BroadcastPro ME caught up with Pejman Ghorbani, Head of Product Management at AMT, to learn more about DJI’s new products and drone trends in the market.
Advanced Media Trading, an exclusive distributor for DJI in the MENA region, hosted a launch workshop at Garage Studio, Al Quoz, Dubai, to demonstrate the capabilities of the new entry-level Mavic 3 Pro drone and the more high-end Inspire 3 drone. More than 100 people, mostly drone operators and content creators in the GCC, attended the event to learn more about the features of the new products.
Tell us a bit about the new launches from DJI that you showcased recently.
DJI has launched the third generation of the Inspire series called Inspire 3, which comes with a full-frame camera, 75fps at 8K resolution, and 120fps in 4k. This is an all-in-one solution for aerial photography, videography, and is particularly designed for the digital cinema industry. We also showcased the Mavic 3 Pro, which is the latest in this flagship series. It comes with three lenses: 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad, Medium Tele and Tele.
The Mavic 3 Pro is a game changer in the market and many productions that cannot afford the Inspire 3 budget will find this awesome. For shooting in landscape and large areas where you need something portable and creative particularly, this unlocks new shooting perspectives.
Why is DJI so important to this market?
DJI is a leading drone manufacturer. Since 2006, when they started making drones for the market, I think the first drone that they had was ready to fly (RTS) and the next was ready to shoot (RTS). As of today, they’ve been looking into the cinema industry and video industry a lot. But beyond this, they have also diversified significantly into the law enforcement, safety monitoring, surveying and agriculture sectors. However, their main focus is the professional photo, video and digital cinema industry.
They have continuously innovated, from unmanned flight controllers to aerial vehicles. Year by year, they have been continuously releasing products into the market and today, we have flying cameras. They have added stabilizers for the camera and mobile phones. They made sure that everything is in one package. About 18 months ago, they developed Ronin 4D, an all-in-one camera with a built-in stabilizer. The stabilizer is not only three-dimensional, but they added a fourth dimension — which is vertical stabilization – and this is active, not passive. We brought it to the studio to actually demonstrate it. So, they had the tracking system, the focus system, recording system, and the stabilization camera, everything in one package.
Drones versus choppers. What’s your take?
With choppers, you have to spend a lot of money in addition to dealing with the pollution that it creates in the air, hiring a pilot to fly it, and the associated challenges and costs related to it. Drones, by comparison, give you everything a chopper shoot can give and more. With a couple of hundred dollars and something even as small as the size of your palm, you can start drone filming with limitless creativity. These days DJI drones are safer, less risky, more versatile, portable, and flexible for different shooting scenarios,
What are the rules in the UAE with regard to drones?
In the UAE, you need permission from various entities including the General Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Defense and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).
This includes any drone of any size and weight. Since January 2022, the authorities have also stopped issuing permission to hobbyists to fly drones in the UAE. Only commercial licenses are being given out at present. But once your drone is registered, you can travel with it and take it out as and when you want to do so.
Are the new products available for sale and how much is retailing for?
Both new models are available in our store.
DJI Inspire 3 Combo with X9 – 49,399 Dirham plus VAT
DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine Premium Combo – 16,856 Dirham plus VAT
DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo (with DJI RC) – 10,094 Dirham plus VAT
