Expert review of the DJI Air 2S
DJI Air 2S Fly More Combo
- You can record in 5K at 30 fps for sharp and smooth images of your drone flight.
- Thanks to the large 1-inch sensor, you can record detailed videos and take sharp photos in various lighting situations.
- With the MasterShots function, the drone can make 10 different moves for a ready-made cinematic video.
- The flight range of drone is smaller in areas with a lot of interference.
First impression
As usual, the Fly More Combo version includes a useful bag. The compact design of the drone reminds me of the Mavic Air drones, and the color is the usual DJI color too. It doesn't feel heavy, which I like when I travel. The weight is more than 250g, which means you'll need a drone course basic to fly the drone.
Record in 5.4K resolution with 10-bit colors
With the large, 20-megapixel, 1-inch sensor of the camera, I can record sharp images. I record in 5.4K resolution at 25 or 30 fps. The images look very detailed. Do you want to post-edit the images? The 10-bit colors allow you to do this without a problem. For example, I can adjust the contrast and bring out the natural colors.
MasterShots function records shots for you
Aren't you an experienced drone pilot and is editing videos not your thing? The MasterShots function is a godsend to you. In this function, the drone will record different shots. I select an object and the drone will do the rest. The recording takes about 3 minutes. Afterwards, I choose to have the drone make a compilation of all the images. That way, I can create a great video in no time. If you're more experienced, you can record these images yourself.
Manual settings in Pro Mode
In the DJI app, I can easily adjust the camera settings. I can do this in the Pro Mode. I determine the white balance and the shutter speed, for example. Unfortunately, I can't adjust the aperture. So if I want to adjust the lighting, I can change the shutter speed or use an ND filter. These ND filters are only included with the Fly More Combo. Thanks to these filters, I use longer shutter speeds on a sunny day without them turning out overexposed.
Better safety thanks to Air Sense
The drone has obstacle detection on top. In addition to the usual obstacle detection sensors, the Air 2S has a new function called AirSense. Thanks to this, I receive a notification in the case of air traffic. This makes it even safer to fly a drone. When I get a notification, I lower my drone or bring it back to the ground.
Photo resolution
Thanks to the relatively large sensor of 1 inch, I can capture detailed photos with this drone. It has a resolution of 20 megapixels. The large sensor ensures better light sensitivity for the camera. I take photos in DNG RAW format. This allows me to do more post-editing than with the Mavic Air 2, for example. For novice photographers, it has extensive options. For example, I can use the SmartPhoto mode in which the camera determines which option is suitable for the photo.
Conclusion
The DJI Air 2S is a complete drone for photographers and videographers. You can take sharp photos and record detailed video footage. Thanks to the 10-bit color space, your recordings will look natural. For beginning drone pilots, the drone has useful automatic options, like MasterShots and SmartPhoto. The drone will do all the work for you. You'll need to complete a basic drone course for this drone. It doesn't have a Cx label, so it'll part of the A3 range after 2022. This means that you'll have to keep more distance.
