Viltrox has made its entry into the aerial imaging market with the announcement of the AF 90mm F3.5 DL, marking the corporate’s first lens designed particularly for drone cinematography. The lens encompasses a native DL mount and is designed completely for the DJI Encourage 3 drone system.
The AF 90mm F3.5 represents what Viltrox claims is the primary 90mm telephoto lens out there for aerial cinematography purposes. The lens goals to supply mid-telephoto views with what the corporate describes as “robust spatial compression and clean topic separation” – traits that would develop inventive choices for drone operators working in skilled movie and video manufacturing.
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Good, and compact: The Viltrox AF 90mm F3.5 for the DJI Encourage 3. Picture credit score: Viltrox
First 90mm telephoto for drones
Kahn Wang, Director of Advertising at Viltrox, positioned the product as a major strategic transfer for the corporate: “We see this lens not simply as a product, however as a declaration: Viltrox is now within the air. We’ve spent years empowering photographers on the bottom – and now we’re excited to additionally help creators in search of altitude, attain, and new views.”
Weight and construct
The lens weighs 170 grams, which Viltrox states is optimized for gimbal steadiness and flight efficiency on the DJI Encourage 3 system. The corporate emphasizes that the lens has been engineered particularly to work with the drone’s gimbal stabilization system, although we now have not but had the chance to check these claims in apply.
Key design priorities talked about by Viltrox embrace sustaining edge-to-edge sharpness, clean focus management, and a strong building designed to resist the vibrations inherent in aerial filming environments. The native DL mount integration ought to present seamless compatibility with DJI’s skilled drone ecosystem.
A 90mm lens on a drone offers a exceptional FOV in video that we’re largely simply used to from helicopter photos. Picture credit score: Viltrox
Viltrox enters drone lens market
Viltrox signifies this product represents only the start of their aerial imaging initiatives, suggesting we are going to probably see further drone-compatible lenses from the corporate sooner or later. For a corporation that has constructed its status primarily in ground-based pictures and cinematography tools, this growth into aerial optics represents a notable strategic shift.
Pricing and launch
The AF 90mm F3.5 DL is positioned as an growth to the lens choices out there for the DJI Encourage 3, concentrating on aerial administrators, administrators of pictures, and content material creators working in drone cinematography.
The lens is priced at $499 USD, €527 in Europe, and £489 within the UK. It is going to be out there by way of Viltrox’s official retailer and Amazon marketplaces within the US and EU.
The Viltrox AF 90mm F3.5 in air on a flying DJI Encourage 3 drone. Picture credit score: Viltrox
The underside line
For drone operators and aerial cinematographers, the provision of a devoted 90mm possibility might present new inventive prospects, significantly for purposes requiring longer focal lengths with the compression traits typical of telephoto lenses. Nonetheless, real-world efficiency, picture high quality, and integration with the DJI Encourage 3’s techniques will should be evaluated by way of hands-on testing. I feel it’s an amazing transfer as a result of there may be undoubtedly nonetheless a scarcity of selection relating to lenses for the Encourage 3.
What do you suppose, is that this a lens you’d add to your drone arsenal in case you might be an Encourage 3 shooter? Tell us within the feedback under.
