In the world of cameras, a bigger sensor generally means better. A larger camera sensor typically implies that —in two otherwise comparable cameras — the one with the larger sensor will likely be able to allow in more light while capturing less noise. You’ll get more detail, and more beautiful background blur (if that’s what you want). And the new DJI Air 2S offers up that glorious, larger sensor.
DJI on April 15 launched the DJI Air 2S, which stands out for its 1” sensor offering 20-megapixel photos and 5.4K video. That’s the same as what you get in the larger, more expensive Mavic 2 Pro. The sensor also offers a larger pixel size of 2.4μm.
But why the DJI Air 2S is special is that it’s a super small drone, matching the portable size of its predecessors in the already strong Mavic Air line. And given its small size, the DJI Air 2S is the smallest drone that is capable of capturing 20-megapixel still images or video in 5.4K. Previously, the ability to get that kind of image quality came off with a tradeoff: you’d need to purchase a larger, less agile drone.
Photography and videography features
Autonomous flight programming for better video capture:
The image quality is incredible, and DJI also offers up autonomous flight paths to ensure you can capture those images. The DJI Air 2 is also the first to have a new feature called MasterShots. MasterShots is an advanced feature that uses automatic flight path planning to set the drone’s course while recording video. From there, the MasterShots software can automatically merge the footage together to automatically generate a create a video for you based on what its algorithms determine are the best shots.
Plus, an upgraded FocusTrack mode includes pre-programmed modes like Spotlight 2.0, ActiveTrack 4.0 and Point of Interest 3.0 to help your drone fly in flight paths designed to make any newbie’s shots look just as advanced as those from a professional video operator.
Other pre-programmed flight modes include QuickShots (a staple DJI feature that can take photos inspired by the shape of a Rocket, Circle, Dronie, Helix, Boomerang and Asteroid), and Hyperlapse (which shows the world sped up from the air and in motion).
New zoom features:
A new digital zoom supports 4X zoom at 4K 30fps, 6X at 2.7K 30fps, 4X at 2.7K 60fps, 6X at 1080P 60fps and 8X at 1080P 30fps. One odd note though is that zoom only works for videos (you can’t use it for taking photos).
