Mavic Air 2 - sample photos and videos

SafetyOne71 · Apr 29, 2020

After careful consideration and study, I find the new Air 2 is not worth the pricing just for the photography. My P4P and MP are equal and I can improve where necessary. The Air 2 is gimicky at best. But, time will tell.

Dave Maine · Apr 29, 2020

I disagree on the sensor discussion. The 1 inch sensor will have better noise performance, but he Air2 sensor has 4x the resolution, at least according to it’s published specs. This huge increase in resolution makes me want the Air2 in a way that I hadn’t expected.

R1Mavic · Apr 29, 2020

SafetyOne71 said:
After careful consideration and study, I find the new Air 2 is not worth the pricing just for the photography. My P4P and MP are equal and I can improve where necessary. The Air 2 is gimicky at best. But, time will tell.

Gimmicky....are you kidding me!?

Flythatmother · Apr 29, 2020

Doppler said:
Tom's Tech time has original photos and video samples from the MA2 for those who would like to see. I am going to have a look at the RAW images myself since I am still somewhat on the fence - I am way overdue for an upgrade from the MA1 and the MA2 is one hell of a temptress. But I want my next drone to be able to take photos on a level that is equal to or better than the M2P. M2P owners, what say you? I know these photos were taken on auto and it is hard to reach a conclusion based of a few sample photos, but do you think these are on par with the photos from the M2P?

View attachment 99846
Be advised that File 1 (for both video and photos) links to the "Buy the Mavic Air 2" page on the DJI Store ; sneaky that!

EDIT: Oops! Forgot to paste the link. Here it is

DJI Mavic Air 2 Footage Download

Download original footage shot on the DJI Mavic Air 2 drone for free and without registration.

www.tomstechtime.com

The larger 1 inch sensor on the Mavic 2 Pro combined with a Hasselblad camera will produce higher quality images than the one-half inch sensor on the Mavic 2 Air notwithstanding the hype over its 48 mp camera. Read and learn about the science of sensors and you will understand image quality is a result of much more than straight megapixel count. In short, if the best image quality is your goal the Mavic 2 Pro is a no-brainer. But, like most Americans, (and I do not intend this in a condescending way) if you are primarily interested in Facebook or Instagram quality, the Mavic 2 Air is your drone. Your priorities, your choice.

sar104 · Apr 29, 2020

Dave Maine said:
I disagree on the sensor discussion. The 1 inch sensor will have better noise performance, but he Air2 sensor has 4x the resolution, at least according to it’s published specs. This huge increase in resolution makes me want the Air2 in a way that I hadn’t expected.

The resolution is rather outweighed by the tiny pixels and diffraction-limited optics which result in poor detail and noisy images. That many pixels on such a small sensor is only really useful as a Quad Bayer array, giving a reasonable 12 MP image or increasing the dynamic range.

Flythatmother · Apr 29, 2020

R1Mavic said:
Gimmicky....are you kidding me!?

He’s either kidding or doesn’t fully appreciate the technology that this new drone brings to the table. It represents a remarkable achievement. Although I must confess the hue and cry over the 48mp camera is on the wack side.

Flythatmother · Apr 29, 2020

sar104 said:
The resolution is rather outweighed by the tiny pixels and diffraction-limited optics which result in poor detail and noisy images. That many pixels on such a small sensor is only really useful as a Quad Bayer array, giving a reasonable 12 MP image or increasing the dynamic range.

Exactly. But you might try explaining this in a way that the non-technical reader might easily grasp.

sar104 · Apr 29, 2020

Flythatmother said:
Exactly. But you might try explaining this in a way that the non-technical reader might easily grasp.

Maybe, but that would be a long post. It might be simpler for interested readers to look up those concepts.

Flythatmother · Apr 29, 2020

sar104 said:
Maybe, but that would be a long post. It might be simpler for interested readers to look up those concepts.

Good point. Hopefully the drone crowd has more initiative than most folks we run into these days. LOL! Thanks for your post. Stay safe.

maven4336 · Apr 29, 2020

Take hundreds of pic almost everyday with the Mavic2pro, great bit dji needs to release a firmware that tones down the browns a little at least work on the over saturation , dji has a certain team on each of their drones, the Mavic even the first Mavic and still have the first,have a certain look that are similar compared to my phantom 4pro, total diff look

simsurf · May 2, 2020

maven4336 said:
Take hundreds of pic almost everyday with the Mavic2pro, great bit dji needs to release a firmware that tones down the browns a little at least work on the over saturation , dji has a certain team on each of their drones, the Mavic even the first Mavic and still have the first,have a certain look that are similar compared to my phantom 4pro, total diff look

That's why only shoot in RAW?

simsurf · May 2, 2020

Dave Maine said:
I disagree on the sensor discussion. The 1 inch sensor will have better noise performance, but he Air2 sensor has 4x the resolution, at least according to it’s published specs. This huge increase in resolution makes me want the Air2 in a way that I hadn’t expected.

