There are some image leaks of the new Mavic 3 featuring a dual-camera system.
Looking at the photos, it still has the Hasselblad camera like Mavic 2 pro, and a 7x Zoom camera. Some also think that the camera system will also have Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) to give that extra smooth cinematic video. However, I wonder with this camera design, how are we going to install a filter? From the design and rumors on the internet, it looks like the battery installation will be like the Phantom series. Will Mavic 3 be the drone that DJI is revealing at the Hi FIVE event?
What do you think? What specs do you hope the Mavic 3 will have this time?
DJI has once again send out a teaser about the ONE. What could it be this time. We all know at this stage DJI has refreshed the newly launch Magic Air 2 to the 2s version boosting longer range and some upward facing sensor for better obstacle avoidance. And also upgrading the camera sensor to ONE inch.
Mavic Air 2s
But what could be this “ONE”? Could it be the Magic Air 2s with the ONE inch sensor? Will the 2s kill off the Mavic 2 pro?
Let’s wait for DJI to make the latest announcement on 15 April 2021!
Finally Sony has showcased and revealed their UAV during the CES 2021. It is a quadcopter capable of carrying its Alpha Range of cameras. Like the Inspire 2, it carries 2 batteries for redundancy and safety purpose.
Although Sony has not release the specs of the drone, it is likely to have a flight time of 15-20mins based on the payload and size of the batteries. It should also be capable of flying at least 70-80km/h. This drone also allows dual pilot system where one person controls the flight the other controls the main camera gimbal.
As for the price range, it should be around the price of the Inspire 2 Advance Kit. My guess will be about US$9500 if it is released. It will be interesting to see what kind of lens can fit onto the gimbal.
So where does this drone fits into the industry? In my opinion, Airpeak tries to hit one level above the Inspire 2 series like the m600, but with a smaller footprint and a lower cost. As an aerial videographer, I often received request to film footages using the same camera as the ground shots. With only Inspire 2, Phantom 4 pro and Mavic 2 Pro in our inventory, we are unable to provide that service. Technically, we can deploy the m600, but the size and high maintenance cost makes it not practical. I am excited to see how the Airpeak can bridge that gap, and at what cost?
A patent application from Sony was granted in January 2020
Sony has indicated her intention to enter the UAV filming industry, going to compete with DJI directly. Sony has traditionally been supplying imaging sensors to DJI’s camera, and now she has decided to make her own flying camera. Will Sony be successful or will she crash and burn like GoPro?
Personally, I am really excited and believe that Sony has the ability to make their own UAV and also to make their own processor and sensors without relying on a 3rd party. If Sony can bring their industry leading camera technology to their flying cameras, it may potentially bite off a big chunk of business from DJI. Now filmmakers can shoot with the same color profile from their ground cameras to their flying cameras.
Beating DJI in this industry is not going to be easy. DJI has already deeply captured the market and has many years of experience in making the world best gimbal. Can Sony create the same or better gimbal?
This is going to be exciting. Competition in the market is always good for consumers. It will bring about new innovation! Let’s see what Sony can offer in Spring 2021! Check out: https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/airpeak/ for more details.
There are lots of leaks online about the DJI Mini 2 already. There are also some people in the USA who manage to buy it from BestBuy ahead of the launch. How did that happen? Nobody knows.
Here are the key features of the DJI Mini 2:
OcuSync 2.0 up to 10 km (Significantly more reliable control compare the version 1 of the mini using wifi signal)
4K 30P video recording (Up from 2.7K of version 1)
RAW DNG Still photo
Intelligent Flight Mode (Rumoured to have similar features as Spark)
Are these features enough to make owners of version 1 upgrade to version 2? Will you buy it for US$585(Fly more combo)?
