What Is The DJI Air 2S?

The DJI Air 2S drone is an incredible achievement, packing a top camera inside a tiny airframe, and integrating it AI systems that are effective and easy to use. It is a step up to the Air 2, welcoming photo enthusiasts to the world of drones with a higher level of accessibility that it has been in the past. Bikers, outdoor adventurers, travelers and surfers will appreciate the drone’s features and size and it’s Mavic 2 Pro now looks extremely difficult to justify.

It is a new paradigm for the possibilities of drone photography by putting a 1 inch sensor in a small package and then enclosing it with sophisticated safety features and compositional tools. However it can be viewed as simply taking the very efficient DJI Air 2, released just 12 months ago and boosting the specs up a little.

In a sense both views are correct. When we look back on earlier models, like the Air 2, that drone was equipped with a new airframe, which was placed in between DJI Mavic 2 Zoom (905g) along with the Mavic Mini (249g), providing DJI’s line of folding drones a unified style. This Air’s smaller camera was larger than the one it replaced and, of course, certain fans believed that the Mavic 2 Pro’s one-inch sensor was better. way lower.

People who want large sensors have gotten what they’ve always wanted however, before we discuss this in depth it’s important to note that size of the sensor isn’t all. . Drone users are constantly adjusting their expectations in AI in terms of improving security and subject tracking and many are expecting an easier method of sharing information.

What’s the camera’s specs?

The Air 2S’s first predecessor which was that of the Air 2, sported a 48-megapixel camera equipped with a the quad-Bayer filter. Many consider to be 12 megapixels , or 1.6 microns. The new camera easily beats the previous model with 5472 x3648 inches (20 millimeters) in 2.4 microns. Of course, the Air 2 gives the option of saving a 48-megapixel image and, to be honest, it does look pretty impressive, however, the physics are at the 1 inch sensor’s back in terms of image quality.

Another obvious contrast is the Mavic 2 Pro’s camera of 1 inch with 20 megapixels, but provides a smaller field of view that is 77@ (28mm EFL) as opposed to the Air 2S’s wide 88@ (22mm EFL) which makes an obvious difference when shooting. Sometimes, a larger field of view is advertised as if having a larger number is better, but it’s not the case with Air 2S seems to be at a point where I am reaching my limit and the digital zoom option is available however it is only available in specific video modes.

Another notable distinction in this camera from the Mavic’s is that the former features an adjustable aperture (f/2.8-f/11) and the Air 2S’s aperture is fixed. It sounds less than it really is since the Mavic’s images appear better when they are viewed from a wider angle and mainly because a lot of drone work involves blending the depth of field. However, it’s an excellent idea to utilize the focus peaking feature. You may be tapping on the display to test the focus more frequently as you do using other drones (exactly like that of the Mavic 2 Pro) and making sure you have ND filters (included in the Fly More kit) to be on hand. Pro tip: Always have some wipes to clean the grease off of your phone’s screen in case it gets accumulated and can make it difficult to use, especially in bright lighting.

Video quality

In particular, with regard to video the boost to an maximal of 5.4K (5472 3078) will impress any drone, regardless of the drone is running at 30fps. You can reduce it to 4K (3840 2160 x 3840) which not just makes the whole image get a significant zoom to fit that of the original crop but the frame rates are increased to 60 fps or (in the model I tried) the digital zoom can be used at 30 frames per second or lower. Digital zoom will likely appeal to only those who wish to share their content quickly, and the lack of it in 10-bit video formats is not to be a problem It’s also unavailable at 120fps which may hint at the limits of the hardware.

I’m guessing that the majority of the time when shooting in 4K is the norm, and perhaps one of the smaller resolutions that are used by MasterShots automatic shooting system, the standard smaller crop, without zoom, is the most popular choice generally. It eliminates sharp edges, and also helps bring you closer to the subject in the case of a feature such as the automatic ActiveTrack to track a mountain biker you’ll be happy with them taking up some than the rest of the screen. However, you have the alternative of 5.4K (and perhaps some additional work to post) is usually an alternative for the most committed.

