Judgment
The Air 2S’s user-friendliness, compact size and image quality make it one of the most attractive drones around, especially for those who need a camera that can perform in low light. With good battery life, solid build quality, a comfortable controller and a range of clever tracking and auto-shot modes, it’s a great package for the price.
Professional
- Excellent image quality
- Portable and lightweight
- Easy and safe to fly
- Good battery life
Cons
- Uncontrolled aperture
- Rotors sometimes in shots
Presence
- United KingdomRRP: £ 899
- AmericaRRP: $ 999
- EuropeRRP: € 999
- CanadaRRP: CA $ 1299
- AustraliaRRP: AU $ 1699
The main advantage
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Standard folding drone designDimensions 180 x 97 x 80 mm (folding) and travel friendly 595 g weight (with battery)
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5.4k resolution maximum video captureBut only at 30fps -
Long fly bar for its sizeMaximum flight time 31 minutes and maximum range 12 km
Introduction
DJI has firmly established itself as the first name in the flying camera, so the arrival of the Air 2S may not seem like particularly electrifying news.
However, in many ways the Air 2S is a very exciting product – especially for those who initially appreciate performance.
The DJI Air 2S is the smallest drone that offers a camera with a 1-inch sensor, which promises excellent all-round image quality and the ability to record gimbal-stable 4K footage at a smooth 60fps.
To get that level of performance from a device weighing less than 600g, folding in the shape of a beer can is an exciting prospect for creative demand.
Add DJI’s unparalleled VV for security features and decent battery life and you may have the next required consumer camera drone.
Design
- Hard and small
- Very light and portable
- Carrying case included
Reliable, solid build quality has always been a feature of DJI drones and the Air 2S maintains that reputation. Made of strong plastic, the Air 2S feels sturdy and steady for a folding drone. The gimbal-mounted camera is quite fine, but will protect it well when not using the provided clip-on cover.
The drone is also very light. Not so light that you don’t have to register it with the authorities (for this it has to be less than 250g, like DJI Mavic Mini), but light enough and compact that you can fold it and stick it in a bag, and you can whip it out and Some filmmakers may want to carry it off all day.
At 595g with battery, it is surprisingly portable due to its flight and camera specifications, and it takes up very little space when folded.
Of course, you also need to bring a controller with you. DJI has used the same design previously used with the Mavic Mini and Mavic Air 2 and it is a clever one. Twist off the thumb sticks (there’s space in the controller to store them) and it’s flat enough to easily store, while its pop-up phone holder can accommodate 180 x 86 x 10mm mobile devices. Cable adapters are provided for Lightning, USB-C and Micro-USB.
Sample of the given review was the Fly More combo, which includes a drone, controller, three batteries, three full set propellers, four ND filters, a three-way charger capable of accommodating all batteries at once, and a small pad. Carry case in which most of the above can be fitted snugly.
That’s a pretty good deal: the carry case has a nice touch, like two extra batteries – and if you ever clip a branch or other obstacle while flying, you might need that extra props too.
Features
- Safety is the first method
- 12 km range
- GPS and sensor stability
The Air 2S is one of the easiest and safest drones I’ve ever used.
Although it doesn’t come with all-around object sensors to avoid obstruction, it does “see” the front, back, top and bottom – which means it will only collide if you leave it on the side.
With four antennas on board, DJI prides itself on extending the controller-to-drone range up to 12km with 1080p live video feeds. This is the best case scenario, naturally, but in any case you will break the law to fly it out of sight.
During the test, I only lost the video feed and the control signal once (at the time it was only a few hundred meters away from the officer), and the drone’s return home safety feature was automatically kicked to bring it back to the range quickly. .
Despite the lightweight, compact build of the Air 2S, it is able to hold its own in an air. Its GPS and sensor-based stability make it move like a robotic harrier. It zips around with amazing speed and dexterity, lands and takes off quickly; But a switch on the controller lets you toggle between normal, movie (slow) and sport (fastest, without security sensors) flight modes, if you want to change how it moves in the air.
