Draganflyer Launches X4 UAV R/C
I’ve previously written about the Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter before as well as an article about how one team is using a similar R/C copter to bypass BP and gain photo/video access to the Gulf oil disaster. If I extrapolate the pricing structure based on the $18K X6 model, I would bet that the cost of the X8 is going to hover a bit over $21-22K. This isn’t really that expensive for an ariel drone that can payload an HDSLR and allow indie filmmakers access to high quality helicopter shots without the huge expense of renting a manned aircraft and camera crew.
The new Draganflyer X4 seems to fill a niche for a less expensive UAV that can carry a smaller payload configured to shoot 720P video using a Panasonic Lumix compact camera. The base price is listed as $8495 but I would expect it to cost around $10K for one rigged with the Photography/HD video package.
As more and more HD video capable cameras come to market in smaller and lighter form factors, I would hope to see more choices for the Draganflyer lineup. If that happens, these little UAV’s could go mainstream for the film and television production crowd.
