Your experience with the Mavic Air 2

[Hollywood4092]

360 photos are pretty neat!

Sweet Pic

 

[Hollywood4092]

It doesn't handle wind at all well, which makes the 34 minutes flight time at 11 mph with no wind a very misleading flight time with any wind. Like the Mini, it's too light to efficiently make headway into the wind. Every mile of headwind results in a mile of reduced top speed in both Normal and Sports modes, while the Mavic 2 loses less than a half a mile of top speed, per mile of headwind, and is most efficient at 31mph, while the Mavic Air 2 is most efficient at 27mph.

Flying into a 10mph headwind, top speed was 18mph in Normal mode (27mph max).
Switching to Sport mode (42.5mph max) only increased the top speed to 31mph.
Stayed in Sport on the outleg, and returned in Normal mode at 27mph.
Landing at 7% remaining battery resulted in only a 22.5 minute flight time, covering only 9 miles. No net gain in flight time, and no gain in total distance over the Mavic 2 for my style of flying.

Mavic 2 in P mode into a 10 mile headwind would be at 26mph with only a 10% reduction in flight time over no wind, and a 23 minute average flight time to 5% remaining battery, but easily covering 10 miles.

A second MA2 flight, with lots of hovering for 6 panos and staying in Normal mode in between the panos resulted in a 27 minute flight time covering only 5.2 miles, landing at 5% remaining battery.

No ability to save the 26 original images for the panos, let alone shoot them in DNG. No expo control over the yaw for smoother turns. 20MP saved original stills from the M2P from panos run circles around the 13MP final stitched result on the MA2 with no access to the 12MP originals. 48MP capability from the 1/2” sensor is decent and better than a plain 12MP shot, but still can't match the dynamic range of a 20MP still from the 1” sensor on the M2P. No control over the front red LED's to keep them off.

Note: The Remote Identification Broadcast toggle to OFF does not survive a reboot, and must be manually turned off as part of the preflight routine, upon every boot up! Much like the GEO toggle of yore, expect this toggle to soon disappear, forcing the broadcast of your flight to everyone with DJI's detecting smartphone app!

You'll need to use the iPad app to unlock any authorization zones as the iPhone version won't let you enter the six digit authorization code in the boxes on the screen!

Careful about the much lighter airframe. I didn't initially unfold the props, and the spin up caused the drone to slide off my small launching table, almost leading to disaster, until I gave full left throttle to immediately lift it off the table.

Turn your phone volume down to almost zero, unless you want your neighbors to hear every announcement, including every loud shutter click of a 26 shot pano, which screams "I'm taking pictures of you!" even though the drone is 1/2 a mile away! The annoying beeping below 10% is on the RC, so it is still annoying, but not nearly as loud as the M2 remote. It will still attract unwanted attention.

You'll need a longer USB-C to Lightning cable for any iPad use, and most table mounts still work. No place for a lanyard, though.

4K 60fps video is buttery, but the lack of yaw expo reduction means the turns are still too whippy.

Charge all the batteries in the FlyMore kit off the Hub separately on the original charger for the initial charge from hibernation.

Wow I just went to school.... thanks for info

 

[Vaideeshwar]

Everybody has their own priorities. For some it may be a kickass camera, but may not really care about flight time, for some it may be a long transmission distance.

For me, it is the following:
1. Transmission range ( I flew MM and MA1 before, wasn't satisfied with Enhanced Wifi)
2. Battery life ( I was content with MM's battery life, but MA1 heavily shortened my aerial adventures)
3. Noise ( In a society that is growingly seeing drones as a nuisance, I wish to fly mine discreetly)
4. Decent cam ( I am not a pro photographer and only care about capturing some good scenery)

Luckily for me, the MA2 checked all boxes under a $1k price point. It is literally a dream come true.

I have a total of 4 recorded flights, and I must say that the experience is simply breathtaking.

It is much more responsive to controls, handles wind like a champ, the signal quality (live feed) feels like I am taking a peek outside an aeroplane's window, the transmission distance in Dallas's urban setup is around 3km before dropping (mind you, only dropping and not signal loss), the downward LED allows you to spot the drone from 2.5 kms away, stays in the air forever, is almost inaudible when 20m+ above you, captures much more information in the photos (thanks to 120Mbps).

The controller is a beauty in itself; it feels so much better in hand than any other stock Mavic controller.

