Review – The DJI Mavic 2 – The New Models Are Finally Here! – Updated!

We’ve been waiting for some time but, now, the wait is over! The DJI Mavic 2 series has been officially announced and two models have been released. What’s new? What sets them apart from the previous Mavic offerings? Was it worth the wait? Now that the new models are finally here, let’s review them and find out.

After you’ve read this post you can go back to my older post, DJI Mavic – Which One to Choose, and compare the stats to see if the new offerings are worthy of your money or if the older offerings meet your needs better for a lower price.

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What’s the Same?

In a nutshell, a lot and not much:

• The form factor is roughly the same, looking pretty much like its predecessors.
• It is slightly larger than the Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum at 214x91x84 mm folded and 322x242x84 mm unfolded.
• The cameras appear to be fixed and not interchangeable, as previously rumored.
• The Intelligent Flight Modes that we’ve come to love are still there (with additional ones borrowed from the Mavic Air).

 

What’s New?

Quite a bit, actually. Two Models have been released, the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 2 Zoom. Each one offers something different so we’re going to split this section into three parts: What’s common to both models, what the Mavic 2 Pro offers and what the Mavic Pro Zoom offers. The real differences between the two models will be the cameras and flight modes/options related to them. Let’s just start listing them off:

New Stuff That’s Common to Both Models:

• Interval Shots – Both cameras offer Interval shots: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s.
• Increased Frame Rates – Both cameras offer the following video resolutions with new frame rates when compared to the Mavic Pro line: 2.7K: 2688×1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p, FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p.
• Bit Rate – Both cameras have a maximum video bit rate of 100Mbps (New compared to the Mavic Pro series, the same compared to the Mavic Air).
• Size – Both drones are slightly larger, measuring 214x91x84 mm folded and 322x242x84 mm unfolded.
• Maximum Speed – Increased to 72 kph, besting both the Mavic Pro and Mavic Air offerings.
• Service Ceiling – Increased by 20% and now stands at 6000 m above sea level.
• Maximum Flight Time – Increased to 31 minutes.
• Maximum Flight Distance – Increased to 18 km.
• Operating Temperature Range – Now starting at -10°C vs its predecessors, starting at 0°C allowing for operation in colder environments.
• 8 GB of internal storage – This is the same that’s offered on the Mavic Air, but new when compared to the Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum.
• Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing – There are now sensors looking forward, backward, upward, downward and on the sides, allowing the aircraft to avoid obstacles in all directions.
• OcuSync 2.0 – Real-time auto-switching between 2.4 and 5.8 GHz allowing for a 1080p video feed from up to 8 km away.
• Larger, higher capacity battery.
• Hyperlapse – This new mode, available on both models, enables you to create professional-looking timelapses with ease. The images are processed automatically in the aircraft.
• Enhanced HDR Photos – An improved technique that blends a sequence of photos for ghost-free high dynamic range, offering increased image clarity while avoiding unwanted artificial effects.
• HyperLight – A low-light setting designed to enhance your images while reducing noise significantly.
• HEVC/H.265 codec – Videos in H.265/HEVC codec maintain 50% more information than videos in H.264/AVC, creating high-quality videos with
  better-preserved details.
• Lower-Noise Design – FOC sinusoidal drive ESCs and low-noise propellers make your flight incredibly quiet.
• ActiveTrack 2.0 – Several enhancements both in the hardware and software departments makes ActiveTrack a whole new experience:
  • Precise Recognition – The Mavic 2 maps a 3-dimensional view of the surrounding environment through the main camera and forward dual vision sensors for greater recognition and accuracy.
  • Trajectory Prediction – Trajectory prediction algorithms help to maintain tracking when your subject is blocked by an obstruction temporarily.
  • High-Speed Tracking – The Mavic 2 can track fast moving subjects like cars and boats at speeds of up to 72 kph.
  • Obstacle Sensing – The Mavic 2 can plan a flight path on its 3D map. It will sense, recognize, and avoid obstacles in front of and behind the aircraft.
• Panoramas – Four panorama modes are supported including Sphere, 180°, Horizontal and Vertical.

New Stuff Specific to the Mavic 2 Pro:

• 1″ CMOS 20 Megapixel sensor made by Hasselblad – This is by far one of the most anticipated upgrades for the Mavic line. Offering Hasselblad’s Natural Color Solution technology and offering better performance in low-light conditions.
• 10-bit Dlog-M color profile – Offering higher dynamic range, more colors, more details and more flexibility when it comes to color grading in post-production.
• HDR Video – Plug into a 4K TV with HLG and will immediately play back footage with the right color tones.
• Adjustable Aperture – This camera boasts an f/2.8-f/11 adjustable aperture to deliver excellent image quality regardless of the lighting conditions.

