The Mavic Air footage, however, looks great without you really having to do anything. It has a slightly wider angle lens (24mm versus the Pro's 28mm) which is better for capturing sweeping landscapes. You don't have to tap to focus. And oh yeah, it shoots 4K video at 100Mbps versus the Mavic Pro's 60Mbps, so you get more image data and more overall detail. It seemed to have better dynamic range, as well, though I wasn't able to do a one-to-one comparison. Eye Captain The Mavic Air also beats the Pro in terms of sensors and smart features. While the Mavic Pro has forward-looking obstacle avoidance, the Air's obstacle-sensing eyes look forward and backward. The anti-collision system generally works really well. I tried crashing the drone into myself going forward and backward, and it refused to fly too close to me. Instead, it went up and over me, or around me. (Obstacle avoidance doesn't work in Sport Mode. Try it there and you will lose a nipple.) The obstacle-sensing tech is especially important for some of the smart features the drone has, such as active tracking, where it can follow you, or lead you from the front. If you're trusting it to fly itself, then you really want to know that it's not going to slam into anything. Animation by DJI The Air can also obey hand gestures. You can tell it to lift off by extending your hand straight toward it with your palm perpendicular to the ground. Move that same flat hand up, down, and side-to-side to change its position. Move your two hands apart, and the drone pulls back for a wider shot. Make a frame with your index fingers and thumbs to have it start shooting video. It's neat in that it makes you feel kind of like a Jedi, but I think the gesture stuff is largely a gimmick. You still need to have the remote control handy to put it into gesture mode, and you also need to keep it within in case something goes wrong. Limited Exposure The Mavic Air has a whole suite of camera tricks it can do, but I had mixed results when trying to use them. While kayaking in the middle of a lake I was able to get it to follow me, lead me, and even keep me in profile, which made for some awesome looking video. Once, despite only being 20 yards away from me, the drone lost radio contact and attempted to land itself at the point where the flight started—which was now in the middle of the water. Luckily it reacquired the signal and I was able to abort the return-to-home function before the Mavic Air drowned itself. Some test footage shot by the author. Other smart features like the Orbit mode (which makes the drone fly in a circle around you) refused to engage at all, and I could never figure out why. I also had to recalibrate the compass almost every time I turned the drone back on, which requires you to hold the drone and move it around in a series of spirals. Not a big deal, but if you're chasing a sunset or a humpback whale and are trying to get the drone into the air now, have to pause to recalibrate it can be very frustrating. I'm hoping these bugs will be ironed out in future software updates. Perfect Landing Those caveats aside, I love this drone. I've been reviewing these things for more than five years, and of the dozens I've tested, I found myself pulling this one out far more often than any other. The portability is a win; tossing it into a small hiking bag is no big deal. You'll probably forget it's even there. Now, DJI's Phantom 4 Pro certainly shoots better images—they're incredibly cinematic and clear, thanks to its larger image sensor—but that drone was so big and cumbersome by comparison to the Mavic Air that I rarely brought the larger one on hikes. To paraphrase Chase Jarvis: The best drone is the one that's with you. And I'm more likely to have the Mavic Air with me than any other drone I've used. It already has a suite of accessories available from third-party companies, like the excellent neutral density filters made by PolarPro. Screwing one of those onto the camera lets you slow the shutter speed down and get an even more film-like look. While the Air has a slightly shorter flying time than the Pro (it maxes out at 21 minutes versus the Pro's 27 minutes), it can fly just as fast and just as far. The Air also has better slow-motion capabilities (120 frames per second instead of the Pro's 96fps). The improved obstacle avoidance makes it a lot safer for beginners to fly it too, though I'm looking forward to the next Mavic to offer obstacle avoidance in all four lateral directions. Factor in that the Air is still somehow $200 cheaper than the Pro, and the purchasing decision becomes a no-brainer. Honestly, I'd probably recommend the Air even if it were $200 more than the Pro. $800 is still a lot of money, and the price only goes up when you buy one or two spare batteries, which you definitely should. But if you're looking at getting into aerial photography, or if you're a serious backpacker and space and weight are at a premium in your pack, the Mavic Air is definitely the way to go. It's the balance point I've been looking for this whole time.