Sony’s $9,000 Airpeak S1 drone is now available to order, the company announced Wednesday. It’s expected to ship starting December 24th.
The Airpeak S1, which was first teased in January at CES 2021, is targeted toward video professionals and is designed to be used with Sony’s mirrorless cameras. According to the drone’s product page, it has a flight time of 22 minutes without a payload and up to 12 minutes with a “heavy payload,” such as a Sony A7S Mark III camera. Sony says the Airpeak is stable in winds of up to 44.7mph, which could be useful for capturing footage in windy conditions.
The $9,000 price tag comes with two pairs of propellers, a remote controller, two batteries, and a battery charger. It doesn’t include a camera or gimbal, though, which means you’ll have to bring some of your own equipment if you decide to order one. There is a third-party gimbal from Gremsy that’s made for the Airpeak S1, but it’s also expensive at $2,199.99.
Sony plans to sell an optional $300-per-year “Airpeak Plus” cloud subscription, which will offer “additional data storage, advanced geofencing options, and import / export of flight logs.” There will also be an “Airpeak Protect Plan” that covers accidental damage, but Sony hasn’t shared how much that will cost.
