DJI Inspire 1 Test + Comparison & Rating: Is the price justified?

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A while ago, a new quadrocopter from DJI came onto the market. We are talking about the DJI Inspire 1 drone. Especially the T600 model with its 4K camera is taking quite big steps towards the future.

The Inspire 1 is comparable in quality to its brothers DJI Phantom 3 and DJI Phantom 4 Advance.

The model was obviously developed for technically experienced professionals. The unique bird’s eye view in enormously high picture and video quality and the extensive functions justify the high price.

Unique is the possibility to control the drone with 2 controllers. Thus the Inspire 1 is hardly to be surpassed in user-friendliness.

Furthermore, the remote controls offer numerous features and specifications.

With the one remote control you can control the drone in its flight path. At the same time, a second person with the other controller can control the 4K Ultra HD camera, which is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal system.

We have never seen this feature on any other model before.

While the drone produces unbelievable high quality and film quality footage, it can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour and even in stronger gusts of wind it stands like nailed to the ground.

DJI Inspire 1 at a glance

When you purchase the Inspire 1, expect to see you:

  • A complete Ready-To-Fly system, which includes everything you need to take off immediately and produce great shots.
  • A 12 megapixel camera with which you can produce razor-sharp photos and 4K videos.
  • FPV-Livestream in 720p HD on your Smartphone or Tablet, which allows you to watch exactly what the drone is looking at.
  • Carbon fiber reinforced material in highest quality.
  • Vision Positioning System, which controls the height of the drone using ultrasonic and optical ground position monitoring instead of GPS. This also makes it suitable for Indoo flights.

The only drawback of this professional drone is the rather high price, which will definitely make you a bit poorer. However, there is also the option of buying the DJI Inspire 1 in installments.

Scope of delivery

If you buy this drone, the following parts are included:

  • 1 x Inspire 1 Quadrocopter
  • 1 x 4500mAh flight battery
  • 1x ZENMUSE X3 Gimbal with X3 / FC350 camera
  • 1 x remote control including smartphone holder (also suitable for tablet)
  • 1 x charger
  • 1 x 16 GB SD card
  • Tools
  • Cables, manuals and various small items

The DJI Inspire 1 T600 is obviously equipped with a whole range of great features and depending on which package you choose, you will receive an additional remote control, various accessories and an additional battery.

But if you choose a cheaper package, you only get the drone, 1 remote control and a battery.

However, the battery and the second controller can be easily purchased as soon as you have the necessary change.

So it doesn’t matter which package you buy the Inspire 1 from DJI with, you will be overwhelmed by the high quality.

Design, quality and durability

The design of the Inspire 1 is definitely trendy and has a rather futuristic style.

What we should also mention here is the fact that this model is heavier than the drones of the DJI Phantom series.

However, as the engines are extremely powerful, this is not a problem for manoeuvrability, acceleration and agility.

In any case, you’ll have your chin down when you take off with the drone for the first time. Its enormously modern and cheeky appearance leaves a really impressive impression.

The body of the drone is attached to 4 carbon fiber arms. What we think is really cool is the look of this drone.

Its arms extend from the body to the opposite sides at different angles. This makes the Inspire 1 look rather insect-like. Definitely unique!

The carbon fiber reinforced arms are used to ensure the stability of the drone in the air. Because the main part of the body is significantly heavier, the centre of gravity is lower and the drone becomes more agile.

In addition, carbon fiber material is not only light but also very resistant and unbreakable, should a crash occur. A drone in this class actually weighs considerably more!

But that is not all. Hold on tight: The motorized arms can be moved to ensure an unrestricted view!

You can move it as you like, up or down. This incredibly ingenious feature allows you to move the camera as you like and guarantees a clear view.

We have never seen such a feature on any other model for this price.

Judging by our taste, the design of this drone is much better than the Phantom series from DJI.

The Inspire 1 has a much more elegant body, doesn’t look clumsy and is white-polished. In our opinion this looks much better.

But it gets even better: The Inspire 1 not only provides professional recordings but also a lot of fun. It shines with proud values regarding its agility, acceleration and speed values.

The ascent speed is a proud 5 meters and the descent speed is 4 meters per second.