New Stuff Specific to the Mavic 2 Zoom:

• 2x Optical Zoom – This model’s camera has a 24-48 mm optical zooming lens allowing you to zoom in on your subject without disturbing them and even create some unique shots.
• 4x Lossless Zoom Capability – Combining the optical and digital zoom features you can get an effective 4x zoom to really get in there.
• Enhanced Parallax Effect – You can compress your perspective for a classic cinematic look.
• Hybrid Auto Focus – Phase and contrast detection are combined for higher focus accuracy and an increased focus speed of up to 40%. Subjects remain clear and sharp while zooming in and out.
• New Quickshot! Dolly Zoom – This one is tough to describe in text but think of the shots where your subject remains the same size but the background zooms in or gets bigger. It’s kind of like that.
• Super Resolution Photos – The camera will capture nine photos with its telephoto lens and stitch them together into a 48-megapixel super resolution photo.

 

Show Me Some Cool Videos.

Check out these promo videos from DJI:

Let’s See the Specs!

Again we’re going to break this down to what’s common and then what’s unique to each drone with what’s unique first:

 

Specs for the Mavic 2 Pro:

MAVIC 2 PRO CAMERA

Sensor	1” CMOS Effective Pixels: 20 million
Lens	FOV: about 77° 35 mm Format Equivalent: 28 mm Aperture: f/2.8–f/11 Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞
ISO Range	Video: 100-6400 Photo: 100-3200 (auto) 100-12800 (manual)
Shutter Speed	Electronic Shutter: 8–1/8000s
Still Image Size	5472×3648
Still Photography Modes	Single shot Burst shooting: 3/5 frames Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV Bias Interval (JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s)
Video Resolution	4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p 2.7K: 2688×1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
Max Video Bitrate	100Mbps
Color Mode	Dlog-M (10bit), support HDR video (HLG 10bit)
Supported File System	FAT32 (≤ 32 GB) exFAT (> 32 GB)
Photo Format	JPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video Format	MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)

Specs for the Mavic 2 Zoom:

MAVIC 2 ZOOM CAMERA

Sensor	1/2.3″ CMOS Effective Pixels: 12 million
Lens	FOV: about 83° (24 mm); about 48° (48 mm） 35 mm Format Equivalent: 24-48 mm Aperture: f/2.8 (24 mm)–f/3.8 (48 mm) Shooting Range: 0.5 m to ∞
ISO Range	Video: 100-3200 Photo: 100-1600 (auto) 100-3200 (manual)
Shutter Speed	Electronic Shutter: 8–1/8000s
Still Image Size	4000×3000
Still Photography Modes	Single shot Burst shooting: 3/5/7 frames Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV Bias Interval (JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s RAW:5/7/10/15/20/30/60s)
Video Resolution	4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p 2.7K: 2688×1512 24/25/30/48/50/60p FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
Max Video Bitrate	100Mbps
Color Mode	D-Clinelike
Supported File System	FAT32 (≤ 32 GB) exFAT (> 32 GB)
Photo Format	JPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video Format	MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265)

Specs Common to Both Models:

AIRCRAFT

Takeoff Weight	Mavic 2 Pro: 907 g Mavic 2 Zoom: 905g
Dimensions	Folded: 214×91×84 mm (length×width×height) Unfolded: 322×242×84 mm (length×width×height)
Diagonal Distance	354 mm
Max Ascent Speed	5 m/s (S-mode) 4 m/s (P-mode)
Max Descent Speed	3 m/s (S-mode) 3 m/s (P-mode)
Max Speed (near sea level, no wind)	72 kph (S-mode)
Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level	6000 m
Max Flight Time (no wind)	31 minutes (at a consistent 25 kph)
Max Hovering Time (no wind)	29 minutes
Max Flight Distance (no wind)	18 km (at a consistent 50 kph)
Max Wind Speed Resistance	29–38 kph
Max Tilt Angle	35° (S-mode, with remote controller) 25° (P-mode)
Max Angular Velocity	200°/s
Operating Temperature Range	-10°C – 40°C
Operating Frequency	2.400 – 2.483 GHz 5.725 – 5.850 GHz
Transmission Power (EIRP)	2.400 – 2.483 GHz FCC：≤26 dBm CE：≤20 dBm SRRC：≤20 dBm MIC：≤20 dBm 5.725-5.850 GHz FCC：≤26 dBm CE：≤14 dBm SRRC：≤26 dBm
GNSS	GPS+GLONASS
Hovering Accuracy Range	Vertical: ± 0.1 m (when vision positioning is active) ± 0.5 m (with GPS positioning) Horizontal: ± 0.3 m (when vision positioning is active) ± 1.5 m (with GPS positioning)
Internal Storage	8 GB

SENSING SYSTEM

Sensing System	Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing1
Forward	Precision Measurement Range: 0.5 – 20 m Detectable Range: 20 – 40 m Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 14m/s FOV: Horizontal: 40°, Vertical: 70°
Backward	Precision Measurement Range: 0.5 – 16 m Detectable Range: 16 – 32 m Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 12m/s FOV: Horizontal: 60°, Vertical: 77°
Upward	Precision Measurement Range: 0.1 – 8 m
Downward	Precision Measurement Range: 0.5 – 11 m Detectable Range: 11 – 22 m
Sides	Precision Measurement Range: 0.5 – 10 m Effective Sensing Speed: ≤ 8m/s FOV: Horizontal: 80°, Vertical: 65°
Operating Environment	Forward, Backward and Sides: Surface with clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux > 15) Upward: Detects diffuse reflective surfaces (>20%) (walls, trees, people, etc.) Downward: Surface with clear pattern and adequate lighting (lux > 15) Detects diffuse reflective surfaces (>20%) (walls, trees, people, etc.)

