Drones for Foresters (Part 2): DJI Matrice 300

Introducing the DJI Matrice 300, with the Zenmuse P1 camera:

We are definitely stepping up a league (and a significant price bracket) with this drone and camera, compared to the Mavic Pro 2 or the Phantom 4 PRO that we previously looked at.

It’s a much tougher, bigger and heavier copter drone, so of course it’s more stable in wind, has a much longer flight time and can carry more weight. This means that you can mount the Zenmuse P1 camera, which is our main reason for recommending this drone in a forestry context.

Matrice 300:

- Extremely solid design

- Long flight time (approx. 50 mins)

- Weight: 6.3kg with two batteries

- Very stable

- Price around €12 000

The Zenmuse P1 is the first full-frame aerial surveying camera designed specifically for drone photogrammetry. It’s super-high resolution, which means you capture every single detail and can fly higher and more efficiently as a result. The resolution is sometimes even too good, because the resulting datasets are huge and data-handling is more time-consuming and cumbersome.

- 45 MP Full frame sensor

- Resolution: 1cm GSD

- cm accuracy without GCPs

- 3-axis stabilized gimbal

- Interchangeable fixed-focus lenses

- Price around €6500

https://www.dji.com/de/zenmuse-p1

https://www.dji.com/de/matrice-300