I'm buying the Pro because I can use it to zoom too

[Drone on]

Hi...get both MP2 and MPzoom...here's how

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the camera is expensive at about $650 (ebay), but better than $2,800, or there about

 

[Hiflyer808]

No one said that it was indistinguishable, only that cropping produces the same compression and perspective as using a longer focal length lens from the same distance. Perspective comes from distance, not lens focal length. That is the point of the article. A 20 Mp sensor has lots of room to crop and still get a usable image.

Correct!

 

[MPPilot]

...the MP Pro II is the way to go for me, and that doesn't mean I can't get the benefits of "some" zoom capability.

My Mavic Pro (I) has zoom built in also. It's activated by moving the right stick on my controller forward and backward. A zoom on a fixed in place camera makes sense for shots further away. But a camera that floats forward and back easily has no need for a zoom. I agree with the prime vs. zoom argument, also, but the whole reason I got a drone camera was to be able to move in and out, up and down, when I need to.

 

[LivinLarge]

Zoom vs Crop
3.57X zoom (28-100 equiv focal length) compared to equivalent crop from 20 Mp image, both shot from the same position.
Notice that the perspective is the same. Moving the camera closer would have changed the perspective.

 

[Steve L Reid]

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[briwy]

I have also just been in the situation of deciding which Mavic 2 to go for.
In the end I have decided to go for the Zoom basically for one reason. I am a CAA licensed pilot here in the UK and recently had a job to photograph a local Steam Fair. In the UK if there is an organised gathering of more than 1000 people we cannot get any closer than 150m. For this I used an Inspire 2 fitted with a Panasonic zoom which enabled me to get the shots I wanted but remain legal. Without the zoom this wouldn't have been possible. I would have liked to use my Mavic Pro for this job as I was moving around to different locations and it would have been more convenient to use the Mavic. Of course I could have cropped afterwards but theclient wanted the photos ASAP so I was able to just take the card out of the drone and let him copy them immediately.
So as it's not always possible to get in closer (here in the UK anyway) the Zoom is the one for me.