Video Sample, taken at 4K resolution using the DJI Air 2S

The video quality is amazing and can be seen in the 150Mbps bitrate (with well over even the speed of Mavic’s 2 Pro’s 100Mbps). The video can be captured in 10-bit D-log. In addition, the processing algorithms for images go far to allow post-editing and post-processing to be mostly unnecessary for most. There is a possibility by switching to “Pro” mode to secure the camera settings prior to starting a shot in which turning the camera could cause an adjustment in the intensity, but the camera does a great job of this, particularly when shooting at Cine speed (i.e. slow speeds to film).
Intelligent shooting

Utilizing drones to record fascinating action, particularly video, is a huge draw to outdoor enthusiasts . The enhancements to Air 2S Air 2S felt to me to make this experience more logical than prior drones.

The ease of using a dragged and tap to frame a person, as well as allowing the drone choose (it recognizes humans by itself) to be following (using ActiveTrack 4) or otherwise pay attention to surprising things, even though this isn’t something that’s new for DJI drones.

The area where you can see that Air 2S moves things along substantially is through the addition of upward-facing sensors for avoiding obstacles. When they are placed here (in addition to the pair on the underside and back) the drone is able to see ahead whether it’s leaning towards rapid flight or moving calmly. This is a far better design than the basic distance sensors on the rear of the Mavic 2 series which can only detect an overhead or a branch that is above the rotors. Perhaps some useful lessons learned during the development of an FPV for DJI?

The result has been that I managed use ActiveTrack in order to track me around as an obstacle moved about and the aircraft stayed focused on me and did not hit vertical or horizontal obstacles, avoiding them even when I turned and remained in my path.

DJI’s primary rival in this field is Skydio However, even though Skydio’s American firm boasts of it’s AI collision avoidance when compared to Mavic 2, it seems that their advantage in this field is slipping away, whereas the Air 2S is having their camera beat already.

In normal flight the safety sensors provide the option of either stopping-and-hovering or re-route the aircraft around obstacles and it has was the case for me every time (though strangely, I needed to land to convince the system to change its direction).

DJI is calling the new technology for avoiding obstacles APAS 4, and are determined to highlight the sensors in four directions. On the wish list are sensors with all-round capabilities but there aren’t any on the sides , but the gimbal has panning capabilities which can be a solution in certain cases.

There are some quirks within the software, also. MasterShots’ ability to drop the system’s resolution to 1080p which is not noticeable, and before it starts the sequence of photos may seem funny, however the editing load that will be provided through the DJI Fly app will provide will also be reduced. I dislike it difficult to define the Hyperlapse route for manual flight difficult to establish, but an update to the software might make it easier to define this.

The Drone

It’s strange to not talk about the drone’s features until this point in this review. However, in this case the camera as well as the technology that supports the features for pilot assistance are the main drawcards. Air 2S Air 2S is, after all, clearly based on a DJI Air 2S‘s frame (with the addition of shell components to allow for the additional sensors on top). If you like it and preferences, it will look better with a few extra eyes.

The 3-axis gimbal worked with no issues during my testing. In retrospect, the space available for the gimbal on Air 2, Air 2, a model with a larger camera appears to be quite plausible even while the overall weight rises by 595g (25g more) it feels similarly agile when in the air. The decrease from 3 mins of flying time to 31 minutes, doesn’t sound important but I did notice that I could accomplish a little less when flying.

The drone also has GPS/GLONASS (and was a perfect return-to-home during my testing) as well as an LED that is downward facing, and an updated transmission technology, O3 (which refers to the abbreviated name for what used initially referred to as OcuSync 3). The range of this drone is 12km (in FCC areas), and, in my tests, I didn’t notice any video drops whatsoever.

The controller is exactly the same as the one that came with the original Air 2, which marked an impressive improvement in terms of battery durability as well as phone grip over models that came with other DJI drones that were portable. The more time I’ve spent with it hasn’t helped me discover any flaws with the device.