Ex DJI engineers create AI camera with a HUGE 1,750mm telephoto reach

Another day, another AI camera. But the RocX doesn't just look different; it looks like it can also be used in conjunction with a mirrorless camera or traditional DSLR. Billed as the “World’s First AI-powered Distant View Camera,” it’s essentially a compact camera perched atop a joystick-controlled mount (RocX Handle), with the option for a larger gimbal (RocX Gimbal).

What’s interesting about the RocX Camera is that it betrays its compact form factor and is designed for long-distance photography and video. That’s not all, Farseer, the company behind it has links to an industry giant, with the RocX system said to be “Built by EX-Engineers from DJI.”

The camera, which is giving me DJI Osmo Pocket 3 vibes (but bigger), is built around a 1/2.8” sensor, has an ISO range of 100-12,800, and is said to have optical and electronic image stabilization. The rear of the camera is dominated by a large, five-inch touch-screen, which will surely feel familiar to camera phone photographers.

When attached to its mount, the device boasts a function called Auto Tracking, where it physically pans to follow the subject, with subject recognition for people, animals, and birds. There is a video of a conventional DSLR/mirrorless mounted on the RocX Gimbal, with the RocX Camera mounted in the hotshoe and the gimbal moving to track a subject under its own steam, which is certainly an interesting application. It also boasts AI-powered photography, although further details are currently thin on the ground.

As you’d expect from a device touted as a long-distance camera, it has an extremely meaty 50x zoom, which starts at 35mm and reaches a whopping 1,750mm, with an aperture of f/2.0 to f/3.2. However, it’s unclear whether the presumably fixed lens has any optical-zoom capabilities or whether the zoom is entirely digital.

The camera can also shoot 4K and fullHD video, maxing out at 4K / 30p, and 1080p / 120p, the latter allowing for smooth slow motion. Both the RocX Handle and the RocX Gimbal feature two-axis stabilisation, with the former weighing in at 500g and the latter, 1kg. The entire system has a battery life of six hours.

The Kickstarter for the RocX system launches in December, with up to 65% off Super Early Bird prices announced as follows. RocX Camera: $199. RocX Camera + Handle: $299. RocX Camera + Gimbal: $699. The message: “See You at CES 2026!” suggests that we'll see the device at the Las Vegas consumer-tech show in January.

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