Drones

DJI doubles sensor size for 5.4K-shooting Air 2S drone

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The DJI Air 2S folding quadcopter sells for $999
DJI
Folded down, the DJI Air 2S measures 180 by 97 by 77 mm
DJI
A close look at the gimbal-mounted 5.4K/30fps camera on the DJI Air 2S
DJI
The DJI Air 2S folding quadcopter sells for $999
DJI
The DJI Air 2S weighs 595 g (1.3 lb), has a top forward speed of 19 meters per second (62 ft/s), and a stated flight time of 31 minutes per charge of its 3,500-mAh/11.55-volt lithium-polymer battery
DJI
The DJI Air 2S controller, with an attached third-party smartphone
DJI
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It was just a year ago that DJI announced its compact-but-capable Mavic Air 2 quadcopter. Now, the company has shortened the name and doubled the image sensor size, with the 5.4K/30fps-capable Air 2S.

Like its predecessor, the DJI Air 2S features propeller arms that can be folded down for transport, front and rear obstacle avoidance sensors, and a variety of intelligent shooting modes.

Whereas the Mavic Air 2 has a half-inch sensor that allows it to shoot 4K/60fps video, however, the Air 2S sports a 1-inch CMOS sensor and a maximum video resolution of 5.4K/30fps. It can still also shoot 4K/60fps, along with 2.7K/60fps and 1080p/120fps slow motion. That said, the Mavic Air 2 offers an even slower 1080p/240fps.

The still photo resolution is also actually down a bit on this model, decreasing to 20 megapixels from the Mavic Air 2's whopping 48. Both stills and video are recorded on 8 GB of internal storage.

Folded down, the DJI Air 2S measures 180 by 97 by 77 mm
DJI

The whole thing weighs 595 g (1.3 lb), has a top forward speed of 19 meters per second (62 ft/s), and a stated flight time of 31 minutes per charge of its 3,500-mAh/11.55-volt lithium-polymer battery. By contrast, the Mavic Air 2 manages a marginally better 34 minutes.

As mentioned, the Air 2S can be set to a number of pre-programmed flight/image-capture modes, most of which it shares with the Air 2 and other existing models. New to this drone, however, is a function known as MasterShots.

In this mode – after the user selects the subject on an accompanying app – the quadcopter will autonomously fly around that subject while executing 10 separate maneuvers in sequence, all while keeping the subject centered in the shot. The software will then proceed to put together a short video, combining shots from the different maneuvers.

A close look at the gimbal-mounted 5.4K/30fps camera on the DJI Air 2S
DJI

Users can also opt for modes such as Spotlight 2.0, in which the camera stays centered on the subject as the pilot manually flies the drone; ActiveTrack 4.0, in which the drone autonomously follows the subject while avoiding obstacles; and Point of Interest 3.0, wherein the copter autonomously flies in a circle around the subject while keeping it centered.

The DJI Air 2S is available now, with a package consisting of the drone, its controller and one battery priced at US$999 – the Mavic Air 2 is also still available, for $799. You can check out footage shot with the former, in the video below.

Source: DJI

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4 comments
guzmanchinky
These days everyone is getting busted for flying drones, it's almost bad news all around. I'll just keep my tiny DJI mini for now, which doesn't need to be registered...
Ron
Oh boy! Another DJI camera drone that won't fly anywhere other than unpopulated, non airport areas which leaves you to fly in Antarctica, and that may be in their GEO zone areas too!
TpPa
All drones no matter weight have to be registered. Larger drones you need to pass a test and get it licensed every 2 years
TpPa
You goofed in your article, the Air 2s does have front and rear obstacle avoidance, but it also has top obstacle avoidance