My only gripe so far is the gimbal cover. Unlike the MM and MA1, this one holds the camera in 3D space! getting it out is pretty easy, but putting it on is nerve-wracking since there is a part of the cover always in contact with the back of the camera even before it snaps back on. You literally see the cover push the camera, bellows of the gimbal and other components while it is being snapped back on.

I hope DJI did enough tests to ensure that it does not kill the gimbal motors/components over time.

All in all, my friend, it is a dream! It is an engineering marvel!

Of course, if given an option, I would probably wait for the Mavic 3 or could have gotten a Mavic 2 now, but for the features I am looking for in a drone, this guy delivers a punch at a very comfortable price point.

EU guys, I know you feel left-off with DJI not including Air Sense. Honestly, I only had it on for the first flight and then turned it right off. As long as you are not flying in restricted airspace and are adhering to the 120m altitude limit, there is no real need to know about manned airplanes flying around you.

The presence of a single IMU and compass units seems like a little disheartening, but I don't think those components would fail midflight unless you have previously crashed the drone. Treating the little guy like a pet should prevent any problems. Handle him with care and he should be with you for a long long time.

ALSO, inside the DJI Fly App, I see an option that says "Remote ID". I guess DJI will make that option available soon when the govt regulations push for it. So this shouldn't really be only a 3-year investment before the tech turns obsolete because of a new law.

If you are thinking about it, just buy it! Unless you want more professional-level control over the cam.

 

[GarthH]

Air 2 looks like a winner so far. Going to hold on to my Mavic Pro until the end of summer then get an Air 2 for Black Friday. If a Mavic 3 is released by then, will consider that as well. But the Air 2 looks like the best value right now for me.

 

[mapwd1702]

I flew mine today finally!!!! Very impressive!! This is my 4th DJI drone and this is the best.
I however am very disappointed with the DJI Fly app!!!!! Why can’t we use Go4?!?! This app has no ability to livestream to FB!!!! WTF????

 

[him7403]

Everybody has their own priorities. For some it may be a kickass camera, but may not really care about flight time, for some it may be a long transmission distance.

For me, it is the following:
1. Transmission range ( I flew MM and MA1 before, wasn't satisfied with Enhanced Wifi)
2. Battery life ( I was content with MM's battery life, but MA1 heavily shortened my aerial adventures)
3. Noise ( In a society that is growingly seeing drones as a nuisance, I wish to fly mine discreetly)
4. Decent cam ( I am not a pro photographer and only care about capturing some good scenery)

Luckily for me, the MA2 checked all boxes under a $1k price point. It is literally a dream come true.

I have a total of 4 recorded flights, and I must say that the experience is simply breathtaking.

It is much more responsive to controls, handles wind like a champ, the signal quality (live feed) feels like I am taking a peek outside an aeroplane's window, the transmission distance in Dallas's urban setup is around 3km before dropping (mind you, only dropping and not signal loss), the downward LED allows you to spot the drone from 2.5 kms away, stays in the air forever, is almost inaudible when 20m+ above you, captures much more information in the photos (thanks to 120Mbps).

The controller is a beauty in itself; it feels so much better in hand than any other stock Mavic controller.

My only gripe so far is the gimbal cover. Unlike the MM and MA1, this one holds the camera in 3D space! getting it out is pretty easy, but putting it on is nerve-wracking since there is a part of the cover always in contact with the back of the camera even before it snaps back on. You literally see the cover push the camera, bellows of the gimbal and other components while it is being snapped back on.

I hope DJI did enough tests to ensure that it does not kill the gimbal motors/components over time.

All in all, my friend, it is a dream! It is an engineering marvel!

Of course, if given an option, I would probably wait for the Mavic 3 or could have gotten a Mavic 2 now, but for the features I am looking for in a drone, this guy delivers a punch at a very comfortable price point.

EU guys, I know you feel left-off with DJI not including Air Sense. Honestly, I only had it on for the first flight and then turned it right off. As long as you are not flying in restricted airspace and are adhering to the 120m altitude limit, there is no real need to know about manned airplanes flying around you.

The presence of a single IMU and compass units seems like a little disheartening, but I don't think those components would fail midflight unless you have previously crashed the drone. Treating the little guy like a pet should prevent any problems. Handle him with care and he should be with you for a long long time.

