The Inspire 2 is an exciting development but some users have substantial investments in Inspire 1. DJI is unlikely to develop improvements in X series cameras for existing Inspire 1 users but some of us want to stay on this platform for some time longer.
Unlike traditional cameras, multirotor drones have far more complex combinations of feature sets and DJI being an industry leader can help shape a new purchasing pattern in a class of product that they have a stranglehold on. This poll seeks to determine where the current enthusiast user base stands on this issue.

I'm primarily a stills shooter and after thinking about it for a while now my probable path forward would be a M600 with an X5 and DSLR setup.
The X5 on the Inspire doesn't raise confidence with me, too many cases of people landing hard and cracking / shearing the top gimbal mount casting.
I'd prefer the security of a hex and have some redundancy.

If they made an X5II or an X3S with 100Mb/s H264 recording, and a 1" sensor, unreservedly, yes I would buy such a camera. Same for an X5II with a M43 sensor and higher bitrates. There is no reason why this couldn't be done. There are a lot of I1's out there, and even if those owners upgrade to the I2, the I1's will still be passed on to other owners on the used market.

Nothing of that will ever happen, unfortunately. DJI wants to make Money and sell only the new Stuff. I´m quite sure that the P4P with H.265 and 100Mbit will outperform my X5.

Skyclip Posted at 2016-11-17 17:36
Nothing of that will ever happen, unfortunately. DJI wants to make Money and sell only the new Stuff ...

Yeah but the rotation on the gimbal and overall flight smoothness is an advantage not to mention interchangeable lenses. There are examples on Skypixel to show these traits.
Lets not let cynicism be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Farnk666 Posted at 2016-11-17 16:35
I'm primarily a stills shooter and after thinking about it for a while now my probable path forward  ...

You have to be really rough to bust up the X5. I've flown about 1400km on this platform in all sorts of conditions (wind, water, over forests) and attest to its airworthiness. Would not be bothered to defend the I1 platform if I thought it was crap.

A Matrice 600 to lift a DSLR for stills seems like an overkill. You might as well get an I2 for that money. Just the batteries on the Matrice are a put off.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2016-11-17 18:05
You have to be really rough to bust up the X5. I've flown about 1400km on this platform in all sort ...

Not for inspection work - need to use longer focal lengths and don't really care too much about video. I have been eagerly watching the Z3 situation and they just haven't sorted that one out yet. At this stage I don't think they will.

Z30 looked nice, but the resolution ain't great. Not enough for civil structure inspections.

But we also have some emerging needs to do carry other, non-visual imaging payloads like gas sniffers and LiDAR, hence the thoughts re a more heavyweight hex platform.

One bird to do everything would be great, but that's not realistic. So will keep the I1/X3 for basic work and look to a DJI/SkyJib/Althura Zenith hext or octo for bigger work.

Farnk666 Posted at 2016-11-17 19:13
Not for inspection work - need to use longer focal lengths and don't really care too much about vi ...

Why don't you give the X5/ Oly 45mm a shot? For still work it should be fine. Ditto the Oly 14-42 mm?

Skyclip Posted at 2016-11-17 02:36
Nothing of that will ever happen, unfortunately. DJI wants to make Money and sell only the new Stuff ...

It's nothing wrong with money-making approach. After all this is the sole purpose of any business. There's also nothing wrong with new technology development and aggressive marketing. What I'm afraid of is the possibility that - at this speed of releasing new products - DJI may unwillingly neglect support for all previous X-class cameras. I believe that the full potential of X5 camera is somehow crippled not only by rather mediocre bit rate, but also by partially broken firmware. It's clearly seen in 4K footage.   

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2016-11-17 11:01
Yeah but the rotation on the gimbal and overall flight smoothness is an advantage not to mention in ...

That depends on the way you are using the Inspire. Mostly my Clients need superb Video Quality used as B-Roll, I rarely remember cases where i needed intense gimbal rotation or "flight smoothness". As for now, the Price Tag on the Inspire 2 is way too high for me, to make it pay on my business. No chance to upgrade "partly". If there was a significant price drop on the X5R i would go with that setup and stay on the I1.

Dobmatt Posted at 2016-11-18 06:26
It's nothing wrong with money-making approach. After all this is the sole purpose of any business.  ...

No, absolutley not. I think the Inspire 2 is a Masterpiece of Technology. The Mayor change they did, is moving the Image Processing Technology away from the Camera, an absolutley logic step. No, i think the Inspire 2 will stay a long time, maybe additional cameras will be released later.
I never understood why they crippled the X5 to 60MBit, as 100Mbit is the minimum for that kind of setup you should use. Maybe to keep more of a Gap to the X5R?
As i said in the other Post, a nice move of DJI would be to sell the X5R to existing Inspire 1 owners to a grreatly reduced price.

Skyclip Posted at 2016-11-18 16:11
No, absolutley not. I think the Inspire 2 is a Masterpiece of Technology. The Mayor change they di ...

