Zoom or air 2

michael1968 · Oct 3, 2020

I’m thinking of new drone I have mavic air what would be good upgrade zoom or air 2. What is zoom like quite like to zoom in on a few thing I’m filming. Suggestions please

Starz · Oct 3, 2020

This question comes up quite often. I don’t have(and never will) the air2.
Zoom, yes. Great flying piece of hardware and one that I will not give up.
My problem is that I’m very accustomed to the Go4 app. World of difference to the fly app. Research will be best.

Hummingbird.UAV · Oct 3, 2020

michael1968 said:
I’m thinking of new drone I have mavic air what would be good upgrade zoom or air 2. What is zoom like quite like to zoom in on a few thing I’m filming. Suggestions please

Well the biggest difference is the Mavic Zoom has optical zoom where as the Air 2 uses digital zoom and it only works in lower resolutions. I typically shoot in 1080P so on my Air 2 the digital zoom works for me. Below is a video that shows what it looks like.
Mavic Air 2 four times digital zoom test

GrimtheViking · Oct 3, 2020

I have both, and "my go to drone" is the Zoom.

Thomas B · Oct 3, 2020

Get the Zoom.

Otisangb · Oct 3, 2020

michael1968 said:
I’m thinking of new drone I have mavic air what would be good upgrade zoom or air 2. What is zoom like quite like to zoom in on a few thing I’m filming. Suggestions please

I have the zoom, use it for wildlife viewing. I have absolutely no regrets. Unfortunately I don't have have the air 2 so can't give you a comparrison.

DanMan32 · Oct 4, 2020

Note that the optical zoom on the zoom is 2x. The additional 2x is digital and only works in 1080p@30fps.

There are lots of benefits to the M2Z over the MA2, but the MA2 has some features not available on the M2, such as 4K@60fps, ADS-B receive, etc.

Scottalmas · Oct 4, 2020

I have both. I tend to fly the Air 2 more often mostly because of it's size. It is a formidable drone. The Zoom is no doubt superior in terms of specs but your intended use will determine whether doubling the price tag is worth it for you.

hiflyer201 · Oct 4, 2020

Starz said:
My problem is that I’m very accustomed to the Go4 app. World of difference to the fly app.

I only have the Air 2 and really no need for the Zoom, but I have to say the 2x zoom is great in both 4K and 1080 and I could become accustomed it using it.
I like the Fly app and I think it will evolve even more. One very handy feature is if you're online looking for an authorization. With the GO4 app the drone has to be fired up to access the controller serial number. That's not so with the fly app and in fact it even lists the serial # of my other drones that I have had authorization for. I like the intuitive menu system over the Go4 app as well.. and even though there are more settings on the GO4 app, I could tweak the Air 1 until the cows come home and it wouldn't fly as well as the Air2 and that includes the Gimbal settings ..
The guys who have the Zoom are endorsing it.. so..that's probably your answer but I'd I love to see a poll that asked if anyone ever regretted buying the Air 2. I'm thinking the yes's would be a very short list.

socaldronezone · Dec 18, 2020

I have both the Air 2 & Zoom. The Air 2 HDR Photo and Video quality - without any post processing is amazing - way better than the Zoom. The Air 2 also has about 5-7 min more real world flight time, is much more portable, and has slightly better low light performance.

HOWEVER, The Zoom has a couple of HUGE differentiators that keeps me using it more.

1. Dolly Zoom: Exclusive to M2Z - no other DJI drone has this feature - and it is flat out amazing.
2. Optical Zoom: Yes, Air 2 has digital, but once you see optical and digital side by side, the difference is drastic.
3. Creativity: Because of the Optical zoom and no loss of quality - you can take some very creative video and stills.
4. Get up front and close to areas your drone can't go - i.e. Land marks, buildings - get footage from far away w/ optical zoom that no other drone can provide at this quality.

I have both - whenever I'm traveling - the Air 2 is my go to drone. For everything else, it's the Zoom.

If I had to sell one - I'd get rid of the Air 2 & keep the Zoom.

socaldronezone · Dec 18, 2020

Checkout this comparison video:

DanMan32 · Dec 18, 2020

hiflyer201 said:
I only have the Air 2 and really no need for the Zoom, but I have to say the 2x zoom is great in both 4K and 1080 and I could become accustomed it using it.
I like the Fly app and I think it will evolve even more. One very handy feature is if you're online looking for an authorization. With the GO4 app the drone has to be fired up to access the controller serial number. That's not so with the fly app and in fact it even lists the serial # of my other drones that I have had authorization for. I like the intuitive menu system over the Go4 app as well.. and even though there are more settings on the GO4 app, I could tweak the Air 1 until the cows come home and it wouldn't fly as well as the Air2 and that includes the Gimbal settings ..
The guys who have the Zoom are endorsing it.. so..that's probably your answer but I'd I love to see a poll that asked if anyone ever regretted buying the Air 2. I'm thinking the yes's would be a very short list.

It's actually the AC/FC SN you need, not the controller (RC) to unlock via web.

Zoom has 2x optical zoom which makes it available in all modes, but also has an additional 2x digital zoom for a total of 4x when in 1080p@30fps video.