ALSO, inside the DJI Fly App, I see an option that says "Remote ID". I guess DJI will make that option available soon when the govt regulations push for it. So this shouldn't really be only a 3-year investment before the tech turns obsolete because of a new law.

If you are thinking about it, just buy it! Unless you want more professional-level control over the cam.

great review!
your 4 points were the main reason I sold my air and eyeing the air 2 now.
did you get care refresh too?

 

[him7403]

Air 2 looks like a winner so far. Going to hold on to my Mavic Pro until the end of summer then get an Air 2 for Black Friday. If a Mavic 3 is released by then, will consider that as well. But the Air 2 looks like the best value right now for me.

How are the black friday deals look like usually?
I don't necessarily need a drone now since nowhere to travel. I guess I can wait if the deals are good.

 

[Vaideeshwar]

great review!
your 4 points were the main reason I sold my air and eyeing the air 2 now.
did you get care refresh too?

Thank you, buddy!

I know I didn't delve deep into the camera settings and such, but for me, it is the experience of flying around and exploring the scenery around me, so those four points are all I care about. Honestly, I would have still paid the same amount if the MA2 came with the MM's cam! DJI's cameras are that good!

I am about to. I usually hold off on the refresh until the last few hours of the 48-hour window just to make sure I test it enough for defects. If I find defects, I would return it, if not, press the trigger. This time around, I am also considering getting a State Farm insurance just because I know this bird will grow with me for a long time.

If you plan on transporting the drone in your pocket, the MA2 might not work for you because of a considerable height difference when compared to the MA1, but other than that, the MA2 is, in every regard, much better than the MA1 (Maybe compass redundancy too, but not really worried). You will definitely be happy with your decision.

 

[AnzacJack]

"Mavic 2 loses less than a half a mile of top speed, per mile of headwind"
Gee...Boeing would love to know the secret on that..along with every pilot who has ever gone aloft.

Remember that it’s getting its speed from gps, over the ground, not airspeed though a pitot system. When it’s speed is decreased, more angle and power is out in to counter this. So yes it could only loose half kt for every kt of wind. I’m not confirming or denying his results, as I haven’t tested this, but it is possible, and not rocket science

 

[AJ Carey]

I flew my MA2 in a stiff 12 mph wind that frequently gusted up to 28 mph yesterday. I put it in tripod mode and took it up to 250 ft where I held it in a hover while doing a 270 degree horizontal sweep. The drone held very steady. Due to many puffy clouds, the landscape was ready spotted with both sunny and shady areas. My resulting video <and I am no great videographer> was more than adequate without any post production work.

 

[itsneedtokno]

The more people we hear from, the better. There will be lemons out there like every product has, particularly at launch, and different flight styles will affect performance.

I got one of those lemons (look at my other posts) ?

 

[StubbornSwiss]

Everybody has their own priorities. For some it may be a kickass camera, but may not really care about flight time, for some it may be a long transmission distance.

For me, it is the following:
1. Transmission range ( I flew MM and MA1 before, wasn't satisfied with Enhanced Wifi)
2. Battery life ( I was content with MM's battery life, but MA1 heavily shortened my aerial adventures)
3. Noise ( In a society that is growingly seeing drones as a nuisance, I wish to fly mine discreetly)
4. Decent cam ( I am not a pro photographer and only care about capturing some good scenery)

Luckily for me, the MA2 checked all boxes under a $1k price point. It is literally a dream come true.

I have a total of 4 recorded flights, and I must say that the experience is simply breathtaking.

It is much more responsive to controls, handles wind like a champ, the signal quality (live feed) feels like I am taking a peek outside an aeroplane's window, the transmission distance in Dallas's urban setup is around 3km before dropping (mind you, only dropping and not signal loss), the downward LED allows you to spot the drone from 2.5 kms away, stays in the air forever, is almost inaudible when 20m+ above you, captures much more information in the photos (thanks to 120Mbps).

The controller is a beauty in itself; it feels so much better in hand than any other stock Mavic controller.

My only gripe so far is the gimbal cover. Unlike the MM and MA1, this one holds the camera in 3D space! getting it out is pretty easy, but putting it on is nerve-wracking since there is a part of the cover always in contact with the back of the camera even before it snaps back on. You literally see the cover push the camera, bellows of the gimbal and other components while it is being snapped back on.

I hope DJI did enough tests to ensure that it does not kill the gimbal motors/components over time.

