
DJI claims a ‘new era’ for camera drones
Designed for professionals, aerial photographers, and content creators, the Mavic 2, says the company, is the most advanced DJI camera drone ever built. It incorporates the folding design of the popular Mavic Pro and features new gimbal-stabilized cameras and advanced intelligent features, as well as a flight time of up to 31 minutes and a more stable video transmission system.
“When the Mavic Pro was launched two years ago, it redefined the way people looked at a drone and expanded possibilities for creators around the world,” says Roger Luo, President at DJI. “Today, we enter a new era of aerial photography with the introduction of DJI’s new flagship product, the Mavic 2 series. The Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom will enable photographers and videographers to take their inspirations to the air quickly and elevate their creative ideas to new heights.”
The Mavic 2 Pro features an integrated Hasselblad camera for outstanding image quality with superior light and color performance. Housing a one-inch CMOS sensor with a 10-bit Dlog-M color profile, the camera captures four times as many levels of color per channel compared to Mavic Pro, the company says.
The Mavic 2 Pro can capture 20-megapixel aerial shots with excellent color accuracy using Hasselblad’s Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS) technology, while an adjustable aperture from f/2.8-f/11 provides control across a wide variety of lighting conditions. With 4K 10-bit HDR support, the Mavic 2 Pro can be plugged into a 4K TV with HLG and will play back footage with the right color tones.
The Mavic 2 Zoom is the company’s first foldable consumer drone with zoom. Powered by a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, it lets users get closer to their subject at a moment’s notice by combining two-times optical zoom (24-48mm) with two-times digital zoom to simulate a 96-mm telephoto lens that captures lossless video in full HD resolution.
Hybrid auto-focus on the Mavic 2 Zoom combines phase and contrast detection for higher focus accuracy with an increased focus speed of up to 40% faster than before. Users can shoot 12-megapixel photos or take advantage of a new Super Resolution feature that uses optical zoom to automatically capture and stitch nine photos together for a highly detailed 48-megapixel image, making it an ideal option for landscape photography.
The Mavic 2 Zoom also features a new Dolly Zoom QuickShot mode – a feature previously reserved for professional cinematographers. It creates an otherworldly warped perspective by automatically zooming in as it flies away from its subject, keeping the subject the same size while the full background of the scene is revealed.
Both drone cameras capture 4K ultra-high definition video, recording at a maximum bitrate of 100 megabits per second using the H.265 compression codec. For photographers, new Enhanced High Dynamic Range capabilities blend a sequence of photos for ghost-free high dynamic range, giving the Mavic 2 Pro 14 stops of dynamic range and the Mavic 2 Zoom up to 13 stops.
New intelligent flight modes include a Hyperlapse feature that produces establishing shots that show the passing of time, which users can share to social media immediately. JPEG and RAW photos can be simultaneously saved on a Micro SD card or the internal storage, and users can choose between Circle, Course Lock, Waypoint, or Free mode to create time lapses via a button in the DJI GO 4 Mobile App.
An enhanced auto-track feature offers a combination of autonomous tracking and obstacle sensing capabilities never before seen in a DJI drone, says the company. Using the main camera and the front dual vision cameras, the Mavic 2 creates a three-dimensional map of the area in front of it, and uses new trajectory algorithms to analyze motion and predict the subject’s path up to three seconds in the future.
When tracking a target, the Mavic 2 can recognize and avoid obstacles while shooting its target without interruption. It can stay on target, even if the subject momentarily goes behind an obstacle, and can track the subject at higher speeds of up to 44 mph (72 km/h).
The Mavic 2 series also features a redesigned, more aerodynamic airframe that reduces body drag by up to 19% compared to the Mavic Pro, allowing the Mavic 2 to fly at speeds of up to 44 mph (72 km/h) in Sport mode. Other features include a more efficient, quieter propulsion system, noise reducing propellers, and a redesigned remote controller that features detachable control sticks.
The Mavic 2 Pro, including the drone, battery, remote controller, charger, and four pairs of propellers, has a retail price of $1,449, while the Mavic 2 Zoom, including the drone, battery, charger, remote controller and four pairs of propellers, is $1,249. A Fly More Kit, including two additional batteries, a multi-battery charging hub, a car charger, a battery to power bank adapter, two pairs of propellers and a carrying bag, retails at $319. A gimbal replacement service exclusively for Mavic 2, will be available soon.
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