Inspire 1 action cam mount promises shake-free videos

Flying drones and action video are always pushing each other forward in a cooperative arms race. Cameras give people their best reason for using drones, and the growing drone market prompts innovation in action cams. Now, DJI is bringing some of its best airborne technology back to the ground with the Inspire 1 camera mount (no price, expected in spring 2015), a handheld device that fits together with the 4k camera-and-gimbal system used in the company's drones. Gimbals, which have been used in aviation for a long time, are three-axis mechanical systems that employ motors and rings to help a camera remain stable in space.

They can seem to float almost magically on top of the boom held by the camera operator, tremendously outpacing the kind of image stabilization built into a lot cameras. The Inspire camera mount, which may be renamed the Inspire Stick, according to a company rep we spoke with, uses the operator's smartphone as a viewfinder. It offers two different modes of image stabilization: One mode stays focused on a particular focal point, while the other allows you to smoothly pan or tilt the camera.

—Terry Sullivan