Parrot Unveils Extended Anafi Package and New Flight Modes

Parrot have launched Anafi Extended, a package that includes three batteries for a total flight time of over one hour. Anafi’s software has also been updated with a number of new flight modes and camera features.

Parrot is has been pushing the Anafi hard since its release. In August the French manufacturer announced price drops on additional Anafi flight modes that were originally expensive in-app purchases.

Read more: Review: Hands On With the Parrot ANAFI

The focuses of the new launch (or re-launch, if you like) are portability, flight time and flight modes. So the Anafi Extended is extended in more ways than one: in terms of how long you can fly it and the creative options that it offers.

So, aside from including three smart batteries, what are you getting with the Anafi Extended? This is straight from the company’s press release:

• HDR+ for videos and photos: A unique feature in the consumer drone market; images are perfectly contrasted whatever the exposure conditions.

• Panorama photo modes: Five different effects available, including Panorama Sphere 360, an awesome immersive experience, Little Planet, Tunnel, Vertical 180°, and Horizontal 180°.

• Dolly Zoom: 60 years after its creation by Alfred Hitchcock, ANAFI is the first ever consumer drone that comes fully equipped with this iconic cinematic effect. The Dolly Zoom effect focuses on a person to create the ultimate shot. It can also be used on scenery or landscapes for dramatic video footage of the great outdoors.

• Hyperlapse video: Capture waves breaking on the shore, or backlighting in just one click using the ultimate time-lapse video setting, with speeds of 15x, 30x, 60x, 120x or 240x.

• Slow Motion 120FPS: An incredible 4x slow-motion video effect in a 720p resolution.

So, a few things it’s worth noting. For starters, when we originally reviewed the Anafi, we felt a little let down by image noise when using the HDR feature. We don’t know if that’s been rectified yet. According to Parrot, the new HDR+ mode offers a wider dynamic range for photos and 4K/1080p videos, automatically adapting to the brightness of any scene. Even with intense backlight, the company says “HDR+ captures perfectly contrasted images with fine detail and reduced noise.”

Second, the Anafi was the first consumer drone – we think – to come with a Dolly Zoom effect. But that capability is now also a statement feature of the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom.

Read more: Exclusive: Parrot Explain ANAFI’s Lack of Obstacle Avoidance

Anafi Extended: Is it worth it?

For UK buyers, Anafi Extended is priced at £729 and is available from November 1st in Currys, PC World, Argos, Shop Direct, Amazon.co.uk and parrot.com.

The bundle includes 3 smart batteries, an ergonomic and and 2 months of free access to Adobe Creative Cloud or Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

For U.S. customers, the Extended bundle is retailing at $799. Considering that extra batteries are $100 a pop, that’s a pretty good deal. The company also throws in a two-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.