Drones: Tech For Every Occasion

Broadcast: Drones Directory 2015

UAV selection often comes down to weight and keeping below the 7kg limit of standard CAA flying regulations. Doing so at the budget end requires use of lightweight fixed lens cameras like GoPro Hero, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera or gimbals with built-in cameras such as the DJI Zenmuse X3.

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Currently available choices won't provide the data rates suitable for more than limited broadcast though DJI's X5, the latest version of its stabilisation mechanism includes a Micro Four Thirds 4K camera designed to achieve better quality. One to watch is the kickstarter-funded Z Camera which aims to develop the world's smallest UHD imager with interchangeable lenses.

While the just released Solo drone from 3D Robotics provides an alternative for GoPro users, the most popular off-the-shelf rigs at this end of the market are DJI Phantom 3 and Inspire. While a Phantom can be flown by a single person and is therefore cheaper, the Inspire offers dual operator control - of the aircraft and of the separate pan, roll, tilt motor of the gimbal - providing for smoother and more accurate dynamic camera movement.

The next step-up in camera quality are bulkier DSLRs like the Panasonic GH4, Canon 5D Mark III and the mirrorless Sony a7S II. There are customized gimbals for some of these models, such as the DJI Zenmuse Z15-5D for the 5D series, which efficiently minimise weight. Still in the sub-7kg category, the DJI S900 is routinely used to carry Panasonic GH4s on a Zenmuse with a 6-12mm Olympus lens.

Freefly Systems' Alta will permit mounting of such cameras underneath or on top to obtain fresh angles, using its MoVI stabilizers. It has a folding frame for easy transport and therefore useful for factual. The DJI S1000 and DJI S900 also fold-down and can be a better solution for a hostile environment, or if you’re travelling abroad and don’t need a full broadcast-spec camera.

For cameras more exacting of a broadcast spec, including the Canon C300, Sony FS7 and F55, RED Epic/Weapon or ARRI Mini, you will need platforms capable of carrying heavier payloads. Even the GH4 married with a different lens may push total weight over the 7kg mark. With a cinema package you will need control over the camera's exposure with a lens control system which adds to the weight. A plus in moving up the weight scale is that larger battery packs can be carried, upping flight time from an average 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Airframe options here include the DJI S1000 octocopter, Intuitive Aerial Aerigon hexacopter and Freefly Cinestar 8 HL with Movi 15 gimbal; the additional rotors generating greater lift.

Productions with a more specific requirement, such as significant payload capacity or ultra-precise movement, might try custom-built airframes. These will be more expensive than out-of-the-box systems but the makers are said to provide better customer service. Gloucester's Vulcan UAV, for example, will design and build drones from the ground-up.

If live broadcast is required then links from Teradex or Paralinx, used in conventional ground systems, are an option. Amimon, developers of the core technology behind those units, has launched Connex HD specifically for the aerial market and capable of delivering an HD link over 1km.

For unique mobile lighting there's the LED Light Heli system from Digital Sputnik. A drone is able to carry the system, controllable by Wi-Fi, which has an output equivalent of 1.5kW HMI, perhaps lighting night time action being filmed from a second drone.

Autofollow tracking systems require no pilot or camera-op and can be controlled from smartphone apps. Intended for the extreme sports market, care should be taken if used professionally since no vendor, let alone those with pilotless technologies, have developed failsafe collision avoidance systems.