DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best drone for most creators - a review

DJI Mavic Air 2 is the latest, small drone that looks great on paper and is sold at a reasonable price. What quality are photos with a resolution of 48 Mpix and movies in Full HD 240 fps in 8 times slow motion? I checked if in practice this drone is as good as the manufacturer says.

I got the latest DJI Mavic Air 2 drone for testing before the premiere, and you can read my first hot impressions in a separate text . I am looking for a new drone myself, so for the past several days I have been flying it almost every day in my area and not only. In the material you can see a lot of processed photos, which I have already uploaded to your Instagram profile , but at the very end of the test you can download the originals of all the photos. Is it worth spending 4000 PLN for a new DJI Mavic Air 2 drone or even 5000 PLN for a combo set?

DJI Mavic Air 2 is a completely different design than DJI Mavic Air

The only thing that really connects both drones is the name of the series.

The composite DJI Mavic Air 2 is 180 × 97 × 84 mm, while its predecessor is 168 × 83 × 49 mm. The designers managed to reduce the weight of the device to just 570 g, i.e. 140 g more than its predecessor, but by 337 g less than Mavic 2 Pro.

When unfolded, the new Air 2 has much longer arms with new engines and propellers. It resembles the more advanced model Mavic 2 Pro or DJI Mavic Mini on powerful steroids. It also accurately reflects its nature: it is a drone located on the product axis exactly between these two devices.

The drone's quality is of a high standard. The whole structure is compact, solid, nothing creaks here. The predecessor was largely covered in shiny, nice plastic. DJI Mavic Air 2 is made entirely of gray, rough and matt plastic.

The drone is equipped with sensors on the front, back and bottom. Unfortunately, the sensors on the sides are missing. On the bottom there is also a LED diode that turns on automatically when landing, when it is darker.

An important novelty is the PB2 battery with a capacity of 3500 mAh, thanks to which the drone will fly up to 34 minutes. This is more than just the Mavic Air (21 minutes), but even than the Mavic 2 Pro (30 min).

Flying this drone is a pleasure. Instead of stressing, you can create.

The tests of the older DJI Mavic Air were not peaceful. It's no secret that this drone is quickly losing coverage, especially in the city. It happened to me many times that I saw a black screen already 60 m high. The controller of this drone connects to the smartphone via a cable, but already with the drone itself via Wi-Fi, which is unreliable and unstable.

Flying DJI Mavic Air 2 is a completely different story. The new drone uses the radio communication system in the latest version of OcuSync 2.0. Its official range is 10 km, but only in the version meeting the American standards (FCC). The device sold in Europe, in accordance with CE standards, has a range of up to 6 km. This is still a lot and much more than Mavic Air (4 km / FCC, 2 km CE) offers, but even DJI Mavic Pro 2 (8 km FCC / 5 km CE).

During testing, I never tried to "reach" the end of the drone's reach. Flying within a safe range of a maximum of several hundred meters, I encountered virtually no problems. I spent almost 20 hours in the air. Once I lost my connection to the drone, but I regained it after a few seconds. Occasionally, the range fell below the maximum, and the application warned about the weakening range. The difference compared to the predecessor is huge. What's more, the OcuSync 2.0 system provides Full HD resolution, so the image from the smartphone screen is very close to what we are recording. On one battery charge, you can easily fly out about 30 minutes, which is a great result.

All this makes flying this drone a pure pleasure. Feel that this equipment will not suddenly fail in the air. And instead of stressing, you can create. Mavic Air 2 has high responsiveness and responds well to any stick movement. It is piloted smoothly, calmly but precisely. Mavic Air had considerable delays, which hindered slightly more complicated recordings. On the other hand, Mavic Pro 2 is more sensitive - in my opinion even too sensitive. The Mavic Air 2 is somewhere in the middle, it has been perfectly balanced, so even a novice operator will quickly master it and will be able to record impressive film transitions.

If you try a new controller once, you won't go back to the old ones.

The controller in Mavica Air 2 is a new design that is nothing like any other controller from this company. Who once uses it, will not want to go back to small, almost toy controllers from Mavica Air or Spark.

The controller is much larger, but in return it also offers much more. First of all, the ergonomics of the device and the handle have been improved. On the back there are two profiled grips lined with matte plastic, thanks to which the apparatus fits perfectly in the hands. The smartphone mount extends from above, and the antennas are located in the smartphone clamp. The eternal questions about the direction of the antennas in the remote control are therefore not valid here. The extendable arm can accommodate even the largest smartphone without removing the case.

There is also a large speaker at the back, which will ultimately warn against an incoming aircraft. The apparatus impresses with a capacious battery, which according to official data allows up to 240 minutes of work without charging. In practice, this suffices for the flying of at least 9-11 drone batteries. In the application settings you can also enable the charging function of the connected smartphone.

There were all the necessary buttons, knobs and levers. In addition to the mandatory two bars, we also have a flying mode switch (sport, normal, tripod), on / off switch, drone start button and two smaller buttons in the corners. Under the fingers we find the camera tilt control dial and the shutter button. What more do you need? Comfort I fly with the new controller is much better than with the old apparatus.

