Your experience with the Mavic Air 2

[Brockrock]

I posted the experience that my Air2 impressed me the most in a different thread. But I will share the video here...
I am only a hobby flyer, so I haven’t explored the full capabilities of the bird. But I’m in love with hyperlapse, HDR video and active track. Check this out;

Your smile said it all!

 

[Dangerousdriver77]

Well all I can say so far is that I’m pretty impressed with it, having had a few flights up with her now. I found it ok with strong gusts the other day. Managed to capture this rainbow the other day on my first flight up. The Fly app takes sons getting used to, but it’s not bad. Battery life definitely is not 34 mins. I’m getting 20 at most to be honest.

 

[GarthH]

I posted the experience that my Air2 impressed me the most in a different thread. But I will share the video here...
I am only a hobby flyer, so I haven’t explored the full capabilities of the bird. But I’m in love with hyperlapse, HDR video and active track. Check this out;

That's some pretty good tracking. Giving Skydio a run for its money!

 

[Giovanni]

Genuinely curious, why do people that have the M2P also buy the MA2?

I have a technical issue with the MP2. It will record fine sometimes and at others it looks as if it's going thru a hurricane. Changed multiple gimbals with no change. So it's my backup drone.

 

[bzmot]

But really is it? I need more people to comment on the performance of this drone. Youtube has done a great job so far. Let's hear from the rest of this community first.

Influencers on YouTube get money out of their reviews so they and their advertorials need to be taken with a grain of salt. GadgetGuy on the other hand is just a user and it seems to me he has long standing ties to this community. And yeah he just described his experience but it seems like an honest one.

 

[deltaoneas]

Recieved my Mavic Air 2 this weekend, my first drone and it is perfect... Absolutely love it... Did panic initially when I thought a cable was missing to connect my controller to the phone but this was actually in the inside zipper of the carry bag for the drone (only took half a day to realise that).

 

[itsneedtokno]

Have you seen a gimbal overload message if you have when it happens if it happens touch the gimbal and see if it'd buzzing at all. I have to send mine back got it yesterday and the gimbal is bad..

Yours too?! Same issue as mine

 

[G Randy Brown]

I need to play with the cine profile and come up with some LUTs

I hope you'll let us know if you want to share some.
I've used Vegas Pro for years but have never made one before so I want to learn soon (according to B&H mine ships expedited tomorrow)

 

[lee82gx]

Here's my 200 word homework on this drone. I have had the Air 1 as my first drone, and sold it to upgrade for this Air 2. I am still operating my Mavic Pro as well.

Flight - Wow, I didnt know that the flight characteristics can be improved, but it has. Much more nimble and agile. 4m/s ascent speed and 3m/s descent speed is much much faster than the Air 1 and the craft is still stable as we do so. I think this caught me off guard, as the Air 1 is now pedestrian in climb and descend compared to Air 2. I know, its modifiable and goes faster in S mode but I don't usually fly S mode with Air unless I want the battery to deplete in 11minutes.

In terms of flight agility I will give top marks.

I'm not sure I want to compare this to my Pro, but I think there is not much in between.

Yaw is kind of smooth with respect to camera view, DJI has this dialed in. I do wish for even smoother yawing via RC expo controls.

Sports mode really brings this drone into ludicrous, but so far I've only tested this once in a small area and don't want to crash my drone.

Camera - 48mp really works in even pre-dusk, and is kind of usable. I will need more time to review this. Smart photo does the job, I'm thinking much less about AEB now. JPEG from smart photo is welcome compared to merging raws. This is definitely a step up from Air 1 and many steps up from Mavic Pro

Panoramas are capturing and stitching faster too.

Battery life is surely a great relief, you get much more done and still have some juice to spare.
RC battery life is also great. I've depleted 1 LED in 2.5 aircraft batteries I think.

Occusync 2 - We the CE region folks are hard at work cracking the FCC hack especially on Android, but what I have today is WOW. Much better than even Occusync 1 in terms of quality and range. I'm flying near places that can at best give 2km of range and from memory Enhanced wifi goes 1.4km or less (on FCC mode no less), while on Occusync 1 WITH FCC HACK AND 1.5W boost, the distance is about the same extra but with much smoother view and controls.

The negatives :
Fly app - the white fonts are bad, really bad.
Fly app - we need more controls on the RC expo and gimbal
Fly app - no attitude ball. I use this to gauge the wind a lot, now its not here anymore.
Fly app - hopefully we get SDK and Litchi soon, as I want to do a lot of automated flights.

Aircraft - I really liked the size of Air 1, was bummed about the size and weight increase. Its not that much smaller than a Pro 1.
RC - Its nice to hold and use etc, but they could have made it shorter in height. The combined bulk of Aircraft + RC is a negative.

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

Not if the drone is under 250G. Thus why I am keeping the Mini for Canada and the Air 2 will stay home.

