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Greetings from Lower Alabama

franklin54

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Joined
Oct 28, 2020
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Age
69
Location
Spanish Fort, AL
Hello everyone. I'm a retired airline pilot and have recently become interested in drones, particularly the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom. I have a Part 107 license and would like to start a drone service business very soon. I currently do not have a drone and am undecided as to which one to buy. Both have features I like but I'm leaning toward the Zoom. My interest includes mapping as well as real estate photography and roof inspections. I've found that not all mapping software is supported on the Zoom but there are definitely some options. The camera on the Pro 2 is great but the Zoom seems more advantageous for what I want to do. Can anyone share their experience/advice on using the Zoom vs Pro 2? Thanks!
 
Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .Thumbswayup
 
Welcome to you from Hauptmann, in the sovereign state of Texas!

The M2P/Z is a fabulous machine for the beginner and the pro alike. But your needs as a pro are different from those of a hobbyist. You need to develop a high degree of piloting skill. Practice, practice, practice until your stick movements become second nature to you, just as balance adjustments are while riding a bike. You need to be able to make subtle corrections without conscious thought--you just make them. You'll be flying close to stationary objects while doing, say, infrastructure surveillance, where a wrong move could cause a crash.

Be sure to read, reread and reread the manual! Practice using “Find My Drone”. Chances are you will crash, and perhaps lose your bird . Just be sure you know how to retrieve it. Time is money. A lost drone will cost you both time and money, and also perhaps a client. Good luck with your new endeavor.

Glad to have you with us!
 
As I was going to say and Herr @ Hauptmann beat me too it, while your skill as a pilot will take you a long way, if you're never flown a drone before, piloting a drone is more like playing a video game than piloting a fixed wing aircraft from the pilot's seat in the bird itself. It takes some practice to get things to be 2nd nature, especially when you have the aircraft facing you and the stick moves seem counterintuitive at first because almost everything is backwards. And then there is getting used to the quirks of the drone itself, and how the stick controls behave. But like any other aircraft it is a matter of practice and familiarity. But you already know that.

As you seem to have some very specific ideas as to what you want to do with your drone, I don't think anyone can tell you what to buy.
I was faced with a similar situation not long ago and chose the 2 Pro. The way I saw it was that the advantage of the Zoom was that you could zoom. However the advantage of the 2 Pro is that it is better in lower light situations and the various video modes, leaning toward more of a cinema application. Also they have a few different features which I don't remember off hand. Obviously there is a cost difference of a few hundred $. The 2 Pro offers DLog-M and HDR and HLG 10 bit as well as a max ISO of 6400. As you can see below the zoom isn't featured as having some of those options. In spite of the zoom having a smaller sensor and fewer "effective" megapixels it still takes excellent images.

You know, as I see the new features rolling out on the Mavic Air 2, I think in many ways it gives the Mavic 2 Zoom a run for its money. I know the MA2 isn't yet supported by some automated flight programs like Litchi and whereas the Mavic 2 is supported by almost everything. This may not check the boxes for your application, but for $1000 with everything you need in the kit I think it's the best drone on the market for the money.

Mavic 2 Pro Camera​

Sensor1” CMOS
Effective Pixels: 20 million
LensFOV: about 77°
35 mm Format Equivalent: 28 mm
Aperture: f/2.8–f/11
Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞
ISO RangeVideo:
100-6400
Photo:
100-3200 (auto)
100-12800 (manual)
Shutter SpeedElectronic Shutter: 8–1/8000s
Still Image Size5472×3648
Still Photography ModesSingle shot
Burst shooting: 3/5 frames
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV Bias
Interval (JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s)
Video Resolution4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p
2.7K: 2688x1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p
FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
Max Video Bitrate100Mbps
Color ModeDlog-M (10bit), support HDR video (HLG 10bit)
Supported File SystemFAT32 (≤ 32 GB)
exFAT (> 32 GB)
Photo FormatJPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video FormatMP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)

Aircraft​

Takeoff WeightMavic 2 Pro: 907 g
Mavic 2 Zoom: 905g
DimensionsFolded:
214×91×84 mm (length×width×height)
Unfolded:
322×242×84 mm (length×width×height)
Diagonal Distance354 mm
Max Ascent Speed5 m/s (S-mode)
4 m/s (P-mode)
Max Descent Speed3 m/s (S-mode)
3 m/s (P-mode)
Max Speed (near sea level, no wind)72 kph (S-mode)
Maximum Takeoff Altitude6000 m
Max Flight Time (no wind)31 minutes (at a consistent 25 kph)
Max Hovering Time (no wind)29 minutes
Max Flight Distance (no wind)18 km (at a consistent 50 kph)
Max Wind Speed Resistance29–38 kph
Max Tilt Angle35° (S-mode, with remote controller) 25° (P-mode)
Max Angular Velocity200°/s
Operating Temperature Range-10°C to 40°C
Operating Frequency2.400 - 2.483 GHz
5.725 - 5.850 GHz
Transmission Power (EIRP)2.400 - 2.483 GHz
FCC:≤26 dBm
CE:≤20 dBm
SRRC:≤20 dBm
MIC:≤20 dBm
5.725-5.850 GHz
FCC:≤26 dBm
CE:≤14 dBm
SRRC:≤26 dBm
GNSSGPS+GLONASS
Hovering Accuracy RangeVertical:
± 0.1 m (when vision positioning is active)
± 0.5 m (with GPS positioning)
Horizontal:
± 0.3 m (when vision positioning is active)
± 1.5 m (with GPS positioning)
Internal Storage8 GB

