When comparing DJI Phantom 4 Pro vs DJI Inspire 2, the Slant community recommends DJI Inspire 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best drones capable of shooting 4K video?” DJI Inspire 2 is ranked 4th while DJI Phantom 4 Pro is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose DJI Inspire 2 is:
With the Zenmuse X5S lens, it is possible to film in CinemaDNG and ProRes format. These are professional video formats that require a lot of data storage and powerful hardware to edit, but provide the best quality, wide editing and correction options.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Great autonomous flying functionality
The drone is equipped with plenty of autonomous flying modes, including various object tracking modes, pre-defined path flying mode, and even "follow the terrain" mode. Coupled with the excellent obstacle avoidance systems, you can use these auto modes without any worries.
Pro Has built-in obstacle avoidance
The Phantom 4 Pro has an advanced 5-direction obstacle avoidance system, unlike other drones with only forward/downward facing sensors. This greatly minimizes the risk of crashing when flying backwards or to a side with limited visibility. The sensors also allow greater control and stability when flying indoors. However, obstacle avoidance in all directions only works in two flight modes: beginner and tripod. In standard flying mode, only the front and rear sensors work. The obstacle sensing range is 30 meters in all directions, the obstacle avoidance system range goes from 0.2m to 7m, and the max speed for obstacle avoidance is 50 km/h (31 mph). The drone avoids obstacles either by moving past them or stopping right at the obstacle.
Pro Camera can take bright images in the dark
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro's camera is equipped with a 1 inch 20 megapixel sensor. This big sensor collects enought light to allow shooting bright pictures in dark settings.
Pro Version that comes with a remote with a built-in Android tablet is available
It is possible to buy this drone in a “plus” version that includes a remote with a built-in Android tablet with an extremely bright screen.
Pro Great image quality
The drone boasts a large sensor almost four times as large as those in high-end smartphones. This allows it to capture a more detailed picture and greatly improves performance in low light. Another standout feature is the aperture control, which allows you to change the depth of field for creative uses.
Pro Professional level formats, for professional video and photo editing
With the Zenmuse X5S lens, it is possible to film in CinemaDNG and ProRes format. These are professional video formats that require a lot of data storage and powerful hardware to edit, but provide the best quality, wide editing and correction options.
Pro Can shoot high FPS videos for smooth videos
This drone is great for action shots and smooth movements: its processing power allows capturing videos in 4K quality at 60 FPS. You can also shoot FullHD quality videos at 120 FPS, so you can produce slow-motion videos in post-production.
Pro Wide ISO range for low-light conditions
The Inspire 2 is well capable of shooting in low light conditions, since the ISO can be set between 100 and 25600 (12800 on X4S).
Pro Wide range of manufacturer accessories
DJI offers a wide range of additional accessories, including high speed storage (up to 480GB), remote focus control, battery charging stations, and much more. Unfortunately, they are quite pricey, so purchasing them represents a heavy investment.
Pro Firmware is future-proof
DJI constantly puts out firmware updates for their drones, adding improved algorithms and added functionality, so your drone will be up-to-date for years to come.
Pro The Zenmuse 5XS camera allows you to use third party lenses
When using this camera you can mount various third party lenses, as long as they are of the appropriate mount, and they won’t get obstructed by the drones body when moving the camera.
Pro Drone is sold in different bundles
The drone can be bought as a standalone or in various bundles that may include one of the cameras, CinemaDNG/Apple ProRes licenses, several filters, extra memory cards, and more.
Pro Smooth pictures even under harsh conditions
This drone's cameras offer very smooth picture, even in strong winds or when doing sharp maneuvers. There's gimbal stabilization for both of the cameras: the live view camera has a 2-way gimbal while the main camera has a 3-way stabilization system.
Pro Has two cameras to choose from
The drone offers two camera options: the cheapest one features the same specs as the one found on Phantom 4 Pro, the second one is more expensive but has interchangeable lenses and can capture videos in 5.2K quality.
Pro Plenty of autonomous flying options
Its sensors and visual object tracking allow for tracking, predefined path flying and orbiting modes. DJI also frequently adds new flying modes to its updates. The camera's wide operating angle further eases camera tracking.