All in all, my friend, it is a dream! It is an engineering marvel!

Of course, if given an option, I would probably wait for the Mavic 3 or could have gotten a Mavic 2 now, but for the features I am looking for in a drone, this guy delivers a punch at a very comfortable price point.

EU guys, I know you feel left-off with DJI not including Air Sense. Honestly, I only had it on for the first flight and then turned it right off. As long as you are not flying in restricted airspace and are adhering to the 120m altitude limit, there is no real need to know about manned airplanes flying around you.

The presence of a single IMU and compass units seems like a little disheartening, but I don't think those components would fail midflight unless you have previously crashed the drone. Treating the little guy like a pet should prevent any problems. Handle him with care and he should be with you for a long long time.

ALSO, inside the DJI Fly App, I see an option that says "Remote ID". I guess DJI will make that option available soon when the govt regulations push for it. So this shouldn't really be only a 3-year investment before the tech turns obsolete because of a new law.

If you are thinking about it, just buy it! Unless you want more professional-level control over the cam.

Excellent write-up. Thank you so much for this.

Couple of questions, if you don't mind...

1/ Would you say it is quieter (loudness/pitch) than the Mavic Mini?

2/ Are you flying with a phone or a tablet? If tablet, what mount are you using, and how is the balance in the hands with the tablet mounted?

Cheers!

 

[z28lt1]

Remember that it’s getting its speed from gps, over the ground, not airspeed though a pitot system. When it’s speed is decreased, more angle and power is out in to counter this. So yes it could only loose half kt for every kt of wind. I’m not confirming or denying his results, as I haven’t tested this, but it is possible, and not rocket science

Yes, but not above its maximum capabilities. So in theory, it should be able to increase power and/or change attitude to overcome wind in normal mode (because we know it can go faster in sport mode). So, I would not be totally surprised to hear that the top speed into a head wind didn't change 1 for 1 in normal mode, as that's just programming. However, it is less likely that it will be able to not lose speed in sport mode, assuming sport mode maximizes the drones capabilities in regards to power and attitude. We can't completely rule at some "reserve" even in sport mode, but that seems less likely. So, if its at maximum power, and maximum tilt, how does it not drop speed into a headwind? Of course this is ground speed-- the headwind would actually increase the air speed, and in most cases any loss of ground speed into a headwind is regained in airspeed.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Mavic Air 2 has a top speed limit to align with the EU C1 drone classification. I'm sure DJI limited the power to make sure it doesn't go over that speed -- although we don't know if it was by selecting the exact right motors, or artificially limiting the motors to the power level that it needs at max speed. That said, would have been neat if they did some real programming in which they could add power as long as the maximum speed wasn't exceeded (like into a head wind) instead of just a set limit of power. I doubt that's the case (And I doubt if there is any real artificial limit it is significant -- no reason to select motors that have way more power than ever will be used).

 

[AJ Carey]

Went through 2 batteries yesterday. Not great weather for flying or photo/vids. Broken clouds with 12 mph winds gusting to mid / upper 20’s. Overall, the drone handled okay, especially in tripod mode. I was able to get a 1:20m video at 250 ft that was steady and well exposed in spite of varied bright and dark areas due to clouds.
On the initial cut, I am not really happy with the Fly app. Maybe I am too comfortable with the Go 4 app. A lot of my “work” has been done with Litchi and Dronelink and I miss them with this drone. I have an Air 1, and the Air 2 is a great step up, but it will not replace my M2P or Phantom 4 Pro v2. I am a retired hobbiest and neither a great photographer nor videographer.
The new controller is fine. I don’t miss the small screen, like that on the M2P. I use an iPad Mini with a Mavmount 3 holder with all of my remotes. My eyes are too old for using an iPhone, which I won’t even take with me when I am out flying. Anyway, the new controller felt well-balanced And comfortable in my hands.
Overall, I am satisfied with the Air 2. I don’t think it measures up to all of the hype and I don’t think it will cause the M2P or late model Phantoms to be put out to pasture. It is a super cable drone for a beginner or advanced weekend flier.

 

[SlushFlight]

Looks like DJI def marketed this to first time larger drone purchasers. People coming from The Air or Spark are in for a treat. All the old vets on here with their Mavic 2 or Phantoms are not gonna be as impressed. I'm cool with that. This is for the new generation of flyers I say, that also being proven with the new gen app that's 64 bit. I think this is just the beginning for this drone. It will get better with updates and really shine I think.