Yes, I what you said about the X5 series limitation to 60Mbps is reasonable.
The Amberella chips needed to do 100Mbps processing were available at the time the X5 emerged given the GH4 had them, so it would have been possible for DJI to incorporate them in Oct 2015.

X5R price reduction will come! Especially when they can sell you SSDs on top of the camera that early adopters have paid dearly for! Wait till around the Chinese New Year period.

Come to think about it .... DJI is way ahead of most of us in the marketing chess game.

It would be a nice way to placate some I1 flyers, make money and not bother having to upgrade the X5 to the X5 Mk II even though DJI could do this blindfolded now.

Now can we persuade someone from DJI to multithread Cinelight at least before that day? This was another clever trick to get folks who cannot wait to fork out more for extra SSDs.
  
C'mon DJI, you killed Go Pro Karma, Yuneec Typhoon, 3DR Solo and pretty much every startup that tried to challenge you already. Give your loyal customers a break will you?

Can we have more responses from the community please?

Any comment from DJI? Looks like there is a market for a X5 Mk II!

Nothing of that will ever happen, unfortunately. DJI wants to make Money and sell only the new Stuff.

Actually it makes perfect business sense. There are huge numbers of Inspire 1's already in use around the world, and a new X5 Mk2 would be a new product, and would sell to that existing market. Those existing Inspires aren't going to just disappear even if the current owners upgrade to I2's (which many of them won't due to the price. And many wont change to the P4P either because of the lack of dual camera control etc).

An X5 Mk2 with 100Mbps H264 would not interfere with the P4P or I2 sales either, due to owners not having the extended battery runtimes of the new aircraft or the H265 option. The I1 is not a redundant aircraft, and it is still very capable. It just needs DJI to reinforce that. It was after all sold as being modular and upgradeable!

SimonMW Posted at 2016-11-25 20:19
Actually it makes perfect business sense. There are huge numbers of Inspire 1's already in use arou ...

Well put Simon! Here's hoping DJI listens

My2c: I have had the Inspire 1 since February 2015 and used the original DJI Pilot app. It was an incredible and unfettered machine. Granted some of the FW upgrades did make incremental improvements, but always with a detrement thrown in. My I1 is registered w/ N# and is now one of a growing fleet.
I've ordered a Matrice 600 Pro as the next "primary" aircraft for a couple of reasons. I believe that DJI will bring the new cameras and mounts to the Matrice 600 P in short order. The 100mb throughput is the critical element to me. The 60mb limitation on the X5 just doesn't do it for me. I will consider an I2 as an additional flight platform after the camera is working on the Matrice 600P.

skyvideoct Posted at 2016-11-26 19:46
My2c: I have had the Inspire 1 since February 2015 and used the original DJI Pilot app. It was an in ...

You should read the specs carefully. The Matrice 600 doesn't have the video processing engine on board necessary to use the 2nd gen micro 4/3 cams. It looks to be a platform designed to lift heavier industrial cameras. Why not spend on an X5R if you are so concerned about bitrate? It gives pretty good images in Raw and its price will drop in a few months.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2016-11-26 10:31
You should read the specs carefully. The Matrice 600 doesn't have the video processing engine on b ...

I have read the specs. The adapter plate/ mount is where the processing engine and drive would be mounted making for a modular package. All of the power and  support elements are in place. Also: "The airframe is equipped with the latest DJI technologies, including the A3 Pro flight controller, Lightbridge 2 HD transmission system, Intelligent Batteries and Battery Management system. All Zenmuse cameras and gimbals are natively compatible and full integration with third party software and hardware make the M600 Pro ideal for professional aerial photography and industrial applications."

skyvideoct Posted at 2016-11-27 03:56
I have read the specs. The adapter plate/ mount is where the processing engine and drive would be  ...

No mention has been made of the add on module to accomodate I2 cameras that I'm aware of. Perhaps you know something the rest of us don't. If you look at the compatibility graphic, there has been no provision made for the I2 cameras.
Knowing DJI, that module is unlikely to happen as the whole point of the I2 is to say that it is a complete aerial imaging solution for pros that is ready to compete with rigs and cameras costing much more.

The poll is closed and for what its worth, respondents have indicated they will invest in an upgrade to the X5 in between the X5 and X5R. I guess DJI can monitor to see how many I1 flyers convert to the P4P. My sense is that there are good number on X3's who have batteries and other I1 accessories that would make them want to stick with this platform for a couple of years more.

People will say DJI doesn't change but I disagree. Your soon to be released refurb program is proof. C'mon DJI, you are now a mature company so keep up the innovation but also, take care of legacy customers who want to keep their products going for a bit longer.

Its crazy that a Phantom Pro 4 has a higher bitrate than the Inspire Pro!

MediaElite Posted at 2016-12-29 03:51
Its crazy that a Phantom Pro 4 has a higher bitrate than the Inspire Pro!

