having a really hard time deciding between Zoom or Pro 2

[DadRandom]

Great choice, I suggest the smart controller as well??? making this decision harder

 

[ShadowCat]

You can’t go wrong with either one

Which one? The wife or the Done? ?

 

[OldGuy]

Hi all,

Recently got permission from the wife to proceed with purchasing a mavic as we do a lot of travel and really would like to put it to use for such.

I've been a button-press away from buying the Zoom or the Pro 2 over the past few days after watching numerous videos and reading all sorts of reviews and details about each. Just as I'm about to buy the Zoom, i say "well... maybe i want the pro 2 instead" and vice versa where I say "well, maybe the zoom instead"

Thing is, I'm not a professional photographer and I really don't know/care to do a lot of pro-editing with adobe suites or messing with all the enhanced cam features and stuff on the Pro 2. But i wonder if I'll ever take interest to the point where I will regret not having those Pro 2 camera features
Every video or image comparison i saw... the Pro 2 shots seemed too warm and noticeably less sharp than the Zoom. It wasn't just me... even the reviewers seemed to say the same. The Pro 2 did seem a bit better in low light areas, and had a more 'cinematic' feel, though not sure how i feel about that compared to the more crisp "realworld" looking shots from the Zoom. In the side-by-sides, I like the cleaner, sharper, cooler images and video of the Zoom (i know the camera is apparently a lesser compared to the Pro 2 with the exception it has zoom lens vs. digital zoom only).

I'm 55% for the Zoom and 45% for the Pro 2.... but i feel if i go with the Zoom, for whatever reason, I may be missing out on something down the road (or maybe not at all)


Any suggestion or advice would certainly be appreciated!

If you are not a professional photographer then go for the Zoom. The ability to stand off and take photos/video should not be underestimated. A lot of people will tell you just to fly closer but that’s a no brainer. The general public doesn't like drones. They don’t like to see them and they don’t like to hear them. The further you are away from your subject the better. The quality of the photos and video from the Zoom are more than adequate for most photographers.
Recently I got yelled at while flying my Mavic Mini. If I had been using the M2Z this wouldn’t have happened as I would have been higher and further away.

 

[Peterson]

Tomateo/Tomato. I have the PRO. Love everything about it. Can actually express it in one word "Hassleblad". In my unprofessional opinion even I can tell the difference. But actually sometimes I think the ZOOM would have been better for the, well, zoom factor and not being as obtrusive. Just saying.

 

[Vapor069]

Hi all,

Recently got permission from the wife to proceed with purchasing a mavic as we do a lot of travel and really would like to put it to use for such.

I've been a button-press away from buying the Zoom or the Pro 2 over the past few days after watching numerous videos and reading all sorts of reviews and details about each. Just as I'm about to buy the Zoom, i say "well... maybe i want the pro 2 instead" and vice versa where I say "well, maybe the zoom instead"

Thing is, I'm not a professional photographer and I really don't know/care to do a lot of pro-editing with adobe suites or messing with all the enhanced cam features and stuff on the Pro 2. But i wonder if I'll ever take interest to the point where I will regret not having those Pro 2 camera features
Every video or image comparison i saw... the Pro 2 shots seemed too warm and noticeably less sharp than the Zoom. It wasn't just me... even the reviewers seemed to say the same. The Pro 2 did seem a bit better in low light areas, and had a more 'cinematic' feel, though not sure how i feel about that compared to the more crisp "realworld" looking shots from the Zoom. In the side-by-sides, I like the cleaner, sharper, cooler images and video of the Zoom (i know the camera is apparently a lesser compared to the Pro 2 with the exception it has zoom lens vs. digital zoom only).

I'm 55% for the Zoom and 45% for the Pro 2.... but i feel if i go with the Zoom, for whatever reason, I may be missing out on something down the road (or maybe not at all)


Any suggestion or advice would certainly be appreciated!

Not a drone that I can afford at the moment, but the Pro would easily be my choice simply because of the 1” sensor.

 

[ToddCarey]

I started out with a M2P and it is a remarkable camera. The best part of the Pro is the adjustable aperture which give you some low light use. That said, in the course of my work, which is most of the drone's use, I need to get up close and personal with my pictures. I purchased a zoom camera for a very reasonable price and did the swap out. It is NOT recommended that you consider doing that swap out very often. The camera cable has a connector to the board that by visual inspection is NOT designed for a lot of swaps. I have kept the pro camera just for the possibility it might be needed in the future.

 

[mintakax]

The answer is quite easy if photography is a hobby of yours. The Mavic 2 Pro has a much more versatile camera and is capable of producing better images. If parameters are properly adjusted the straight out of camera images can be spectacular. Ask yourself how often will I really need a zoom feature and am I willing to compromise image quality to use it. The answer to your quandary will then be readily apparent. Good luck.

One of the aspects of this hobby that I enjoy is learning and playing around with the various flight modes. Recently I've discovered that hyperlapse is fun and produces some unique videos, but these videos are made using still frames. To get the most out of these you would want to shoot RAW and using the best possible still images (which come from the Pro). I debated between the zoom and the Pro myself, but am glad that I chose the Pro.

