So has the DJI X5 has reached it's EOL

[Cyclops]

It would seem that finally the DJI X5 / Inspire 1 combo has been totally overtaken with the Inspire 2 and Phantom 4 Pro DJI product launch. Whilst it would be nice to think that a future firmware update could give the camera extra functionality and resolution I doubt this will happen and that we are stuck with the 60mbs bit rate.

I've definitely benefited from buying the camera and it has produced far superior results to the X3 that came with my Inspire 1 but however carefully you set the camera up you still get blocky detail, both in video and stills mode. Usable but not brilliant especially when cutting between X5 clips and material shot on my C300 Mk2.

And hanging the X5 and the Olympus 12mm underneath the Inspire 1 definitely affects the agility and performance of the machine which was designed for the X3.

I'm looking at my upgrade options which are simply, the new Phantom 4 Pro or the Inspire 2 with the 2 lens options the X4S or X5S. They are all exciting options and will all provide far superior still and video images. I'll probably go for the Phantom 4 Pro as, having started off with a Phantom 2, I think I'd find the form factor more suitable for my work in the construction industry.

I'd be interesting to find out how other X5 owners have reacted to this latest product launch.

 

[SimonMW]

The 60Mbps bitrate is down to the hardware in the camera. So that is stuck. But if DJI so wanted they could make one with similar quality to the X4S with a higher bitrate for the Inspire 1. But I doubt they will. Even though stopping I1 camera development effectively means stopping camera development for the M100 as well.

 

[Stuart Covey]

Personally I'm extremely happy with the new Inspire 2 release.
As much as I love the Inspire 1 with the X5 camera I've always been disappointed with its flight time and the fact that it doesn't have active tracking.
Having both of these features along with battery redundancy in the Inspire 2 has got me super excited. Can't say much about the sense and avoid though, as a professional that's pretty much useless.

But the ability to shoot in Apple ProRes is a huge bonus.
Plus some of the upcoming accessories are sounding pretty sick as well!
That said I can't wait until February!


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[SanCap]

Personally I'm extremely happy with the new Inspire 2 release.
As much as I love the Inspire 1 with the X5 camera I've always been disappointed with its flight time and the fact that it doesn't have active tracking.
Having both of these features along with battery redundancy in the Inspire 2 has got me super excited. Can't say much about the sense and avoid though, as a professional that's pretty much useless.

But the ability to shoot in Apple ProRes is a huge bonus.
Plus some of the upcoming accessories are sounding pretty sick as well!
That said I can't wait until February!


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I did not think that the I2 has battery redundancy, yes it requires 2 batteries but It will not fly on one battery.

 

[Stuart Covey]

I did not think that the I2 has battery redundancy, yes it requires 2 batteries but It will not fly on one battery.

It actually does, I don't think it will let itself takeoff with only one battery. But if one battery goes bad in flight it will still be able to fly and land itself.
Heres what the product page on DJI says about it:
"Dual batteries mean that if a problem occurs on one battery the other is able to continue flight long enough for a safe landing."


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[SanCap]

It actually does, I don't think it will let itself takeoff with only one battery. But if one battery goes bad in flight it will still be able to fly and land itself.
Heres what the product page on DJI says about it:
"Dual batteries mean that if a problem occurs on one battery the other is able to continue flight long enough for a safe landing."


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Thanks for the correction, that is good to know.

 

[Stuart Covey]

Thanks for the correction, that is good to know.

Yep, a lot of people were complaining about that with the I1, so it's good that they listened and incorporated it in the I2.
Not to mention they also included multiple other redundancies with the IMU, barometer, and a few others components.


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[EJR]

I love technology, but technology constantly moves on at a staggering and costly pace, what actually changes are individual's requirements and expectations. For many I suspect the X3, X5 and X5R will be more than adequate for many years to come and even something to aspire to depending on their use for it. I love the fact it opened the door for amature photographers to do things they could not afford in the past. There are soo much good footage shot with it out there and will continue to be.
Just an interesting point, when they brought out one of the later generation iPhones with a super high res screen, they did an experiment by showing the same image on an earlier version vs the new without people being able to see the model of phone. The surprising thing was everybody though the older phone had the new screen and looked much better. Some serious food for thought. Just because you think it is technically better does not mean it is or even perceived by a large audience to even make a difference. Our brains still happily fill in the blanks with 25fps. To the contrary, I personally think things are looking more unrealistic and superficial these days ... sometimes just too sharp compared to when I look at the actual scene vs an image.

