DJI Air 2S Unboxing and Overview
In Mid April 2021, DJI launched their newest addition to the Mavic Air series, DJI AIR 2S.
Putting it simply
The Air 2S combines the best of the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic Air 2 and creates a drone that does it all. It combines the excellent image quality from the Mavic 2 Pro and combines it with the latest features of the Mavic Air 2 and its higher frame-rates. This drone is the best all rounder drone that truly delivers on all important aspects of a drone including money.
The DJI Air 2S gets improved ActiveTrack 4.0, APAS 4.0, Master Shots, OcuSync 3.0 and most importantly, the Air 2S gets ADS-B for us down under!
What's in the box
The DJI Air 2S Combo is the pick of the bunch for $2099 AUD where you will receive 2 extra batteries (3 in total), extra propellers, battery charging hub, battery to power bank adapter, shoulder carry bag and most importantly, a 4 ND filter set of usable filters!
Whilst most of the Mavic Air 2 accessories are compatible with the DJI Air 2S, there are only a few accessories that will need changing such as the gimbal protector, ND filters and propellers (however they are cross compatible, but orange looks neater!).
Camera
With a new 1" 20 MP CMOS Sensor, the Air 2S takes beautiful stills and shoots striking 5.4K Video at 30 fps along with 4K 60fps video (something the 2 Pro lacked). Along with the additional frame rates, the DJI Air 2S now supports 10 bit Dlog-M and HLG ( from the Mavic 2 Pro) which allows for up to 1 billion colours along with excellent colour grading abilities.
On paper, the increased from 1/2" to 1" doesn't sound like a lot, but in practise, that is a huge difference. As easy way to visualise this change is thing of a bucket, a larger bucket will be able to capture significantly more water where the bucket is the sensor and the water is light. This results in a significant improvement in low light capabilities, dynamic range and can increase bokeh (only on close subjects).
Transmission
The increased distance with O3 is thanks to the extra antennas, now sporting 4 for better range, reliability and reduced latency. You can expect up to 12 km of theoretical range* (FCC Mode) and the auto-switching nature of the OcuSync transmission system will always ensure you are flying in a channel with the least amount of interference.
If you are looking to get an all in one solution for the controller, the smart controller is the way to go and is fully compatible. The DJI Smart Controller continues the trend of all in one where it contains a super bright 1000 nit screen, thermal cooling, HDMI output and most importantly, does not require a smart phone to use.
Safety
Safety is one of the most important factors when it comes to flying drones and having a safe flight.
The DJI Air 2S builds upon the increased safety of the DJI Mavic Air 2 with no obstacle sensing in four directions with the top directional sensors being the newest addition. As the front sensors are angled forwards, they are enabled when flying at higher speeds to provide better obstacle detection. There is a new feature that includes obstacle avoidance on the sides where the drone will enter a fixed wing style mode where the drone banks.
Another layer of safety has been added to the Australia model with Air Sense (ADS-B) where the drone will notify the pilot if there are any incoming aircraft. The drone is only reading the data instead of broadcasting data keeping the drones location unseen. This feature is often seen in the higher end DJI equipment and has made its way down to add an extra layer of safety for the drone pilot.
Intelligent Features
Like the previous DJI drones, the DJI Air 2S keeps QuickShots, FocusTrack and different photo/video modes such as panorama and hyper lapse.
However now, the DJI Air 2S introduces a completely new features called MasterShots. Essentially the pilot will select the subject in which the mastershots will be taken in and the drone will spend a couple minutes capturing different shots and angles to produce a final video. This enables the pilot to pose or concentrate on the matter at hand whilst the drone captures stunning shots by itself. Afterwards, it will edit and produce a video that can be easily shared onto social media etc.
Where to Buy?Shop with confidence from D1 Store — Australia's first and only Authorised DJI Retail Store.
We've got stores located across Australia with demos available for you to see, experience and feel. Our product specialists will take you through the drone and provide you all the information you need to make sure you have the right drone at the right price! Shop online from our store and receive free shipping with your DJI Air 2S purchase.
