I thought I would provide my initial impressions of the Inspire 1 Pro with the Zenmuse X5 now that I've flown it a total of two times. This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive review since there are plenty of those out there for the Inspire 1 itself, nor have I gotten to really dive into the camera's endless settings.
Background
This is my first Inspire 1, I also have a P3P which I fly daily to film construction sites, real estate listings, commercials for local businesses etc. I upgraded to the Inspire 1 solely because of the X5. My only reason for either is for aerial photography, so for me this is not just a hobby.
The Good
The usual stuff - HD downlink, familiar app and interface similar to the P3, nearly excellent build quailty, etc.
Zenmuse X5 - The Zenmuse X5 and gimbal appear to be well built some of my pre-order concerns have been greatly alleviated after the second flight.
Focus - One of my main concerns was how to maintain focus while flying especially since DJI just released a focus control. I don't have the luxury for most jobs to have a camera operator and a focus puller and DJI's documentation was pretty vague about what AF means to them. Well turns out it appears to be similar to Nikon's AF-S or Canon's AI-Servo settings where it maintains focus even as you get closer or farther away from an object. You can even do infinity focus lock, simply focus on the horizon in AF mode then switch to Manual and it will focus lock to infinity.
Pictures - Phenomenal dynamic range, I've only begun to scratch the surface of testing F stops and shutter speeds. But so far the pictures are turning out great.
Video - Video of course was one of my main concerns considering the 60Mbs bitrate and DJI's notoriously bad implementation of H.264 compression. I am pleased to say that my first video footage far exceeds my expectations, and the X5 is a phenomenal step above the P3P. I shot in [email protected] at dusk and the quality is awesome; no artifacts while flying over water, grass, or trees, no stuttering.
The Bad
Unfortunately its not all perfect, and the list may grow in the coming days but I definitely found a few problems within the first 2 flights:
Rolling Shutter - My biggest enemy "rolling shutter" made a very slight appearance in the maiden flight. I never had a single hint of rolling shutter in the P3P, but the first flight out the I1 had a tiny bit for a brief second. I truly hope the craft just has to settle down a bit and break in.
Non-Level Gimbal - I did not do a gimbal calibration but the gimbal was not perfectly level after sharp maneuvers. It usually slowly returned back to level but most of the footage has a slight tilt.
Ribbon Cable - I posted about the exposed ribbon cable here: Zenmuse X5 Ribbon Cable Major Problem Area | DJI Inspire Forum make sure you wrap the exposed portion with tape and modify the carrying case if necessary to prevent it from being damaged.
Other
The foam cutouts that are in Inspire 1 cases do not fit the Inspire Pro. The gimbal is too big and so is the box for the camera. I will have to send back the GPC case that I had ordered for it and wait for vendors to offer Inspire Pro cases.
Battery life is about 16 minutes with the TB48 batteries. I got about 11 minutes of useable flight before landing with 30% remaining.
I first color graded the footage in Corel VideoStudio and the results were terrible; the footage looked no better than the P3P footage. Also there were compression artifacts, stuttering, and other problems. I then dropped the source footage into DaVinci Resolve 12 and all I can say is wow; within minutes I had better looking footage than anything the GoPro or P3P could ever produce. So if you get the X5, make sure you are familiar with how to properly set up the camera and color grading or you will be disappointed.
Background
This is my first Inspire 1, I also have a P3P which I fly daily to film construction sites, real estate listings, commercials for local businesses etc. I upgraded to the Inspire 1 solely because of the X5. My only reason for either is for aerial photography, so for me this is not just a hobby.
The Good
The usual stuff - HD downlink, familiar app and interface similar to the P3, nearly excellent build quailty, etc.
Zenmuse X5 - The Zenmuse X5 and gimbal appear to be well built some of my pre-order concerns have been greatly alleviated after the second flight.
Focus - One of my main concerns was how to maintain focus while flying especially since DJI just released a focus control. I don't have the luxury for most jobs to have a camera operator and a focus puller and DJI's documentation was pretty vague about what AF means to them. Well turns out it appears to be similar to Nikon's AF-S or Canon's AI-Servo settings where it maintains focus even as you get closer or farther away from an object. You can even do infinity focus lock, simply focus on the horizon in AF mode then switch to Manual and it will focus lock to infinity.
Pictures - Phenomenal dynamic range, I've only begun to scratch the surface of testing F stops and shutter speeds. But so far the pictures are turning out great.
Video - Video of course was one of my main concerns considering the 60Mbs bitrate and DJI's notoriously bad implementation of H.264 compression. I am pleased to say that my first video footage far exceeds my expectations, and the X5 is a phenomenal step above the P3P. I shot in [email protected] at dusk and the quality is awesome; no artifacts while flying over water, grass, or trees, no stuttering.
The Bad
Unfortunately its not all perfect, and the list may grow in the coming days but I definitely found a few problems within the first 2 flights:
Rolling Shutter - My biggest enemy "rolling shutter" made a very slight appearance in the maiden flight. I never had a single hint of rolling shutter in the P3P, but the first flight out the I1 had a tiny bit for a brief second. I truly hope the craft just has to settle down a bit and break in.
Non-Level Gimbal - I did not do a gimbal calibration but the gimbal was not perfectly level after sharp maneuvers. It usually slowly returned back to level but most of the footage has a slight tilt.
Ribbon Cable - I posted about the exposed ribbon cable here: Zenmuse X5 Ribbon Cable Major Problem Area | DJI Inspire Forum make sure you wrap the exposed portion with tape and modify the carrying case if necessary to prevent it from being damaged.
Other
The foam cutouts that are in Inspire 1 cases do not fit the Inspire Pro. The gimbal is too big and so is the box for the camera. I will have to send back the GPC case that I had ordered for it and wait for vendors to offer Inspire Pro cases.
Battery life is about 16 minutes with the TB48 batteries. I got about 11 minutes of useable flight before landing with 30% remaining.
I first color graded the footage in Corel VideoStudio and the results were terrible; the footage looked no better than the P3P footage. Also there were compression artifacts, stuttering, and other problems. I then dropped the source footage into DaVinci Resolve 12 and all I can say is wow; within minutes I had better looking footage than anything the GoPro or P3P could ever produce. So if you get the X5, make sure you are familiar with how to properly set up the camera and color grading or you will be disappointed.
