DJI Doubles Down on FPV with New O3 Air FPV Unit

DJI recently released the 03 Air FPV, a combined camera and transmission system for FPV racing and capturing cinematic FPV drone footage.

The 03 Air includes a camera module, an antenna, a transmission module, and a 3-in-1 cable.

 

Transmission quality and range are huge focus points with the 03 Air—it comes with DJI’s newest transmission technology, providing high definition, super low latency transmission for a range of just over six miles.

[Related read: DJI Avata vs. DJI FPV—Which One Is Right for You?]

The 03 Air was made to be user friendly, which means it’s small, compact, and can be easily assembled and installed. (Installation works the same as it does for DJI’s previous digital FPV system.)

The 03 Air unit is selling for $229 on the DJI website, and currently there’s no cost for shipping.

The DJI 03 Air

Specs for the 03 Air Unit

Here are the key specs for the DJI 03 Air:

• Sensor. 1/1.7″ CMOS Sensor
• Video. Shoots at 1080p/100fps and
• Video quality. Shoots at 4K/60fps. 2.7k 120fps
• Field of view. 155° Super-Wide FOV.*

*This FOV is only available when the aspect ratio is set to 4:3 and recording quality is reduced to 2.7K at 50/60fps or 1080p at 50fps/60fps.

The DJI 03 Air

The 03 Air offers two types of stabilization—DJI’s RockSteady technology stabilizes the camera internally, and footage shot on the 03 Air can also be stabilized in post-production.

As for compatibility, the 03 Air unit can be used with DJI’s new cinewhoop drone the Avata, the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, the DJI Goggles 2, and the DJI FPV Goggles 2. (The FPV Goggles 2 first launched as part of the Avata’s Pro-View Combo, but it can now be bought as a standalone product.)

The DJI FPV Goggles 2

The 03 Air can shoot in D-Cinelike, DJI’s signature video color profile that preserves shadows and highlights for post-production work, allowing creators to have more control over color grading and adjusting their footage.

It also comes with Audience Mode, allowing the camera’s live feed to be streamed to another pair of DJI goggles. This mode could be useful for directors or others working on movies or television productions. It could also just be used for fun, allowing a friend to watch as you fly.

The 03 Air also comes with Canvas Mode, a mode that allows pilots to customize their on-screen display.  

Transmission, Transmission, Transmission

Good transmission is incredibly important for capturing high quality footage while flying FPV, and also just for being able to fly FPV at all.

This video shows the difference between analog and digital transmission, showing why transmission quality is so important—especially when flying at longer ranges or in remote outdoor areas, where you could risk losing your drone.

To beef up its transmission capabilities, the 03 Air has DJI’s latest 03+ Video Transmission technology, providing a super low latency, high quality live feed.

Here are all the transmission-related specs and features for the 03 Air:

• Transmission quality. 1080p/100fps with H.265 video coding max video transmission quality.
• Transmission bitrate. 50Mbps max video transmission bitrate.
• Transmission range. 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) max video transmission range.
• Transmission latency. 30ms low latency video transmission.
• Omnidirectional antennas. 2T2R omnidirectional antennas help further support stability and smoothness in transmission.
• Frequency auto-switching. The unit automatically selects its own frequency band to get the best signal.

With the launch of the 03 Air DJI is elbowing its way further into FPV hardware and accessories, making it clear that the company has its sights on dominating the off-the-shelf side of the FPV drone market.