PowerEye m43

Now this one looks like something DJI has to play catch up with. Making the Inspire look very much like yesterday’s news.

Of course, as is becoming a familiar song from me, the platform is one thing the apps that support it another.

It is also a matter of being in a manufacturer’s ecosystem. Once you have flown a Phantom then you have a rough idea of how DJI apps work and can scale that experience through larger platforms.

Yuneec, PowerEye, Autel and all the other new entrants need a logical progression cheap entry level through to professional tools. They also need to bring on the post production vendors. Propeller, Drone Deploy and PIX4D all enjoy great DJI integration. The new kids on the block need to ensure the same.

It is great that the drone industry is moving towards folks having Landrover vs Toyota vs Ford arguments down the pub.  The story of actually getting them to fly is over. It is which one works best as a fashion accessory for you now.

What caught my eye was the thermal/optical cameras in one ball and of course the four thirds, hence 43 in the name, with interchangeable lenses. Cleverly PowerEye has included a counter weight that screws in and out to compensate for different weight lens on the front of the gimbal.

Multirotors are growing up fast and China seems to be leading the charge.

Delivering the ultimate in cinematographic control, PowerEye features PowerVision’s integrated Dual Viewing capability. Dual Viewing gives multiple users the ability to see video simultaneously from a First Person View (FPV) and a Subject Matter View (SMV). Using the Dual Viewing feature, a cinematographer has the ability to see what is in front of the PowerEye while in flight through a dedicated FPV camera housed in the nose of the aircraft. At the same time, the PowerEye’s gimbal-mounted 4K UHD or Thermal/Natural Light Switchable Camera can be directed independently to action on the ground or other areas in the sky.

Using the PowerEye App, Dual Viewing can be managed by a single person using one mobile device in either a split screen or picture-in-picture mode (user selectable). It can also be managed by two people using two mobile devices with one person/device managing FPV, and the other managing SMV. Dual View is preferred or essential in a wide range of situations such as covering sporting events in stadiums; capturing a movie’s scripted action sequence in a city centre, or tracking wildlife across a rugged landscape.

PowerEye is available with two advanced camera options providing cinematographers and creative professionals with the ability to shoot in low light or with special effects. The first is its standard high-performance 4K UHD camera. The second is a camera that can capture images in both thermal and natural light. The PowerEye Thermal/Natural Light Switchable Camera comes with two integrated light sensors and two lenses.

Using the PowerEye App, a one key touch allows the user to switch between the thermal or the natural light setting. Using the Thermal/Natural Light Switchable Camera, cinematographers can capture a spectrum of light not visible to the unaided eye. For creative professionals, this has the potential to give an otherwise ordinary scene a surreal and dream-like quality. Until PowerEye, capturing thermal footage has not been available to the vast majority of cinematographers.

“PowerEye sets a new standard for video quality and control, special effects and professional capabilities. It’s a quantum leap beyond the use of a drone to simply record from above. For the first time we’re providing professional cinematographers, aspiring movie makers, even innovative game developers with a significant new feature set in an affordable, rugged and highly portable platform,” said Wally Zheng, CEO of PowerVision Technology Group. “The PowerEye’s integrated thermal capabilities combined with its simultaneous Dual View and state-of-the-art aeronautics is unmatched in today’s market.”