Sony is now investing in the drone business with its new spin-off brand named Airpeak – and the company used CES 2021 to unveil its first drone, which can carry a mirrorless camera.
The Airpeak drone is touted to be the industry’s smallest drone which is capable of carrying Sony’s Alpha mirrorless camera system.
It is designed specifically for high quality video content creation and professional photography and features a quadcopter design.
Sony showcased the drone camera at CES and says it has been exploring using the drone to film landscape and city shots. It also used the Airpeak as a chase camera for footage of its Vision-S concept car.
The drone on display at CES also featured two landing gear extensions which retract upwards during flight.
Sony explained during the showcase: “Airpeak will support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible, aiming to contribute to the further development of the entertainment industry as well as to improved efficiency and savings in various industries.
“Airpeak will also promote this project to enable drone-use with the highest level of safety and reliability in the environments where this has been difficult in the past.”
It is the first time Sony has invested in drones – but it is not a surprise given how well-regarded Sony cameras are in the photography and CE industry.
The Airpeak brand was unveiled in late 2020 and Sony says a spring 2021 launch is scheduled.
Pricing is still yet to be confirmed however given it pairs with Sony’s Alpha camera series, which range in price from $899 to $6800, it is likely to be an expensive device.
