Leak Suggests DJI Mavic 4 Pro Might Feature 100MP Camera: Here’s What a Drone Photographer Expects

Following the release of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro two years ago, reports and leaks indicate that DJI may soon unveil an upgraded version for their premium line of camera drones. According to a post made on Weibo—a widely used platform in China—the upcoming model might be called the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and could arrive by late April equipped with a 100MP Micro Four Thirds camera.

The leak suggests that the DJI Mavic 4 Pro might feature a primary camera of up to 100 megapixels equipped with a 28mm lens. Additionally, it may include a secondary sensor at 70mm using a 1/1.3-inch chip and another setup at 168mm paired with a 1/1.5-inch sensor.

The speculation suggests that this drone will support 6K resolution videos at 60 frames per second, along with 4K footage recorded at 120 frames per second for slow-motion effects, all while maintaining a wide dynamic range of up to 14 stops. In comparison, the present model from DJI—the Mavic 3 Pro—features a triple-camera setup akin to what’s being rumored here; however, its primary lens maxes out at an image quality of 20 megapixels and can shoot 5.1K video at 50 frames per second, whereas its telephoto lens uses a sensor size of only half an inch.

So far, this information is merely an unverified rumor from the company. However, if the new drone indeed provides 100MP as rumored, I believe it would utilize theQuad Bayer technology, allowing pilots to select between two distinct resolution settings. The DJI Mavic 3 Pro’s The main camera does not utilize the Quad Bayer design, whereas the drone’s smaller medium and telephoto cameras do employ this technology.

Like the DJI Mini 4 Pro Those Quad Bayer cameras enable pilots to capture images at either 12 MP or 48 MP. This sensor technology groups four adjacent pixels into one, which helps reduce noise in low-light conditions when using the 12 MP setting.

That high 100MP specification requires fitting a substantial amount of pixels onto a Micro Four Thirds sensor. For instance, the current champion when it comes to pixel count in handheld Micro Four Thirds cameras is the 25.2MP found in the Panasonic GH6 Increasing the resolution to 100MP would add considerable noise, so I believe this alteration would likely require utilizing the Quad Bayer configuration not just in the primary but also in the secondary cameras.

Should DJI persist with its Quad Bayer design, aerial photographers might be able to opt for either low-noise performance or high resolution from the primary camera. TheQuad Bayer sensors reduce the highest resolution by a quarter to achieve the lower-resolution mode; thus,a 100MP sensor would also offera 25MP setting, providing an improvement over the specifications of the Mavic 3.

In addition to the noise issue, DJI’s 48MP mode has several drawbacks, which might seem even more pronounced if the anticipated Mavic 4 Pro indeed features a 100MP option. This high-resolution setting operates at a slower pace, necessitating significantly longer intervals between captures than what you’d experience with the standard 12MP mode. Moreover, capturing images at such elevated resolutions—like 100 megapixels—is likely to generate substantial filesizes. shooting RAW , and these sizable files will cause delays.

I'm hoping that the rumored 100MP camera from DJI uses a Quad Bayer sensor. It’s great to have the choice between high-resolution images and lower noise levels during late flights. However, I believe a 100MP Micro Four Thirds sensor could produce significant noise unless it also offers a 25MP capture mode.

The leaked information about the DJI Mavic 4 Pro suggests a smoother, rounder body shape along with a gimbal capable of rotating fully around at 360 degrees, even supporting vertical video recording. Additionally, the speculations indicate an extended battery life of up to 52 minutes, making it notably impressive for such an aerial device.

Just like any speculation, these initial leaks might not be accurate — and we can never rule out the chance that there won’t be a DJI Mavic 4 Pro release. Drone operators ought to hold off until an official statement is made before they make crucial choices. However, assuming the gossip holds water, the upcoming DJI unveiling may represent significant progress in unmanned aerial vehicle tech.