Sensing System​

Sensing SystemOmnidirectional Obstacle Sensing1
ForwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 20 m
Detectable Range: 20 - 40 m
Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 14m/s
FOV: Horizontal: 40°, Vertical: 70°
BackwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 16 m
Detectable Range: 16 - 32 m
Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 12m/s
FOV: Horizontal: 60°, Vertical: 77°
UpwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.1 - 8 m
DownwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 11 m
Detectable Range: 11 - 22 m
SidesPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 10 m
Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 8m/s
FOV: Horizontal: 80°, Vertical: 65°
Operating EnvironmentForward, Backward and Sides:
Surface with clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux > 15)
Upward:
Detects diffuse reflective surfaces (>20%) (walls, trees, people, etc.)
Downward:
Surface with clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux > 15)
Detects diffuse reflective surfaces (>20%) (walls, trees, people, etc.)

Charger​

Input100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 1.8A
OutputMain: 17.6 V ⎓ 3.41 A
or 17.0 V ⎓ 3.53 A USB: 5 V⎓2 A
Voltage17.6 ± 0.1 V
Rated Power60 W

APP​

Video Transmission SystemOcuSync 2.0
NameDJI GO 4
Live View QualityRemote Controller:
720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps
DJI Goggles:
720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps DJI Goggles RE:
720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps
Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device)120 - 130 ms
Max Live View Bitrate40Mbps

Mavic 2 Zoom Camera​

Sensor1/2.3" CMOS
Effective Pixels: 12 million
LensFOV: 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 ∞
ISO RangeVideo:
100-3200
Photo:
100-1600 (auto)
100-3200 (manual)
Shutter SpeedElectronic Shutter: 8–1/8000s
Still Image Size4000×3000
Still Photography ModesSingle shot
Burst shooting: 3/5/7 frames
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV Bias
Interval (JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s)
Video Resolution4K: 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 Bitrate100Mbps
Color ModeD-Cinelike
Supported File SystemFAT32 (≤ 32 GB)
exFAT (> 32 GB)
Photo FormatJPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video FormatMP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the forum! :)
 
Welcome to Mavic Pilots!
 
Welcome to Mavic Pilots! :)Enjoy the forum!Thumbswayup
 
As I was going to say and Herr @ Hauptmann beat me too it, while your skill as a pilot will take you a long way, if you're never flown a drone before, piloting a drone is more like playing a video game than piloting a fixed wing aircraft from the pilot's seat in the bird itself. It takes some practice to get things to be 2nd nature, especially when you have the aircraft facing you and the stick moves seem counterintuitive at first because almost everything is backwards. And then there is getting used to the quirks of the drone itself, now the stick controls behave. But like any other aircraft it is a matter of practice and familiarity. But you already know that.

As you seem to have some very specific ideas as to what you want to do with your drone, I don't think anyone can tell you what to buy.
I was faced with a similar situation not long ago and chose the 2 Pro. The way I saw it was that the advantage of the Zoom was that you could zoom. However the advantage of the 2 Pro is that it is better in lower light situations and the various video modes, leaning toward more of a cinema application. Also they have a few different features which I don't remember off hand. Obviously there is a cost difference of a few hundred $. The 2 Pro offers DLog-M and HDR and HLG 10 bit as well as a max ISO of 6400. As you can see below the zoom isn't featured as having some of those options. In spite of the zoom having a smaller sensor and fewer "effective" megapixels it still takes excellent images.

You know, as I see the new features rolling out on the Mavic Air 2, I think in many ways it gives the Mavic 2 Zoom a run for its money. I know the MA2 isn't yet supported by some automated flight programs like Litchi and whereas the Mavic 2 is supported by almost everything. This may not check the boxes for your application, but for $1000 with everything you need in the kit I think it's the best drone on the market for the money.

