Maybe this helps a little to decide:
I finally got to compare
A2S footage with
M2P footage taken at the same time, light and subject matter. I took 4 sequences of
A2S video (4K Dlog, 4K HLG and 5.4K Dlog, 5.4K HLG). I also took 4 sequences with the
M2P (4K FOV Dlog, 4K FOV HLG and 4K HQ Dlog and 4K HQ HLG). I am not interested in the "normal" video mode. All comparisons and adjustments have been made using Davinci Resolve Studio 17.
For all shots I used auto white balance but fixed during the shots. I also adjusted the exposure in manual using the overexposure indicator on the
A2S (very critical) and the EV value (0) for the
M2P with aperture fully open. Both drones were equipped with an ND8 (sunny situation). Both drones ended up with approximately the same shutter speed to achieve correct exposure. The white balance as measured in auto resulted at 5100 for the
A2S and 5400 for the
M2P. The resulting footage appeared much cooler on the
A2S (too cool actually). I ended up adding +150 warming to the
A2S video to make it more natural and comparable. This difference may have been a one-off fluke. Maybe I did not wait long enough for the "auto mode" to adjust white balance more accuratly. For the
M2P I used "Style=normal" since the
A2S does not have Style settings capabilities (that's a real bummer!).
Observations:
1) Overall impressions:
The
A2S footage has more contrast (maybe a bit too much actually) and a bit more color saturation. The
A2S Dlog gamma is a bit different with less highlight compression and more shadow compression. Shadows appear a bit "crushed" in comparison with the
M2P. In Resolve, pushing the shadows by +25 makes the
A2S video very comparable in the shadows without producing more noise. It also boosted the overall gain to match the
M2P gain. Switching between the two left one important distinction: The mid-tones of the
M2P are brighter but the overall light distribution seems better on the
A2S video (after beforementioned shadows adjustment). Even in FOV mode, the
M2P viewing angle is a little smaller than the
A2S.
2) Clarity. colors and sharpness:
Clearly the
A2S is much less "muddy" and sharper in details with more clarity and definition. The colors (after warming) where outstanding on the
A2S actually a bit more pleasing than the
M2P.
I made the following sharpness/clarity comparisons:
-
A2S 4K with
M2P 4K FOV ---
A2S is sharper and clearer (less muddy)
-
A2S 4K with
M2P 4K HQ ---
A2S is still a little sharper and clearer
-
A2S 5.4K downconverted to 4K with
M2P 4K FOV ---
A2S is MUCH sharper, detailed and clearer
-
A2S 5.4K downconverted to 4K with
M2P 4K HQ ---
A2S is clearly sharper and clearer
-
A2S 5.4K downconverted to 4K with
A2S 4K --- 5.4K downconverted and compared with 4K was surprisingly sharper. However probably not worth doing in most cases.
So after all this and comparing the overall flight capabilities of the two it is no longer an easy choice. The
A2S is a better drone with more evolved capabilities (Active Track 4.0 is amazing). It is lighter and smaller in addition.
Comparing the cameras (so far I only compared VIDEO for post production but I am quite sure the stills will be just as impressive). Frankly, IF DJI ADDS STYLE settings to the
A2S I would choose the
A2S over the
M2P hands down. However, out-of-the box not adjustable contrast, color and sharpness settings are set too high in contrast for sure. That really makes the
M2P camera MUCH better for difficult lighting situations.
After TikTok ban passage, the prospect of a DJI ban is looking more likely