so ive been shooting paid commercial work for about 3 years now mostly real estate and some corporate stuff and ive always just used my Mavic 3 Pro but a client wants aerial footage for a short film they're doing and they specifically asked about RAW capabilities and whether we can deliver ProRes or CinemaDNG files. so now im actually looking at the Inspire 2 setup seriously for the first time.

i know the X7 with the DL mount lenses is the gold standard for that kind of stuff but the whole ecosystem is just so expensive when you add it up. the camera itself, the lenses, the batteries which are giant and the dual operator thing if you want to do it properly. just wondering if anyone here has been running one for client work recently and whether its still holding up. i heard DJI kinda stopped updating the firmware for it which worries me a bit about longevity. also does anyone actually fly it single op for cinematic stuff or is that just asking for trouble

still running mine for narrative and doc work, got the X7 with the 16 and 24mm DL primes and honestly the image quality still holds up really well against newer stuff. CinemaDNG in 6K is no joke. clients who know what they're looking at can tell the difference immediately especially in low light where the sensor really earns its keep.

the firmware thing is a real concern though, DJI hasnt pushed anything meaningful in a while and theres some known issues with the RSC system on the X7 that just never got properly fixed. for most shots its fine but if you're doing anything aggressive with altitude changes you can sometimes see a weird wobble that you have to stabilize in post. minor but annoying. as for single op, i do it all the time for simpler shots but on a real film set with a director watching you, having a dedicated camera op on a second controller is honestly just better. you can focus on keeping the bird stable and smooth and let them worry about framing and focus pulls.

the M3 Pro is a totally different tool, like you cant really compare them if the client is asking for ProRes RAW or CinemaDNG. the Mavic just doesnt do that. if they want proper deliverables for a film pipeline the Inspire 2 X7 combo is still one of the only options short of going to a full custom heavy lift rig with an ARRI on it or whatever.

that said have you looked at renting instead of buying? i rented an Inspire 2 kit for a job last spring from a local rental house and it worked out way cheaper than buying and i didnt have to deal with owning the batteries which are genuinely a pain to maintain and transport