The maximum airspeed is 22 meters per second, which is about 80 kilometers per hour, so you can easily overtake a car when it is driving through the city.

But please observe the applicable laws!

Camera of the DJI Inspire 1

We believe that the enormously good camera is probably the special feature that is most attractive to buyers and ensures that it ends up in the shopping basket very often despite the high price.

The Inspire 1 is equipped with a camera which is sometimes the best on the market. It can record video and image material in 4K resolution.

The cool thing about the camera is that it allows you to move it in 360-degree perspective. The reason for this is mainly its construction and how it is mounted on the drone.

This gives you a 360-degree perspective of the entire region below, which is great and can be very important for professional filming.

The pilot has the enormous advantage of producing images from all angles, laterally and downwards, regardless of his flight direction.

This equipment is unique and clearly sets the Inspire apart from other drone models on the market.

The camera is capable of recording images with a resolution of 12 megapixels. The photo recording has an enormously high contrast, depth of field and strong colours.

The iso-value is adjustable from 100 to 1600 for photos and from 100 to 3200 for videos.

The DJI Inspire 1 T600 also has the ability to set different bitrates. The maximum bitrate is 60 Mbps.

The memory needs to be erased regularly at maximum bitrate, and we also recommend a large memory card.

At the heart of the camera is the powerful Sony EXMOR sensor and a 35mm FOV lens. Very interesting is also the anti distortion function, which removes possible blurring from the photos and videos.

The video recordings can be saved in a number of different file formats, including MPEG-4 and MOV. Photos can be saved as DNG or JPEG.

Pictures can be shot in 3, 5 or 7 series and videos can be recorded in UHD, FHD and HD.

Here from photo, which was taken with the drone:

Gimbal System

The Zenmuse X3 gimbal is one of the most advanced 3-axis systems available for aerial photography.

This system ensures an enormously smooth image position, even if the drone is exposed to strong vibrations or gusts of wind.

The gimbal uses an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to detect minimal changes in the position of the gimbal and camera and adjusts itself accordingly.

The data updates of the movements are done once in milliseconds and the movement compensation is almost in real time. It could hardly be more high quality!

Flight time with the DJI Inspire 1 drone

The flight time of the Inspire 1 is a full 18 minutes.

If we talk about the time the aircraft can stay in the air, then we inevitably have to talk about the flight battery.

This is a 4500 mAh Lipo 6s battery, which produces 22.2 volts.

It has 99.9 watt hours and weighs over half a kilo, or 560 grams. But that is perfectly normal for a drone of this size!

For the Inspire 1 there is also a 5700 mAh battery with which you can easily reach 22 minutes flying time! How long you can stay in the air depends on your flying style.

If you’re constantly flying daring manoeuvres that are exhausting for the drone, you might not get the maximum flight time.

The normal weight of the whole quadrocopter is normally 2.9 kilograms, if you want to load even more, you have to expect a shorter flight time as well!

The outdoor temperature also has an influence on the performance of the flight battery.

The normal operating temperature is between -10 and 40 degrees Celsius. At very very low temperatures the voltage can drop.

The drone will then send a warning signal that you should land even though the battery may have been fully charged. We therefore recommend that you do not ascend with the Inspire 1 in temperatures below -10 degrees.

Remote control

The 2.4 Ghz controller has a maximum transmission range of up to 5 kilometers when no external interference is present. However, this does not apply to the remote control which is delivered with the Inspire in Germany.

This is because the CE standard applies here, which states that a transmitter may have a maximum of 25 mW. This means that in Europe the transmitter range is only about 3.5 kilometres!

However, you should observe the applicable drone laws in Germany. A drone may only be flown within visual range.

On the remote control itself is a USB port and mini HDMI video output.

Inside is a battery that you can charge. We recommend that you only use the DJI charger to avoid damaging the controller battery.

A real highlight is the possibility to use 2 remote controls. These can both be used at the same time to control the drone better and more coordinated.

One remote control is used to control the movements of the quadrocopter, while the second pilot can change the angle and movements of the camera with the other controller.

This function allows you to fly the drone while another pilot takes spectacular photos and videos. With this function, real professionals can work.

