The Chasing Dory Drone will open up underwater photography to many photographers.
Underwater photography is an incredibly exciting genre, but it’s also one that can be incredibly expensive. Buying waterproof housing for cameras can set you back hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars. As you can imagine the cost rules out this type of photography for many, but the guys at Chasing are looking to change that with their new underwater drone called Dory. The Chasing Dory drone is a small, lightweight underwater drone that will open up underwater photography to photographers who cannot afford those expensive housing units for cameras. This campaign on Kickstarter ends on October 20th, but it has already smashed it’s initial goal of $30,000.
The Chasing Dory drone is incredibly small at just 7.4 inches in width, and it weighs only 2.5lbs. With a 15 meter tether you can reach depths of 49 feet, and 32.8ft with the 10-meter tether. The rechargeable battery should give you a runtime of one hour per charge, which is quite impressive, given that it powers five thrusters and the camera.
The camera onboard the Chasing Dory drone has a max aperture of f1.6 and the 4mm lens will give users a 100-degree field of view. The camera has a 2 Megapixel 1/2.9 inch CMOS sensor and has an ISO range from 100-3200. You’ll also find 3 axis gyros, an accelerometer, and a compass. There are two lights that at the front of the drone that put out 250-lumens each. Overall for the price, the specs are pretty good.
As you would expect, the drone is controlled via an app on your smartphone for convenience. What’s pretty cool though is that you can live stream to Facebook and Instagram while you’re exploring the depths. If you’re interested in backing this Kickstarter campaign, you can get in on the action for just $349. That investment will get you one drone, a tether, the Wi-Fi buoy, and a charger. If you’d like the same kit that comes with a carry bag too, you will have to pledge $379. Still not too bad for a drone that will allow you to explore the mysterious oceans. Head on over to the Chasing Dory drone Kickstarter page for more information.