I think most are saying it’s a weird omission from a beginner friendly drone. There are two types of drones, those which haven’t crashed yet, and those that remain in the box. I own a few dozen dji drones drones, everything from homemade racing quads to an Inspire 2 with x7 – that is to say I very much doubt this was somehow user error. Firmware was updated, compass calibrated, 11 GPS locked.
I used the GPS trax from the app and hiked in some rugged terrain and never to be found. Tons and tons of landing on the two main runways, yes, but very, very few on the short one. Heck, my model airplane airfield is a mile closer and along the same line. I have had three drones, one without obstacle avoidance. OA is nice to have, but not required if you stay out of risky situations, IMO. Get the drone up and away from trees and/or buildings where you want to shoot video or stills anyway.
The Mini 2’s camera matches the Mavic Mini’s in angle of view, aperture, and still resolution. The extra pixels are helpful, so you can view video on your 4K UHD TV at full quality. A digital zoom feature is included—it’s lossless when recording at 2.7K or 1080p, but does cut into video quality if you use it for 4K. The drone includes transceivers for both GPS and GLONASS positioning systems, tools that work to pinpoint its location on a map and improve its ability to hover almost perfectly in place. It’s a feature you hope you don’t have to use, but is there if you need it. Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform.
Newer models from the company, like the DJI Air 2S, tend to cost a little more, ranging from $999 to over $2000. The Mini 2 is a little more expensive than the Mavic mini, but even at this new price, combined with the minimal take-off weight, the Mini 2 is a fantastic starter drone. The Mini 2 has, so far, overcome all of the video hiccups we identified with the Mavic Mini. The Mavic Mini occasionally jittered when spinning the drone in place, the camera would jerk to re-center as it didn’t quite balance the mechanical and digital stabilization. That was mostly fixed on the Mavic Mini through software updates, but still remained a little.
This comes within $1 of the all-time low and is the second-best price to date. This may not be the most recent addition to the DJI stable, but the Mavic Mini still features a 3-axis motorized gimbal to deliver ”ultra-smooth” 2.7K Quad HD videos thanks to its onboard 12MP camera. Each of the three included batteries will net you 30 minute of flight time, which rounds out the package alongside some additional accessories and a carrying case to store everything in.
If you’ve ever used a DJI product, whether it’s the DJI OM 4, DJI Pocket 2, or any of its drones, the overriding theme is smooth and steady. DJI’s reliable stabilization has become as synonymous with the brand as the shades of grey that adorn all its products, and we’re here for all of it. In the DJI Fly app, press the shooting modes button, and a simple menu cascades in from the right side with a host of shooting modes. The first set of options are Photo, Video, Quickshot, and Pano, but you can dive into each of these for more granular settings.