DJI Mavic 2 Pro & Mavic 2 Zoom Announced – Plenty of Improvements

Drone News

by Jakub HanAugust 23^rd, 2018

Finally – today is the release day for the new DJI Mavic 2 drones. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro with integrated 1″ sensor Hasselblad camera and Mavic 2 Zoom, the world’s first foldable consumer drone with optical zoom capability. Both drones offer lots of smart features, flight time of up to 31 minutes and a more stable video transmission system.

Every drone enthusiast was waiting for this. The day when DJI releases their new Mavic 2 drone. That day is today! As we already know since a month ago – DJI is not revealing one new drone, but two new drones. Number one: Mavic 2 Pro, the world’s first drone with an integrated Hasselblad camera. Number two: Mavic 2 Zoom, the world’s first foldable consumer drone with optical zoom capability. Both drones share the same foldable body design and offer a flight time of up to 31 minutes as well as a more stable video transmission system. DJI did a very good job in putting the promotional video for the new Mavics together. Take a look for yourself:

Brief History of the Mavic

When the original DJI Mavic Pro (our review here) came out in 2016, it caused a small revolution in the drone world – it featured an unprecedented combination of portability and image quality. With its foldable design it fitted in every bag and made drone shooting accessible to masses. Even despite its low bitrate of 60Mbps, and therefore not so great dynamic range, it carried much more strengths and is still a very popular product, to this day.

In january 2018 DJI presented Mavic Pro’s smaller brother – the DJI Mavic Air (hands-on video here, Mavic Pro comparison here). It featured a higher bitrate of 100Mbps in a smaller, lighter and more affordable body. There were, however, some trade-offs when compared to the older Mavic Pro. For instance, the lower range due to different wireless technology used (OcuSync in Pro vs Extended Wifi in Air).

Both the Mavic Pro and the Mavic Air shared the same 1/2.3″ sensor. The field-of-view of the lens was 26mm (full frame equivalent) with the Pro and 24mm (full frame equivalent) with the Air.

DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Image Quality is Everything

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro features the brand-new camera module which DJI co-engineered with Hasselblad. The partnership with the medium format photography pioneer is very clear, as the Mavic 2 Pro proudly carries the Hasselblad logo right above the lens.

Now it gets very interesting – the camera module houses a 1″ CMOS sensor with a 10-bit Dlog-M colour profile. This means the camera captures four times as many levels of colour per channel compared to the Mavic Pro, to provide much higher flexibility for photo and video editing.

It can capture 4K UHD video in H.265 codec with 100Mbps bitrate. The built-in lens is 28mm (full frame equivalent) focal length with an adjustable aperture of f/2.8-f/11.

The Mavic 2 Pro supports 4K 10-bit HDR and can therefore be plugged into a 4K TV with HLG and will play back footage with the right colour tones. On the photo side – the Mavic 2 Pro can capture 20-megapixel aerial shots with the Hasselblad Natural Colour Solution (HNCS) technology.

DJI Mavic 2 Zoom – Flexibility is Everything

The second new release is the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. It features a 1/2.3″ sized CMOS sensor and it is DJI’s first foldable consumer drone with zoom feature. The camera module combines 2x optical zoom of 24-48mm (full frame equivalent) with 2x digital zoom. It can therefore simulate a 96mm telephoto lens with lossless video in full HD resolution. In 4K only until 48mm – logically without the digital zoom. It also captures 4K UHD video with the H.265 codec with 100Mbps bitrate, but only in 8-bit depth with the D-cinelike color profile.

Hybrid auto-focus combines phase and contrast detection for higher focus accuracy with an increased focus speed. The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom can shoot 12-megapixel photos or take advantage of the new Super Resolution feature that uses optical zoom to automatically capture and stitch nine photos together for a highly detailed 48-megapixel image.

What sounds very interesting to me is the Dolly Zoom QuickShot mode. It can automatically zoom in as it flies away from the subject. Dolly zooms have never been easier.

DJI Mavic 2 Key Specs

• Sensor (Pro) – 1” CMOS, Effective Pixels: 20 million
• Sensor (Zoom) – 1/2.3″ CMOS, Effective Pixels: 12 million
• Lens (Pro) – FOV: about 77°, 35 mm Format Equivalent: 28 mm, Aperture: f/2.8–f/11, Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞
• Lens (Zoom) – FOV: about 83° (24 mm); about 48° (48 mm), 35 mm Format Equivalent: 24-48 mm, Aperture: f/2.8 (24 mm)–f/3.8 (48 mm), Shooting Range: 0.5 m to ∞
• Video Resolution – 4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p, 2.7K: 2688×1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p, FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
• Max Video Bitrate – 100Mbps
• Video Format – MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)
• Color Mode (Pro) – Dlog-M (10bit), support HDR video (HLG 10bit)
• Color Mode (Zoom) – D-Cinelike
• ISO Range (Pro) – Video: 100-6400, Photo: 100-3200 (auto) and 100-12800 (manual)
• ISO Range (Zoom) – Video: 100-3200, Photo: 100-1600 (auto) and 100-3200 (manual)
• Supported SD Cards – Micro SD with capacity up to 128 GB and R/W speed up to UHS-I Speed Grade 3
• Takeoff Weight – Mavic 2 Pro: 907 g, Mavic 2 Zoom: 905g
• Dimensions – Folded: 214×91×84 mm (length×width×height), Unfolded: 322×242×84 mm (length×width×height)

