If you have a Mavic Pro 2, is it worth getting a Mavic Air 2?

Hiflyer808 · Apr 28, 2020

Regarding dynamic range, yes that's an important plus of the 1 inch sensor FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, which as a photographer I do appreciate. If your main use of the drone is for photography, or low light, MP2 is best. But again, for video, which most people do much more than photography, the Air 2 camera is in some ways better (better quality sensor, 4k60, higher bitrate), and the drone overall seems to be as good or better in most ways. Will be watching for the more critical reviews to come out..

sar104 · Apr 28, 2020

Hiflyer808 said:
Regarding dynamic range, yes that's an important plus of the 1 inch sensor FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, which as a photographer I do appreciate. If your main use of the drone is for photography, or low light, MP2 is best. But again, for video, which most people do much more than photography, the Air 2 camera is in some ways better (better quality sensor, 4k60, higher bitrate), and the drone overall seems to be as good or better in most ways. Will be watching for the more critical reviews to come out..

What makes you think that most people do more video than photography? Are there data to support that?

yankfanp · Apr 28, 2020

ihavequestions said:
Just wondering your thoughts and WHY?

I own the Mavic 2 Pro but so want the Mavic Air2, 4K @60FPS, and 48 megapixels, in addition, it may have more range and I like the improvements with point of interest and Active track 3.0. I have never been able to use active track very well. I also understand that the range may be better and more transmission. One more thing it will be compatible with the SC soon.

Hiflyer808 · Apr 28, 2020

sar104 said:
What makes you think that most people do more video than photography? Are there data to support that?

Just anecdotal evidence, but think about it. A drone is a flying camera, and the motion is the biggest thing that distinguishes it from a hand held camera. Yes you can get different angles for still photos, and I especially like drone photos looking straight down, but in general, it's those swooping reveal shots, the tracking, the circling around objects, etc., that are unique to drones. Secondly, even a one inch sensor is small if you are a photographer and want maximum light sensitivity and dr. As a professional photographer that's one reason I don't do much drone photography; even the best drone pics are no match for my dslr's quality wise. For the same reason I almost never use my gopro for stills. However, maybe there are surveys out there showing a large percentage of drone users do more photography than video, and yes, for photography the m2 pro is much better than the Air 2.

ryaninrichland · Apr 28, 2020

I have a spark, and a mini, and an M2P. I’ve had phantoms and other mavics and I’m just hooked. That’s why I ordered this in the fly more. I don’t get to fly very much. I don’t know much about photography. I just really enjoy the tech and I’m learning about photography and mapping but I really just knock around.

sar104 · Apr 28, 2020

Hiflyer808 said:
Just anecdotal evidence, but think about it. A drone is a flying camera, and the motion is the biggest thing that distinguishes it from a hand held camera. Yes you can get different angles for still photos, and I especially like drone photos looking straight down, but in general, it's those swooping reveal shots, the tracking, the circling around objects, etc., that are unique to drones. Secondly, even a one inch sensor is small if you are a photographer and want maximum light sensitivity and dr. As a professional photographer that's one reason I don't do much drone photography; even the best drone pics are no match for my dslr's quality wise. For the same reason I almost never use my gopro for stills. However, maybe there are surveys out there showing a large percentage of drone users do more photography than video, and yes, for photography the m2 pro is much better than the Air 2.

I wasn't arguing it either way - just wondering whether video is more common that photography. Personally I think that the camera on the M2P is more than good enough for real photography, especially in good light. Shooting in raw and using good post-processing produces spectacular results from the M2P camera.

captaintrips · Apr 28, 2020

GoGo22 said:
Im guessing it isnt possible, but just curious and thats why i want to ask. The ActiveTrack 3.0 that the MA2 has, is it hardware which makes this happen or can a MP2 or MZ2 get an firmware update and get the same ActiveTrack 3.0 possibilities also maybe ??

If its a stupid question sorry for asking then ?

Not a stupid question.

Activetrack is certainly a combination of hardware & software... but more relies on software algorithms/learning.
However, for a system that has already running 2.0 then it's more than likely just a software update to get 3.0.

(EDIT: Actually, the M2P and the Zoom would be more capable with ActiveTrack 3.0 as they have full directional sensors, while the Air 2 only has partial like it's predecessor)

That's likely going to happen as I can't see them having their flagship zoom/ 2 pro coming short against the lesser Air 2. They just used the Air 2 reveal to showcase the updates to push a bit more launch sales before it's quietly released in what will likely be a random firmware update for the M2P/zoom in the not too distant future.

When it comes to something like 4k/60fps, however, that may be a hardware limitation on the M2P/Zoom... the sensor tech may not allow it. However the more likely explanation is that it actually does allow it (and not disclosed), and was locked out for any number of reasons: heating issues, battery life, stability, etc.

It could have also been locked out as a later "surprise feature" to combat anything a competitor may have had planned. Of course, we don't know what we don't know, and unlocking features not thought capable can have backlash... "Why didn't they enable this before?". It could cause more controversy about what's being locked out on what your paying for. Additionally, even if capable, unlocking such a feature would undermine a new product launch (such as a mavic 3 lineup... If you knew your M2P could suddenly do 4k/60fps it may make you less likely to drop coin on the latest and greatest drone and hurt sales)

Of course that's all *if* the M2P/zoom were capable of 4k/60fps by unlocking some hardware restrictions. Many think yes, many think it just can't period. The truth? If we look at the Sony sensor on the Mavic Air 2, it's technically capable of 4k/90fps on the hardware spec.sheet... but has been locked by DJI to only allow upto 4k/60fps. No reason to think they didn't do this on the M2P/zoom sensor as well.