<doc-sep>DJI unveiled the Mavic 2 series of drones today, expanding the Mavic line beyond the highly successful Mavic Pro and Mavic Air. The two new drones, the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom, have identical dimensions and flight specifications (here’s our rundown of all the key features) — the only difference is in the cameras, and it’s pretty significant. Take a look at the specs below, or jump to the bottom of table for a breakdown of what they mean. Read our DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom review DJI Mavic 2 Pro DJI Mavic 2 Zoom Dimensions (length×width×height) Folded: 214×91×84 mm Unfolded: 322×242×84 mm Folded: 214×91×84 mm Unfolded: 322×242×84 mm Weight 907 grams 905 grams Maximum flight time 31 minutes 31 minutes Image sensor 1-inch-type, 20MP 1/2.3-inch, 12MP Lens 28mm, f/2.8-16 24-48mm, f/2.8 (24mm) f/3.8 (48mm) Still photo resolution 5472×3648 4000×3000 Still photo filetype JPEG/DNG (RAW) JPEG/DNG (RAW) Video resolution and framerate 4K: 3840×2160 (24/25/30 fps) 2.7K: 2688×1512 (24/25/30/48/50/60 fps) FHD: 1920×1080 (24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps) 4K: 3840×2160 (24/25/30 fps) 2.7K: 2688×1512 (24/25/30/48/50/60 fps) FHD: 1920×1080 (24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps) Color mode DLog-M 10-bit D-Cinelike 8-bit Video filetype MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) Price $1,449 $1,249 A symphony of sensors This is probably the most important difference between the two models. The 1/2.3-inch sensor in the Mavic 2 Zoom is about what you’d expect to find in a smartphone or entry-level compact camera, whereas the Mavic 2 Pro features a larger 1-inch sensor — the same format popularized by Sony in the RX100 series of advanced compact cameras. Not only does it offer higher resolution (20 megapixels compared to 12), but a larger sensor can collect more light and thus produce better image quality — however, that doesn’t necessarily make the Mavic 2 Pro better, as we’ll get into below. The new lenses As a larger sensor requires larger glass, the Mavic 2 Pro doesn’t have a zoom lens, instead making due with a fixed 28mm (full-frame equivalent). It does have a mechanical aperture, however, with a range of f/2.8-f/11, which lets the camera work in a variety of light conditions without having to ramp up the shutter speed. The smaller glass requirement of the 1/2.3-inch sensor is what allowed DJI to fit a 2x zoom onto the Mavic 2 Zoom. Here, the modest 24-48mm (full-frame equivalent) zoom range isn’t just about bringing objects closer, it’s also about creative effects. Shooting at 48mm compresses distance and adds drama to the camera moves. For example, with the drone rotating around your subject, the background will appear to move at super speed (for better or worse, it’s a technique Michael Bay utilizes often). Additionally, a built-in dolly zoom mode makes it easy to capture this classic camera technique — often called the “Hitchcock zoom” for its use in the film Vertigo — where you zoom and dolly (or in this case, fly) at the same time. This causes an unsettling warping of the image and is normally quite tricky to pull off, but DJI makes it easy. What the heck is 10-bit DLog-M ? This is another feature unique to the Mavic 2 Pro. DLog-M is DJI’s name for its logarithmic tone curve, which is a way for a camera to capture more detail by preserving greater dynamic range. Essentially, it records a very, very low contrast image so that highlights don’t blow out and shadows don’t turn pure black — but the footage has to be color graded before it looks normal. Thus, DLog-M is something professional filmmakers will be very happy to have — but it’s not a feature that will necessarily make things easier for the rest of us. 10-bit refers to the color depth of the image, and is not related to the bitrate of the video file (which is 100 megabits per second on both new drones). We have a more detailed explainer of how this works, but most of the video and images you see online are shot in 8-bit color, which provides 256 levels of luminance per color channel. 10-bit increases that number to 1,024, making for richer colors and smoother transitions between colors. Like DLog-M, this is a feature that really only pros will need. Which Mavic 2 is right for you? The general consumer is likely to be happier with the Mavic 2 Zoom. It offers greater flexibility with its 2x zoom lens, opens up some fun and automated creative shots, and it costs $200 less at $1,249. The Mavic 2 Pro, as the name implies, is better suited for professional users. It has a clear edge in image quality thanks to its larger sensor, 10-bit color, and log gamma. That said, it can’t achieve the same perspectives as the Mavic 2 Zoom — so frankly, pros may want to pick up both. The Mavic 2 Pro retails for $1,449. Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>