Pro Able to "return home" on its own
Thanks to all its integrated vision systems, the drone creates a real-time map around the drone. If the signal is lost, the drone will calculate and take the the safest route back home using the collected data and its camera to navigate.
Pro Live video feed from the controllers HDMI port
You can stream a FullHD feed from the main camera’s remote controller. While the pilot sees everything in real-time, the HDMI footage is broadcasted with some delay for smoother frame rates.
Pro Several integrated safety features
This drone has twice the safety features most drones have. For example, it has more sensors for detecting possible collisions and a backup communication path in case the primary fails.
Pro Excellent battery life
The Inspire 2 can fly for approximately 25 minutes, impressive for a drone this large. It takes about 90 minutes to charge the batteries again.
Pro Quick-spin function for easy 360-degree shooting
If the camera is about to hit its physical limit when turning, the drone recognizes this and quickly rotates in the same direction, making the camera untwist. The drone will do this even when you are performing a maneuver.
Pro Flying and filming can be operated independently
This drone has a dedicated live feed camera stabilized with a two-axis gimbal and two remotes, allowing one user to fly the drone while the other user controls the filming camera. This allows you to safely fly and monitor the drone’s flight (using the front-facing camera), while another operator takes shots with the filming camera. The only flaw is that the controllers need to be within 100 meters of each other to work.
Pro Very broad flight range
This drone can fly as high as 2,500 m or even 5,000 m, if using special high-altitude props, and the flight range can reach 7 km. The live feed videos does start to have transmission loss at about 800 meters in urban areas, but it should still be more than enough to cover a large filming area.
Pro Capable of following high-speed targets
When set to Sports mode, this drone can reach a top speed of approximately 67 mph: way faster than almost any other drone. Even in P-mode, the drone can fly up to 40 mph, which is still enough to follow bikes or cars. These speeds are helpful when shooting sports scenes or when following fast vehicles.
Pro Can be used in cold environments
Thanks to the drone’s ability to heat the batteries, it can safely be used even in extremely cold settings, where temperatures drop to -20ºC.
Pro Two batteries to ensure a safe landing in all circumstances
The drone uses two batteries: if one fails, having the second one guarantees that you'll be able to safely land the drone.
Pro Propellers are easy to release
The propellers are assembled and disassembled with simple click-release system, making the process quick and simple.
Pro Despite being light, it's very resistant
The Inspire 2’s body is made from magnesium alloy, so it’s quite light for its size, while being very capable of withstanding a lot more abuse than plastic drones.
Cons
Con Front propellers can get in the way of the frame
When flying and filming, the front propellers can get in the way of the frame quite often.
Con Doesn't support third party apps
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro is to use the native DJI operating system and it seems that third party apps are unable to control this drone.
Con The sensors don't detect all obstacles
The Phantom 4 Pro's sensors have some problems picking up obstacles with a black surface, even in the daytime. This means you must be careful when flying around dark obstacles or during the night. Only the infrared side sensing systems work well at nighttime.
Con Not very portable
You can’t fold or flatten the drone when it is switched off, so it isn’t so easy to travel with. Because of the large dimensions, it will not fit in a carry-on luggage in a plane. Also, every time you get the drone ready to fly, you will need to attach the propellers to the drone as they aren’t foldable, only removable.
Con May occasionally loose tracked objects
The mode that tracks an object may lose the target occasionally, if it takes sharp turns.
Con Two batteries needed
The drone needs two batteries to operate.
Con To fully use this drone's potential, you'll need to invest extra on accessories
Although it is possible to buy only the drone, as a standalone, choosing this option means you won’t be able to capture anything: to fully utilize the drone’s capabilities, you’ll need to spend a lot of money on additional accessories.
Con CinemaDNG footage is buggy, when using Adobe Premiere
When using Adobe Premiere Pro, the footage captured in the CinemaDNG format will look dark and will have bright magenta highlights. This doesn’t affect the footage itself and doesn’t always happen, only occasionally.
Con Cumbersome to carry around
Because of the drone’s large size, it takes up a lot of space when being transported. DJI tries to compensate by having the drone legs flatten when switched off, but is still a bit large.
Con Transmission losses at 800 meters in urban settings, due to interference
This drone's live feed videos start to have transmission loss at about 800 meters in urban areas.