DJI Could (But Probably Won’t) Launch a Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera

Although PetaPixel rarely deals with photography rumors, there is one that keeps popping up that warrants attention. For about a year, numerous publications have reported that DJI is gearing up to release a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. Is it possible? Sure. Does it make sense? Not really.

Why Is There so Much Smoke About a DJI Mirrorless Camera?

Admittedly, there are several compelling reasons why DJI is well-positioned to develop a full-frame interchangeable lens camera and why it might consider it a worthwhile move.

For starters, DJI acquired a majority stake in the legendary Swedish photography company, Hasselblad, in 2017. In the years since, PetaPixel has learned from sources that, for all intents and purposes, it is a DJI company. It stands to reason that DJI has direct access to Hasselblad’s camera engineering and design expertise, which are essential for releasing a successful interchangeable lens camera. Hasselblad, while a niche brand overall, makes fantastic cameras and knows what it is doing.

Beyond this Hasselblad relationship, DJI itself has a rich history in imaging. The company is the world’s leading drone manufacturer, and its drones are celebrated for their excellent imaging capabilities, including camera drones like the Mavic 3 Pro, which features a Hasselblad-engineered Micro Four Thirds sensor, and the DJI Inspire 3 that has a 44.7-megapixel full-frame image sensor.

Then, of course, there are the über-popular DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera and its Type 1 CMOS sensor, as well as the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro action camera. The company has extensive experience in engineering imaging products that work seamlessly alongside other cameras, including full-frame models.

But perhaps most interesting of all is the DJI Ronin 4D. The DJI Ronin 4D cinema gimbal camera features a Zenmuse X9-6K camera gimbal, LiDAR-powered autofocus, a purpose-built cinema camera body, and DJI’s DL mount. But wait, there’s more. The Ronin 4D features an interchangeable lens mount and accepts M, E, and L-Mount glass. DJI joined the L-Mount Alliance in 2022.

All this is to say that DJI has the imaging experience and expertise that could enable it to successfully engineer and launch a full-frame interchangeable lens camera.

And who can forget when DJI cryptically teased a “mysterious new product” when replying to a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, who had asked about a DJI mirrorless camera launching this year? DJI deleted the tweet, which did not help quell speculation.

While that’s the only official interaction DJI has had with rumors of interchangeable lens cameras, there has been plenty of discussion about the rumored camera elsewhere on the web. From YouTube videos to posts on rumor sites, there has been a consistent, ongoing conversation about a DJI mirrorless camera to compete against the giants of the photo industry.

Nonetheless, these unsubstantiated rumors have remained just that — rumors — for about a year now. But as is often the case with these sorts of things, it is not that hard to come up with reasons why this particular rumor could be true. DJI owns Hasselblad, is part of the L-Mount alliance, already manufactures cameras, and, although not as large a company as any of the major players in the photo industry, is sufficiently large to make the investments required to build and launch a camera.

DJI Is Probably Not Making a New Full-Frame Camera

But just because there are reasons why DJI could make a full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless camera, that doesn’t mean the company will. Lots of companies could make a camera, but few do. New players do not enter the space with any regularity, and some that try quickly fail. Sorry, Samsung, you were truly gone too soon.

What’s the advantage of DJI going all-in on releasing a new full-frame mirrorless camera?

While sure, the company doesn’t need to worry about lenses because the L-Mount Alliance has that shored up, what motivation does DJI have to invest a bunch of money into a photography industry that it already makes money from with its gimbals and specialized drones?

Compared to selling photographers camera drones and gimbals for their ILCs, squeezing money out of the photo and video industry with a brand-new camera system is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Sure, DJI could do that, but why would it?

And then there’s the Hasselblad-sized elephant in the room. DJI doesn’t need to make a full-frame mirrorless camera; it is already successful in far less crowded photography fields thanks to Hasselblad’s compact camera imaging technology and Hasselblad’s medium-format camera system. DJI is already performing exceptionally well in growing imaging segments. Why would the company dive headfirst into a significantly more challenging environment?

Sony had to work extremely hard to earn its reputation in the photography industry when it acquired Konica Minolta and began making DSLR and then mirrorless cameras. Building up its clout required a combination of dedication, substantial investment, and taking the right risks at the perfect time. While Sony’s Alpha series is a remarkable success story, lightning rarely strikes twice. DJI would have a lot to lose by entering the full-frame camera market, and arguably, not much to gain. Photographers don’t just hop from brand to brand.

But What if DJI Did Make a Mirrorless ILC?

So, no, we do not think DJI is developing a full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless camera that will directly compete with Sony, Canon, or Nikon, which is what most of the rumors suggest.

However, that isn’t to say there isn’t room in the industry for innovation. There certainly is, especially in highly specialized segments of the camera industry. Although rumor sites and excitable photographers are clamoring for a groundbreaking camera to come along and disrupt the entire industry and take on the photo giants, perhaps instead, people should eye the fringes of the camera industry to find an area where fresh blood, whoever it is, could strike gold.

Consider the cinema-specific camera space. While all the major players, including Panasonic in the L-Mount Alliance, make high-end full-frame cameras that are well-suited for hybrid creators and even sometimes video-first users, the video-only space is significantly less crowded. There’s Nikon-owned RED, of course, and Blackmagic Design, but other high-end video camera systems are often large, bulky, and prohibitively expensive. DJI has plenty of excellent stabilization tech, impressive autofocus systems, and computational photography chops to do something interesting. DJI has already been a transformative presence in the cinema space, thanks to its Ronin products and drones. Perhaps the company could find a low-risk entry point into yet another filmmaking product class.

Perhaps. But probably not.

Image credits: Header photo created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.