GIMBAL

Mechanical Range	Tilt: -135–45° Pan: -100–100°
Controllable Range	Tilt: -90–30° Pan: -75–75°
Stabilization	3-axis (tilt, roll, pan)
Max Control Speed (tilt)	120° /s
Angular Vibration Range	±0.01° (Mavic 2 Pro) ±0.005° (Mavic 2 Zoom)

REMOTE CONTROLLER

Operating Frequency	2.400 – 2.483 GHz; 5.725 – 5.850 GHz
Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference)	2.400 – 2.483 GHz; 5.725 – 5.850 GHz FCC: 8000 m CE: 5000 m SRRC: 5000 m MIC: 5000 m
Operating Temperature Range	0℃ – 40℃
Transmission Power (EIRP)	2.400 – 2.483 GHz FCC: ≤26 dBm CE: ≤20 dBm SRRC: ≤20 dBm MIC: ≤20 dBm 5.725-5.850 GHz FCC: ≤26 dBm CE: ≤14 dBm SRRC: ≤26 dBm
Battery	3950 mAh
Operating Current/Voltage	1800 mA ⎓ 3.83 V
Supported Mobile Device Size	Max length: 160 mm; max thickness: 6.5–8.5 mm
Supported USB Port Types	Lightning, Micro USB (Type-B), USB-C

INTELLIGENT FLIGHT BATTERY

Capacity	3850 mAh
Voltage	15.4 V
Max Charging Voltage	17.6 V
Battery Type	LiPo 4S
Energy	59.29 Wh
Net Weight	297 g
Charging Temperature Range	5℃ – 40℃
Max Charging Power	80 W

CHARGER

Input	100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 1.8A
Output	Main: 17.6 V ⎓ 3.41 A or 17.0 V ⎓ 3.53 A USB: 5 V⎓2 A
Voltage	17.6 ± 0.1 V
Rated Power	60 W

SUPPORTED SD CARDS

Supported SD Cards	Micro SD™ Supporting Micro SD with capacity up to 128 GB and R/W speed up to UHS-I Speed Grade 3

APP

Video Transmission System	OcuSync 2.0
Name	DJI GO 4
Live View Quality	Remote Controller: 720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps DJI Goggles: 720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps DJI Goggles RE: 720p@30fps / 1080p@30fps
Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device)	120 – 130 ms
Max Live View Bitrate	40Mbps
Required Operating System	iOS 9.0 or later Android 4.4 or later

 

Which Model is Best?

This is actually much tougher question than I thought it would be. I really want that 1″ 20 MP sensor on the Mavic 2 Pro but I love the zoom features too and especially the Dolly Zoom option that the Mavic 2 Zoom offers. The price difference between the 2 is $200 so in the end I think it will boil down to your specific needs. I really wish DJI had made the cameras modular so I could simply swap between them depending on my need at the moment. Instead, I’m sitting here thinking I might end up buying both.

Update! – Willie Morris just posted an awesome how-to on creating the Dolly Zoom effect in post-production using footage from any drone! See my Dolly Zoom Effect With Any Drone by Willie Morris – A Mini Post to learn how! With this new information I have made my decision to go with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro model, for the upgraded camera.

Update again! – DJI announced a camera swap service.  Now you can get whichever drone you were leaning toward and swap out the cameras later!  Check out my DJI Mavic 2 – Camera Swap Service post for more information.

Conclusion

There you have it. The DJI Mavic2 series is finally out and the reviews are in. Rumors have been confirmed and shot down. Now that the new models are finally here, what are your plans? Will you buy the Pro, the Zoom, wait for the rumored Enterprise edition, stick with what you have or take another route? Let me know by commenting below.

Update yet again! – The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise model has been released.  Check it out in my https://mavicmaniacs.com/the-dji-mavic-2-enterprise-its-finally-here post.

Even though I want the new offerings really bad, I’m seriously considering waiting a bit to see what others have to say when they get their hands on them and to see if the Enterprise version gets released as I’d like to know what it may have to offer (that’s assuming such a beast is even in the works).

If you’ve made your decision and are ready to buy now, please follow one of the links below to place your order:

From DJI:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Dynnex Drones (don’t forget to use my $10 off cupon code: Mavicmaniacs10):

 

 

 

 

From Amazon.com:

DJI Mavic 2 Zoom

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Thank you,

Scott Hinkle

MavicManiacs.com