UPDATES:
Specs
Aircraft
Takeoff Weight [1]: < 249 g
Dimensions
Folded: 138×81×58 mm (L×W×H) Unfolded: 159×203×56 mm (L×W×H) Unfolded (with propellers): 245×289×56 mm (L×W×H)
Diagonal Distance: 213 mm
Max Ascent Speed
5 m/s (S Mode) 3 m/s (N Mode) 2 m/s (C Mode)
Max Descent Speed
3.5 m/s (S Mode) 3 m/s (N Mode) 1.5 m/s (C Mode)
Max Speed (near sea level, no wind)
16 m/s (S Mode) 10 m/s (N Mode) 6 m/s (C Mode)
Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level
4000 m (2000 m when taking off with propeller guard)
Max Flight Time: 31 mins (measured while flying at 4.7 m/s in windless conditions)
Max Wind Speed Resistance: 8.5-10.5 m/s (Scale 5)
Max Tilt Angle
40° (S Mode) 25° (N Mode)* 25° (C Mode)* * Up to 40° under strong winds
Max Angular Velocity (by default)*
130°/s (S Mode) 60°/s (N Mode) 30°/s (C Mode) * Can be adjusted to 250°/s with the DJI Fly app
Operating Temperature: 0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F)
Operating Frequency [2]: 2.400-2.4835 GHz, 5.725-5.850 GHz
Single Shot Interval: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s JPEG+RAW: 5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias Panorama: Sphere, 180°, and Wide
Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference) [3]
10 km (FCC) 6 km (CE) 6 km (SRRC) 6 km (MIC)
Signal Transmission Ranges (FCC) [4]
Strong Interference (urban landscape, limited line of sight, many competing signals): Approx. 3 km Medium Interference (suburban landscape, open line of sight, some competing signals): Approx. 6 km Low Interference (open landscape abundant line of sight, few competing signals): Approx. 10 km
Operating Temperature: 10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F)
Voltage: 1200 mA 3.7 V (Android) 700 mA 3.7 V (iOS)
Supported Mobile Device Size: Max length: 92 mm
Supported USB Port Types: LightningMicro USB (Type-B) USB-C
Video Transmission System: OcuSync 2.0
Live View Quality: Remote Controller: 720p/30fps
Max Bitrate: 8 Mbps
Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device): About 200 ms
Charger
Input: 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.5 A
Output: 12V 1.5 A / 9V 2A / 5V 3A
Rated Power: 18 W
Intelligent Flight Battery
Battery Capacity: 2250 mAh
Voltage: 7.7 V
Charging Voltage Limit: 8.8 V
Battery Type: LiPo 2S
Energy: 17.32 Wh
Weight: 86.2 g
Charging Temperature: 5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
Max Charging Power: 29 W
App
Name: DJI Fly
Required Operating System: iOS v10.0 or laterAndroid v6.0 or later
Supported SD Cards
Supported SD Cards
UHS-I Speed Class 3 or above is required. A list of recommended microSD cards can be found below.
Recommended microSD Cards
16 GB: SanDisk Extreme 32 GB: Samsung Pro Endurance, Samsung Evo Plus, SanDisk Industrial, SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme V30 A2, SanDisk Extreme Pro V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme Pro V30 A2, Lexar 633x, Lexar 667x 64 GB: Samsung Pro Endurance, Samsung Evo Plus, SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme V30 A2, Lexar 633x, Lexar 667x, Lexar 1000x, Lexar High Endurance, Toshiba EXCERIA M303 V30 A1, Netac Pro V30 A1 128 GB: Samsung Pro Plus, Samsung Evo Plus, SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme V30 A2, SanDisk Extreme Plus V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme Plus V30 A2, Lexar 633x, Lexar 667x, Lexar 1000x, Lexar High Endurance, Toshiba EXCERIA M303 V30 A1, Netac Pro V30 A1 256 GB: SanDisk Extreme V30 A1, SanDisk Extreme V30 A2
Footnotes
Footnotes
1. The standard weight of the aircraft (including battery, propellers, and a microSD card) is 242 grams. Actual poduct weight may vary. Registration is not required in some countries and regions. Check local rules and regulations before use. These specifications have been determined through tests conducted with the latest firmware. Firmware updates can enhance performance, so updating to the latest firmware is highly recommended. 2. Due to local policy and regulation restrictions, the 5.8 GHz frequency band is currently banned in certain countries, including but not limited to Japan, Russia, Israel, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Please use the 2.4 GHz frequency band when operating in these locations. Always check local rules and regulations before use, as they may change over time. 3. Maximum flight range specification is a proxy for radio link strength and resilience, not aircraft battery capability. It only refers to the maximum, one-way flight distance. Data was measured in an open environment without interference. Please pay attention to the return prompt on the DJI Fly app during actual flight. Refer to the following applicable standard in different countries and regions: FCC: United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and other regions; SRRC: Mainland China; CE: UK, Russia, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Macau, New Zealand, UAE, and other regions; MIC: Japan. 4. Data is tested under different standards in open areas free of interference. It only refers to the maximum, one-way flight distance without considering Return to Home. Please pay attention to RTH prompts in the DJI Fly app during the actual flight.
