DJI’s O4 Air Unit Pro for FPV Drones Promises Much Better Image Quality

1 day ago 7

Two drones flying in a clear blue sky, surrounded by white rings. The foreground drone is prominent, showing a camera and propellers, while the second drone appears further back in the distance.

Although first-person view (FPV) drones are outside the wheelhouse of most photographers, DJI’s latest FPV solution is built with content creators in mind and features improved imaging capabilities.

The DJI O4 Air Unit Series is a digital video transmission solution for an “unmatched first-person view flight experience.” There are two new products, the DJI O4 Air Unit and the O4 Air Unit Pro. The latter is far more interesting in terms of imaging capabilities, but for completeness, the standard O4 Air Unit sports a Type 1/2 image sensor and captures 4K/60p video.

On the other hand, the Pro version has a larger Type 1/1.3 image sensor and can record 4K/120p video. The Pro unit also supports 10-bit D-Log M color mode for video. DJI says this video mode delivers expanded dynamic range, meaning users can capture more detail in shadow and highlight regions. The sensor is paired with a 155-degree ultra-wide lens, similar to the field of view offered by many action cameras. It’s equivalent to a 12mm lens on a full-frame camera, and the maximum aperture is a reasonably bright f/2.8.

This ultra-wide view makes sense given how people are expected to use the DJI O4 Air Unit Series camera modules. The module attaches to a separate drone to provide video transmission for FPV goggles, enabling first-person flight and capturing cinematic visuals. Traditionally, drone pilots have affixed an action camera to their drones to capture dynamic video like this, but now they can use the DJI O4 Air Unit Pro instead.

A set of DJI camera modules and components displayed on a white surface. The image shows several lenses and electronic parts, including one labeled "DJI O3 Air Unit," with sleek, black designs.

The O4 Air Unit Pro is actually the same camera module as DJI has in its own FPV drone, the Avata 2. This means that DJI’s Avata 2 ND filter set, which includes ND8, ND16, and ND32 filters, fits the new O4 Air Unit Pro camera module. As CineD notes in its coverage, like the Avata 2 camera module, the O4 Air Unit Pro cannot record 24p or 25p video, which could be a limitation for specific filmmaking applications.

The DJI O4 Air Unit can fit any drone frame smaller than two inches, so it will work with a wide range of drones from many different manufacturers. The O4 Air Unit Pro fits drones three inches and larger. The O4 Air Unit weighs just 8.2 grams, while the Air Unit Pro is a bit heavier at 32 grams, although that is still not a significant amount of weight to add to a drone.

Comparison of DJI O4 Air Unit Pro and DJI O4 Air Unit. Both display specs like imaging, video transmission, storage, weight, and dimensions. Images show devices and camera components, alongside compatible drone frame sizes.

The O4 Air Unit can transmit video up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) with 20 milliseconds of latency, while the O4 Air Unit Pro’s dual-antenna design transmits video up to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) with 15-millisecond latency.

Another notable difference is that the O4 Air Unit Pro also has a microSD card slot for storing additional footage — the module itself has just 4GB of storage — while the standard O4 Air Unit doesn’t have a card slot but does have 23GB of internal storage instead.