DJI Unveils New Zenmuse X7 Camera

DJI unveiled its latest aerial camera — the Zenmuse X7 two days ago after about a week of intense speculation among fans and industry observers. Along with the X7 comes the world’s first aerial lens mount system for 35mm cameras — the DL-Mount and four prime lenses.

So all that bloated speculation we’ve been seeing for the past week ended up being a bit anti-climactic after all. A large number of fans were hoping to see a new mid-range aerial photography drone or a successor to the Phantom 4 with a brand new camera. The X7 is nevertheless still exciting news, especially for those involved in professional aerial photography. With the introduction of the DL-Mount, DJI has quite simply produced the world’s first flying DSLR that was specifically designed for aerial photography.

The DL-Mount system currently has four prime lenses with focal lengths of 16, 24, 35 and 50mm and a maximum aperture of f2.8. Unlike most conventional camera lenses that are made of aluminum and plastic, the X7 lenses have carbon fiber bodies to save weight. As a result, the X7 weighs only 630g with lens attached. This is significantly lighter than most full frame cameras.

At the heart of the X7 is a Super 35mm sensor capable of capturing 6K DNG-RAW videos at 30fps (5.2K ProRes up to 30fps) and 24MP stills. The X7 also offers a dynamic range of 14 stops making it ideal for shooting in all kinds of lighting conditions. Like earlier Zenmuse cameras, the X7 was designed to work with the DJI Inspire 2.

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