You would be forgiven if the AirPeak S1 got away from you. It’s been 13 long, bizarre months since Sony first teased the pro-level drone. After a reveal in November 2020, the company offered more information on its first professional drone since this year’s fully virtual CES in January and an official “launch” in June. Since then, it has mainly been radio silence.
That is, until this morning, when Sony announced that the AirPeak would launch in 2021 – right under the wire. Pre-orders on the product open today, with an estimated ship date of December 24 – so a little late Christmas arrival for the cinematographer in your life who has it all (we kind of missed this guide. gifts this year).
As expected, Sony’s entry won’t be cheap, with a suggested retail price of $ 9,000. With a quadcopter designed to fly around Sony’s great mirrorless cameras, this prize gets you two pairs of propellers, two batteries, a charger, and a remote control.
The aforementioned cameras, lenses and gimbal are both sold separately. The gimbal costs an additional $ 2,200. While you’re at it, you might as well add an extra $ 300 for a year of “Airpeak Plus,” for project cloud storage, geofencing, and more.
Sony isn’t quite ready to take on DJI, which currently controls around 70% of the global drone market. But the game here is clear, as it appears to be capitalizing on the success of its imaging lineup by designing a custom platform specifically for its cameras.
The Airpeak S1 is compatible with Alpha 1, Alpha 7S, Alpha 7R s, Alpha 9 and FX3 cameras, among others.