DJI Mavic Air 2 works with the DJI Fly app, which premiered with the DJI Mavic Mini drone . The program is transparent, easy to use and never let me down during testing. Some say that the older DJI Go 4 app was more advanced, but I didn't feel it.

48 megapixels are impressive, but in practice it is not so useful

DJI Mavic Air 2 has a camera module with a 1/2 inch matrix. It's slightly larger than its predecessor, but still smaller than the Mavic Pro 2 model, which has a 1-inch sensor. The matrix works with a lens offering the equivalent of 24 mm focal length at f / 2.8 brightness. The camera offers ISO 100-6400 sensitivity and saves both JPEG and raw RAW (DNG) files. The camera module has a 3-stage stabilization system.

DJI designers have used the well-known and popular in many smartphones Sony IMX586 sensor, which was made in Quad Bayer technology. We can receive photos with a resolution of 48 Mpix or 12 Mpix. However, there is a catch here.

Theoretically, the more pixels there are on the matrix, the smaller the pixel. And the smaller the pixel, the less light it can capture. On the aforementioned matrix, the size of one pixel is only 0.8 microns. In the Quad Bayer system, the 2 by 2 pixel field is covered with a filter of the same color and then we get pictures with a resolution of 48 Mpix. When choosing 12 Mpix mode, the matrix sums data from 4 adjacent pixels. Put simply, 4 pixels do for one larger, which inevitably collects more light. It works better in situations where the lighting conditions are worse.

The exposure difference is approx. 0.7 EV. Pictures taken in the 48 Mpix mode are therefore much higher resolution and realistically render the details better, but with identical parameters, they are much darker. It is worth being aware of this, because it is not an important matter.

Image quality: it's good but not great

The image quality is generally good and clearly better than its predecessor. However, this is not the same high level as in the Mavic Pro 2. The picture is still a bit plastic, typical for small sensors.

I do not see a special difference in terms of rendering details between photographs taken in 12 and 48 megapixels. Especially if we reduce them for publication on Instagram. Thus, the only advantage of the 48 Mpix mode is resolution. However, if you do not need as much as 8000 px on the long side, it is better to choose the 12 Mpix mode. Not only will we gain from the exposure, but also the file size.

Noise occurs at ISO 800, and at ISO 1600, is already very noticeable. ISO 3200 and 6400 are unlikely to be used.

With stability it is usually good, although at times above 2-3 seconds, it happens that the photos come out blurred. Much, of course, depends on the wind.

The strong point is HDR mode, which can help in better exposure of photos, if we want to quickly upload results on the Web. HDR images are natural, not exaggerated, just good.

DJI Mavic Air 2 is very good at automatically taking panoramic photos. After enabling this function, the drone takes several photos by itself and then combines them. The effect can be seen below. These are photos straight from the camera, only reduced (originals are available at the end of the test).

4K 60fps movies are something that makes it stand out

The new matrix also means new movie possibilities. In this respect, DJI Mavic Air 2 has better options, not only than its predecessor, but even Mavic Pro 2. We have a choice:

• 4K Ultra HD: 3840 × 2160 24/25/30/50/60 fps
• 2.7K: 2688 × 1512 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps
• FHD: 1920 × 1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120/240 fps

It is worth noting that the maximum bitrate is 120 Mbps, and we can also choose from the H264 and H265 codecs. Movies can be recorded in standard or flat profile. 4K 60fps movies are slowly becoming the standard among slightly more advanced filming tools. One can say that 4K is 4K, what a difference, how many frames per second. The difference is huge. The image recorded in 60 fps gives, among other things, greater possibilities in post-production. It can be freely released by changing the frame from 60 fps to 30 or 25 fps or better stabilized.

The image quality is at a high level. Much better than in Mavik Air, but also not as vivid and detailed as in Mavicko Pro. The new drone is doing well during the day, but in the evening, after sunset, problems begin. At night, the images recorded with this device are practically useless: full of noise, dark, blurry.

So if you care about the highest image quality in this class of drones, and at the same time you should rather reach for the Mavic Pro 2 model with a larger matrix. However, if you just need a solid, good image quality and do not need to record at night, the Mavic Air 2 will hit the spot. Or you just love slow-motion movies.

Slow-motion movies are the most interesting novelty in this drone

Slow motion movies are a new quality in this drone class. Already from 60 fps you can get a nice slowdown. However, DJI Mavic Air 2 offers something more: Full HD movies at 120 and 240 fps.

The image quality is of course much worse than in 4K, but good enough, especially if we publish mainly on social media. Remember that even at 240 fps we have 120 mbps here, and the videos are saved in the H265 codec. In slow motion, DJI Mavic Air 2 captures images at 120 or 240 fps, but we finally get images at a slow speed of 30 fps. Recordings in slow motion are ready for publication, they do not need to be released at the post-production stage. However, you can accelerate to get the effect of freezing the action. The ability to record in slow motion is in my opinion the most interesting novelty in this drone. It gives great possibilities to diversify our recordings and stand out. At least in the beginning, until in a year or two, most drones will not offer it.

