The world of drones has recently been shocked by the arrival of the DJI FPV, the first that perfectly mixes the characteristics of a typical consumer drone with elements of a first-person drone, able to perform truly out of the ordinary maneuvers. The latter, however, is certainly not a drone for everyone, both in terms of type and cost. On the other hand, however, the recently released Mini 2 is a drone really suitable for anyone, not only newbies, but also for a more experienced audience. It offers quality at the right price, and here's what we think.
The first element that certainly must be highlighted when talking about the DJI Mini 2 is the weight: the small drone achieves the goal of staying under 250 grams, which allows it to be driven without a license, but with less compromises than the first Mini. . Where the original was primarily aimed at those entering the world of drones for the first time, the DJI Mini 2 aims to please not only beginners, but also experienced drone pilots, photographers and videographers.
The Mini 2 is exactly the same size and weight as its predecessor. It is equipped, however, with a new controller, larger than its predecessor, and undoubtedly better. It is the same controller that was introduced with the Mavic Air 2 and offers a better grip, as well as a better positioning of the smartphone, which now finds space above the controller.
In addition to the improved camera, the most notable addition on the DJI Mini 2 is Ocusync technology, which provides a stable and reliable connection over the old Wi-Fi connection on the original Mini. Ocusync means greater reliability in the video feed, which will be returned to the smartphone in a really stable way, even at greater distances. This is because the works on radio frequencies and has already proven its worth in other DJI drones: it is low-latency, it can stream 1080p or 720p video previews to its own, and under ideal conditions it can provide really important video range.
Mini 2 is a proven shape and design. Identical in many respects to its predecessor, it becomes even smaller and portable when closed, thanks to the possibility of folding the arms. It is a ready-to-fly drone: you turn it on, combine it with the remote control and smartphone, and you are immediately ready to fly, without too much difficulty. Certainly, those who have never picked up a drone will have to face a first moment of acclimatization, but it will really take a few minutes to feel fully comfortable with flying. Piloting it is absolutely simple. Another thing that makes flying more enjoyable are the more powerful motors, which make the drone capable of withstanding high winds, on par with some of the more powerful DJI drones, such as the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom. After months and months of flying, we never found ourselves losing control of the drone, and we never found ourselves in trouble due to the wind. Needless to say, the automatic return button to the base is a real panic button, which will allow you to land the drone from where it started at any time.
However, you need to be careful: on Mini 2, in fact, there are no sensors to avoid obstacles, so the pilot will have to be very careful where you fly. Obviously, being very small, it is also possible to hypothesize flight in smaller spaces. This makes it even more fun to fly than heavier drones, without considering the fact that Sport mode makes driving much faster and smoother. Too bad that the lack of sensors makes very funny face modes impossible, such as “Follow Me”.
Aerial photography
If driving the drone already gives the pilot fun, we must not forget that the small Mini 2 is able to take quality photos and videos, making it suitable even for the most experienced, if not even for professional photography.
The onboard camera has the same 1 / 2.3-inch 12MP sensor as the original DJI Mini, but returns better photos. The photos in JPG format are ready to use and really interesting, with good quality, with the possibility of editing and improving them right away within the DJI app. From here, in fact, it is possible to obtain some adjustments, such as contrast, or even play with the shadows and add some life to the colors.
In general, the photos are sharp and maintain a good level of detail and contrast up to 1600 ISO. Noise handling has improved on all DJI drones and this Mini 2 is no exception as well. Considering that most drone pilots are looking for the perfect panorama, from this point of view one can only be satisfied, with images with an overall clean and vibrant appearance
It should also be considered that if you are not satisfied with the photos in JPG, you will have the possibility to process the photos in RAW. Although it is possible to obtain better photos in post production, we have rarely used this format, and this is due to the overall quality of the JPG images: it is, in short, a ready-to-use drone, which returns excellent shots with all settings. by default, without having to intervene in post production.
Also for this reason, therefore, we believe that it is a drone for everyone: it is like having a point-and-shoot camera in your hands.
Video on Mini 2
Although the sensor is unchanged from its predecessor, it can now record 4K video at 100Mbps bitrates at up to 30fps, up from 2.7K at 60Mbps on the original Mavic Mini. The footage looks surprisingly good for a sensor of this size. The shots in excellent lice conditions (which are what you usually get when you decide to fly) are sharp and the color does not seem overly elaborate. Too bad there is no cinelike color profile, which would have provided a little more control over the coloring process in post production; this would also have extended the dynamic range. Although the shots are really nice, this absence makes it a little less suitable for those who like to manipulate color in post production. Not that it can't be done, but to a lesser extent. The hope is that DJI will add this functionality to the Mini 2, as it has done in the past with the first model of the DJI Mavic Mini.
Footage still looks good in low light, with blacks and shadows all in all holding up very well, returning a good image overall. Obviously, it is not surprising that there is a slight noise.
Among other novelties of interest, also the presence of the 2x zoom. According to DJI it should be lossless zoom. We don't completely agree with this statement, but if it comes to watching the footage on smaller screens, you won't actually notice any loss of detail. On larger screens, however, you immediately notice larger pixels and an overall loss of sharpness. Obviously, this is an absolutely appreciable feature, which we have often used, when we did not feel like getting the drone too close to the subject to be shot.
As already mentioned, OcuSync technology makes the video stream more stable, not having to worry about losing the video feed after a few meters of flight. Assuming that the flight is still allowed on sight, the technology on board this Mini 2 would allow in the abstract kilometers and kilometers of distance, sure not to lose the live images. In any case, having such a strong stability will allow you to fly with greater safety, strong and certain that you will not have any problems in the return of the video.
An aid for excellent movies also comes from the Cine mode, which slows down the drone's movements, allowing you to avoid sudden changes of frame and create a movie as a whole more fluid and without too many camera “jerks”.
Conclusions
Mini 2 is not perfect, and as already mentioned it lacks some features that would certainly have made it the best of the range: it has no safety sensors, it does not record at 60 FPS at 4K, and it does not come with a cinelike color profile. In addition, the sensor remains the same in size as installed on the previous model. Nonetheless, the addition of the OcuSync, the refurbished remote control, together with a still surprising audio and video quality for such a small drone, make it the best possible buy on the price range at which it is sold. The flight autonomy is also excellent, which arrives easily over 25 minutes, with 31 minutes of flight declared by the house.
You can buy DJI Mini 2 on Amazon both in the standard version with a single battery, and in the Fly More Combo version, with three batteries, travel bag and charging station. Prices start at 459 euros.
,