I saw somewhere they get that resolution by stitching together images? Its marketing speak and not a true 48MP image. You can do the same with any camera.

LivinLarge · May 2, 2020

simsurf said:
I saw somewhere they get that resolution by stitching together images? Its marketing speak and not a true 48MP image. You can do the same with any camera.

The 48 Mp resolution is not from stitching but from a quad bayer sensor. I posted a link earlier in this thread which explains it. The filter array has 12 Mp of red green and blue filters but under each filter element are 4 sensing elements. It is not a true 48 MP bayer sensor. Under good lighting conditions, it can create a 48 MP image that looks better than a 12 MP one. Supposedly, it can improve dynamic range when used at 12 MP. In many conditions the 48 MP image looks soft and noisy.

Jonathan Pye · May 3, 2020

My phone has 19mm of sensor to capture light, the MA2 has 12,7mm, its last years mobilephone technology. You dont expect mobilphones to do a decent job inside or at night, you use your real camera in such occasions. A small drone like this can only be used in daylight, in daylight it will be fine. Those Tom's hardwarephotos were taken 19.30 in bavaria germany. At dusk, you need at least the 1inch sensor of the MP2.

LivinLarge · May 3, 2020

Jonathan Pye said:
My phone has 19mm of sensor to capture light, the MA2 has 12,7mm, its last years mobilephone technology. You dont expect mobilphones to do a decent job inside or at night, you use your real camera in such occasions. A small drone like this can only be used in daylight, in daylight it will be fine. Those Tom's hardwarephotos were taken 19.30 in bavaria germany. At dusk, you need at least the 1inch sensor of the MP2.

The MA2 sensor is not nearly 12.7 mm. So called 1/2" sensors are actually 4.8 x 6.4 mm with a diagonal of 8 mm. At 48 Mp, the individual sensing elements are 0.8 microns, so not much area to gather light. The lens is already diffraction limited wide open and clearly not resolving 48 Mp even in good light.

Jonathan Pye · May 3, 2020

Im sorry, my bad, for a moment i thought the sensor was 1/1/2 instead of 1/2 inch. The MA2 sensor is according to dxo approximately equalent to a Iphone 11. They of cause make crappy 48mp photos, but they do make ok 12 mp photos in sunlight. the whole quad bayer thing of making too small micro sensing elements is a thing most phonesensor manufacturers do now for marketing reasons. My phone has 108mp capability but the photos are normally at 27mps because the greater resolution doesnt help.

LivinLarge · May 3, 2020

Jonathan Pye said:
Im sorry, my bad, for a moment i thought the sensor was 1/1/2 instead of 1/2 inch. The MA2 sensor is according to dxo approximately equalent to a Iphone 11. They of cause make crappy 48mp photos, but they do make ok 12 mp photos in sunlight. the whole quad bayer thing of making too small micro sensing elements is a thing most phonesensor manufacturers do now for marketing reasons. My phone has 108mp capability but the photos are normally at 27mps because the greater resolution doesnt help.

Which phone do you have?

Flythatmother · May 5, 2020

maven4336 said:
Take hundreds of pic almost everyday with the Mavic2pro, great bit dji needs to release a firmware that tones down the browns a little at least work on the over saturation , dji has a certain team on each of their drones, the Mavic even the first Mavic and still have the first,have a certain look that are similar compared to my phantom 4pro, total diff look

Saturation is user adjustable. Problem (if you characterize it as such) solved. I have not noticed problems with the browns. Are you sure your monitor is properly calibrated?

swooshdave · May 5, 2020

Pappy said:
These comments remind me of when the M2P first came out and people were saying how god awful the video and images are for a 1" sensor. There were several comparison videos between the M2P and P4P showing how the P4P was better. At the time I agreed the P4P video and images are better than the M2P, maybe it's changed after a few firmware updates. And now the consensus is the M2P produces the best images/video.