 drone for out aerial needs. So far we have been very pleased and have captured some awesome footage. Recently we were perusing the DJI website to research the Osmo, and we came across their selection of octocopters, which got us wondering about the difference.
So far as we can tell from our research, the difference between a quadcopter, hexacopter (wasn't aware that existed), and a octocopter is concurrent with each step. With a quadcopter, obviously you get more power than with a helicopter, more stability, and greater payload potential. As you step up to the hexacopter, and then again to the octocopter, the same benefits are there, just in greater amounts. I'm not a mathematician, so I'm not sure if the speed and payload capacity increase exponentially, but that's neither here nor there, since we aren't attending MIT.
The cons of course would be increased size and price as you add more engines and propellers, but if you have an expensive camera on board, you're going to want more power. Here's an article from Dronebly, a website that's all about drones.
4K From the Clouds
We have upgraded our aerial photography capabilities and value by outfitting our DJI Inspire 1 with the latest in drone-mounted cameras. The Zenmuse X5 is a Micro 4/3, mirrorless camera that is capable of shooting up to 4K at frame rates of up to 30fps and 16MP still frames. The camera is equipped with the standard MFT interchangeable lens mount, which is great given the increasing number of lenses DJI is appearing to output. Finally, the camera's control functions, such as one-touch auto-focus, aperture, etc. are all wireless and controllable from your smart phone or tablet- or whatever you are using. Here's some spectacular specs.
All this is great, but I think that the key improvements are in the image quality, because, at the end of the day, that's what the end consumer is going to see. The X5 is capable of 12.8 stops of dynamic range, allowing for awesome clarity in a wide range of shadows and highlights. This increase in dynamic range is important for us here at FiveSix given the frequency in which we find ourselves shooting off and on throughout the day when the sun and ensuing shadows can really create a variety of headaches. The 4/3 sensor is eight times larger than that of the previous X3 which came standard on the Inspire 1 (compare to a GoPro), this provides extraordinary clarity, detail, and quality at ISOs from 100-25600 which is unmatched in the industry today. Check out the awesomeness right now with your eye balls!