DJI Air 2S: What’s New, Better, the Same. (And what’s missing!)

Now that the DJI Air 2S drone is launched, we turn our eye to comparing it to it’s predecessor the Mavic Air 2.

With all product refreshes there’s are always new features that make it worthwhile, but sometimes keeping some things the same adds value too.

What’s New

The first feature we’re most excited to use is MasterShots, DJI’s next evolution of QuickShots.

MasterShots takes QuickShots to the next level

MasterShots is an advanced intelligent feature that gives users the best pre-programmed shots with just a tap. Simply select your subject and the DJI Air 2S will film while executing 10 different maneuvers in sequence, keeping your subject center-frame and generating a short cinematic video afterward.

QuickShots were always useful for capturing stunning b-roll for videos or short segments to create drama. But they took time and each one had to be recomposed and run individually. MasterShots automates the process of capturing perfect b-roll and dramatic sequences that saves you time and gives you more consistent content.

MasterShots delivers three flavors of automated video and each has a different focus. You can chose Portrait, Proximity and Landscape sequences that best capture your subject and it’s environment.

Check out our demo video, below, showcasing the different ways MasterShots can focus on your subject by Portrait, Proximity and Landscape:

Air 2S Has Fastest Bitrate

Air 2S is has the highest write speed of any of DJI’s pro-sumer drones. At 150 Mbps it’s 50% higher than the Mavic 2 and Phantom 4 Series of drones, and 25% higher than the Mavic Air 2 and Mini 2.

The faster your write speed the higher quality your video capture will be all other things being equal. Air 2S write speed is also 25% higher than the 8K Autel EVO II drone that debuted last year at CES2020 in Las Vegas.

1″ Sensor Epic Photo & Video Capture

We love the 1″ camera on our Mavic 2 Pro. Big and beefy and able to capture 20 million pixels of light and color, the 1″ sensor lets you capture stunning images effortless and is especially ideal for low-light conditions.

With an improved processor over the Mavic Air 2 the Air s@ sensor also allows the camera to capture 5.4K video up to 30 fps.

Outside of the Zenmuse collection, this is the highest quality video capture possible in a DJI drone. And it’s a consumer level drone!

Progress isn’t always perfection. I know many of you are brushing off the 1″ sensor due to it’s lack of a variable aperture. Everyone will have different expections (and requirements) from the gear they use in the field and the aperture issue is certainly valid for a segment of users. The good news is that this likely points to a significant upgrade when the Mavic 3 debuts later this year.

O3 (aka OcuSync 3.0)

OcuSync 3.0 made it’s debut with the DJI FPV combo, allowing for lower latency with higher quality image transmission and greater transmission range.

This holds true for the Air 2S as well, which enjoys up to 12km C2 range vs the 10km transmission distance from the O2 (OcuSync 2.0) enabled Mavic Air 2 and Mavic 2 Series.

Add to this that DJI has already announced Smart Controller compatibility and we’re totally on board. We absolutely love the Smart Controller and use it constantly with our Mavic 2 and Mavic Air 2 drones. With it’s epic battery life and super bright screen it lets us leave our smartphone, and it’s wired connections that can fail, in our pocket where it belongs.

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Continuous Burst Mode

Image capture in the previous DJI drones (Air 2, Mavic 2, ) have all captured image bursts at a contained interval of 3, 5 or 7 frames or 3/4/5/10/14 frames with the Phantom 4 V2.0. The DJI Air 2S behaves more like a professional DSLR with a continuous burst mode that keeps shooting as long as your finger is on the shutter button. We don’t know yet how many frames are captured before it starts buffering or what the frames per second are in burst mode so stay tuned for a future update on that spec.

What’s Better

4-Direction Obstance Sensing & APAS 4.0

This feature isn’t new to the DJI family, but it is a step up from the Mavic Air 2 drone, which only had forward, rear and downward sensors. With a forward mounted and tilted sensor for upward obstacle detection Air 2S is also able to step up to APAS 4.0 — DJI’s most robust obstacle detection and avoidance system that using newly improved algorithms in the Air 2S.

With enhanced obstacle avoidance users can chose to either bypass obstacles, brake in front of them or turn it off entirely.

8x/1080p and 4x/4K Digital Zoom

In-camera digital zoom is nothing new to the DJI family of drones. But 8x and 4x digital zoom in 1080p and 4K modes, respectively, is an improvement over the same 4x and 2x zoom feature in the Mavic Air 2’s 1080p and 4K video modes.

 What’s the Same

ADS-B Airsense

Designed to to help make our skies safer, ADS-B notifies ADS-B equipped drone pilots when manned aircraft are approaching so avoidance action can be taken. Not all manned aircraft, especially older recreational planes, have and ADS-B transponder.

In 2019 DJI announced that all drones over 250g and released beyond 2020 will have ADS-B detection built in and they have kept to this promise.

Shared Accessories with Mavic Air 2

Drone pilots who already own the Mavic Air 2 will be very happy to see that most of the accessories from the Mavic Air 2 are compatible with the Air 2s.  This includes:

• DJI Smart Controller
• Intelligent Flight Battery
• Shoulder Bag
• Battery Charging Hub
• Propeller Guards
• Battery Charger
• Power Bank Adapter
• Car Charger
• Low noise Propellers

What’s Missing

Variable Aperture

Like we said above, this feature is going to be more important to some users than others.

But we have a secret here at DRN: we rarely adjust the aperture. Don’t tell anyone.

Yes, a variable aperture is a pro-level camera control that can make a meaningful difference under some conditions. But for the majority of aerial imagery enthusiasts we talk to (and work with) aperture control was never an option before the Mavic 2 Pro and they were still able to capture amazing content.

For us, it’s more of a “nice to have” feature vs a “must have”.  We know several professional photographers who run booming real estate photography businesses who are getting along fine even with a Mini 2 drone.

But it does bode well for speculating about features in the upcoming Mavic 3 release coming later this year. Expect to see DJI continue the variable aperture feature when it refreshes it’s flagship drone as well as a major step up in battery life and video resolution. You heard it here first.

Side Vision Sensors

Omni-directional obstacle avoidance should be the standard in any drone that’s as well equipped as the Air 2S. But to keep it under $1000 and light enough to not further eat up valuable flight time DJI had to make difficult choices. This meant the added weight of a heavier camera with a variable aperture and side vision sensors wouldn’t be worth the cost to flight time.

Many of us own, or have owned, multiple DJI drones so we’re quite used to operating without side vision sensors. Or even no vision sensors.

Our first flight with the Mini 2 we were caught off guard while flying a Circle Quickshot, but no harm was done. We learned and adapted.

Both of the ‘missing’ features on the new Air 2S are more than made up for by the increased range & signal strength of O3, the massively improved photo & video capture, faster bitrate and improved pre-programmed flight modes of MasterShots.

Neither of DJI’s tradeoffs on vision sensors or variable aperture are enough to sway us from stepping up to the Air 2S. Because we already have the Smart Controller it will be a breeze to sell the Air 2 (if we chose) while keeping most of it’s accessories.

But truth be told, we already hit the Buy button.  And as a DJI Select member our Air 2S is already on it’s way.

On launch day it’s hard to tell the straight truth from the affiliate-ridden fan boys who pump every drone with a “Buy It Now!” vibe. We love the new advanced MasterShots and the larger camera. Everything else is a bonus, and we look forward to sharing all of our experience using the Air 2S in future articles and videos. Be sure to subscribe or click Allow for notifications!

And let us know in the comments what you think about the Air 2S. Are you still considering it? Waiting for a Mavic 3 or, like us, already bought the Air 2S?