DJI Introduces STORM – High-End Professional Cinematography Drone

After the popular Phantom and Mavic lines DJI has built a drone that provides professional cinematography which is so high-end, it’s not even for sale. One can only hire DJI Storm which the company will send with a fancy van and a dedicated team of professionals to fly the drone for you.

Revealed in a Youtube video the Storm is introduced as a heavy lifter aerial platform crafted by integrating the versatile Ronin 2- the set up is compatible with popular cinema cameras and lenses with its outstanding payload capacity.

Features of this beast listed on DJI’s Chinese site describing the Storm:

• An eight-rotor aircraft that can carry up to an 18.5kg (40.8lb) payload.
• Enough to carry a sizeable filmmaker’s rig like an Arri Alexa LF camera complete with lens, one of DJI’s wireless follow focus systems, and DJI’s Ronin 2 gimbal for stabilization.
• A top speed of 80 kilometers per hour (roughly 50mph).
• It can fly for 15 minutes with a 12kg payload, depending on the batteries used.
• A powerful propulsion system and advanced flight control algorithms provide superior flight performance.
• Storm can perform reliably over a wide operating temperature range (-10˚C to -40˚C).
• When master wheels or force Pro is connected with storm cinematographers can control camera orientation in their preferred manner.
• DJI studio offers fully customizable aerial cinematography service with a professional crew to bring you efficient collaboration.

Considering that DJI’s Ronin 2 gimbal costs over $8,000 by itself, the Storm is an expensive drone. DJI seems to be currently reserving it for its DJI Studio Custom Aerial Cinematography Service, which is why it comes with a van, crew, and presumably sets of DJI’s fancy Master Wheels and Force Pro remote control systems, both of which allow cinematographers to move their Arri or Red camera more like they would if they were actually moving it on the ground.

News reports clarify that that none of the material featured in the Youtube video is necessarily available yet. DJI’s representatives remain tight-lipped about the availability of the DJI Storm in the United States as of now. However, two tipsters have sneakily pointed out that there appears to be at least one DJI Storm in the US already — as, it’s currently being tested by helicopter services provider Helinet Aviation, which claims it’s got the only one outside China. They’ve been featuring it a bunch on one of their Instagram feeds too.

Meanwhile Storm continues to be publicized by DJI as ‘a custom aerial platform powered by DJI Studio- designed for the professional cinematography industry, able to carry various popular cinema cameras and lenses with the support of Ronin 2, Master Wheels, or Force Pro, elevating aerial photography to the highest standards’.