DJI slashes price on 8K cinema-grade drone: Inspire 3 is finally within reach!

Adam Juniper piloting the DJI Inspire 3 which is near him in a field.

I tested the 8K flying cinema camera that is the DJI Inspire 3 just before it's launch in 2023, and it has since become a staple of the global film industry for the reasons I highlighted in that review.

The downside, however, has always been the cost of entry – this kind of technology is not ever going to be cheap – but DJI has gone some way to making it more affordable with a new Inspire 3 Basic Package.

The Basic Bundle includes the Inspire 3 Drone, the Zenmuse X9 8K camera (with no lens), four TB51 batteries (2 needed at a time) a (Image credit: DJI)

Of course the deal is even better if you're already using compatible lenses – for example if you shoot with the DJI Ronin 4D – a cinema camera system which has carved a bigger and bigger niche in the industry because it has a built-in gimbal (all running from the same battery).

The Ronin 4D cameras and the Zenmuse X9 gimbal included here both use the DJI DL mount, which supports native autofocus and powered zoom. There are a number of native DJI primes (18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm) and third-party options.

The remote has a 7-inch screen with an impressive 1,200 nits of brightness, but isn't part of this bundle, so budget for it! (Image credit: Future)

The remote, however, is not included in this new bundle, which will itself set you back a not insignificant £1,299.00, but even then the overall cost is a four-figure drop on the previous bundle.

Availability is a little frustrating for those in English-speaking countries, with availability of the new bundle coming sometime next month, even though it has dropped already in some parts of mainland Europe – in France the bundle is called 'Package de base' but it's essentially the same deal.

• DJI France 🇫🇷 – 'Package de base' available today: €7,999 (about $10,648.31).
• DJI UK 🇬🇧 – available 'April': £7,999 (about $10,648.31).
• DJI USA 🇺🇸 – DJI didn't offer me any news of a US version of this deal.

This is not the only way you can get some significant and high-end imagery from DJI drones by spending less, and – in many, many scenarios – there is a serious argument to be made for the relative convenience, battery life, and checking the DJI Mavic 4 Pro's relative rank on my best camera drones guide might be interesting.

If you need 8K, though, and interoperability with Ronin cameras, this is great news. I'll also say that when I was working regularly as a drone operator, clients were always a lot more impressed with the Inspire even if they ended up using the video shot from a Mavic. Sometimes, sadly, that matters!