This is the most intelligent DJI drone, but it has something to learn

DJI claims that the Mavic Air 2 is the smartest DJI drone to date. This is quite right, mainly thanks to two new functions: APAS 3.0 and Air Sense.

The first of these, APAS 3.0 (Advanced Pilot Assistance System), is a new version of the obstacle avoidance system while tracking a moving object. After turning it on, when obstacles appear in the way of the drone tracking the object, Mavic Air 2 will create a new path around, below or above the object. Using 3D mapping, the updated version helps with gentle transitions and smoother movements around objects.

In practice, it works well, although not perfectly. Let's start with the fact that APAS 3.0 and FocusTrack are not available when recording in 4K resolution at 60, 50 and 48 fps and 1080p at 120 and 240 fps, i.e. with all the coolest settings. During my tests I didn't have any major problems with this system, but I didn't try to break it by force. The recording shows that the drone has problems with smooth tracking of the object, i.e. the author of this text going ahead. The point is that the drone should calmly follow me, meanwhile it accelerates quickly and then stops. He had no problems in avoiding obstacles.

In addition, DJI Mavic Air 2 is "blind" to obstacles on the sides, so if it tracks us flying at an angle or sideways, it can easily fly into a tree or lantern. On the Internet you can also find recordings showing that tracking the lens flying backwards does not work well when there are obstacles around. Therefore, I would treat the tracking system with caution, especially in demanding conditions when the subject is moving quickly.

In turn, the Air Sense system uses aviation technology known as ADS-B to receive signals from nearby planes and helicopters and to display their position on the drone pilot's control screen. As airplanes approach the drone, AirSense will alert the drone pilot with messages, sounds and vibrations to safely land. This is a great and useful feature that I could not test. For unknown reasons, the Chinese company offers it only in the USA. At least in theory, because after the recent loss of court battles, DJI may stop selling its drones there.

You also can't forget about the great FocusTrack system, which DJI drones have been known for a long time. Now their operation is even more improved.

In "ActiveTrack 3.0", simply select the object and the drone will track it automatically. In the DJI Fly app, this function is basically ready to use all the time. You do not need to activate anything: just select with your finger the track to track, as long as you are in filming mode. This is a great convenience that speeds up the whole process and encourages you to use it. The "Spotlight 2.0" function blocks the object in the frame, while the user can move the drone freely. In "Point of Interest 3.0" you can set an automatic flight path around a specific object. There was also the QuickShot function, in which we have 6 different automatic drone movements to use during video recordings.

Disadvantages? Size, no sensors on the sides and not much more ...

After 3 weeks of testing DJI Mavic Air 2 I am not able to indicate too many weaknesses of this drone. The largest is probably the dimensions of the whole set. Don't get me wrong, 2 years ago probably everyone would love how small he is. However, times have changed, and DJI itself spoiled us ... with its predecessor. DJI Mavic Air in a set with the controller and charger housed in a tiny bag. The same set, but the second generation, takes up much more space and is not so mobile.

There is definitely a lack of sensors on the sides. The drone, flying sideways, is blind, which puts it in danger. Especially when we turn on tracking mode. It's nice to have a resolution of 48 Mpix, but in practice it will be useful only in certain lighting conditions and probably only when we really need a large print. In all other mishaps 12 Mpix is ​​a better choice.

An almost perfect compromise

DJI Mavic Air 2 is a drone that in my opinion will meet the expectations of the vast majority of creators. This is a classic golden mean, or "sweet spot". People who want to have a miniature and fly without any formalities reach for the flying smartphone, i.e.Mavica Mini. Creators who value the highest image quality will probably choose the Mavic Pro 2 after all, all the rest in this class of devices should be satisfied with the new Mavic Air 2.

DJI has managed to do something that is not a common case. At the price of the predecessor, i.e. for around PLN 4,000, we get a completely new device that is much, much better in virtually every respect. This was at the expense of size and weight, but in my opinion the costs are disproportionately smaller to the list of benefits.

DJI Mavic Air 2 is a universal drone, but also offering unique capabilities in this class of equipment, such as 4K 60 fps or Full HD 240 fps movies. It offers approx. 30 minutes of flight on one battery, very good and stable range, a new controller enabling pleasant and comfortable drone control and quite good quality of photos. It's all at a really reasonable price. This is a recipe for market success.

Is there anything that can stop you from buying the DJI Mavic Air 2 drone? If DJI retains the publishing cycle, the Mavic 3 Pro should premiere in the second half of 2020. The successor to the Mavic 2 Pro 2 will probably get similar functions, but with better image quality, because of a larger matrix. So if you really care about the highest quality image, then you better wait a moment. Otherwise you will be satisfied with the Mavica Air 2.

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Test photos without processing can be downloaded HERE .

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DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best drone for most creators - a review