 

[blueumbra]

I had the same problem when I was about to purchase my first DJI drone. It took a lot of research, comparing the pros and cons, and looking at lots and lots of video footage and pictures online from the mavic 2 pro and zoom and compare the quality. Anyway, I ended up buying the mavic 2 pro because of the better camera and bigger sensor. So far I am very happy of the picture and video quality from my mavic 2 pro. That said, I am not a professional, and like you, I like taking pictures and video from vacations/travels with my family. I use auto for my pics and set manual settings on videos to my liking based on tips and help from other mavic 2 users on the web. I am very satisfied with the sharp pics and videos I’ve shot with my drone without using enhanced dlog or editing. I think it all comes to how much you’ll be using or need the zoom feature. I think both drones will produce good quality pictures and videos.

 

[RoosArt]

I think the zoom would be more for the videographer and the Pro for the photographer. You can do great dolly shots with the zoom. So it depends where the interest lies.

 

[Volatus Drones]

I was lucky to test both before purchasing. I ended up getting the Pro for my personal drone because of the 1" sensor and I saw no need for zoom. My skill-set and flying style is so used to a none-zooming camera from years of flying a phantom. But again personal preference! Either way the M2P is one heck of a nice drone.

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[Aaron24]

I bought the Zoom because I liked the ability to be able to zoom in. Secondly I am not very proficient with video editing and therefore for me the cons of buying the Pro and then maybe having to spend time and resources achieving zoom results in my footage tilted me towards the Zoom. Had it a couple of years now and no regrets at all.

 

[Gindra]

I was pretty much in the same category as you @captaintrips. Not a pro photographer (nor even an amature for that matter!) and wasn't interested in delving into post production work. Just wanted to get those unique shots only available with a drone and have acceptable photos and videos without a lot of fuss. And I knew that I'd be photographing wildlife and such and did not want to disturb animals or people. The Zoom seemed like the way to go.

So, after a full year of flying and shooting photos and videos, and having now learned to work with editing programs (somewhat) I am still happy with my decision. I haven't been unhappy with the resolution or image quality. It will be years before I fully mine the potential of the aircraft or its camera!

And finally, I agree with @bumper that getting the Smart Controller was a great decision for me too.

Best of luck with whatever way you choose to go. You certainly won't regret having the excellence of DJI and the Mavic 2 series bird.

 

[mfc]

I have a Mavic Pro and cannot really justify getting an Mavic 2. I currently take (well, when the lockdown is over will resume taking) 360° spherical panoramas then zoom in from those to compose the 'flat' images I want when I get home. This means you're not trying to compose a photo and fly the drone at the same time.

I wasn't very happy with software available for extracting images from spherical panoramas, so wrote my own (PanGazer). It's free and ad-free .

 

[Camino Ken]

I have a Mavic Pro and cannot really justify getting an Mavic 2. I currently take (well, when the lockdown is over will resume taking) 360° spherical panoramas then zoom in from those to compose the 'flat' images I want when I get home. This means you're not trying to compose a photo and fly the drone at the same time.

I wasn't very happy with software available for extracting images from spherical panoramas, so wrote my own (PanGazer). It's free and ad-free .

You do have the option to save the individual images of the pano with the M2.

 

[ChipDjipro]

Purchasing the zoom over the pro was a no brainer. Too many times you need a zoom lens to get in on a subject without flying closer and taking the risk of damaging the drone. Personally the pro camera really is not any better than the zoom.

 

[mfc]

You do have the option to save the individual images of the pano with the M2.

And with the Mavic Pro -- in fact I always use/save just those and stitch when back at home on PC. One can save the RAW images, too, although currently I have not found that useful.

 

[Bob001]

I purchased the Pro specifically because I was interested in photo quality and it does produce outstanding photos assuming one knows basic camera techniques. The Zoom doesn't have aperture control (fixed) so that was one feature (or lack thereof) that was a deal breaker for me. The resolution of the Pro sensor is somewhat higher than the zoom and allows electronic zooming to a degree through cropping the image, which is practical because of the higher resolution of the Pro. For video that doesn't apply, and zooming while shooting a video is impossible with the Pro, a significant drawback if you are into video. That said, the Zoom has a fairly small zoom ratio (longest focal length to shortest) so the zoom range is somewhat limited.

 

[Jeff A]

I purchased the Pro specifically because I was interested in photo quality and it does produce outstanding photos assuming one knows basic camera techniques. The Zoom doesn't have aperture control (fixed) so that was one feature (or lack thereof) that was a deal breaker for me. The resolution of the Pro sensor is somewhat higher than the zoom and allows electronic zooming to a degree through cropping the image, which is practical because of the higher resolution of the Pro. For video that doesn't apply, and zooming while shooting a video is impossible with the Pro, a significant drawback if you are into video. That said, the Zoom has a fairly small zoom ratio (longest focal length to shortest) so the zoom range is somewhat limited.

As a Zoom owner, I agree with all that you have said. I wanted the Pro but went to the Zoom because I didn't really have the extra $300 at the time and with limited (That's being generous) photography skills, nobody was going to tell the difference with me at the sticks. Now I have the perfect excuse to have both and that might happen some day. I think the Mavic 2 platform is a great machine. No regrets!

 

[Johnmcl7]

And with the Mavic Pro -- in fact I always use/save just those and stitch when back at home on PC. One can save the RAW images, too, although currently I have not found that useful.

For spherical panoramas I don't find the raws useful because my raw editor doesn't support them but very handy on the M2P for the other panorama modes the raw editor does support because it allows you to treat the whole stitched image as a single raw which makes it easy to apply your usual adjustments especially with exposure.

 

[Air Squatch]

I started with the Spark 2 years ago, then in July of last year I bought the Zoom with the Smart Controller and love it but when the Pro went on sale...well I pulled the trigger on that and love them both and with the Smart Controller it's a breeze to switch between the 2 drones to fly.