Chinese manufacturer DJI today announced the commercialization of the Air 2S, a new light civilian drone designed for the multimedia “creator” audience. The portable drone, which comes alongside to the Mavic series, is an all-in-one solution that combines excellent flight performance and high maneuverability, even for the less experienced, camera updates and pre-programmed software tools for creating semi-professional level video-photographic content.
Things to know about the Air 2S
- DJI Air 2S is the first drone of this size capable of capturing 20 megapixel photos or videos in 5.4K.
- It can be folded (like the Mavics) for easy transport
- It can record videos in 4K at 60fps.
- It mounts a new 1-inch sensor, previously it was only available on more bulky and less maneuverable drones, intended for an expert audience.
- The lens has a fixed focal length, but there is a digital zoom system that goes up to 4X at the resolution of 4K 30fps (not available at maximum resolutions)
- It includes APAS 4.0, an advanced automatic piloting system that allows the drone to avoid obstacles and maneuver autonomously even at high speeds.
The software
Like all DJI drones, the competitive advantage of the Air 2S materializes in the integration between hardware and software, in particular the automatic functions for the realization of aerial shots and pre-programmed scenes. Air 2S includes these modes, similar to those of the Mavic:
- MasterShots: the drone creates the flight plan autonomously, automatically selecting the shooting modes based on the subjects. The DJI Fly app on your smartphone will perform an automatic editing ready for sharing.
- QuickShots: This is the mode that includes the main automatic camera movements, such as vertical ascent, the circle around the subject, the spiral ascent, the Boomerang effect.
- Hyperlapse: mode for making 4K time lapse movies
- FocusTrack: subject tracking system, which can be highlighted by drawing a square with your finger on the frame shown in the DJI Fly app. Once the subject has been selected, the drone can follow it automatically, or you can manually set camera movements according to the position of the subject.
Price and availability
The new DJI Air 2S is available from today on the DJI website and at authorized dealers. It can be purchased in different configurations:
- Combo Standard: costs € 999 and includes the drone, the remote control, a battery and all the cables and components necessary to fly.
- Fly more Combo: costs € 1299 and adds to the standard version also 2 batteries, Neutral Density filters, a charging station and a shoulder bag. For those who foresee semi-professional uses for the drone it is probably the most convenient solution.