 

[GarthH]

How are the black friday deals look like usually?
I don't necessarily need a drone now since nowhere to travel. I guess I can wait if the deals are good.

Last Black Friday the M2P was discounted:

DJI Black Friday Deals 2019: The Ultimate Guide

Save up to 40% with the DJI Black Friday deal. Enjoy huge offers on Mavic 2 Pro, Osmo Action, Osmo Pocket, and more!

store.dji.com

Also, you currently cannot use the education discount on the MA2 but that will change in a few months, hopefully before BF.

 

[Vaideeshwar]

Excellent write-up. Thank you so much for this.

Couple of questions, if you don't mind...

1/ Would you say it is quieter (loudness/pitch) than the Mavic Mini?

2/ Are you flying with a phone or a tablet? If tablet, what mount are you using, and how is the balance in the hands with the tablet mounted?

Cheers!

Hi buddy,

Thank you

1. I would say that the MA2 is a tad bit louder than the MM when you are near it. But in the air, if you push it about 20m away from you, you wouldn't hear a thing unless you focus in the right direction. Let me put it this way.. I fly from a balcony and I also have plenty of balconies other than mine around me. So my priority is to usually get away as quickly as I can before I attract too much attention. With the MM, I never had to bother because there is no way then neighbors would hear it. With the MA1, however, I start panicking because the sound seems somewhat "threatening". With the MA2, the first time I flew it, I was waiting for the sound to get louder (if you recall the MA1, there is a good 2 secs of just rotor spinning before the drone starts making the high pitch noise to take off), and was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that the drone was in the air before the sound got any louder. There is absolutely no need to be worried about dB or pitch on this thing.

2. I fly with a phone, a bigger one, to be honest, it is a Samsung galaxy note 10+. I never used a mount before, but I think I might have to buy one (for that matter, I think every body should) for two reasons:

2.1. As you brought up, the phone sits on top of the remote, shifting the center of gravity of the system to the top. Since your fingers hold the bottom part (the remote itself), there is really no support to the top region, meaning you would have to firmly grip your remote if you have a heavier phone. I am pretty sure that most people will get used to it over time. Using a mount might help since the mass of the phone will be elevated and brought closer to the remote where your palm is.

2.2. The second reason is the main reason why I think you would benefit from using a mount. I brought this issue up in a separate thread which I shall provide a link for below:

MA2 remote interferes with cellphone's compass.

Hello! I flew my MA2 thrice since I got it yesterday. Let me start off by saying it is simply marvelous! Now, the previous drones I owned were the Mavic Mini (DJI Fly) and Mavic Air 1 (DJI Go 4). Now, the connection is probably the best part of the drone. I had solid connection even at 3km...

mavicpilots.com

Let me know what you think

 

[StubbornSwiss]

Many thanks for your response! All very informative.

I have my Air 2 on order, and hopefully it will be here sooner than later...... lol.

I do know about the cellphone interference. I experienced this with the MM for quite a while. Switching to a mount and an iPad mini seems to have solved the issue for me. We shall see how it works out on the Air 2.

Mavic Mini RC Affecting Compass on Samsung Phone

Again, many thanks!

 

[itsneedtokno]

Many thanks for your response! All very informative.

I have my Air 2 on order, and hopefully it will be here sooner than later...... lol.

I do know about the cellphone interference. I experienced this with the MM for quite a while. Switching to a mount and an iPad mini seems to have solved the issue for me. We shall see how it works out on the Air 2.

Mavic Mini RC Affecting Compass on Samsung Phone

Again, many thanks!

My S20 Ultra works like a dream.

 

[Vaideeshwar]

Many thanks for your response! All very informative.

I have my Air 2 on order, and hopefully it will be here sooner than later...... lol.

I do know about the cellphone interference. I experienced this with the MM for quite a while. Switching to a mount and an iPad mini seems to have solved the issue for me. We shall see how it works out on the Air 2.

Mavic Mini RC Affecting Compass on Samsung Phone

Again, many thanks!

Awesome! But imo, my phone was almost insensitive to any EM fields with the MM style remote controller.
Yep, physically distancing the phone from the atenna/controller sticks would definitely help solve the issue, which is why I didn't bring it up.

Thank you for your support, my friend.

Hope you enjoy your MA2 to the fullest!

Cheers!