Most US rules except registration apply even below 250G
In Canada, the Mini is a Micro Drone. Basic Rule = Don't be stupid.
It does not fall under either Basic or Advance Operation rules.

I stand corrected, however, my brain went back to pre-mini times! There are some new rules being reviewed which might change this again also.

 

[StevieB]

Hey guys, mine arrived this morning ?- went through the unboxing and setting up with some excitement, then took it out for a flip.

First up, I really like the controller - it’s is a massive improvement over the MA1 - very easy to operate with everything at your fingertips. Instant connection with the aircraft - I found the MA to be finicky in this area at times. It’s great to hold as well, very ergonomic and fits perfectly in your hands. The phone (iPhone 11 Pro Max in my case) fits perfectly in the holder and is a solid fit, even with the phone cover.

Secondly, the Ocusync 2 - wow - you really feel the stability of the connection! I didn’t go too far or too high as it was windy here in Perth today, but the connection was solid and felt really good. I suppose it’s also a mental thing Just knowing that you have this technology.

Third up - 3 mode switch on front of the controller - tripod mode slows everything right down which is great for video - Sports mode - the speed is incredible! Gimbal wheel and shutter button are perfectly placed. I also like the fn function button, which you have the option to customize.

Lastly, the new props are super quiet compared to MA1 - you can hardly hear them. The bird itself is smaller and lighter than I expected, yet it feels robust in its finish.

On the downside, I’m not too keen on the new Dji Fly app - the old Go 4 app had much more functionality - I suppose we will get used to it though. Lots still to learn with shooting modes etc, and keen to try out the ND filters.

Our lockdown here in Aus allows us out, so I’ll have plenty of time to fly. I’ll be keeping my MA1 for now till I decide what to do with it. stay safe, cheers!

 

[GarthH]

Hey guys, mine arrived this morning ?- went through the unboxing and setting up with some excitement, then took it out for a flip.

First up, I really like the controller - it’s is a massive improvement over the MA1 - very easy to operate with everything at your fingertips. Instant connection with the aircraft - I found the MA to be finicky in this area at times. It’s great to hold as well, very ergonomic and fits perfectly in your hands. The phone (iPhone 11 Pro Max in my case) fits perfectly in the holder and is a solid fit, even with the phone cover.

Secondly, the Ocusync 2 - wow - you really feel the stability of the connection! I didn’t go too far or too high as it was windy here in Perth today, but the connection was solid and felt really good. I suppose it’s also a mental thing Just knowing that you have this technology.

Third up - 3 mode switch on front of the controller - tripod mode slows everything right down which is great for video - Sports mode - the speed is incredible! Gimbal wheel and shutter button are perfectly placed. I also like the fn function button, which you have the option to customize.

Lastly, the new props are super quiet compared to MA1 - you can hardly hear them. The bird itself is smaller and lighter than I expected, yet it feels robust in its finish.

On the downside, I’m not too keen on the new Dji Fly app - the old Go 4 app had much more functionality - I suppose we will get used to it though. Lots still to learn with shooting modes etc, and keen to try out the ND filters.

Our lockdown here in Aus allows us out, so I’ll have plenty of time to fly. I’ll be keeping my MA1 for now till I decide what to do with it. stay safe, cheers!

Great view! What are your thoughts on the bag? Too small for the items included?

 

[GarthH]

Here's my 200 word homework on this drone. I have had the Air 1 as my first drone, and sold it to upgrade for this Air 2. I am still operating my Mavic Pro as well.

Flight - Wow, I didnt know that the flight characteristics can be improved, but it has. Much more nimble and agile. 4m/s ascent speed and 3m/s descent speed is much much faster than the Air 1 and the craft is still stable as we do so. I think this caught me off guard, as the Air 1 is now pedestrian in climb and descend compared to Air 2. I know, its modifiable and goes faster in S mode but I don't usually fly S mode with Air unless I want the battery to deplete in 11minutes.

In terms of flight agility I will give top marks.

I'm not sure I want to compare this to my Pro, but I think there is not much in between.

Yaw is kind of smooth with respect to camera view, DJI has this dialed in. I do wish for even smoother yawing via RC expo controls.

Sports mode really brings this drone into ludicrous, but so far I've only tested this once in a small area and don't want to crash my drone.

Camera - 48mp really works in even pre-dusk, and is kind of usable. I will need more time to review this. Smart photo does the job, I'm thinking much less about AEB now. JPEG from smart photo is welcome compared to merging raws. This is definitely a step up from Air 1 and many steps up from Mavic Pro

Panoramas are capturing and stitching faster too.

Battery life is surely a great relief, you get much more done and still have some juice to spare.
RC battery life is also great. I've depleted 1 LED in 2.5 aircraft batteries I think.

