DJI AIR 2S
SPECIFICATIONS Price: £899/$999 drone only. £1169/$1299 FlyMore combo Sensor: 1in CMOS sensor, 20megapixels Lens: 22mmequivalent, f/2.8 ISO: 100-12,800 Recording format: MOV/ MP4 150Mbps H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC. 5472x3078 24p/25p/30p. 3840x2160 24p/25p/30p/48p/50p/60p. 1920x1080 24p/25p/30p/48p/ 50p/60p/120p Still images: 20megapixels NDG/JPEG/Raw Memory card: Micro SD Maximumhorizontal speed: 42.5mph (Smode), 33.6mph (Nmode), 11.2mph (Cmode) Maximumascent/descent speed: 13.4mph Maximumwind resistance: 23.5mph Maximumflight time: 31minutes Maximumtilt angle: 35° GNSS support: GPS, GLONASS Frequency: 2.4/5.8Ghz Maximumdistance: 7.5miles Connections: Micro USB, Lightning, USB-C Sensors: Forward, backward, upward, downward Obstacle sensory range: 0.4-44m/1.3-144.4ft Battery: 3200maH Dimensions (wxhxd): 183x77x253mm/7.2x3x10in unfolded Weight: 595g/1.31lb astonishing, quality 4K and higher video Handling: 9 Easy to fly and filmwith Value formoney: 10 A great-value drone that punches above its weight OVERALL RATING: 9/10 The best affordable, small drone every filmmaker needs Pros: Great image quality, useful features Cons: No sideways sensors or adjustable iris
But for those of us who use a drone only occasionally, the Air 2S has numerous programmed flight and image capture modes. It would be easy to scoff at these as gimmicks for amateurs, but they are actually very good and deliver results it would normally take years to perfect. FocusTrack is one such mode. This is where a subject is selected by drawing a square around it on the controlling mobile device. Then, you either set the drone to create a flight path around the subject, track it as it moves, or keep the subject locked
in the same position in the frame, while you concentrate on flying the drone. This means it can follow a moving car, and circle round in front of it, while keeping the car centre of frame. There are also interesting modes built in, such as circle, rocket, helix and boomerang. These offer easy ways of creating some cool moves automatically. Only once did the drone lose the subject, and it was easy to cancel the move and return to the home position. However, these shots record in standard 8-bit colours only. The only thing that wasn’t an improvement is tripod mode, which is now called Cine. Tripod mode used to move the drone very slowly, ideal for low-level cinematic shots. Cine mode is faster, so you have to be more careful using the sticks. Perhaps new firmware will alter this, as it’s pretty much the only gripe we had with what is an incredible bit of kit.
FOLD IN By tucking in the props and arms, the Air 2S is incredibly small. See the amazing graded footage below
THE VERDICT For the money, nothing comes close to the performance of this DJI Air 2S drone. It’s so small when folded, you can pack it into a corner of your kitbag. It’s fast to set up and use, quiet, the images are incredible and the app is fantastic. The built-in moves are useful for anyone less than a fully time-served drone pilot, although allowing a choice of settings when using them would be better.
to stunning aerial videos and photos with this latest DJI drone.
We would have preferred a lens with an adjustable aperture and sideways- collision sensors, as well as a way to alter the speed of Cine mode when flying. But these don’t stop it being a wonderful bit of kit. As it weighs more than 250g, an A2 CofC certificate is required to fly it legally – or your country’s equivalent – for commercial and hobby use. Do that, pass the exam, and you are well on your way
More information
dji.com
HOW IT RATES
Features: 9 Prettymuch all you couldwant, except adjustable aperture Performance: 9 It flies well and records
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