So the likely outcome is we will see ActiveTrack 3.0 on M2P/Zoom in some random update, but something like 4k/60fps is anyone's guess at least until Mavic 3.

Regardless, selling off a M2P or Zoom would be a downgrade if going to Air 2, unless you really had your heart set on 4k/60fps... Which in itself isn't worth the trade off of a better 1inch hassleblad cam on pro, or the physical zoom lens on the Zoom. That would just be silly to give up those things for 4k/60fps.

Johnmcl7 · Apr 28, 2020

Hiflyer808 said:
Just anecdotal evidence, but think about it. A drone is a flying camera, and the motion is the biggest thing that distinguishes it from a hand held camera. Yes you can get different angles for still photos, and I especially like drone photos looking straight down, but in general, it's those swooping reveal shots, the tracking, the circling around objects, etc., that are unique to drones. Secondly, even a one inch sensor is small if you are a photographer and want maximum light sensitivity and dr. As a professional photographer that's one reason I don't do much drone photography; even the best drone pics are no match for my dslr's quality wise. For the same reason I almost never use my gopro for stills. However, maybe there are surveys out there showing a large percentage of drone users do more photography than video, and yes, for photography the m2 pro is much better than the Air 2.

I primarily use my Mavic 2 Pro for photography and while I agree the 1in sensor is small and limited compared to the FF cameras I normally use, I still think it's capable of great results and my FF cameras can certainly not get the shots the drone can. It's always a question of trade offs and the Mavic's portability is extremely important to me because I pretty much only use it when out walking or cycling which I simply couldn't do with a larger drone. I did find the 1/2.3in sensor in the original Mavic frustrating at times for photos as there's no latitude in the raw files at all but like the compact cameras I think the 1in sensor strikes a good balance of image quality for the size and I've been pleased with upgrading to the Mavic 2 Pro.

That said even if I could only still have the Mavic Pro I'd still find it useful for photography because of its unique viewpoint.

John St. George · Apr 28, 2020

ihavequestions said:
Just wondering your thoughts and WHY?

I believe the Mavic 3 Pro will be released later this year and will have more features.

RickJH · Apr 28, 2020

I am perfectly happy with my M2Z, it does what I want it to, happy with the images, the accessories & the performance. It's been out for a while now & still proves its worth within the present line up.

I read a lot about stability issues with the Mini in winds & yes, the MA2 will be more stable, however as the M2Z is larger, I do feel more confident when I go out with it, should conditions be borderline.

Don't get me wrong the MA2 sounds like an excellent piece of kit & I'm sure we'll be reading all the pros & cons while it goes though the initial teething problems.

Shon · Apr 28, 2020

kwolfskill said:
As a Mavic Air, now MA 1, owner, this just allowed me to now wait for the MP 3. I got my Air instead of an MP 2 because the Air was so much more portable (i.e. it, the controller, and spare batteries take up two lens pockets in my photography backpack.

The MA 2 is about the same size is the MP2, so it loses the whole advantage the MA had. At least for my usage.

Ditto for me. Just for reference the M2Pro weights roughly 2lbs. the Air 2 weighs 1.25lbs, the Air weighs .95lbs, The Mini weights .56lbs. Then you have the weight of all the extra batteries.

This is me on a short day hike...just my Mavic Air...and a few extra camera accessories:

Jiggleman · Apr 28, 2020

I owned the MA, sold it in anticipation of the MA2, but bought a M2P a few weeks ago because I found a great deal.
That said, if the image quality of the MA2 is good enough, I would rather carry around that vs the larger and heavier M2P in my camera bag (which also has a Sony A7r3 with lens). I like to pack light and I travel with my drone so size and weight does matter.

I'm still doing a lot of testing with the videos I shoot with the M2P (seeing how much I can recover in low light settings) but I will still keep an eye out for more in-depth reviews for the MA2. 4K60 is also a nice option to have.

TTP · Apr 28, 2020

For my part it became a no, love to fly my M2P, much less interested in photography, in addition, I am now soon up to US $ 5,000 in invested amount in my drone flying, and am willing to invest more if DJI takes Mavic 2 Pro to the next level of drones.
But until then I fly my "Skydancer".

EmailGuy · Apr 28, 2020

I already own the Tello, the Mavic Air 1, and the Mavic Pro 2 (with the Smart Controller). While the Mavic Air 2 looks great, it doesn't really do anything I don't already have.

I use the Tello as a toy to play around with indoors. I take the Mavic Air on trips when I travel because it's very small to pack. I use the Mavic Pro 2 with the Smart controller and an external HDMI monitor for the director when I want to shoot professional video. If they had made the MA 2 a little smaller/lighter instead of a little larger/heavier than the MA1, I probably would have gone for it. If I didn't already have all these other drones, I also would have gone for the MA2.

ZooCougar · Apr 28, 2020

Is it better? Probably not, but I have no idea. The Mavic 2 Pro is so great that it really suppressed my appetite for other drones.

If I were in the market today I would probably buy the Mavic Air 2 instead of the M2P. Isn't the Mavic 3 Pro coming this summer? If that were the case I might wait for it.

I find myself shooting video in 2.7k anyways lately. 4K 60 isn't the end all be all for my needs.

ZooCougar · Apr 28, 2020

Also, I flew my M2P at Hammonasset State Park and around some mansions in some pretttay pretttay strong winds one day albeit conservatively. And it really made me respect the power that it has in stability. No way I could have done that with the Mini or the Mavic Air 2.