You’ve been dreaming of a drone with a 360 camera, but you can’t stomach it Anti-gravity A1 initial asking price? You will have more drones, although they may still be unavailable. Global drone behemoth DJI’s new Avata 360 drone shoots in all directions and costs less than Insta360’s drone. You still can’t buy it…yet.
As stated on the front, the DJI Avata 360 uses dual fisheye lenses on the top and bottom of the drone that can shoot up to 8K and 60fps from every angle. This means that actually DJI’s Osmo 360 camera is added to DJI’s Avata FPV (first person view) drone body. The drone uses 1-inch equivalent sensors that can capture HDR video or 120-megapixel photos. There’s a separate single-lens mode that lets you shoot in 4K and 60 fps just like your regular FPV flyer.
FPV drones are known for their aerial tricks, such as barrel rolls, inverted flights, or high-speed orbits. 360 drone allows users to create the same effects when editing 360 videos. For these flights, DJI promises you’ll get about 23 minutes of flight time. The drone also has 42GB of internal storage.
DJI Avata 360 and Antigravity A1
If you were particularly worried about having to edit your 360 footage after every shot, DJI may have your back. Avata 360 has a “GyroFrame” setting where users can set the ideal angle for shooting. When you export that footage to the DJI Fly app, you can adjust the shooting angle to add a sense of camera movement. The advantage of 360 camera drones is that you don’t have to take to the skies again when you don’t get the shot you want. DJI’s drone can make editing that footage feel a little more seamless.
Insta360 – a company mainly known for 360 and action cameras – has spun off Antigravity last year it emerged as its own separate drone brand. Antigravity AI was an odd duckling in several ways. It used a unique one-handed controller and AR headset combination. Users had to indicate the direction they wanted to fly and the drone would automatically head in that direction. It was perfect for novice drone pilots. More experienced flyers were less inclined to learn an entirely new way of flying.
DJI’s Avata 360 is designed for more traditionalists. It can come with DJI’s usual controller with built-in screen, plus three batteries and a charger. The drone is compatible with the RC 2, RC-N2 or RC-N3 controller. This means that if you already have a mountain of DJI drone gear, you can save some money on buying the drone itself.
Good luck getting one
This is another factor that separates DJI’s drone from the one made by Insta360. It is very cheap. In the EU, the basic kit with just the drone itself costs €459 (or about $530). There are two other packages for €939 or $1,089. Comes with a pack of display controller and battery charging pack. Another provides users with DJI’s FPV Goggles N3 and RC Motion 3 controller. The Antigravity A1 starts at around $1,600 for a basic package, but you can find it for around $1,280 at sites like Best Buy.
The DJI Avata 360 still has access to the Chinese drone maker’s leading tracking and object avoidance capabilities. The thing is, you still can’t buy it in the US. It is currently on sale in the Chinese market and is already on sale in all other regions. Stateside customers will not be able to find it on the official DJI web store.
The US Federal Communications Commission has effectively banned all DJI drones and many of its other products. The drone was one of the last scavengers The FCC’s regulatory hurdles back in december. You may be able to find the drone on a third-party site. As for the rest of us, your only option for 360-degree flying is the Antigravity A1.
