Hands on with DJI's better, faster $3,000 Inspire 2 drone

DJI's ready-to-fly professional camera drone, the Inspire 1, has for the most part gone unchallenged since it launched two years ago. Compared to the company's Phantom line and new Mavic Pro, though, its tech is showing its age. That changes now.

It might look the same as the original, but the company's latest professional camera drone promises to be better in every way.

DJI Inspire 2 Review

DJI's pro-grade Inspire 1 drone has enjoyed some upgrades over its lifespan. Its modular camera design made that possible, with the standard 1/2.3-inch X3 4K camera giving way to Micro Four Thirds X5 and X5 Raw variations. But now it's time for an all new airframe with two new camera options, significantly improved speed, and an obstacle avoidance system. The Inspire 2 ($6,198 as reviewed) is sure to be the darling drone of pro filmmakers, local news stations, and deep-pocketed enthusiasts, as it supports features that demanding aerial videographers require, including dual-operator control and pro-grade video compression. It's our Editors' Choice for high-end drones. Design The Inspire 2 ($3,299.00 at Amazon) is a big drone. It's powered by just four rotors, so it's actually smaller than the competing pro-grade Yuneec Tornado H920. The aircraft's dimensions change slightly based on the position of its landing gear. When set to take off there's about 1.2 feet between each motor. Sw...

If money is no object, the DJI Inspire 2 is the best drone you can buy, delivering Raw video capture at 5.2K quality, superb build quality, and top-end performance.

Magnesium alloy body; Interchangeable cameras; 5.2K video; CinemaDNG and ProRes recording; High-speed Sport mode; Obstacle detection and avoidance; Retractable landing gear and 360-degree camera rotation; Dual-operator control with FPV pilot camera; Intelligent flight modes

High-performance computer required for video editing; Expensive; Adobe Premiere CC bug hampers CinemaDNG workflow