Is anyone hesitant to buy the MA2 because of this huge step backwards......

[MavicMike55]

Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited as anyone about the release of this new drone. But it is very disappointing to see them REMOVE what is, IMO, a very important tool which now limits the video creators ability to fine tune the video. Not being able to adjust the sharpness, contrast, and saturation, when most, if not all, of the previous drones have that ability. This, IMO, is a huge step backwards and is making me hesitant to pull the trigger on this purchase.

I was just wondering if anyone else feels the same way. ?‍

 

[letsstart78]

Only disappointment for me is the name. It shouldn't have been mavic air 2 . That causes comparison to mavic air1 which is not even comparable. That's a new drone line up for anyone who wants more than mavic mini but doesnt want to pay as much as pro2 or zoom.

 

[flyhigh2]

Maybe a firmware update will solve the issues.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited as anyone about the release of this new drone. But it is very disappointing to see them REMOVE what is, IMO, a very important tool which now limits the video creators ability to fine tune the video. Not being able to adjust the sharpness, contrast, and saturation, when most, if not all, of the previous drones have that ability. This, IMO, is a huge step backwards and is making me hesitant to pull the trigger on this purchase.

I was just wondering if anyone else feels the same way. ?‍

You forgot not being able to change the Aperture, but I think this is all going to come out in a firmware update at the same time they release the update for the Smart Controller.

 

[GadgetGuy]

You forgot not being able to change the Aperture, but I think this is all going to come out in a firmware update at the same time they release the update for the Smart Controller.

How can they add the ability to change the aperture on a fixed aperture lens with a FW update???

 

[Phantomrain.org]

How can they add the ability to change the aperture on a fixed aperture lens with a FW update???

Now that I was not aware of , so i will take that out of prayer class now. Thanks

 

[Hiflyer808]

Variable aperture isn't that important on a drone, because the depth of field is always huge no matter the lens opening, unlike with larger sensors at closer distances. Variable aperture is mainly a convenience so you don't have to be constantly changing nd filters in order to avoid high shutter speeds. Also, at least with the m2p, the image quickly gets softer at higher f stops.

Not being able to adjust sharpness is a much bigger bummer for me though, especially since the image is over sharpened. Luckily that is something likely to be changed with a firmware update.

 

[juakola]

Adjustable aperture would actually help a lot with setting the correct shutter speeds - even if you have the ND filters. At least with my MA1 I had problems getting the correct exposure, if the shutter was set to 1/60 with an ND filter. Use the ND4 and you are overexposed, then try the ND8 only to find out that you are underexposing. This is where adjustable aperture would have come in handy.

 

[itsneedtokno]

Only disappointment for me is the name. It shouldn't have been mavic air 2 . That causes comparison to mavic air1 which is not even comparable. That's a new drone line up for anyone who wants more than mavic mini but doesnt want to pay as much as pro2 or zoom.

I'm not sure I follow...

The Original Mavic Air was designed to fit between the Spark and the MPP, just like the MA2 is designed to fit between the MM and the M2(P or Z).

 

[LivinLarge]

Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited as anyone about the release of this new drone. But it is very disappointing to see them REMOVE what is, IMO, a very important tool which now limits the video creators ability to fine tune the video. Not being able to adjust the sharpness, contrast, and saturation, when most, if not all, of the previous drones have that ability. This, IMO, is a huge step backwards and is making me hesitant to pull the trigger on this purchase.

I was just wondering if anyone else feels the same way. ?‍

I agree. That is a deal breaker for me. There are some other features that are missing or crippled. Lack of waypoints is a big deal for me. 48 Mp stills sounds good until you look at them. I wonder if the 12 Mp ones are really any better than the original MA.
The hyperlapse feature is crippled as are some of the other automated flight modes.
So far, most of the reviews have been from those that were paid or received free product. It is not in their best interest to point out the negatives. While some of the features could be fixed or added in later firmware, it is unlikely the DJI will do this based on their past performance.
I will wait to see what the M3 has to offer.

 

[Dysan911]

You should check out this video comparison. I think the HDR capability looks incredible and more than makes up for anything lacking with this drone.

As far as sharpness. Can any of that be softened a little in post? I've yet to see any examples of video or photos that didn't look great to me on the MA2.

 

[Nostris]

The Mavic Air and the Mavic Air 2 are very different drones. I personally think the Air 2 is much more like a larger Mavic Mini that the previous Air. The new Air 2 seems like potentially it could be a good drone, but it lacks a lot of features the original Air had and it’s much larger . There is no DJI Go4 app, which has many more features and a much greater degree of adjustability than the Fly app. The Air can be flown with the controller, with just a phone, or without either phone or controller by using the gesture control in smart Capture. Sure, the range is less, but I generally fly in line of sight anyway. The endurance could be better, but it works fine if the batteries are fully charged to start with. I like the look of the new Air 2, particularly the Occusync 2 system, but I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of my Air 1, I really like the features it has, that the new Air2 doesn’t have.

