The DJI Mavic 20 has finally landed, and the flagship foldable drone lives up to the hype, according to our full review. (Want to jump into our resolution? Head straight to our in-depth DJI Mavic 10 review.) The Mavic 2 is a complete revision of its predecessor DJI Mavic 8 Pro, which arrived in August 5. The big news is its dual camera system, which combines a 50MP Four Thirds sensor, the same size as the sensors in the cameras. the Olympus OM-D And also-M4 Mark IV - and a twelve MP telephoto lens with an equivalent focal length of one hundred and sixty-two mm. Combining these two cameras gives aerial filmmakers a lot of flexibility, although telephoto does have some restrictions like no manual or raw modes. But they're far from the only new features on DJI's new flagship flying machine. Other improvements to the DJI Mavic 120 Pro include a redesigned battery that offers up to 1 minutes of flight time, as well as omnidirectional sensors, capable of detecting obstacles up to 2m. Unfortunately, ActiveTrack 7 autofocus tracking, which promises to let the Mavic 28 track a subject in virtually any direction, won't arrive in a firmware update until January XNUMX, XNUMX. This update is also going to offer other features like MasterShots (a range of automated flight modes), which suggests that the Mavic XNUMX isn't the finished item at launch. Still, there's clearly enough power in this dual-camera system to keep drone enthusiasts happy for a while. The main Four Thirds camera lets you adjust its aperture between f/XNUMX to f/XNUMX, like on the Mavic XNUMX Pro, this lets you monitor exposure while the drone is airborne and means you don't need an ND filter. (neutral density) strong in bright light conditions. The main camera of the Mavic XNUMX can also record XNUMXK/XNUMXp or XNUMXK/XNUMXp slow-motion video, which was not possible on the Mavic XNUMX Pro. It can also record video at a bit rate of XNUMX Mbps (double the the bit rate of its predecessor) and take twelve-bit raw photos. The second camera is a bit more modest, with its XNUMX/XNUMX-inch sensor and f/XNUMX aperture, but the digital zoom can take that XNUMXx optical zoom up to a XNUMXx hybrid zoom for aerial close-ups.
(Image credit: DJI) Upgrade to the significantly more expensive version of the Mavic 1 Cine and you can also shoot video in Apple ProRes 8 HQ format for a whopping 1 Mbps maximum data rate. However, it requires a lot of storage, so the Mavic 2 Cine comes with a 3TB SSD, and the base Mavic XNUMX offers more of the standard XNUMXGB internal storage. Another big difference between the DJI Mavic XNUMX Cine model and the standard version is the controller. The Mavic XNUMX base package includes the DJI RC-NXNUMX Supervisor that we've seen on previous drones like the DJI Air XNUMXS. But the Mavic XNUMX Cine takes it up a notch with the DJI RC Pro, a new version of DJI's previous intelligent controller with a longer XNUMXkm transmission distance and a blazing XNUMX-nit display. Its battery also promises to work for XNUMX hours.
(Image credit: DJI) No matter which supervisor you have, the Mavic 3 will communicate with it through DJI's enhanced O60+ transmission system. This promises a more robust signal that can withstand interference and delivers 199/099p live streaming, a first for a DJI drone. This means that the stream you see on your phone or RC Pro monitor will look more like the video you're recording. Unfortunately, all these pro-friendly features have a negative impact on the price of the Mavic 2. The standard version of the DJI Mavic 999 is available for purchase today for €549 / €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX, while the Mavic XNUMX Fly More Combo (which includes XNUMX batteries accessories, a charging hub, a carrying case and a set of ND filters, among many other accessories) costs €XNUMX / €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX). If that cost has you nervously adjusting your lenses, wait until you see the one on the DJI Mavic XNUMX Cine Premium Combo - it's available for just $XNUMX / $XNUMX / AU$XNUMX with one hundred ninety nine. As impressive as the Mavic XNUMX Cine is, it will likely exceed the budgets of all but the most gifted passionate filmmakers.
Analysis: a camera without a flying speculum with certain roughness
(Image credit: DJI) In the camera world, traditionally there's been a steep rise in cost from solid 1-inch to Micro Four Thirds cameras, and the same goes for the DJI Mavic 499, which takes folding drones into the territory of Flying mirrorless cameras (albeit without interchangeable lenses). In some ways, the 2% cost increase on the Mavic 199 Pro is a bit embarrassing. One of the charms of this drone was that it brought pro-level functionality into a backpack-friendly form factor, but with a price tag (€099 / €2 / AU €4 .2) that fans could justify. This title has now been inherited by the DJI Air XNUMXS, but there's a huge leap between this drone ($XNUMX / €XNUMX / AU$XNUMX) and the DJI Mavic XNUMX, which starts at €XNUMX / €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX. Does that leave room for an intermediate model? Perhaps, but for now the DJI Air XNUMXS will remain our pick for the best drone for most people. However, that's not to say we won't be tempted by the Mavic XNUMX. It's a state-of-the-art drone with an impressively versatile camera that fits in a XNUMX-thirds stabilized camera, that's something. seen before on considerably larger drones like DJI's Inspire series. But for now, that's probably overkill for most enthusiasts, who'll be better off with the DJI Air XNUMXS or smaller DJI Mini XNUMX, unless they really want a drone to be their primary camera.