Buyers Guide – DJI Mavic 2 Pro In-depth Review

The best of both worlds is finally here!!! The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is a combination between the Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro, which is something everyone’s been waiting for. Why is this a big deal? First of all, the compact size, image quality, flight time and sleek design of the Mavic Pro set the bar extremely high in the drone industry. Then the Phantom 4 Pro came along, sporting a larger 1” sensor, geared towards more professional photographers and videographers. The Phantom would be considered more of a professional use drone because of the camera, but the size would always come into play when it came to traveling with the P4Pro. The one wish everyone, including myself had was “Man wouldn’t be amazing if we could have a 1” sensor on the Mavic Pro size body”? Fast forward a couple years, and we are finally here with the Mavic 2 Pro. BUY NOW

The Mavic 2 Pro comes with all the standard equipment to get you up and flying. To take full advantage of the First Person View, you will need to provide your own mobile device or tablet.

So what’s in the box:

When it comes to image quality, low light performance and adjustable aperture, the larger 1” sensor goes a long way as a photographer and videographer. You have the ability to capture more light, increase your dynamic range and of course, produce higher quality and larger image sized photos. Not to mention, DJI partnered up with the well-known Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad, and this camera is the first of it’s kind to come out since this merger occurred over two years ago. After shooting images side by side with the Mavic Pro and Mavic Air, the camera quality difference is very clear. Also, the 28mm lens give a really nice perspective compared to the wider 26mm on the Mavic Pro.

With all that new technology and camera upgrade, it’s hard to believe that DJI was able to maintain the same form factor and size as the Mavic Pro. As you can see in my side-by-side comparison video, the size of the Mavic 2 is just about the same as the Mavic Pro. I can’t even imagine the trial and errors the engineering team at DJI had to go through to pull this off. The footprint of the Mavic 2 is only about a half-inch difference in the front of the drone. While there is a significant weight difference between the two (Mavic Pro 734g / Mavic 2 Pro 907g), it’s good to know that DJI also increased battery life to 31 minutes.

The Mavic 2 Pro has an all new Omnidirectional obstacle sensing systems. The sensors on the left and right of the Mavic only work when using Tripod and ActiveTrack mode As if the camera upgrade wasn’t enough, I almost feel like that Omindirectional Sensing is a huge bonus for this drone. Even though side sensors were present on the Phantom 4 Pro, I didn’t expect to see them on the Mavic 2. Not only did they add side sensors, but also they added top and bottom infrared sensors to assist in tight spaces and upward movement.

The Mavic 2 now uses the latest OcuSync 2.0, giving the pilot 8km Full-HD Video transmission. Although I never plan on flying that far out, it’s good to know that DJI has tested it at those ranges. I’m extremely excited about the new T/P/S mode switch on the side. This allows the pilot to go from flying fast (S – Sport Mode) with extreme slow motion (T – Tripod) in a matter of seconds.

ActiveTrack 2.0 is now enhance with trajectory prediction, which means it’s updated 3D mapping system helps reduce the loses of a target during ActiveTrack.

Two new Smart capture modes that DJI introduced with the Mavic 2 is Hyperlapse and Point of Interest Vision. The two unique ways of capturing footage can really add value to your story. Hyperlapse is the next level of timelapse photography. With one click, you can now do an aerial timelapses with custom flight patterns, all programmed from the DJI 4 Go App.

I’m really excited about the new Vision Point of Interest mode for a couple reasons. The updated user interface is very intuitive and allows you to make radius, height, speed and directions changes quick in easy in the app. Vision POI is perfect for landmarks, events or other situations where flying directly over a person or subject is not safe or allowed. Being able to fly up and select what point you want to fly around makes setup and fly super fast and reliable.

If you are a serious hobbyist, photographer, videographer or traveler looking for the most portable, highest quality drone and camera then look no further.  The compact size makes for easy packing in any backpack or camera bag and the ease of setup makes getting up in the air quicker and safer. As a photographer first flyer, the Hasselblad camera and 1” sensor is something I’ve been waiting for a very long time. It still seems unreal how far the drone industry has come in the past few years, and once again DJI continues innovate an already industry standard drone with the Mavic line-up.