After a postponed launch in July and a slightly unglamorous leak in the Argos catalogue, DJI has finally announced its two Mavic Pro sequels: the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. If you’re new to DJI’s range, the Mavic Pro is a bit like the drone equivalent of a premium compact camera, sitting in between the larger Phantoms and the point-and-shoot Spark. Each of the new Mavic 2 models brings a ‘first’ for a DJI drone. The Mavic 2 Pro comes with a one-inch Hasselblad camera, following DJI’s acquisition of the camera company in 2017. And as the name suggests, the Mavic 2 Zoom is the first foldable drone with optical zoom, with the flipside being that it has a slightly smaller 1/2.3in sensor than its sibling. Before the the more hobbyist-friendly Mavic Air stole their thunder earlier this year, the Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum were our favourite mini 4K travel drones. So do the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom improve on their predecessor? Here’s everything you need to know. Related: Best drones 2018 DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom – Release date and price Excitingly, both drones are available now from the DJI store. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro will set you back £1,299, with the bundle including the drone, battery, remote controller, charger and four pairs of propellers. The same bundle for the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom costs £1,099. A Fly More Kit, which includes two batteries, a multi-battery charging hub, a car charger, two pairs of propellers and a carry bag, is also available for both drones for an extra £279. As expected, this pricing the Mavic 2 duo in between the £769 DJI Mavic Air and the revamped, £1,589 Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. If you can stretch to the Fly More bundle too, it’s usually recommended due to the huge flying time gains you get from having three batteries rather than one. DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom – Design DJI hasn’t radically changed the original Mavic Pro’s design, which is fine by us. Both drones have the same folding mechanism and colour scheme as before, with the only slight change being the smoothing of some the Mavic Pro’s sharp edges. This slightly more aerodynamic form apparently reduces body drag by 19% and helps it reach slightly faster max speeds of 44mph in Sport mode. DJI has long had the best obstacle avoidance tech of any drones we’ve tested and both Mavic 2 drones should improve this further, thanks to the inclusion of ten sensors on all sides. This should come in particularly handy during automated flight modes such as ‘follow me’. The two new Mavic 2 drones are also apparently quieter than their predecessor, with noise-reducing propellers and a quieter propulsion system. That’s good news for anyone who’s found the ‘flying lawnmower’ sound of drones a bit off-putting. Related: UK drone laws DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom – Features and specs They may both be based on the same design and shoot 4K at 100Mbps , but there are big differences between the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom’s cameras and sensors. The Mavic 2 Pro’s Hasselblad camera has a 1-inch CMOS sensor with a 10-bit Dlog-M colour profile. This means it’s promising to capture four times the colour depth in each channel compared to its predecessor. It can also snap 20-megapixel stills and lets you adjust the aperture between f/2.8-f/11, giving you some of the creative control you’d normally find in the manual modes of a dedicated, land-based camera. By comparison, the Mavic 2 Zoom is more like a travel compact, with its combination of a smaller, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and 2x optical zoom. If you need to get closer, this can apparently combine with 2x digital zoom to give you a 96mm telephoto lens that can shoot lossless HD video. The Mavic 2 Zoom may shoot lower resolution 12-megapixel stills, but it can apparently use its optical zoom to stitch nine photos together into a 48-megapixel image. VI Video was already generated for this page. As you can see in this video above, both Mavic 2 drones have also gained a new Hyperlapse trick shot, while the Mavic 2 Zoom can create a ‘dolly zoom’ effect, which zooms in as the drone flies away. You can achieve similar effect on the Parrot Anafi.