Over the past few years, drones have really come a long way. In 2020, DJI launched what is perhaps the biggest step up in terms of features to cost with the $799 Mavic Air 2.
In this long-term review from Billy Kyle, he shares his experiences flying the DJI Mavic Air 2 and offers some comparisons to other drones in his arsenal like the less expensive DJI Mavic Mini and doubly expensive DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Double the money doesn’t always mean double the return and Kyle places the Mavic Air 2 at the top of his favorites list.
At $799 for the Mavic Air 2, this intermediate pricing appears to be well worth the feature set. There’s 4K 60p video recording (240p in Full HD), a 48-megapixel 1/2-inch CMOS sensor capable of 8K hyper-lapses, obstacle avoidance, smart tracking modes, and plenty more goodness. In the end, the biggest drawback isn’t on the specs sheet according to Kyle. Check out the video above for all his thoughts, good and bad, on this new drone.
Have you used the DJI Mavic Air 2? Has your experience been on par with his? Let us know in the comments below.
Absolutely love this drone. Currently cannot beat cost vs features, especially after they added the zoom and other features in the firmware update.
I agree it is a great drone but to have the ability to fly it more than 30 minutes you need to spend $1060 rather than the $799. Getting the extra batteries is the main thing.
However, in this time with the pandemic, weak economy, and unsure futures of a lot of employers big and small, that's a rather large price for most of us.
This is the same for all drones since their inception. What you're complaining about is marketing.
There is no such thing as "4K 60p" or "240p in Full HD".
Please explain?
Let me first say I am a commercial drone operator and an accomplished aviation photographer. The 1/2 inch sensor has some pretty big shortcomings when it compares to the others with the 1 inch. IE Phantom 4 Pro, Mavic Pro, Autel Evo 2 Pro. Its sub par photos with the hyped "48 meg" photos are a load of ka ka. Read the fine print folks look at actual photos you will see you are getting a 12 meg sensor that's it. Depth of field sucks. The video it takes is just okay for the you tuber. If you want to get to the next level which only costs you 400 - 500 more its a big jump in quality as far as photo and video. Rumor mill has it the Mavic 3 will hit the market soon so hold your reins back and wait to spend the money on the latest of the DJI data stealing mill has to offer. Yes I fly the DJI stuff but nothing has come forth that beats them even the Autel Evo 2 Pro which is owned by the Chinese, flies like its still in the testing phase.
I've been saying it for years... SOFTWARE, so many manufacturers don't seem to realise that software is the key. You can add all the collision sensors, 4K cameras and battery capacities you like, but if the software isnt rock solid (like DJI's) then you're really just selling parts.
For typical Real Estate photos and video, the MA2 is a great value. However, once you start shooting in low light and need better quality for more demanding work (survey, commercial photo-film use), a much better camera system is needed.