The remote control also gives the drone pilot a much better feeling when steering compared to the earlier drones from DJI.

Starting up the DJI Inspire 1

Before you start a flight with the DJI Inspire 1, check if the battery is really fully charged. If all 4 LEDs light up when you switch it on, the flight battery is full.

The battery is inserted into the Inspire 1 from above. Make sure that it snaps into place correctly and press it again if necessary to make sure that it is really tight.

If you have not yet mounted the propellers, make sure that they are arranged correctly.

Usually the propellers are color coded, for example in silver and black.

Furthermore, the direction of rotation is recorded. The propellers must be screwed on in this direction. Make sure not only to screw them on loosely, but also to hold each individual motor at the end and retighten the propeller once more.

This is important to ensure that the propellers are properly tightened.

Before switching on, it is also important to place the drone so that the camera does not rest on an object (pile of grass, stones), so that the gimbal can align itself correctly when switching on.

It might also be important to insert the SD card in a way that it is really tight, otherwise the recordings cannot be saved.

Now you can take the DJI Inspire 1 into the air. To achieve maximum range, it is important to align the two antennas parallel to each other.

Furthermore, the smartphone or tablet must of course be switched on so that the app can couple with the remote control and the drone.

Once you’ve got all that covered, you should first switch on the remote control and then the quadrocopter. Now it will take a while until the gimbal has aligned itself correctly. You should wait for this time span.

The camera should be aligned so that it points away from you at the first start. This will help you get a good feeling for flying with the DJI Inspire 1, as the stick movements you make with the remote control will also correspond to the direction of flight.

Afterwards you will surely be asked to calibrate the drone. Simply follow the instructions for compass calibration in the app.

If you have small changes in location, the Inspire 1 rarely or never needs to be calibrated before every start.

Flight characteristics

As soon as you’ve done everything, the drone can be launched. As soon as the propellers start turning, simply move the left stick slightly forward and the Inspire 1 will fly up.

The quadrocopter can stay in the air even in hovering flight and balances even strong gusts of wind effortlessly, so that if you let go of all the control sticks nothing happens and the Inspire 1 stays in place unimpressed.

On hilly terrain, make sure that the drone uses sonar to measure the distance to the ground and maintain its current altitude.

For example, if you fly over a hill, the drone will drop down as you continue flying, so you have to steer against it with the left stick.

The drone is very agile, agile and precise in its flight behaviour. The acceleration and speed it can achieve are enormous and 80 kilometres per hour are no problem.

Advantages and disadvantages of the DJI Inspire 1 drone

Now that we have listed the most important features and characteristics, we will look at some advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

  • Ready to Fly: Just unpack, load and fly.
  • 2 remote controls: Allow you to produce unique aerial shots. One controls the movements of the quadrocopter and the other the camera.
  • Cool, futuristic design: The carbon fiber arms can be moved to have even more space for aerial shots.
  • Breathtaking 4K camera: The 12 megapixel camera with 4K resolution produces razor-sharp, high-quality images. Unique to this model is the 12 MP captured still, with the anti-distortion function.

Disadvantages

  • No integrated LCD display: The DJI Inspire 1 remote control does not have an integrated screen. Therefore, you need a smartphone or tablet to fly the drone.
  • Price: The drone is quite expensive. It’s worth its money, but not everyone can afford it.

Conclusion

In short, the DJI Inspire 1 T600 Quadrocopter is a product that every professional and amateur would like to have at their side because its features are incredibly versatile but above all unique.

We can hardly think of any disadvantages to this brilliantly manufactured drone, instead the model offers a lot of interesting and absolutely fantastic features.

The Inspire 1 is perfect for amateurs and professional pilots who don’t want to bother with assembly and complicated technology, but want to unpack the aircraft and take off directly.

Again, it should be emphasized that the setup and flying is as easy as it is with many other models from DJI!

There is also hardly any other drone that can deliver 4K aerial videos and still images at a 360-degree angle without image interference.

 

So if you’re looking for an ingenious, easy-to-use professional drone with extremely high-quality workmanship, a top camera and outstanding controls, the DJI Inspire 1 is just the quadrocopter for you.

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