TECH CORNER
Use End Zone Camera/Drone Combos for Best Coaching Experience Mounting a drone to a tripod reserves all power for the camera and gimbal functionality. The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is the only one on the market, today, with zoom capabilities. BY MATT STARR, FOUNDER AND CEO OF SIDELINE POWER
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■■The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom allows coaches to mount a drone on a tripod for better camera and gimbal functionality.
Set up a Drone/Tower Combo for your program. Web: www.sidelinepower.com | Phone: 800-496-4290
#POWEREDUP
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football coaches! Get your subscription at fnfcoaches.com
’m Matt Starr, Founder and CEO of Sideline Power. Sideline Power works to find
and bring cutting edge technology to the football industry in order to help coaches win. Sideline Power has partnered with FNF Coaches to create an educational article for each issue on different innovative products. It’s time to get #PoweredUP with this month’s featured product, The Drone/Tower Combo. End Zone Cameras have been around in various configurations for decades. From a personal camcorder sitting atop a tall stepladder, to high end all-in-one systems, End Zone Cameras have been a staple of athletic programs. When drones first came to the market not only were they expensive, but no one really understood how to utilize them in the realm of athletics. Over the past decade, drones have become more and more commonplace. In some instances, drones have even completely replaced End Zone Cameras. The biggest drawback is that between FAA and individual district regulations, most programs can’t fly a drone during a game, only practices. Because of this, many programs resort to using drones for practice and End Zone Cameras for games. But that means two sets of equipment to set up and take down, a mess of batteries to charge before each outing, and additional cost for extra equipment. So, the question is, how to simplify the process. Sideline Power has found a solution in the Drone/Tower Combo. The Drone/Tower Combo is exactly what the name indicates. A DJI Mavic 2 Zoom mounted to an end zone tripod. You might query the purpose of such a configuration, but the answer is simple. The drone is capable of capturing footage that a traditional End Zone Camera cannot. During games, when a drone is relegated to the end zone, hovering depletes battery power at an exponential rate. Thus, mounting the aircraft to a tripod reserves all power for the camera and gimbal functionality. The effectiveness comes with the combination of the tripod and the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom due to the fact that this aircraft is the only one on the market, today, with zoom capabilities. A simple long press on the remote-control screen pans the camera from left to right. Functions in the roller bars on the remote control allow the videographer to tilt up/down and zoom in/out. With the Drone/Tower Combo, an athletic program’s videographer is able to use the same piece of video equipment for both practice and game. Continuity of controls is paramount for ease of functionality. With an extended range of communication between the Mavic 2 Zoom and the Smart Controller, your program’s videographer can be virtually anywhere and still capture 4K video and still images of all the important plays in the game.