It should be noted that there is no support for DJI Motion Controller or DJI FPV Goggles – yet. From the sound of DJI’s site, it looks like it is coming through future firmware updates.
Each battery can give you up to 31 minutes of flight time, which is excellent. They take some time to recharge (about 80 minutes from empty to full), so if you are planning a long day aerial shooting, you should stock up on extra batteries.
Finally, a word about the DJI Fly Companion app. DJI’s apps aren’t always the most accessible or user-friendly, but they’re in a good place in terms of UI. Between the controller’s physical buttons for the camera and the app’s clear touchscreen controls, it’s easy to quickly change camera settings, such as video resolution or white balance.
The app also offers a range of generally impressive tracking modes through its focusstrack feature, which frames your subject, and a new mastershot feature that automatically performs a sequence of dramatic video shots with a tap around a tracking point or object.
The camera
- 20-megapixel photo
- 4K video at 60fps
- Heavy 1-inch sensor
The Mavic Air 2 can take 48-megapixel photos and 4K video at 60fps – as seen on paper, the Air 2S’s 20-megapixel photo and 5.4K video are very similar or slightly better at 30fps / 4K video 60fps. . But those glasses don’t tell the story of the Air 2S’s 1-inch sensor, which is four times the size of the Air 2’s 0.5-inch sensor.
This increased size means larger, more sensitive pixels, which means better dynamic range, color reproduction and low-light performance. This is understandable when watching videos and stills of the Air 2S – they are impressive outside the gate, and can be done even more if you want to tinker with the post-production programs on your computer. See below for a few photo samples from the Air 2S.
Capture photos in DNG RAW and video in one of two 10-bit profiles (hybrid log gamma and de-log) and you can draw more detail and depth between those images.
The camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal that keeps it still and flat, with the option to tilt it 90 degrees downwards and up to 24 degrees upwards – although the latter part of the drone is unable to avoid shots by default. On that note, I’ve managed to get the propellers framed on a few occasions, so be aware of that when filming.
Some video modes apply a noticeable crop to the image, which will probably eliminate the presence of incorrect rotor blades and a digital zoom is available.
The zoom you can use depends on the video resolution and quality, so while you can use an 8x zoom for 1080 / 30p, recording at 4K / 30p will reduce the available range by 4x. For 120fps or 10-bit recordings, no zoom is available.
Best offer
Will you buy it?
You care about the quality of the camera: While the DJI Mini 2 may be more portable, and the Mavic 2 Pro may offer a bit more on the front of the picture, we think the Air 2S is DJI’s best camera drone pound-for-pound.
You are a casual drone user: If you can’t justify spending, cheap Mini or Mini 2 makes for cheap and decent options.
Judgment
The Air 2S’s user-friendliness, compact size and image quality make it one of the most attractive drones around, especially for those who need a camera that can perform in low light. With good battery life, solid build quality, a comfortable controller and a range of clever tracking and auto-shot modes, it’s a great package for the price.
Specification
Sensors: | 1in 20MP CMOS with 2.4µm pixel size |
Perforation: | f / 2.8 |
ISO range: | 100-12800 |
Video Resolution: | 5.4K up to 30fps; 4K / 2.7K up to 60fps; 1080p up to 120fps |
Video profile: |
Standard, Dolg, HLG |
Storage: | 8GB internal; MicroSD slot (up to 256GB) |
Battery: | Maximum flight time 31 minutes The maximum range is 12 km |
Drone weight: | 595g (with battery) |
Folding dimensions: | 180 x 97 x 80 mm |
Application support: | DJI Fly App |
FAQs
DJI Air 2s has no official water resistance rating and no depth sinking survival is guaranteed.
The DJI Air 2S can be run using the DJI Fly app, which is available on multiple operating systems, including Android and iOS.
DJI Air 2S Mavic Air 2 works with remote controller and DJI smart controller.