If you’re someone who has been on the fence considering adding a camera drone to your videography bag over, but not wanting to spend too much in terms of budget or space, well, the perfect solution might be finally here for you.
The DJI Neo has just been announced and it is truly about as compact, easy-to-use, and affordable as any drone we’ve ever seen. It’s also capable of recording 4K video at 30p and powered by AI-based subject tracking, making it certainly useable for many content creation needs these days.
Let’s look at this tiny, beginner-friendly DJI Neo and explore how it might be right for someone’s first drone purchase.
Introducing the DJI Neo
Designed to be a beginner-friendly, yet pro-style, camera drone, this new DJI Neo is set to offer a creative and fun alternative to content creators hindered by their selfie sticks and tripods. The Neo has a compact design that is incredibly lightweight at only 4.8 oz and can fit inside the palm of your hand—which it can also take off from and land.
When in flight the Neo’s 1-axis camera can capture selfies and sweeping vistas at 4K30p resolution with its 1/2″ sensor. Users can also control it with the DJI Fly app on their phone or with voice controls, another very helpful and easy-to-use feature.
To ensure solid, pro-style performance, DJI equipped the Neo with AI-based subject tracking, RockSteady and Horizon Balancing stabilization, and six different QuickShots automatic shooting modes. Overall the Neo is set to make it easier than ever to achieve a new perspective on your personal and professional content.
Ultra-stabilized video and AI Subject Tracking
DJI Neo Features
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The new DJI Neo will also feature some pretty sophisticated new technologies like the aforementioned RockSteady and Horizon Balancing features which will work to reduce image shake and correct the horizon tilt within +/- 45°.
The Neo will also boast AI algorithms that can follow you or another subject and keep them in the frame as they move. Choose from Smart Tracking, which will follow a selected subject, or DirectionTrack, which follows something (or someone) from the front, flying backward as the subject walks towards the drone.
You’ll also have access to more dynamic and professional looks with new QuickShots, which are maneuvers that the Neo can perform while keeping your subject in focus. Here are some of the pre-programmed flight paths:
- Dronie: Flies backward and upwards while keeping a subject in the frame
- Circle: Circles around a subject at a steady height and distance
- Rocket: While focused on a subject, the drone shoots straight up into the sky
- Spotlight: The drone flies in any direction with the camera locked onto a subject
- Helix: While focusing on a subject, the drone will spiral up and away
- Boomerang: Focused on a subject, the drone flies in an oval path, going up and down, starting/stopping at the same spot
Price and Availability
The DJI Neo is available for pre-order now and is expected to start shipping in October. Here are the specs and purchase options for the base model which is set to retail at only $199.
- Compact, Lightweight & Beginner Friendly
- Palm-Based Takeoff & Landing
- Control with the DJI Fly App or Your Voice
- 1-Axis Camera for Up to 4K30 Video
- Ultra-Stabilized Video
- AI Subject Tracking
- Six QuickShots Shooting Modes
- Full Coverage Propeller Guards
- Level 4 Wind Resistance
DJI Neo Drone
www.bhphotovideo.com
Mixing beginner-friendly operation with pro-style quality, the DJI Neo Drone offers a creative and fun alternative to a selfie stick or tripod. Incredibly lightweight at only 4.8 oz, the palm-sized Neo can take off from and land onto your outstretched hand.