P4P is a 2016 product while the X5 came out in 2015. What would you do differently if you were running this company?

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2016-12-30 05:58
P4P is a 2016 product while the X5 came out in 2015. What would you do differently if you were running this company?

Drop the X5R and SSD price 50% after enough Inspire 2 preorders

MediaElite Posted at 2016-12-31 18:52
Drop the X5R and SSD price 50% after enough Inspire 2 preorders

Ha ha . Good one. The thing about the X5R is this. Its a GREAT camera.

HOWEVER:
1. If money is time to you and you must shoot Raw, bite the bullet and get an Inspire 2.
2. For stills and for slow flying in non demanding situations (not too much fine details), the X5 is pretty good and they have dropped the price on that by about 30% already.
3. I don't think the volume on X5R sales was very high. Helipal, a leading Hong Kong stockist carries a whole range of spare parts for the different DJI craft but they neither carry the X5R or SSDs.

And finally, they are sufficiently above the pack in value to behave like Apple, which means they'll protect margins for their pro products where they are not trying to kill the competition for market share.
I do think that releasing a X5 Mk 2 will fill a useful niche. The Inspire isn't as steady as a P4P but I think its camera, while less sharp gives results that are more pleasing to the eye off the bat.

I can't invest in an X5R more than $1500.  It would be better to sell my Inspire Pro for $2500 toward an Inspire 2.  On the topic of 60mbps bitrate, am I right to assume that recording the smaller 4k format would be better since there is less data to compress than the maximum (C4K)? Maybe even better to shoot in 2K?  Is there some validity to my theory?

MediaElite Posted at 2017-1-4 16:41
I can't invest in an X5R more than $1500.  It would be better to sell my Inspire Pro for $2500 toward an Inspire 2.  On the topic of 60mbps bitrate, am I right to assume that recording the smaller 4k format would be better since there is less data to compress than the maximum (C4K)? Maybe even better to shoot in 2K?  Is there some validity to my theory?

See http://dslrvideoshooter.com/difference-between-cinema-4k-uhd/ for a discussion on C4K vs UHD (what most of us shoot). I think you should concern yourself less with bit rates and devote time to assessing if your existing hardware is giving results that you or your clients find pleasing. There are lots of examples of beautiful work shot in the X5. A craftsman knows how to adapt.

Many of the posters on enthusiast pages have one or some combination of:
1. Lots of disposable cash
2. High end requirements
3. Unwilling to compromise on shooting style to adapt to hardware
4. Unaware of how to do #3 if they had to.

I think that getting a working set up to shoot Raw / ProRes on the I2 platform will cost USD 8K base and 10K for an unfettered pro rig. You have to factor in the cost of the ProRes License, SSD, SSD reader, extra batteries. Also, the edit suite has to have sufficient horsepower and storage to run a huge data workflow. Given your budget constraints I'd recommend staying with your set up or shifting to a P4Pro. Its got all the aircraft benefits of an Inspire 2 in a lightweight, portable package.  
Camera-wise the Exmor 1inch 20.4MP sensor on the P4P is excellent and from how you write, I don't think you will be enamored by having to deal with a Raw workflow.  

I will definitely use the tools I have for while.  I will be able to afford the I2 later this year, but would rather spend that on the next Mac Workstation (optimistic about release). Thanks for the link.

Skyclip Posted at 2016-11-18 00:11
No, absolutley not. I think the Inspire 2 is a Masterpiece of Technology. The Mayor change they did, is moving the Image Processing Technology away from the Camera, an absolutley logic step. No, i think the Inspire 2 will stay a long time, maybe additional cameras will be released later.
I never understood why they crippled the X5 to 60MBit, as 100Mbit is the minimum for that kind of setup you should use. Maybe to keep more of a Gap to the X5R?
As i said in the other Post, a nice move of DJI would be to sell the X5R to existing Inspire 1 owners to a grreatly reduced price.

Yes that would be a great gesture by DJI to do that, I just never ever see it happening I'm afraid, they seem to go out of their way to make everything obsolete or non-interchangeable, especially with the Osmo and the different camera's just a blatant money Gough there making the same camera (Z3) for the Inspire and Osmo but ensuring that you need separate ones for both platforms ! terrible bad form, people have already spent a lot of money with the company and to then screw them over again is terrible, even the new I2 cameras surely they could have made them, to -retrofit onto the I1 ? once again lots of money spent but no consideration, given to existing Customer base it's like it or lump it. our way or the highway, short-sighted in the long run I think

I would love to see an X5II for the Inspire 1, or a nice reduction on the X5R.  DJI need to serve both markets here not restrict themselves to just one or the other.  The Inspire 2 is in a completely different bracket to the Inspire 1 and as such both platforms could reliably co-exist without either cannibalising sales of the other, and continuing to release new cameras for the I1 would add another revenue stream for DJI, as long as they maintain a clear difference between the two platforms.