Equipment: Drones, Cameras and Lenses for Film and Advertising

Great images come from experience – and from the right equipment. VR-Copter flies two DJI Inspire 3, a tuned racing Inspire 3, two Mavic 4 Pro, heavy-lift drones with up to 15.9 kg payload and FPV drones up to a cinelifter. On the ground, Ronin 4D, car rigs and DL lenses from 9 to 90 mm complete the setup. Here is what we use and what for.

Cinema and heavy-lift drones

2× DJI Inspire 3 – full frame from the air

  • Camera: Zenmuse X9-8K Air, full frame, interchangeable DL-mount lenses
  • Video: 8K in CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes RAW
  • Flight time: up to 28 minutes, hot-swap batteries
  • Dual operation possible: pilot and camera operator with separate remotes
  • Weight: approx. 4 kg

The Inspire 3 is our drone for commercials, cinema and TV. Two systems mean a backup on set or two angles at once.

Racing Inspire 3 – full frame at high speed

  • Base: DJI Inspire 3, tuned for high speed
  • Camera: Zenmuse X9-8K Air with DL lenses – the same look as the standard Inspire
  • Speed: around 180 to 200 km/h
  • Use: tracking shots of sports cars, race cars and motorcycles

A standard Inspire 3 reaches about 94 km/h. For vehicles that go faster, we tuned an Inspire 3 – full frame and interchangeable lenses where usually only FPV drones with small cameras can keep up.

Freefly Alta X – heavy lift for cinema cameras

  • Payload: up to 15.9 kg
  • Empty weight: 10.4 kg, max. take-off weight 34.9 kg
  • Propellers: 33 inch (840 mm), folding
  • Operating temperature: −20 to +50 °C

The Alta X carries camera systems that are too heavy for compact drones – for productions that want to shoot from the air with the same camera as on the ground.

DJI Spreading Wings S1000 – the octocopter

  • Design: octocopter, 1,045 mm diagonal wheelbase
  • Take-off weight: 6 to 11 kg
  • Flight time: approx. 15 minutes hover (at 9.5 kg with 15,000 mAh battery, manufacturer data)

The S1000 has been flying for VR-Copter since 2014 – among others for the Hamburg police helicopter squadron and for Mercedes-Benz in Bremen. It is still in service for special builds and heavier payloads.

Camera drones

2× DJI Mavic 4 Pro

  • Cameras: Hasselblad 4/3 inch (100 MP, 28 mm), 70 mm and 168 mm tele
  • Video: 6K up to 60 fps, 4K up to 120 fps
  • Flight time: up to 51 minutes
  • Obstacle sensing: omnidirectional, forward LiDAR

Our all-rounders for quick jobs, driving shots and projects that call for a small drone.

DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine and Mavic 3 Cine

  • Camera: Hasselblad 4/3 inch plus tele lenses
  • Codec: Apple ProRes 422 HQ, internal 1 TB SSD
  • Video: up to 5.1K

ProRes straight from a compact drone – the footage drops into a cinema edit without conversion. Used as second system and backup.

FPV drones

  • DJI Avata 2: cinewhoop with prop guards, 4K up to 60 fps – for indoor flights and flights close to people
  • 2× iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V3 with DJI O4 and GPS: 5-inch FPV drones for fast vehicle tracking and fly-throughs
  • iFlight Taurus X8 cinelifter: eight-motor X8 FPV drone with 8-inch props and 8S battery, carries cinema cameras up to about 2 kg such as RED Komodo or Blackmagic (manufacturer data) – FPV dynamics with cinema image quality

More on FPV: FPV drone for automotive and film.

DL lenses for Inspire 3 and Ronin 4D

The DL mount connects air and ground: the same lenses fit the Zenmuse X9 on the Inspire 3 and the Ronin 4D, so the look stays consistent between drone and ground camera.

