DJI industrial drone series designed to carry heavy cinema camera payloads, including RED and ARRI cameras.
Technical Details
The current Matrice 300 RTK measures 810×670×430 mm with an unladen weight of 3.6 kg and reaches speeds up to 82 km/h. The aircraft features a redundant sensor system with six directional sensors, RTK positioning with centimeter accuracy, and IP45 weather protection. The batteries provide 5935 mAh at 22.8 V, and the transmission range is up to 15 km via OcuSync Enterprise. Previous models like the Matrice 600 Pro carried up to 6 kg of payload with a shorter flight duration of a maximum of 35 minutes.
History & Development
DJI presented the first Matrice M100 in 2014 as a development platform, followed by the M600 (2016) for heavy camera equipment. The Matrice 200 series (2017) introduced weatherproof casings and dual-gimbal support. In 2020, the Matrice 300 RTK was released with enhanced AI functionality and a hot-swap battery system. In parallel, DJI developed specialized gimbals like the Ronin 2 (2017) for larger cinema cameras on the Matrice platform.
Practical Application in Film
Productions such as "Skyfall" (2012, still using predecessor technology) established drone cinematography, while more recent films like "1917" (2019) utilized Matrice systems for complex one-shot sequences. Typical workflows include pre-visualization with DJI Terra for 3D mapping, live transmission to Video Village via CrystalSky monitors, and post-sync with timecode generators. The Matrice is suitable for establishing shots, chase sequences, and hard-to-reach locations, but is limited by no-fly zones and weather conditions.
Comparison & Alternatives
Competitors such as the Freefly Alta X (8 kg payload) or Yuneec Tornado H920 Plus offer similar functionality at different price-performance ratios. For ultra-heavy-lift applications with RED cameras, custom builds like the Shotover F1 are used. The Matrice positions itself between consumer drones (DJI Mavic) and custom-built solutions through an optimal balance of payload, flight time, and handling. Helicopters remain the first choice in extreme weather conditions or for very heavy camera packages (> 10 kg).