ok so this is gonna be a long one sorry. been building a hexacopter for maybe six months now, running T-motor MN4014 motors with 40A ESCs and a Pixhawk 6C as the FC. the whole thing came out around 4.2kg dry which is heavier than i wanted but its solid. originally i was gonna fly it with a GoPro 11 on a lightweight 2-axis gimbal just to keep AUW manageable.

but then a client came to me wanting aerial inspection footage and they specifically asked about sensor size. they want the detail. so im now looking at something like a Sony A7C body with a 24mm prime on a 3-axis brushless gimbal, probably a Gremsy T3 or maybe the Freefly gimbal if i can find one used. that whole package is gonna add like 1.1 or 1.2kg to the platform and im not sure if my motors can handle it efficiently or if ill just be burning through batteries in 8 minutes.

the other thing im wondering about is whether the bigger sensor actually helps with the stabilization or makes it worse. like more mass on the gimbal should theoretically dampen vibration better right? or does the bigger lens make it harder to balance and introduce wobble on fast direction changes. ive heard both things from different people and i genuinely dont know which is true

the mass helping with stabilization thing is sort of true but its more complicated than that. a heavier payload does resist high frequency vibration better just from inertia but you also get more pendulum effect on the mount which shows up as slow low frequency sway especially after quick stops. the Gremsy T3 handles heavier payloads well in my experience, the motor torque on it is enough that it doesnt lose the horizon when you throw a full frame body at it. Freefly is great but parts and support arent what they used to be so id lean Gremsy personally.

on your motor question, MN4014s at that KV should honestly be fine with the extra kilo depending on your props. what props are you running? if youre on something short like 13 inch you might actually have more headroom than you think by going up to 15 or 16. run the ecalc numbers before you panic is basically what im saying

for inspection work have you considered whether a full frame is actually necessary or if your client just thinks bigger sensor automatically means better. a Micro Four Thirds body with a good prime at lower ISO is gonna give you incredibly clean footage and cuts the payload weight significantly. something like an OM-5 body or even a GH6 is way more manageable on a hex and you can actually fly long enough to cover a whole structure in one battery. just a thought cause ive seen people over-engineer the camera side and then the flight time makes the whole job take twice as long