 

[Stuart Covey]

I love technology, but technology constantly moves on at a staggering and costly pace, what actually changes are individual's requirements and expectations. For many I suspect the X3, X5 and X5R will be more than adequate for many years to come and even something to aspire to depending on their use for it. I love the fact it opened the door for amature photographers to do things they could not afford in the past. There are soo much good footage shot with it out there and will continue to be.
Just an interesting point, when they brought out one of the later generation iPhones with a super high res screen, they did an experiment by showing the same image on an earlier version vs the new without people being able to see the model of phone. The surprising thing was everybody though the older phone had the new screen and looked much better. Some serious food for thought. Just because you think it is technically better does not mean it is or even perceived by a large audience to even make a difference. Our brains still happily fill in the blanks with 25fps. To the contrary, I personally think things are looking more unrealistic and superficial these days ... sometimes just too sharp compared to when I look at the actual scene vs an image.

I definitely agree with you. It all depends on the users needs/requirements.
For most people the I1 is a more than capable craft. I still love it, but for me I'll benefit a lot by having a few of the features the I2 has to offer. Other people not so much.


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[SanCap]

I definitely agree with you. It all depends on the users needs/requirements.
For most people the I1 is a more than capable craft. I still love it, but for me I'll benefit a lot by having a few of the features the I2 has to offer. Other people not so much.


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I am one of those that will be staying with my 2 Inspire 1's and 10 batteries and all the other stuff that is not compatible with the Inspire 2. I will have to avoid hitting objects without the use of technology

 

[Stuart Covey]

I am one of those that will be staying with my 2 Inspire 1's and 10 batteries and all the other stuff that is not compatible with the Inspire 2. I will have to avoid hitting objects without the use of technology

Yeah, I strongly considered keeping mine. But the benefits outweighed the cost for me.

And I don't care if it has sense and avoid or not.
I'm never going to trust a little sensor to keep an $8k machine from running into a wall, sorry DJI [emoji57]



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[SanCap]

Yeah, I strongly considered keeping mine. But the benefits outweighed the cost for me.

And I don't care if it has sense and avoid or not.
I'm never going to trust a little sensor to keep an $8k machine from running into a wall, sorry DJI [emoji57]



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After flying and seeing the differences between the I1and I2 flying I am changing my mind and will be getting an I2!

 

[Dave Pitman]

I did not think that the I2 has battery redundancy, yes it requires 2 batteries but It will not fly on one battery.

It actually does, I don't think it will let itself takeoff with only one battery. But if one battery goes bad in flight it will still be able to fly and land itself.

The i2 actually takes off and flies very well with one battery. Skip to 3:18 in the following video to see for yourself !

 

[Barking Deer]

To Cyclops who was trying to decide between a P4P and an Inspire. Don't know what you decided, but I have a P4P and an Inspire 1, so here are some observations.

The Inspire is more stable in wind.
The Inspire has dual controller ability
The Inspire has free gimbal pan; to pan the camera on the P4P you need to yaw the UAV.
The Inspire has drop package capability (the Stork device)

The Inspire camera and the P4P camera are not as different as the specs suggest. I have some calculations here, and many people on the Board are not going to like them. Fire away. (This is only related to still images)

Resolution isn't everything. Sensor size and pixel size are actually large determinants of picture quality. In general, a larger sensor correlates with better quality. Larger pixels correlate to less noise, higher ISO, and wider dynamic range. That said, and ignoring other critical factors such as stability in wind and lens quality, we would expect a 1 inch sensor to be better than a 1/2.3 sensor, and therefore a P4P camera to yield better results than the X3. The P4P camera has a pixel size of 2.9x3.6 microns (not square) and the X3 has a pixel size of 2.2 microns (square). The P4P has both 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratios, but the difference arises by in camera cropping. If you set the P4P to 4:3 to match the X3 camera the image sizes are 4864x3648 vs. 4000x3000. So, yes, the P4P should take a better picture, but not dramatically so.

