DJI presented the “people's quadcopter” Spark. The little one caused a storm of excitement: DJI made another revolution.
Spark claims to be the smallest video recording drone. And at the same time - the most advanced in its class.
DJI Spark Specifications
- Maximum speed: 50 km/h
- Flight time: 16 minutes
- Distance from the remote control: 100 meters (Wi-Fi), 2 km (branded remote control)
- Navigation: GPS, GLONASS
- Additional functions: auto-following, auto-take-off and auto-landing, obstacle avoidance
- External card support: Yes, Micro-SD
- Size: 143 × 143 × 55mm
- Weight (including battery): 300g
Camera
- Matrix; 1/2.3″ CMOS; 12MP
- Optics: FOV 81.9°; 25mm (35mm Format equivalent); f/2.6; focal length range - from 2m to infinity
- ISO: 100-3200 (video), 100-1600 (photo)
- Maximum photo resolution: 3968 × 2976, JPEG
- Maximum video resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080p, 30fps, bitrate 24 Mbps, MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264)
Dimensions and appearance
Previously, DJI has already presented the Mavic quadcopter and its advanced modification Mavic Pro. Built as an alternative to the Phantom series of large unmanned vehicles, these aircraft also designed for video shooting, but more compact - thanks to the folding design, they fit into pocket!
The new “Flyer” named Spark does not fold out. And it’s not necessary - its dimensions are 2 times smaller than Mavic. The diagonal beams are 170 millimeters. The overall dimensions are only 143x143x55 millimeters. Almost a smartphone, only a little thicker and twice as heavy: 300 grams.
Flight capabilities
Among DJI quadcopters, the Spark's flight time is the shortest - 16‒17 minutes. For a micro drone this is a very good result. This is because a battery is used, made using the same technology as in older models. Just much smaller: three-cell with a capacity of 1480 mAh and weighing 95 grams.
Despite this, the Spark's maximum flight speed is 50 kilometers per hour - almost the same as the high-speed Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Professional (65 kilometers per hour). The older devices also inherited the ability to work with DJI branded FPV goggles.
Smart flight control systems
The DJI Spark flight control system was inherited from the DJI Mavic Pro.
An upgraded version of DJI's proprietary system, Flight Autonomy, is used, which is a set of GPS/GLONASS modules, sensors, hardware and software. The kit allows the quadcopter to navigate in space without operator intervention, avoid collisions with other objects and land automatically.
The system consists of 24 microprocessors and a separate visual positioning system. An impressive arsenal helps Spark see obstacles 5 meters away and down.
The drone supports three control modes: using a controller, smartphone and gestures. Not only convenience, but also control range depends on the choice: with a proprietary remote control, Spark flies at a distance of 2 kilometers from the user; controlled by a smartphone using Wi-Fi - 100 meters; gestures - within 20 meters. The drone supports TapFly and ActiveTrack modes, as well as QuickShots.
Camera and videography
DJI has always offered 3 important advantages: flight performance, flight control systems and high image quality. For miniature devices, this has become a killer feature of Mavic - not a single compact drone takes pictures so well.
Spark is a little inferior in terms of performance. Its sensor is almost the same, 12-megapixel CMOS measuring 1/2.3 inches, viewing angle is 81.9°, and aperture is f/2.6. The gimbal is mechanical, but two-axis, and it has a smaller operating range: from 85° to 0°.
Spark doesn't shoot in RAW format, only JPEG, 3968x2976. Video recording is limited to Full HD resolution and 30 fps with a bitrate of 24 Mbps.
But it's head and shoulders above any Hubsan or other cheap drones under $600.
Results
Spark is a drone with simple controls that are understandable even for a beginner. Shot a video and shared it on social networks using one of the QuickShots modes for recording short, automatically edited videos and easily posting to Facebook or YouTube. Simple, like on a smartphone.
With the DJI Spark costing just $532 (with coupon FBSPIT)- it turns out to be an ideal drone for all occasions.