Occusync 2 - We the CE region folks are hard at work cracking the FCC hack especially on Android, but what I have today is WOW. Much better than even Occusync 1 in terms of quality and range. I'm flying near places that can at best give 2km of range and from memory Enhanced wifi goes 1.4km or less (on FCC mode no less), while on Occusync 1 WITH FCC HACK AND 1.5W boost, the distance is about the same extra but with much smoother view and controls.

The negatives :
Fly app - the white fonts are bad, really bad.
Fly app - we need more controls on the RC expo and gimbal
Fly app - no attitude ball. I use this to gauge the wind a lot, now its not here anymore.
Fly app - hopefully we get SDK and Litchi soon, as I want to do a lot of automated flights.

Aircraft - I really liked the size of Air 1, was bummed about the size and weight increase. Its not that much smaller than a Pro 1.
RC - Its nice to hold and use etc, but they could have made it shorter in height. The combined bulk of Aircraft + RC is a negative.

I have a Mavic Pro, planning to get the Air 2 later this year. What is your impression of the difference between 4k video on the M1P and MA2? Is it a huge step up? I know the specs are certainly better on the MA2, just wondering if it also translates to the eye test from someone with both drones.

 

[lee82gx]

I have a Mavic Pro, planning to get the Air 2 later this year. What is your impression of the difference between 4k video on the M1P and MA2? Is it a huge step up? I know the specs are certainly better on the MA2, just wondering if it also translates to the eye test from someone with both drones.

I will have to get back to you on this . Still photo wise it’s easy to see the difference. If you can take 60fps and smooth it to 24fps, that’s already a good plus in my book. I don’t take too much video to be honest.

 

[fourbeer]

Pros: Flew nicely and very similarly to my Mavic Pro Platinum, easy access to spotlight feature is handy.

Cons: Battery Warning but battery was seated correctly. Orientation icon turned red when I flew aircraft more than 40 meters away from me. No course lock in regular video modes, quickshots are all 1080p, no gimbal sensitivity settings.

I have seen youtubers mention the random battery warning issue. Hopefully this is resolved with a firmware upgrade.

As for the orientation icon, I am going to try to calibrate my phone's magnetometer while it is sitting in the controller cradle as well as the drone's magnetometer and try again.

 

[Ice_2k]

Pros: Flew nicely and very similarly to my Mavic Pro Platinum, easy access to spotlight feature is handy.

Cons: Battery Warning but battery was seated correctly. Orientation icon turned red when I flew aircraft more than 40 meters away from me. No course lock in regular video modes, quickshots are all 1080p, no gimbal sensitivity settings.

I have seen youtubers mention the random battery warning issue. Hopefully this is resolved with a firmware upgrade.

As for the orientation icon, I am going to try to calibrate my phone's magnetometer while it is sitting in the controller cradle as well as the drone's magnetometer and try again.

Someone reported that with today's update of DJI Fly, quickshots now support 2.7k and 4k. Could you confirm this?

 

[swooshdave]

Cons: Battery Warning but battery was seated correctly. Orientation icon turned red when I flew aircraft more than 40 meters away from me. No course lock in regular video modes, quickshots are all 1080p, no gimbal sensitivity settings.

I have seen youtubers mention the random battery warning issue. Hopefully this is resolved with a firmware upgrade.

I had this with one of my batteries. It said it wasn't seated. There is a little wiggle room for the batteries and after some inserting/removing and wiggling it went away and has not returned. I chalk it up to a new mechanism. If the battery tangs are stiff they won't touch the contact on the drone.

 

[CountryGuy]

No ability to save the 26 original images for the panos, let alone shoot them in DNG.

Great, detailed review. Thanks.
But given panos are one of the main areas of interest to me, your comment above is not good news.

 

[z28lt1]

Great, detailed review. Thanks.
But given panos are one of the main areas of interest to me, your comment above is not good news.

This has been corrected by another user (I though the same thing as the note you quoted). After you select the pano, you can pick to save the .jpg or the .dng files (but as later pointed out, not both).

 

[Exotic Blacklist]

Picked up my MA2 from the store on the day before. It seems to be readily available and the version they sell here is the North Amerian verion with ADS-B. Charged the batteries and the remote and took it out for a quick spin yesterday after updating the firmware.
Our regulations are pretty stringent and there not many places in the city you can fly besides my license for the city is pending thanks to Covid-19. However, my approval for the drone from the other authority that controls the reat of the country came in.
It was a windy day and i had to drive about 75kms outside the city to fly the bird in the middle of the desert. I was very impressed with the MA2, it felt buttery amooth, very quiet and almost sounded like an aircraft while flying but with a lower noise level. I flew for about 14 minutes with about 13 to spare. Considering that i also updated the firmware within the same battery and charge, this was very impressive. Haven’t flown the bird since. I also have the MM and the MA as well.
Hope this is useful information.