The Mavic 2 Pro stays airborne longer and flies faster than its predecessors.There are also significant improvements to the Mavic 2’s software, sensing abilities, and cameras.
One particularly stressful part of using the pre-planned flight modes is that the craft might hit a tree branch of some other overhanging obstacle. In order to combat that, DJI added an infrared sensor to the top of the craft with a range of roughly 25 feet. This is a nice addition because, as many aspiring drone pilots will tell you, the ascent is often more stressful than the descent.
The two “eyes” on the front of the craft provide most of the guidance in concert with information from the main imaging camera you’ll use to shoot pictures and videos. The optical sensors are similar, but DJI says it has refined the system that interprets the data they capture. The front-end collision detection can now precisely pinpoint the location of an obstacle up to 66 feet away. It can also pick up on objects while traveling up to 31 miles per hour, up from roughly 20 mph in the previous version.
Together, the cameras create a three-dimensional model of the terrain ahead, similar to the system found in the cheaper DJI Mavic Air drone. Improved AI in the Mavic 2, however, allows for things like more precise object tracking via trajectory projection in which an algorithm makes its best guess about where a subject will go next. So, if it’s tailing a runner down a tricky trail, it will try to guess their next move and find a safe flight path that still keeps the subject in-frame.
DJI partnered with high-end camera-maker Hasselblad to build a camera with a one-inch sensor for the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. That’s four times larger than the image sensor on the Zoom, and the difference is striking. It’s much better in low-light, and its max ISO (that’s the sensor’s sensitivity) jumps from 3200 to 12,800.
The sensors on the Mavic 2 Pro are excellent for easy and safe landings, but you should be careful when trying to grab the drone in mid-air as there is little room to grab the drone and you certainly do not want to put your fingers between its rotors.
What you do get is 4K UHD footage at 100Mbps, with your choice of H.264 or H.265 compression. You can shoot ready-to-edit footage with a standard color profile.
The Mavic 2 Zoom also has a Super Resolution feature which is an asset when capturing the vivid details your landscape photography deserves. When taking a picture with a 24 mm equivalent field-of-view, the camera will capture and patch nine photos with its telephoto lens, resulting in a 48-megapixel super resolution photo.
The Mavic 2 Pro is bigger, more expensive, and far less portable than the Mavic Air, but can carry a much more powerful camera.
The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is more expensive than the Mavic 2 Zoom, but we think the step up in image and video quality is a really good reason for the price difference.
The Mavic 2 Pro shoots 4K footage at 100Mbps, meaning you'll be limited to around 15 minutes of footage in internal memory. But, memory cards aren't expensive, and having some internal storage means if you ever forget to bring a memory card, you’ll still be able to shoot.
A little lower in price and just as high definition, the Mavic 2 Zoom is an interesting alternative, especially when you consider that its zoom feature allows you to film at a much safer distance than the Pro.
Looking for something to give you that professional edge? Simply click the links to the right to find out where to buy, and if you find it cheaper elsewhere let us know! Your fellow drone enthusiasts will thank you.
Is there a more capable folding drone than the DJI Mavic 2 Pro? I don’t think so. It’s small enough to find space along your terrestrial imaging and video equipment in a backpack, but it doesn’t make a lot of sacrifices when compared with larger drones. Assuming you don’t absolutely need to shoot footage destined for projection in a cinema, the 4K UHD format (the one used by your TV) is more than enough for any project destined to be viewed in a living room.
Couple the video quality with the ability to record footage at dual angles of view, excellent still imaging, and the incredible stabilization delivered by the Mavic 2’s gimbal stabilization, and you’ve got a drone that’s easy to love.
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