 

[jgullam]

I agree. That is a deal breaker for me.
I will wait to see what the M3 has to offer.

I think that's exactly what they want you to do. There are a huge number of consumers out there who have no idea that post processing is a thing and want to post straight to facebook. The fact that you want to shoot in D-Log makes you (and I) candidates for a more expense product.
Now they have products for entry level/easy, more sophisticated/still easy to use and aspirational/semi-pro and they can sell people three drones over time because we'll buy what's good enough and we can afford now and then upgrade.
Market segmentation.

 

[swooshdave]

I agree. That is a deal breaker for me. There are some other features that are missing or crippled. Lack of waypoints is a big deal for me. 48 Mp stills sounds good until you look at them. I wonder if the 12 Mp ones are really any better than the original MA.
The hyperlapse feature is crippled as are some of the other automated flight modes.
So far, most of the reviews have been from those that were paid or received free product. It is not in their best interest to point out the negatives. While some of the features could be fixed or added in later firmware, it is unlikely the DJI will do this based on their past performance.
I will wait to see what the M3 has to offer.

Every drone has its compromises. For some it’s size, others it’s camera feature but for some of us it’s cost.

Not that there’s a lot of competition but the Mavic Air (both versions) pack a lot of value into a small drone at a decent price point.

DJI has carefully tiered their consumer products into Good (Mini), Better (Air) and Best (Pro). This strategy is common and works well in many industries.

 

[daigurren69]

Every drone has its compromises. For some it’s size, others it’s camera feature but for some of us it’s cost.

Not that there’s a lot of competition but the Mavic Air (both versions) pack a lot of value into a small drone at a decent price point.

DJI has carefully tiered their consumer products into Good (Mini), Better (Air) and Best (Pro). This strategy is common and works well in many industries.

Exacctly. Everyone thinks that the Air 2 should have all the features of their Pro line. If so, it would defeat the purpose of having tiers and just one version which would be the Pro line. You can't get all the features of the Pro in the Air 2 obviously...

 

[swooshdave]

And we obviously don’t all agree on which features they left in or took out. In about a week we’ll be too busy flying to care.

 

[hiflyer201]

I"m just waiting for a "Hit the record dummy" message
I cant count the time's I've screwed that up

 

[kidroc]

The Mavic Air and the Mavic Air 2 are very different drones. I personally think the Air 2 is much more like a larger Mavic Mini that the previous Air. The new Air 2 seems like potentially it could be a good drone, but it lacks a lot of features the original Air had and it’s much larger . There is no DJI Go4 app, which has many more features and a much greater degree of adjustability than the Fly app. The Air can be flown with the controller, with just a phone, or without either phone or controller by using the gesture control in smart Capture. Sure, the range is less, but I generally fly in line of sight anyway. The endurance could be better, but it works fine if the batteries are fully charged to start with. I like the look of the new Air 2, particularly the Occusync 2 system, but I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of my Air 1, I really like the features it has, that the new Air2 doesn’t have.

Really the mm only looks like the ma2 it’s it more a mp than a mm. We will get all the goodies in the new app in time go4 is aged and cannot take full advantage of the new phone hardware.. I believe it’s a great thing people complain about everything there fanned either way can’t please everyone.

 

[Marv McCarthy]

Seems to me that with this release DJI is more clearly segmenting their product portfolio into consumer vs. prosumer levels. Consumer segment gets single IMU, single compass, etc. with amazing camera tech but not with all the bells and whistles. Prosumer gets the instrumentation redundancies and more flexible camera controls.

Personally, I'm sticking with my M2 Pro and Zoom and waiting for the next prosumer release. I'm guessing it will be the M3 and it will be pretty incredible.

 

[swooshdave]

Seems to me that with this release DJI is more clearly segmenting their product portfolio into consumer vs. prosumer levels. Consumer segment gets single IMU, single compass, etc. with amazing camera tech but not with all the bells and whistles. Prosumer gets the instrumentation redundancies and more flexible camera controls.

Personally, I'm sticking with my M2 Pro and Zoom and waiting for the next prosumer release. I'm guessing it will be the M3 and it will be pretty incredible.

How is that segmentation any different from Spark/Air/Pro that came before?

Also if I were to assign nomenclatures it would be: Mini = Consumer, Air = Prosumer, and Pro... Professional.

The Air obviously shares features from both the Mini and Pro.