Mavic 2 Pro Camera​

Sensor1” CMOS
Effective Pixels: 20 million
LensFOV: about 77°
35 mm Format Equivalent: 28 mm
Aperture: f/2.8–f/11
Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞
ISO RangeVideo:
100-6400
Photo:
100-3200 (auto)
100-12800 (manual)
Shutter SpeedElectronic Shutter: 8–1/8000s
Still Image Size5472×3648
Still Photography ModesSingle shot
Burst shooting: 3/5 frames
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV Bias
Interval (JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s)
Video Resolution4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p
2.7K: 2688x1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p
FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
Max Video Bitrate100Mbps
Color ModeDlog-M (10bit), support HDR video (HLG 10bit)
Supported File SystemFAT32 (≤ 32 GB)
exFAT (> 32 GB)
Photo FormatJPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video FormatMP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)

Aircraft​

Takeoff WeightMavic 2 Pro: 907 g
Mavic 2 Zoom: 905g
DimensionsFolded:
214×91×84 mm (length×width×height)
Unfolded:
322×242×84 mm (length×width×height)
Diagonal Distance354 mm
Max Ascent Speed5 m/s (S-mode)
4 m/s (P-mode)
Max Descent Speed3 m/s (S-mode)
3 m/s (P-mode)
Max Speed (near sea level, no wind)72 kph (S-mode)
Maximum Takeoff Altitude6000 m
Max Flight Time (no wind)31 minutes (at a consistent 25 kph)
Max Hovering Time (no wind)29 minutes
Max Flight Distance (no wind)18 km (at a consistent 50 kph)
Max Wind Speed Resistance29–38 kph
Max Tilt Angle35° (S-mode, with remote controller) 25° (P-mode)
Max Angular Velocity200°/s
Operating Temperature Range-10°C to 40°C
Operating Frequency2.400 - 2.483 GHz
5.725 - 5.850 GHz
Transmission Power (EIRP)2.400 - 2.483 GHz
FCC:≤26 dBm
CE:≤20 dBm
SRRC:≤20 dBm
MIC:≤20 dBm
5.725-5.850 GHz
FCC:≤26 dBm
CE:≤14 dBm
SRRC:≤26 dBm
GNSSGPS+GLONASS
Hovering Accuracy RangeVertical:
± 0.1 m (when vision positioning is active)
± 0.5 m (with GPS positioning)
Horizontal:
± 0.3 m (when vision positioning is active)
± 1.5 m (with GPS positioning)
Internal Storage8 GB

Sensing System​

Sensing SystemOmnidirectional Obstacle Sensing1
ForwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 20 m
Detectable Range: 20 - 40 m
Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 14m/s
FOV: Horizontal: 40°, Vertical: 70°
BackwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 16 m
Detectable Range: 16 - 32 m
Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 12m/s
FOV: Horizontal: 60°, Vertical: 77°
UpwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.1 - 8 m
DownwardPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 11 m
Detectable Range: 11 - 22 m
SidesPrecision Measurement Range: 0.5 - 10 m
Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 8m/s
FOV: Horizontal: 80°, Vertical: 65°
Operating EnvironmentForward, Backward and Sides:
Surface with clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux > 15)
Upward:
Detects diffuse reflective surfaces (>20%) (walls, trees, people, etc.)
Downward:
Surface with clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux > 15)
Detects diffuse reflective surfaces (>20%) (walls, trees, people, etc.)

Charger​

Input100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 1.8A
OutputMain: 17.6 V ⎓ 3.41 A
or 17.0 V ⎓ 3.53 A USB: 5 V⎓2 A
Voltage17.6 ± 0.1 V
Rated Power60 W

APP​

Video Transmission SystemOcuSync 2.0
NameDJI GO 4
Live View QualityRemote Controller:
720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps
DJI Goggles:
720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps DJI Goggles RE:
720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps
Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device)120 - 130 ms
Max Live View Bitrate40Mbps

Mavic 2 Zoom Camera​

Sensor1/2.3" CMOS
Effective Pixels: 12 million
LensFOV: 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 ∞
ISO RangeVideo:
100-3200
Photo:
100-1600 (auto)
100-3200 (manual)
Shutter SpeedElectronic Shutter: 8–1/8000s
Still Image Size4000×3000
Still Photography ModesSingle shot
Burst shooting: 3/5/7 frames
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV Bias
Interval (JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s)
Video Resolution4K: 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 Bitrate100Mbps
Color ModeD-Cinelike
Supported File SystemFAT32 (≤ 32 GB)
exFAT (> 32 GB)
Photo FormatJPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video FormatMP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)
Thanks for the good info. I haven’t looked too closely at the “Air” but will certainly give it some thought.
 
Thanks for the good info. I haven’t looked too closely at the “Air” but will certainly give it some thought.
It's the Mavic Air 2. The Mavic AIR is an earlier model and nothing even close to the Mavic Air 2. Go to the section on the forum specifically discussing it.
 
Hello everyone. I'm a retired airline pilot and have recently become interested in drones, particularly the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom. I have a Part 107 license and would like to start a drone service business very soon. I currently do not have a drone and am undecided as to which one to buy. Both have features I like but I'm leaning toward the Zoom. My interest includes mapping as well as real estate photography and roof inspections. I've found that not all mapping software is supported on the Zoom but there are definitely some options. The camera on the Pro 2 is great but the Zoom seems more advantageous for what I want to do. Can anyone share their experience/advice on using the Zoom vs Pro 2? Thanks!
Welcome to Mavic Pilots from Dayton Ohio USA! I absolutely love the Mavic 2 Pro, it is a really good machine, that and the Mavic Air 2 are my go-to for quick real estate jobs. Fly safe and have fun!
 
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