Hyperlapse Feature

The new DJI Mavic 2 drones can automatically capture movement timelapses and hyperlapses (given the maximum flight time). The so called “Task Library” feature will be available soon and sounds very cool. It can save the flight path for repeated shots that can capture the same image at different times of the day (of the year?). Both JPEG and RAW photos can be simultaneously saved on a Micro SD card or the internal storage. The drones offer 4 modes to create hyperlapses with a simple tap of a button in the DJI GO 4 Mobile App:

• Free – pilots the drone manually while shooting a Hyperlapse video.
• Circle – automatically flies the drone in a circular pattern around a selected subject.
• Course Lock – keeps the camera fixed on selected subject while the drone flies in a straight direction.
• Waypoint – plans a complex flight path based on both altitude and GPS coordinates to capture complex shots.

Autonomous Features

ActiveTrack 2.0 is all about keeping a moving subject in the frame. It combines autonomous tracking and obstacle sensing capabilities by using the main camera and the front dual vision cameras. The Mavic 2 creates a 3D 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. It can stay on target even if the subject momentarily moves behind an obstacle. This works at higher speeds of up to 44 mph (72 km/h), but the Mavic 2 cannot sense obstacles during high speed flight (high speed tracking and Sport mode).

The DJI Mavic 2 delivers autonomous flight capabilities with an upgraded FlightAutonomy system for more accurate obstacle sensing and safer flight. There are 10 sensors on all sides of the aircraft to automatically detect obstacles in its path and help prevent collisions. The new Mavic 2 does not offer fully autonomous flying though. An improved Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) allows the aircraft to analyze its surrounding environment and automatically fly around obstacles without stopping. The Mavic 2 also has a bottom auxiliary light that turns on automatically to ensure safe and precise landings in low-light situations.

Better Video Transmission

A newly designed OcuSync 2.0 video transmission system enables a more stable connection between the drone and its remote controller. The system features stronger interference resistance and auto-switching capabilities that supports both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands with the capability to use different frequencies for uplink and downlink data streams.

It delivers 1080p video transmission feeds at a distance of up to 8km (when unobstructed and free of interference). Users can now instantly edit and upload Full HD footage directly from the video cache in the DJI app. Original resolution photos in JPEG can be saved directly to the mobile device, so users can immediately share what they create without the need to transfer files from the drone.

Aerodynamic Design and Flight Time

The body of the DJI Mavic 2 looks very similar to the original Mavic Pro as there is no need to drastically redesign something what is very functional. Yet DJI claims the new modified aerodynamic airframe 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. More efficient and quieter propulsion system and noise reducing propellers result in the maximum flight time of up to 31 minutes.

Other Features, Price and Availability

The DJI Mavic Pro 2 Offers 8 GB onboard storage in addition to the Micro SD card slot. The redesigned remote controller features detachable control sticks for increased portability. The drone is compatible with DJI Goggles with the gimbal (yaw) control range up from -75° to +75° in Head Tracking mode for a more immersive FPV flight experience.

The retail price of a DJI Mavic 2 Pro (including the drone, battery, remote controller, charger, and four pairs of propellers) is €1,449 (£1,299). The retail price of a Mavic 2 Zoom (including the drone, battery, charger, remote controller and four pairs of propellers) is €1,249 (£1,099).

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 (£279).

DJI Care Refresh (available in selected countries) covers accidental damage to the aircraft, gimbal or camera during normal use for up to 12 months. The plan will offer up to two full replacements that are new or equivalent in condition. It is available for €129 (£109) before the new Mavic 2 is activated, or within the first 48 hours after activation. For more info visit the DJI Care Refresh website.

Starting today, the Mavic 2 is available for purchase at DJI’s online shop and flagship stores. For more information on all the new features and capabilities of the DJI Mavic 2, please visit the product page on DJI’s website.

DJI informed us, that “gimbal replacement service exclusively for Mavic 2, will be available soon”. This sounds quite interesting to me. Does that mean it will be possible to buy one Mavic 2 body and both gimbals to have the option to change it whenever needed? I am not sure, but I think it would be quite an interesting feature for many drone enthusiasts out there.

What do you think of the new DJI Mavic 2 drones? Which one is more appealing to you? Let us know in the comments below.