DJI Inspire 3

The DJI Inspire 3 is a drone that's particularly designed for professional use. Its target audience includes professional filmmakers and drone pilots who are employed in sectors such as building inspections and surveying. One of the most significant highlights of the DJI Inspire 3 is the inclusion of the new full-frame Zenmuse X9-8K Air Gimbal Camera. This camera offers impressive image quality and the ability to capture 44.7MP photos in both Raw and JPEG formats. In addition, it can record videos in 8K up to 75fps and in 4K up to 120fps, making it an excellent tool for professional filmmaking.

The drone is compatible with four different lenses that are sold separately, offering flexibility in capturing different perspectives and shooting styles. However, the additional features and professional-grade capabilities come with the trade-off of the drone being larger and heavier than consumer models, like the DJI Mavic 3 series. Weighing at 140.91 oz or 3,995 g, the Inspire 3's size and weight limit its proximity to people and urban areas unless professional permissions have been obtained. Its size also reduces its portability, making it less suitable for everyday users or casual hobbyists.

The Inspire 3 comes with an advanced 'Travel Mode' for more comfortable transportation, and this mode helps to reduce its size when not in active use. The drone utilizes a powered mechanism to fold down for more accessible transportation and storage, once the camera and gimbal are removed. This model has even improved from the previous versions, allowing the folding propellers to be left attached in the trolley case for added convenience.

The drone’s main body features a locking gimbal attachment, and its landing gear rises and falls during take-off and landing, which can be manually adjusted during flight. This feature is particularly useful for enabling Tilt Boost 80-degree upward shooting with the landing gear down, and 360-degree Pan of the camera with the landing gear up.

Powering the DJI Inspire 3 are two batteries attached to the rear of the drone. They provide up to 28 minutes of flight time, but this is dependent on flight conditions and the style of operation. A more conservative estimate from testing suggests flight times around 18 minutes per pair of batteries.

A 161-degree ultra wide-angle FPV lens with a 1/1.8-inch night-vision sensor offers the pilot more precise flight control. This feature is especially useful in professional filmmaking because the pilot can use the FPV camera while a second operator takes care of camera control and filming. This dual-operator system can produce impressive video footage. However, the DJI Inspire 3 can also be operated by a solo pilot, in which case the main camera feed can be viewed on the controller screen.

As a professional-grade drone, the DJI Inspire 3 doesn’t come cheap. The Inspire 3 Combo kit costs $16,499/£13,419 without any lenses or the Inspire 3 Raw License for CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes RAW codecs. This price tag indicates the high-end nature of the drone and matches its professional-grade features.

Despite its professional-grade design and features, the DJI Inspire 3 is relatively intuitive to use and offers added complexity for more advanced users. But its size and weight mean it's not a drone you can casually carry around in a backpack. This drone is for professional drone pilots with specific requirements, not for the average consumer or hobbyist.

For those who work in professional filmmaking or drone piloting, the DJI Inspire 3 is an excellent choice. Its precise flight controls, coupled with top-notch image quality from the full-frame Zenmuse X9-8K Air Gimbal Camera, make it a standout choice in the market. However, for users who need a more portable and affordable option, the DJI Mavic 3 or Autel EVO Nano Lite+ may be worth considering. These consumer-grade drones offer impressive performance and features at a fraction of the cost of the DJI Inspire 3.