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Thermal drones / DJI

DJI Matrice 4TD

640×512 · 12 µm · $9,800

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US availability: DJI has been on the FCC's Covered List since December 22, 2025. Models already authorized stay legal to sell and fly; new models cannot be authorized. Checked October 11, 2026.

What the thermal camera sees from above

Calculated for a camera pointed straight down; each animal is drawn at its true length in sensor pixels (the cow from above, the deer and hog at a camera angle). One square is one sensor pixel, on one scale throughout.

100 ft up · ground strip 64 ft wide

Cow

75 px nose to tail · 22 across

Deer

50 px nose to tail · 13 across

Hog

45 px nose to tail · 15 across

200 ft up · ground strip 128 ft wide

Cow

38 px nose to tail · 11 across

Deer

25 px nose to tail · 7 across

Hog

23 px nose to tail · 8 across

400 ft up · ground strip 255 ft wide

Cow

19 px nose to tail · 5 across

Deer

13 px nose to tail · 3 across

Hog

11 px nose to tail · 4 across

Cow still shows its shape up to

~630 ft

Deer still shows its shape up to

~420 ft

Hog still shows its shape up to

~380 ft

Shape means about 12 pixels nose to tail and 3 across the back. Pilots usually find animals on thermal from 200 to 400 feet and confirm with the zoom camera. FAA rules cap most flights at 400 feet above the ground. Trees, a tilted camera and sun-warmed ground all cut these figures; upsampled "super resolution" modes and digital zoom add no detail.

Specs

Sensor
Resolution

Sensor resolution

How many heat-reading pixels the sensor has, such as 384 × 288 or 640 × 512. More pixels show more detail, but the lens matters just as much.

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640 × 512
Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch

The size of each sensor pixel, in microns. Smaller pixels mean more magnification from the same lens. Most current thermals use 12 microns.

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12 µm
NETD (maker’s claim)

NETD (thermal sensitivity)

How small a temperature difference the sensor can show. Lower is better, but brands measure it differently, so numbers from two makers are not a fair comparison.

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<50 mK
Refresh rate

Refresh rate

How many times per second the picture updates. 50 or 60 times a second looks smooth; lower rates stutter when you pan or a coyote runs.

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30 Hz
Optics
Lens

Focal length

The lens number in millimeters, like 35 mm or 50 mm. A longer lens puts more pixels on a distant animal but shows a narrower slice of ground.

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53 mm equivalent f/1.0 (actual not published)
Base magnification

Base magnification

How much bigger things look before any digital zoom, like 2× or 4×. Higher is not automatically better: it narrows your view.

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1×
Max digital zoom

Digital zoom

Electronic enlarging of the picture. It makes the animal look bigger but adds no detail; past about 2× to 4× the image gets blocky.

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28×
Field of view

Field of view

How wide a view you get, in degrees. A wide view makes scanning for animals faster; a narrow one usually means more magnification.

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45° diagonalDJI publishes the diagonal only.
Detection range (maker’s claim)

Detection range

The maker's figure for how far away a warm object shows up as a dot or two. It is far longer than the distance you can tell what the animal is.

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Display
Display

Display resolution

How many pixels the small screen inside the eyepiece has. A sharp screen looks cleaner but cannot add detail the sensor did not capture.

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Not published
Power
BatteryDJI Matrice 4D Series Battery (6768 mAh), removable
Features
Rangefinder

Laser rangefinder

A built-in laser that measures how far away the animal is. The rated range is for big, reflective targets; expect much less on a coyote.

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1,969 yd
Storage

Onboard recording (storage)

Built-in memory that records photos and video of what you see. Useful for reviewing shots and sharing hunts; listed in gigabytes.

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—
Wi-Fi / app

Wi-Fi and app

A wireless link to a phone app for live viewing, downloading videos, changing settings and updating the device's software.

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—
Drone
Thermal cameraBuilt inAlso a 1280x1024 upsampled mode, which adds no detail
Visual cameras48 MP wide, 48 MP medium tele (70 mm equivalent), 48 MP tele (168 mm equivalent), 112x hybrid zoom; NIR auxiliary light
RadiometricYes
Flight time54 min (no wind)
Wind resistance27 mph
Range (FCC)15.5 mi
Takeoff weight4.1 lb (FAA registration required)
Spotlight / speakeroptional / optional
Build
Weight

Weight

How heavy the device is. Check whether the maker weighed it with or without the battery, because brands do it differently.

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65.3 oz
Water rating

IP rating (water rating)

A two-part code for how well the device keeps out dust and water. IP67 means dust-tight and survives a short dunk; an X means not tested.

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IP55
Operating temp

Operating temperature

The temperature range the maker says the device will work in. Batteries lose much of their runtime well before the low end of that range.

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-4°F to 122°F
Buying
Warranty

Warranty

How long the maker promises to repair or replace a faulty unit. Check whether it needs registration and whether it passes to a second owner.

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Not published for US
US price

US price

The price we found for the unit in the US, with where it came from and when. Prices change often, so treat it as a snapshot.

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$9,800
MSRP

MSRP

The maker's suggested retail price in the US: the list price, before any sale. Useful for seeing how good a deal really is.

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Not published for US

Source: DJI Dock 3 specs (Matrice 4TD aircraft sections), Dronefly, DJI Matrice 4TD standalone unit (US price), FCC DA 26-223 (DJI and Autel on the Covered List since December 22, 2025).

Added October 11, 2026 · Specs last checked October 11, 2026