How Waterproof is a DJI Inspire 2?

I see this question pop up in forums many times, especially from our friends in the PNW whwere we can see three seasons in one day easily. It's a valid concern because many times myself I have had to quickly land due to a random rain shower. So, how does this effect the drone, if at all? Not too long ago I made a trip out to central Oregon to shoot a hidden waterfall in avery deep canyon. Now a lot of things come into play here such as the fact that the mist from the falls was for the most part contained in the canyon and bowl at the bottom of the falls, and some light rain as well. Being that I drove over 2 hours at the crack of dawn to be there at the best time, I wasn't going to leave without trying at least. In an hour or so of flying, using up two of my battery sets, I got some killer footage (video attatched). Upon coming to land I noticed the drone was absolutely soaked. The camera was dripping, and water drops on the lense which distorted the video near the end, and the motors had taken water as well. I had no idea how strong the mist of the falls was, or how much water was on the lesne filter. So, what did I learn from this?

For starters, I had no idea that the Inspire 2 had taken on so much water to begin, of course it happened gradually and so naturally my footage got more distorted the longer I filmed. Secondly, as with other drones I have had, as long as the key electrical components were dry, you are ok. The engines did very well, no visible issues, and DJI did a really great job of sealing up these components. While they do not claim the inspire 2 is water proof or water resistant (yes, they are different) I've seen that with this drone in particular, it handles rain and heavy moisture such as mist quite well. Obviously it is not advised that you do, but it is possible. Even though this is possible, the downside is that your camera lense, no matter what filter or hood you have, will get drops on the lense and ruin any type of cinematic footage you wish to use later. I will say however, I was using a CPL filter (circular polarizing filter) the entire time, which allows you to remove reflections, see through the reflection of water, and add a more diverse and rich color to your footage. I am not sure if this is correct but it may be why my video turned out decent while being covered in water drops.

So to really sum this up, can you fly in light rain/mist/fog? The short answer is yes, the long answer is also yes, but you sacrifice video quality possibly, and risk ruining your drone, depending on the type of moisture. Sometimes you gotta risk it for amazing footage which is what can set you appart as a film maker, content creator etc. Sometimes you just have be willing to do what others aren't.

On a side note, if you want to pick up some amazing lense filters for your drone, check out PolarPro on instagram for the best quality filters, they aren't cheap but they are well worth it and used by the pros daily! Fly On!