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Sony built a drone that’s beefy enough to carry an Alpha series DSLR

Georgina Torbet
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Sony's Airpeak drone
Sony’s Airpeak drone Sony

Sony is arriving at CES 2021 with a bang, unveiling its first-ever drone: The Airpeak. The company has shared photos and videos of its new project, and given a few sparse details about what we can expect from the drone’s launch.

Sony says the Airpeak is the smallest drone currently available that is capable of carrying one of its DSLR Alpha cameras. These full-frame, mirrorless single-lens cameras are chunky pieces of equipment that can capture high-quality, professional-level footage.

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To carry that weight, the Airpeak has a quadcopter format. Its landing gear retracts upwards when it’s in the air so it doesn’t block the camera’s view. Sony also promises the drone is capable of precise movements and stable flying to help capture smooth footage.

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To give you an idea of what that looks like, Sony also released some test footage captured by the drone in Austria. The drone was sent to film over the road the company is using to test its VISION-S electric car concept, so you can get an idea of how it operates in the real world.

Airpeak | Aerial Shooting of VISION-S Road Test

Sony teased the arrival of the drone in November of last year, hinting that it wanted to provide a tool for video creators and professionals that was both safe and reliable, particularly in difficult environments.

Now is a good time for Sony to get into the drone market, with Chinese drone manufacturer DJI recently being added to the U.S, Commerce Department’s trade blacklist. DJI says it will continue to be able to sell its drones to U.S. private customers, but the future of the company in the U.S. could be rocky. That leaves an opportunity for Sony’s drone to become a tool of choice among U.S. video creators.

Sony has yet to announce full specs for the drone, or to share its pricing or release date.

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Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
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