Heliguy & DJI Head for the Kendal Mountain Festival

Heliguy and DJI will be reaching new heights at the 2015 Kendal Mountain Festival in the English Lake District. The four day festival of everything to do with mountains, wild places and adventure, also incorporates an International film-making competition. Capture.jpg On Thursday November 19th at 1.00 we'll be hosting a workshop for a special audience of film professionals at Kendal College and demonstrating  DJI drones and camera stabilisers. At 11.00 on Friday the 20th we will be showing off the Ronin and Ronin-M camera stabilisers as well as the exciting, brand new stabiliser - the Osmo to up to 140 people at The Box, Kendal College Arts Campus.

DJI New Pilot Experience

On Saturday the 21st we'll be holding a DJI New Pilot Experience for people who are new to drones and who want to know more about what these impressive pieces of kit can do. This will be from 11.00 - 1.00 at the Brewery Arts Centre in Highgate. Many of our regular customers use DJI's multi-rotors and stabilisers to film mountaineering, fell running, mountain biking and other adventure sports. Heliguy client Chris Davies, who featured in an earlier blog, has been shortlisted for the film he shot in the Scottish Highlands: "Suilven: The Trail Runner". Inspire-Chris-Davies-Photography-e1447426890184.jpg A DJI Inspire in the mountains - Chris Davies Photography The DJI Ronin, Ronin-M and the brand new Osmo camera stabilisers are great for producing smooth and flowing videos and steady stills. There's a stabiliser for almost every type of camera. The Osmo comes with its own camera, similar to the X3 device on DJI's popular Inspire 1 quadcopter. But the stabiliser can also handle the higher spec X5 and X5R cameras, which have Micro Four Thirds, 16 megapixel sensors and interchangeable lenses. All three can shoot in up to 4K resolution and everything's controlled from the DJI GO app on a smartphone. osmo.png The DJI Osmo handheld 3 axis stabilised camera The Ronin-M is the lighter of the two larger stabilisers. The M's frame is made of magnesium and weighs 2.3kg (5.07lb). It can carry up to 3.6kg (8lb) so that will include cameras like the Sony A7S, Canon 5D, Nikon D800 and Panasonic GH4. The Ronin-M, because of its weight and size, is also better suited to shooting in restricted locations and for transporting easily, as it can fold down into your backpack. DJI-Ronin-underslung-1100.jpg The DJI Ronin in under-slung mode The heavier gimbal, the Ronin, is made of machine grade aluminium and weighs in at 4.20kg (9.26lbs) but it can carry up to 7.25kg (16lbs). That means, for example, it can take a Red Dragon or a Canon C300.

Main social event in the UK for outdoor enthusiasts

Kendal Mountain Festival is an award-winning event that has grown in size and diversity over the last 15 years. It is also the main social event  in the UK for outdoor enthusiasts. Thousands of outdoor fans as well as media specialists, athletes, equipment manufacturers, artists, photographers, adventurers, explorers and inspirational speakers gather every year to share adventures and celebrate the very best in outdoor and adventure sports culture. KMF2014_Stuart-Holmes-78-e1447410071502.jpg "The Oscars of outdoor film-making" at Kendal Mountain Festival

International Film Competition

The International Film Competition has been called the 'Oscars of outdoor film-making'. Over 70 films are screened (from 200+ entries) with eleven coveted awards up for grabs. However KMF is not all extreme action - you can experience culture, drama, wildlife and environmental documentaries, plus the world's largest lecture programme covering outdoor content. Other highlights include art exhibitions, book events, including the coveted Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature and the ever popular 'Kendal Mountain Film Academy'.  The inaugural 2014 'Filmmaking Summit' (supported by Channel 4 TV) welcomed 200+ industry professionals to an insightful programme of new debate and presentations. The packed 'Specialist Sessions' are now legendary and provide a core social gathering for the following categories – Climb, Bike, Snowsports, Endurance Sports, Free-Flight, Underground (Cave) and Adventure & Exploration. They really are events within the event! Together with the photography exhibitions, workshops, numerous competitions, active sports events and youth engagement in the form of the new KMF charity – Film Active and  the KMF for Schools programme – the main Festival and associated On The Edge events are now a key attraction for thousands of people every year. IMG_0760-e1447410928129.jpg