DJI Spark Camera and Drone Specs
DJI is a leader in consumer and professional drone manufacturing. It offers drones for beginners, amateur photographers, hobbyists, and professional users. Its basic drone series is the Spark series.
| Model | DJI Spark |
|---|---|
| Takeoff Weight | 300 grams |
| Dimensions | 143 X 143 X 55 mm |
| Max Ascent Speed | 9.8 ft/s (3 m/s) in Sport Mode without wind |
| Max Descent Speed | 9.8 ft/s (3 m/s) in Auto Landing Mode |
| Maximum Speed | 31 miles per hour (50 kmph) in Sport Mode without wind |
| Maximum Service Ceiling above Sea Level | 13,123 feet (4000 meters) |
| Maximum Flight Time | 16 minutes (without wind) |
| Operating Temperature | 32° to 104° F (0° to 40° C) |
| GPS Hovering Accuracy | Vertical: ±0.1 m when Vision Positioning is active. Else ±0.5m Horizontal: ±0.3 m when Vision Positioning is active. Else ±1.5m |
| Operating Frequency | 2.4-2.4835 GHz 5.725-5.850 GHz |
| Remote Controller Transmission Distance | 2.412 – 2.462 GHz (unobstructed, free of interference) FCC: 1.2 mi (2 km); CE: 0.3 mi (500 m) SRRC: 0.3 mi (500 m); MIC: 0.3 mi (500 m) 5.745 – 5.825 GHz (unobstructed, free of interference) FCC: 1.2 mi (2 km); CE: 0.18 mi (300 m) SRRC: 0.7 mi (1.2 km); |
| Gimbal Pitch | -85° to 0° |
| Camera Sensor | 1/2.3″ CMOS Effective pixels: 12 MP |
| Video Resolution | 1920×1080 30 fps |
| File Format | JPEG (for photo) MP4 – H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (for video) |
| Max Video Bitrate | 24 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi Frequency | 2.4 GHz/5.8 GHz |
| Wi-Fi Transmission Distance | 100 m(Distance), 50 m(Height) (Unobstructed, free of interference) |
| Recommended Micro SD Cards | Sandisk 16/32 GB UHS-1 Micro SDHC Kingston 16/32 GB UHS-1 Micro SDHC Samsung 16/32 GB UHS-I Micro SDHC Sandisk 64 GB UHS-1 Micro SDXC Kingston 64 GB UHS-1 Micro SDXC Samsung 64 GB UHS-I Micro SDXC |
The DJI Spark is an entry-level drone meant for the casual user or someone looking to get a taste of drone technology. It is meant to be an affordable consumer drone and is available for less than $400. It was released in May 2017. People of all ages and even children can fly the DJI Spark drone.
The DJI Spark drone is simple and easy to use. It has a few basic features that do not overwhelm a user in the way an advanced or professional DJI drone series might. However, do not let the simplicity and inexpensiveness fool you. The DJI Spark packs in some very strong features and all the flagship features of DJI drones. It has a 2-axis gimbal, a camera that can shoot 1080p at 30 frames per second, an infrared sensor that can detect obstacles, and hand-gesture control for excellent ease-of-use.
Let us take a closer look at the detailed specifications of the DJI Spark drone:
The Dimensions
The first thing that one would notice about the DJI Spark is its compact size. It measures 143X143X55 mm. That is almost similar to the size of a large mobile phone. The drone can fit securely on your palm. It can take off from your palm. So, in terms of portability, the DJI Spark scores high marks.
The Weight
Another aspect of portability, besides the size, is the weight of the drone. The DJI Spark has a take-off weight of 300 grams. That is again similar to the weight of a 24-piece Ferrero Rocher box or a small bottle of honey. Pretty light!
Ascent and Descent Speeds
The DJI Spark has an ascent speed of 3 m/s or 9.8 ft/s. That is a decent speed to capture a basketball jump ball or a landscape shot while you are on vacation. Action videos can also be made with 3 meters per second speeds.
