Can the New Ascent AeroSystems Helius Drone Actually Compete With DJI?
For better or worse, when it comes to camera drone technology everything begins and ends with DJI. The “for better” part here covers just how great DJI drones are with the Chinese company offering a wide range of highly-capable camera drones offering great aerial videography and photography at very affordable price points.The “for worse” part simply covers the potential bans DJI faces, as well as the company’s market dominance, which doesn’t usually breed innovation and competitive pricing. Luckily, it appears the DJI drones are still safe to fly in the sky here in the United States, and there are new competitors emerging to DJI.The latest comes from Ascent AeroSystems with the company’s new Helius drone, a small and portable aerial camera drone that looks promising—although admittedly not exactly as video-focused as most DJI products. Let’s explore this new drone though and see how it stacks up against its DJI competition.The Ascent AeroSystems HeliusDesigned as a small (only 250g) and portable drone system, the Ascent AeroSystems Helius could be comparable to the new DJI Flip or DJI Neo, or perhaps one of the HoverAir drones. It’s small enough to carry on a utility belt or in a cargo pant pocket (which would also give you some major style points) and it sounds like it will be quite capable in the air as well. The Ascent AeroSystems Helius will be able to reach speeds of 45mph in the air and offer 30-minute endurance for its flight time. Ascent AeroSystems also shares that the drone will be quite quiet and have low noise compared to its counterparts.4K Video CameraAs far as video specs go, they’re quite solid, although with the caveat that most of the marketing for the Ascent AeroSystems Helius appears to put the drone more into a surveillance bucket rather than a high-end aerial cinematography one. The Ascent AeroSystems Helius will feature a 12.3MP camera that will be capable of recording 4K video at up to 60fps, or 1080p video at up to 240fps, both solid recording numbers that should rival the best of similar-sized DJI drones like the Flip.Price and AvailabilityNow, here’s the kicker for the Ascent AeroSystems Helius, and perhaps the biggest aspect to differentiate it from its DJI counterparts. Despite no release date being set yet, Ascent AeroSystems does report that the Helius is set to retail at a $4,499 price point—which is obviously much more expensive than any comparable DJI drones like the Flip (which retails for $779 with the RC 2 with Fly More Combo). Maybe a potential DJI drone ban will knock out its competition though and the Ascent AeroSystems Helius will be one of the only offerings moving forward. You never know. But for now, it’s nice to see some competition, even if it’s quite a bit pricier and perhaps not as great of an option for aerial videography just yet. If you are interested though, you can find out more about the Ascent AeroSystems Helius here.
For better or worse, when it comes to camera drone technology everything begins and ends with DJI. The “for better” part here covers just how great DJI drones are with the Chinese company offering a wide range of highly-capable camera drones offering great aerial videography and photography at very affordable price points.
The “for worse” part simply covers the potential bans DJI faces, as well as the company’s market dominance, which doesn’t usually breed innovation and competitive pricing. Luckily, it appears the DJI drones are still safe to fly in the sky here in the United States, and there are new competitors emerging to DJI.
The latest comes from Ascent AeroSystems with the company’s new Helius drone, a small and portable aerial camera drone that looks promising—although admittedly not exactly as video-focused as most DJI products. Let’s explore this new drone though and see how it stacks up against its DJI competition.
The Ascent AeroSystems Helius
Designed as a small (only 250g) and portable drone system, the Ascent AeroSystems Helius could be comparable to the new DJI Flip or DJI Neo, or perhaps one of the HoverAir drones. It’s small enough to carry on a utility belt or in a cargo pant pocket (which would also give you some major style points) and it sounds like it will be quite capable in the air as well.
The Ascent AeroSystems Helius will be able to reach speeds of 45mph in the air and offer 30-minute endurance for its flight time. Ascent AeroSystems also shares that the drone will be quite quiet and have low noise compared to its counterparts.
4K Video Camera
As far as video specs go, they’re quite solid, although with the caveat that most of the marketing for the Ascent AeroSystems Helius appears to put the drone more into a surveillance bucket rather than a high-end aerial cinematography one.
The Ascent AeroSystems Helius will feature a 12.3MP camera that will be capable of recording 4K video at up to 60fps, or 1080p video at up to 240fps, both solid recording numbers that should rival the best of similar-sized DJI drones like the Flip.
Price and Availability
Now, here’s the kicker for the Ascent AeroSystems Helius, and perhaps the biggest aspect to differentiate it from its DJI counterparts. Despite no release date being set yet, Ascent AeroSystems does report that the Helius is set to retail at a $4,499 price point—which is obviously much more expensive than any comparable DJI drones like the Flip (which retails for $779 with the RC 2 with Fly More Combo).
Maybe a potential DJI drone ban will knock out its competition though and the Ascent AeroSystems Helius will be one of the only offerings moving forward. You never know. But for now, it’s nice to see some competition, even if it’s quite a bit pricier and perhaps not as great of an option for aerial videography just yet.
If you are interested though, you can find out more about the Ascent AeroSystems Helius here.