  • Laowa 9 mm f/2.8 Zero-D (DL): compact S35 ultra-wide, almost distortion-free – straight lines stay straight
  • Laowa 11 mm f/4.5 FF RL (DL): extreme full-frame wide angle with low distortion – hard to get and in high demand
  • DJI DL 18 mm f/2.8 ASPH
  • DJI DL 24 mm f/2.8 LS ASPH
  • DJI DL 35 mm f/2.8 LS ASPH
  • DJI DL 50 mm f/2.8 LS ASPH
  • DJI DL 75 mm f/1.8
  • Viltrox AF 90 mm f/3.5 (DL): autofocus tele for compressed aerial perspectives
  • Laowa 10 mm f/2.8 FF Zero-D AF (Sony E): full-frame autofocus wide angle for the Ronin 4D with E-mount – joining our inventory soon

Ground cameras

DJI Ronin 4D 6K with ecosystem

  • Camera: Zenmuse X9-6K, full frame, over 14 stops of dynamic range
  • Video: 6K up to 60 fps, 4K up to 120 fps, internal Apple ProRes RAW
  • Stabilisation: 4 axes including active Z axis against vertical bounce
  • Focus: LiDAR rangefinder with autofocus and automated manual focus
  • Lenses: all DL lenses from 9 to 90 mm, plus Sigma 28–70 mm via DL-to-L-mount adapter
  • Ecosystem: High-Bright Remote Monitor, DJI Focus Pro and 3-channel follow focus on the remote monitor, hand grips, V-mount batteries from Swit and SmallRig

The Ronin 4D is our camera for car-to-car and moving ground shots – on the car rig, handheld or from the vehicle.

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

  • Sensor: Micro Four Thirds, dual native ISO
  • Video: 4K DCI up to 60 fps in Blackmagic RAW
  • Lenses: including Laowa 7.5 mm f/2 MFT Lightweight for extreme wide angles

DJI Osmo for quick angles

  • DJI Osmo Pocket 4P: 1-inch main camera and 60 mm tele, 4K up to 240 fps, 10-bit D-Log 2
  • DJI Osmo Pocket 3: 1-inch sensor in pocket size
  • DJI Osmo Action 5: action cam for onboard angles

Car rigs, monitoring, power and radio

  • 3× Tilta Hydra Alien Car Mounting System Pro Kit (V-mount): suction-cup rigs for gimbal and Ronin 4D on vehicles
  • OSEE Mega 22S: 21.5-inch production monitor with 10-bit panel for director, agency and client
  • Lilliput A7s: 7-inch camera monitor, 1920 × 1200 pixels, 500 cd/m², for focus and camera
  • DJI Video Receiver: live feed from Inspire 3 and Ronin 4D via 3G-SDI and HDMI up to 1080p/60 – straight into the director’s monitor or video village
  • Power on set: V-mount batteries – 2× Swit PB-S220S with 220 Wh and D-Tap outputs, several SmallRig VB99 SE 99 Wh (flight-safe, 65 W USB-C) – plus two power stations: AFERIY P210 with 2,048 Wh and 2,400 W and an Anker SOLIX S2000 with 2,048 Wh and 1,500 W, plus 16 A outdoor cables of 30 and 10 m
  • Radio: 4 Motorola T92 H2O radios (PMR446, IP67 waterproof, up to 10 km range in open terrain), with headsets
  • Media: DJI PROSSD 1 TB for Inspire 3 and Ronin 4D

More on driving shots: Drone and car-to-car for automotive. Live feed for director and stream: Drone live broadcast.

Equipment rental

Selected equipment is also available for rent: DL lenses such as the Laowa 9 mm and 11 mm, production monitor and video receiver – all prices on the equipment rental page. Ground equipment such as Ronin 4D, Tilta car rigs, V-mount batteries and power stations is rented through jrjr.film. Drones never come without a pilot – Inspire 3, racing Inspire, cinelifter, Mavic and FPV are always flown by a VR-Copter pilot.

FAQ

Can I rent the Inspire 3 without a pilot?

No. VR-Copter drones are only available with a pilot. That covers insurance, permits and liability – and makes sure the shots work.

Which lenses fit the Inspire 3?

All lenses with DJI DL mount: the DJI DL primes from 18 to 75 mm and DL lenses from other makers such as the Laowa 9 mm and 11 mm and the Viltrox 90 mm. The same lenses fit the Ronin 4D.

How fast does the racing Inspire 3 fly?

Around 180 to 200 km/h – with Zenmuse X9 and DL lenses. That means even fast sports cars can be followed from the air in full frame.

Which drone carries a large cinema camera?

The Freefly Alta X with up to 15.9 kg payload. For many productions the Inspire 3 with its full-frame camera is enough and needs far less effort for permits and logistics.

How much does a shoot day with Inspire 3 cost?

A shoot day with a drone crew starts at €1,300 net, with Inspire 3 and cinema setup from €2,900 net, and as a combined drone, FPV and car-to-car package from €3,900 net – each including pilot, equipment, insurance and permit coordination.

Request equipment and shoot day

Phone +49 151 22840959 · info@vr-copter.de · Prices · Projects