Today we have the full specs of that the Mavic Air 2 can do. I believe this is somewhat a response to Skydio R2 with the new FocusTrack which is said to be much more effective than the Mavic 2 active track 2.0. From the demo we can see that the Mavic Air 2 can navigate through a forest trail avoiding the trees and etc. See the video here
Is it worth for owners of Mavic 2 Pro / Zoom to buy the Mavic Air 2?
Well, I must say I was really tempted by the 4K60p video and the 48MP camera. But without the ability to adjust aperture, to do dolly zoom is a huge sacrifice for me. Also, a 1″ sensor vs a 1/2″ sensor is also a big sacrifice for night video. You notice there is no night video of the Mavic Air 2 produced by DJI, except for the hyper-lapse video which is a series of still photos and not video. HDR Video is a plus point if the user wants to use the footage straight out of the drone. However, for most production house they rather shot in D-log and do color grading in post-production.
There are definitely some nice cool features and a huge upgrade from the first Mavic Air, but compared to Mavic 2, it may not be a real upgrade in some sense for the pro videographer who wants more control. But for those who want to have their first UAV, the Mavic Air 2 is a great choice.
What is DJI going to show us this time? They have recently introduced the DJI X-Port which can be added onto the Mavic M series UAV. Will this launch be about the new M200 replacement?
Personally, I have been waiting hard for the new Inspire 3 to have a more reliable control signal as compared to the current Inspire 2. Anyway, let’s wait for 27 April to see what DJI has for us.
Let’s look at some leaked photos of the Mavic Air 2. It doesn’t look like it will have a 360 obstacle avoidance like the Mavic 2 series. But does look very similar to Mavic 2 in the shape and design.
Is smaller then Mavic 2Sensor at the bottomSensor behindNo sensor at the side48 Megapixel camera!
Some dealers are said to have already gotten stocks of this new drone and will be ready to sell them when DJI officially release it end of February 2020.
This update is critical as it addresses some of the key problems that the 200 series have. One of which is the transmission and control problem. There are many reports that the 200 series loses control from the pilots very often resulting in crashes. The 300 series will allow 2 pilots to be separated kilometres apart and one pilot can hand over control to another pilot remotely. This is a fascinating idea, it means the drone can fly from point A to B without returning to A to land.
Personally, I do hope that this drone can use the Zenmuse X7 DL lens mount. Then this drone can also be used for filming and not just industrial application. Another feature I will like to see is an all-round obstacle avoidance like the Mavic 2 pro.
Had the chance to have a maiden flight at Banyan tree Lang Co,Vietnam. Like flying all new drones I tend to be a bit more cautious in the beginning. The Mini jitter a bit when it took flight due to the strong wind, but it held it’s position.
Gaining a bit more confident, I started to push the drone forward to fly towards the sea. The image ways surprisingly stable, no drop in signal and etc. (Note that you have to keep the remote controller’s antenna perpendicular and face the mini directly.) I flew for about 1km and decide to turn it around as I am unsure if it can handle the monsoon wind. The speed is significantly slower then Mavic 2 pro but it is very stable.
One thing I notice that is really strange is the mini seems to report different height as it fly level. This is unlike Mavic 2 Pro’s experience. Not sure if this is a bug?
What I missed most from Mavic 2 pro is the ability to shoot panoramic photos, RAW photo and time lapse video.
DCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0063.JPGDCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0057.JPGStill photo has little lag between the time the button is press till photo is taken. Much better respond then Mavic 2 Pro
