DJI is expected to launch its first mirrorless camera soon – 5 reasons why this could be a game-changer
DJI may be best known for drones like the upcoming DJI Neo , but the company has been quietly disrupting other camera industries as well. And now, some new rumors suggest it could soon make its biggest splash yet with its first dedicated mirrorless camera.
The rumors come from Andrea Pizzini on Sony Alpha Rumorswho has previously been a reliable source for Sony-related launches. He says that “two reliable sources” have told him that DJI is planning to “launch something big in September” and that the most likely scenario is a “new mirrorless product that will compete more directly with Sony, Canon and Nikon.”
There are a few caveats to these rumors. First, the sources aren’t from within DJI, but rather from insiders at unnamed Japanese camera manufacturers who are apparently bracing for a big DJI bombshell in September. Also, there hasn’t been a specific leak hinting at what kind of product DJI apparently has in store, so it remains speculative that it’s a mirrorless camera (for photos and video).
That said, a mirrorless camera from DJI wouldn’t be a huge surprise given its recent history – and it could really warrant the oft-used ‘game-changer’ label. For starters, a mirrorless camera would fit nicely into DJI’s current lineup. On the one hand, DJI already makes non-mirrorless cameras – the DJI Pocket 3, for example, which currently sits atop our list of the best vlogging cameras you can buy right now .
On the other hand, DJI also owns Hasselblad, which makes niche medium format cameras like the Hasselblad X2D 100C (above). These rumors predict something somewhere in between the two: a DJI mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. To that end, the rumors call it a “more direct competitor to the Japanese manufacturers” that currently dominate the camera world.
Unfortunately, those “trusted sources” didn’t specify whether DJI is preparing a camcorder or hybrid camera, nor what lens mount it might use. But if the rumors are true, there are enough hints in DJI’s existing products to give us an idea of the most likely scenario – and a DJI camera that would theoretically be a big deal for non-professionals…
Why it could be a game-changer for cameras
The world’s best cameras are incredible photographic devices, but they’re also almost all hampered by a number of long-standing problems (usability, connectivity, complicated menus) that the Japanese giants have been slow to fix.
If DJI were to combine existing tech from its Ronin, Pocket, and Hasselblad lines, it could instantly raise the bar for ease of use and make hybrid cameras look like they’re from the same era as our phones.
First, there are camera menus. While models like the Sony A7C II have improved the situation, most of the best mirrorless cameras are still more accessible to professionals than amateurs. As we found in our Hasselblad X2D 100C review , the minimalist Nordic menus are a joy to use and feel “more in line with smartphones than most other camera touchscreens.” Despite its diminutive size, even the DJI Pocket 3 is more intuitive than many cameras.
Then there’s connectivity. Most cameras are still relics of a pre-smartphone era, when photos were stored on SD cards and laboriously transferred to laptops. Sending photos to your phone remains a glacial experience in most cases, but DJI could easily replicate the Leica SL3, which uses a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi MIMO technology to send full-size DNGs to your phone in seconds.
Like Leica, which for some reason remains an outsider in the camera world, DJI could also make an interchangeable lens camera with internal storage. For example, the Leica M11 has 64GB of internal storage, while drones like the DJI Mavic 3 offer up to 1TB of internal storage. DJI could very easily pack that into an affordable camera and make it a mainstream feature.
Fourth, as Sony Alpha Rumors has speculated , DJI could theoretically add an eSIM to its cameras to create a truly modern mirrorless hybrid. That would allow you to wirelessly back up photos from an internal SSD for peace of mind. While that would be nice in theory, DJI hasn’t really done that with any of its drones, aside from pro models like the Matrice series. So we think this feature, plus the idea of third-party apps on cameras, might just fall into the “wishful thinking” category.
Finally, a more realistic shake-up for mirrorless cameras from a new DJI player would be lenses. The DJI Ronin 4D, which we called “the Hollywood Steadicam for (almost) everyone,” features an interchangeable mount that works with not only DJI’s DL lenses, but also L-Mount, E-Mount, and M-Mount glass. If a DJI mirrorless camera could do the same thing for a much lower price, it could be a versatile new player.
What is actually realistic?
These DJI mirrorless camera rumors have fueled a lot of wishful thinking about what new features the drone giant might add to mirrorless cameras — some of which are realistic, others a little far-fetched.
Perhaps the more important question is why DJI would want to make a traditional interchangeable-lens camera. Besides film-style compacts like the Fujifilm X100VI, video is the growth area in cameras, and it’s one of DJI’s strong points.
That’s why a larger version of something like a DJI Pocket 3 with interchangeable lenses (or a smaller version of the DJI Ronin 4D) is probably more realistic than a hybrid rival to the Nikon Z6 III or Sony A7 IV. Another potential setback for a hybrid camera, as opposed to a video-focused one, is DJI’s ownership of Hasselblad, which it has previously called the home of stills cameras.
Additionally, DJI’s looming drone ban in the US only applies to flying cameras, but it could also put the brakes on a more ambitious launch given the size of the US camera market.
While these rumors about DJI mirrorless cameras are exciting, we approach them with caution. We expect a camera that is genetically more similar to DJI’s existing Pocket or Ronin series than the revolutionary camera that Canon is destroying and that many are hoping for.
