DJI partners with Hasselblad to put 50MP cameras on drones

DJI and Hasselblad have teamed up to offer one of the former’s high-end hexacopters with a medium-format camera. The device will be an aerial version of Hasselblad's H5D, according to the Verge, and will be bundled with DJI's Matrice 600.

DJI bought a minority stake in Hasselblad last year, so the collaboration makes sense. The team-up comes on the back of Hasselblad’s first mirrorless medium-format camera announced recently. The large megapixel count of medium-format digital photos offers additional detail and, more importantly in an aerial product, better zoom. Hasselblad's A5D-50c aerial camera uses a 50MP CMOS sensor and includes an HC 3.5/50mm-II lens.

Hasselblad's product probably takes great shots from the air and represents a new advance in aerial photography, but this bundle will not come cheap. DJI has not announced any pricing, but the M600 and Ronin-MX gimbal package that DJI sells now costs $6,000. The M600, however, was never meant for drone hobbyists. DJI specifies that the drone is made for professional filmmakers. In that context, the price is quite reasonable.

Filmmaking and professional photography are a growing part of the commercial drone industry. Recently, a lot of concentration has been placed on agricultural and retail use of drones, but filmmakers were among the first to realize the potential for commercial drone adoption. The alternative to getting the perfect aerial shot can be quite expensive, after all. More professional photography will likely be bundled with drones in the future. There are already a number of China makers selling photography drones for experts.