The descent speed is the same as the ascent speed. The descent speed is important if you want to bring down the drone quickly. However, it is advised not to descend too quickly as you might end up crashing the drone. 3 meters per second is plenty of descent speed for most domestic use cases.
Maximum Speed
The DJI Spark can hit a top flying speed of 31 miles per hour or 50 kph in the Sport Mode. That sort of speed is decent enough to shoot moving objects like a track and field athlete or a go-kart. However, if you want to track and shoot a car zooming at 70 miles per hour on the highway, then the DJI Spark won’t be able to keep up. Other advanced DJI drones like the Mavic and Phantom series drones have top speeds of 70+ kph.
Maximum Flight Time
The DJI Spark can fly for a maximum of 16 minutes. This time may be sufficient for short videos which you may want to post on Facebook or Youtube. You can easily take 4 or 5 short videos which you can add to a vlog. However, if you want to do serious videography, then 16 minutes may seem too short a flight time.
Battery Size
The battery size is responsible for the 16-minute flight time and 15-minute hover time. The battery of the DJI Spark is 1480 mAh. Compare that with 5870 mAh on the Phantom 4 Pro or 3850 mAh on the Mavic 2 Pro. However, smaller battery size means less weight and smaller dimensions. The DJI Spark battery weighs a mere 95 grams when other drone series batteries weight 300 grams and, in some cases, even more than 400 grams.
Operating Temperature
The operating temperature of the DJI Spark drone is pretty much the same as other DJI drones. The drone body has a temperature range of 5 degrees to 40 degrees Celsius. The remote controller has a temperature range of 0 degrees to 40 degrees Celsius. These ranges are pretty much standard across the board.
Maximum Transmission Range
The DJI Spark is capable of a maximum transmission distance of 100 meters when operated through a mobile phone/tablet. In terms of height, the maximum range is 50 meters. The reason for this range is the fact that the mobile device and the drone communicate through Wi-Fi transmitted by the drone. Wi-Fi has a limited range.
Camera Quality
The DJI Spark drone has a 12 megapixel camera. It can shoot 1920X1080 video at 30 frames per second. Compared to other DJI models which shoot 4K, 1080p might seem low. But, DJI Spark is a budget-friendly camera. It has a 1/2.3 inch sensor with a decent field of view of 81.9o.
The 2-axis gimbal on the DJI Spark stabilizes the camera and gives shake-free video. The gimbal has a tilt pitch of -85o to 0o. The tilt pitch for advanced models like the Mavic and Phantom series drones are 135o and 90o.
There are many shooting modes like single shot, burst, vertical and horizontal panorama, and even shallow focus. The HD Wi-Fi technology of the DJI Spark allows 720p video to be transmitted in real-time for up to 2 km (when using a remote controller).
Flight Modes
The DJI Spark is best known for its multiple intelligent flight modes. You can have the drone track a subject and keep the same view/perspective while tracking that subject. You can make the drone go up while pointing the camera down, make it go in circles, spiral around a subject, and a whole lot more.
You can also use your hand gestures to instruct the drone to perform different functions. For example, you can use your fingers to make a click sign to have the drone take a selfie. You can also make the drone follow you, move away from you, record video, and do a bunch of things by using your hand gestures.
3D sensing system
DJI Spark uses a 3D sensing system to avoid obstacles and maintain its altitude. It can sense objects 5 meters in the front and its visual positioning system can sense the terrain from a height of 8 meters. Its visual positioning system also allows it to hover at 30 meters altitude without any problems.
The visual positioning system is vital for the drone to Return-To-Home when it loses contact with the controller/mobile device. This system allows it to avoid obstacles as it returns back to the user. The DJI Spark can detect objects which are larger than 20 cm X 20 cm.
Maximum Service Ceiling
The maximum service ceiling for the DJI Spark is 4000 meters. This basically means that the drone will not fly above 4000 meters altitude under any circumstance. Other advanced DJI drones have maximum ceiling limits of 6000 meters but this does not really matter. Most countries have a maximum legal drone height limit of 400 or 500 feet which is around 120 to 150 meters. So, 4000 meters on the DJI Spark is plenty.