From what I can determine, the P4P and the X4S have the same sensor.

The X5 on the Inspire 1 is a Micro-Four-Thirds sensor (MFT) with image size 4600x3448. That indicates a pixel size of 3.8 microns square. So, the X5 should have less noise, higher ISO, and wider dynamic range than either the P4P or X3.

The X5S on the Inspire 2 is also an MFT sensor, with image size 5380x3956. That indicates a pixel size of 3.3 microns square. So, the X5 should have less noise, higher ISO, and wider dynamic range than the X5S, at the expense of a decrease in resolution.

Of course this ignores any processing differences, or post-capture cropping, but it suggests that if what you are after is lower noise, lower light capability, or wider dynamic range, then you may already have it in an Inspire 1 with an X5 camera. On the other hand, if you are going for the best detail in an enlargement, than the Inspire 2 with the X5S may be your ticket.

And all that being said, don't be the person who spends their budget on a top of the line camera body, and then buys the cheapest lens and filter they can find. The camera works as a system, and is only as good as the lowest quality component in the image chain.

 

[Cyclops]

Thanks for those calculations.

I'm still sitting on the fence. Can't really justify replacing my Inspire 1 commercially. With a bit of care it still produces great images.

 

[Mark Campbell]

To Cyclops who was trying to decide between a P4P and an Inspire. Don't know what you decided, but I have a P4P and an Inspire 1, so here are some observations.

The Inspire is more stable in wind.
The Inspire has dual controller ability
The Inspire has free gimbal pan; to pan the camera on the P4P you need to yaw the UAV.
The Inspire has drop package capability (the Stork device)

The Inspire camera and the P4P camera are not as different as the specs suggest. I have some calculations here, and many people on the Board are not going to like them. Fire away. (This is only related to still images)

Resolution isn't everything. Sensor size and pixel size are actually large determinants of picture quality. In general, a larger sensor correlates with better quality. Larger pixels correlate to less noise, higher ISO, and wider dynamic range. That said, and ignoring other critical factors such as stability in wind and lens quality, we would expect a 1 inch sensor to be better than a 1/2.3 sensor, and therefore a P4P camera to yield better results than the X3. The P4P camera has a pixel size of 2.9x3.6 microns (not square) and the X3 has a pixel size of 2.2 microns (square). The P4P has both 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratios, but the difference arises by in camera cropping. If you set the P4P to 4:3 to match the X3 camera the image sizes are 4864x3648 vs. 4000x3000. So, yes, the P4P should take a better picture, but not dramatically so.

From what I can determine, the P4P and the X4S have the same sensor.

The X5 on the Inspire 1 is a Micro-Four-Thirds sensor (MFT) with image size 4600x3448. That indicates a pixel size of 3.8 microns square. So, the X5 should have less noise, higher ISO, and wider dynamic range than either the P4P or X3.

The X5S on the Inspire 2 is also an MFT sensor, with image size 5380x3956. That indicates a pixel size of 3.3 microns square. So, the X5 should have less noise, higher ISO, and wider dynamic range than the X5S, at the expense of a decrease in resolution.

Of course this ignores any processing differences, or post-capture cropping, but it suggests that if what you are after is lower noise, lower light capability, or wider dynamic range, then you may already have it in an Inspire 1 with an X5 camera. On the other hand, if you are going for the best detail in an enlargement, than the Inspire 2 with the X5S may be your ticket.

And all that being said, don't be the person who spends their budget on a top of the line camera body, and then buys the cheapest lens and filter they can find. The camera works as a system, and is only as good as the lowest quality component in the image chain.

Yep, i did some tests comparing the X5 with the P4P. The X5 had the DJI 15mm standard lens. I took some identical shots of some houses and printed them out to A3 size. The result was that there is very little difference, no matter how close you look. I tested about 10 people and most had to look for about 3 minutes before choosing the X5 as "slightly" better. There was a fraction more noise in the p4p images. I did this because eI saw a forum post where someone claimed the P4P "blows away" the old X5. This is clearly not the case. I did not do any video testing.