Hype over a Spark *tech excitement post

What can the Spark bring to Social Media
Tech in it's growing stages is always ripe with potential. Giving way to new creative opportunities and abilities. Steemit being a prime example. Social media in general has had enormous benefits to creators and new creations. So when tech grows and shares its proven to be amazing. Coming May 24th DJI will without a doubt be announcing the Spark. A teased entry into the "selfie drone" market. While the selfie drone isn't anything unseen before (Yuneec Breeze, HoverCam Passport), the current offers provide descent enough stills but poor quality footage. All in exchange for the discrete flying ability, lower price points and ease of setup. An idea perfect for sharing unique moments not possible with handheld devices, but with a trade off that held it back so far. So DJI is stepping in to change that (hopefully).

Meet the Spark

For quite sometime now, leaks and rumors emerged leaving very little to know and a lot to imagination. But what is known shows the Spark has a lot of potential. Roughly here's what's to be expected in this small 4 propped package.

1. 2-axis gimbal for steady/horizon level footage and follow flexibility.
2. 4K at 24fps (although some hint it will be limited to 1080p at a higher fps)
3. Wireless charging with a pad that works as the RTH homepoint.
4. Available in multiple colors (Teased so far in red and white)
5. New gesture modes
6. Voice commands
7. Streaming to Facebook and YouTube
8. RC and wifi modes
9. Small, discrete and extremely quiet
10. Possible Ocusync compatibility

Keeping these qualities high while remaining true to the selfie drone platform could finally help make selfie drones valid as a tool for normal everyday sharing. So with all of this known, it's not a Mavic competitor nor a high flying Sports drone but a handy footage/stills assistant in your pocket or bag.

The eye and energy of the Spark

DJI has put a in stable 2-axis gimbal that controls pitch and horizon rotation that is expected to shoot in 4K. Small and discrete but smooth and accurate. Perfectly functional for a selfie drone. Missing for a 3rd axis is yaw, but to be honest it was a good choice to leave out the 3rd axis. The gimbal would have needed to be much larger with the extra axis. Leaving the perfectly tiny platform needing to be much bigger all around. For a drone such as the Spark, using software flight modes to compensate for the lack of a 3rd-axis will easily get the job done. Think of cinematic mode on other DJI drones where the actions of the drone in yaw and pitch are gradual instead snappy. As for the battery the size isn't't yet known. Some are reaching to say the Spark will be capable of 18-22mins of flight time. Which is pretty huge and very optimistic. The wireless charging is a very nice addition making recharging extremely convenient, whether the battery is in the drone or not.

Autonomous flight modes

Without a doubt gesture modes from the Mavic will make a return to the Spark. With hopefully a new palette of gestures for a more broader range of actions. Along with voice commands like the Dobby drone. Follow me and Spotlight modes are expected as are Tripod and Cinematic modes. Modes light Tap fly and Waypoint mode may not make it. As for vision positioning, it will have GPS and downward vision. Obstacle avoidance isn't quite known yet but hopes for why the camera is pill shaped may have something in terms of smart recognition of objects (or again gestures).

Accessories and making it your own
What interests me a lot is the amount of first party accessories and third party add-ons that hopefully will become available. Such as whether or not apps like Autopilot and Litchi will add support for the Spark, and the list of accessories DJI has planned (prop guards, bags, portable charging etc.). DJI drones are known for having immense amounts of add-ons created for their releases. In fact, a tease for Polar Pro ND filters was released showing good news that companies are already preparing/prepared for the Spark.

The hype
So it's easy to say I'm hyped, extremely hyped. This drone honestly doesn't have too much to live up to. With DJI having such a firm hold on the market and selfie drones being relatively a still growing concept, It's pretty much a swing with a large wide stick. With all these known and more to see coming May 24th I will remain diligent. The possibilities a drone like this can bring are huge. I for sure plan on using the Spark in new fun ways and of course sharing those moments. I also hope to see what people do with the Spark as well. Even the content creators out there who already have larger drones will most likely find the Spark useful in ways not yet possible by larger platforms.

Thanks to Ori (Mavic Pro) and @toastiparty!
Like I challenged myself before, everything was edited and created on my iPhone 7+ (except the above scene was shot by @toastiparty but still edited on the i7+).