Mavic Air 2 S Vs Phantom 4 Series
When the Phantom 4 Pro was released in November 2016, it changed the game for Aerial Photography. It was a quantum leap in combined drone and camera technology that is still the most sought-after drone for commercial aerial photogrammetric mapping today. A 1-inch sensor with variable aperture and obstacle avoidance that can also shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second.
The Phantom 4 Pro quickly became the gold standard for anyone looking to use an affordable consumer-level UAV to make a buck in the drone industry.
It was for sure that one day DJI would release a better compact travel drone that would replace the Phantom 4 pro and its successor V2.
When the Mavic 2 Pro was released in 2018, many people thought it was the successor to the Phantom 4 Pro, but the Mavic 2 Pro being a popular model, failed to be a truly superior successor to the Phantom4 Pro/V2 Series
When the DJI Mavic Air 2 debuted in 2020 with a 48-megapixel camera I had high hopes, but knowing it had a smaller sensor than the Phantom 4 Pro, I had my doubts. I compared the Mavic Air 2 images, with that of the Phantom 4 Pro, and simply put the Mavic Air 2 could not replace my Phantom 4 Pro
Now in April 2021, DJI has released “DJI Air 2S” as the latest drone in the Mavic series. It has the same sensor size and photo resolution of Phantom 4 Pro, Could this be the drone which would replace my trusted Phantom 4 Series.
Air 2S has a much sharper camera/lens combination. The sharper lens combined with the highest video resolution of any compact drone from DJI has made the DJI Air 2S my new favorite. The absence of a mechanical shutter is something I have to live with, but at the same price point , Air 2S can be called the successor to Phantom 4 Series.
Performance | DJI Air 2S | Phantom 4 Pro | Comments |
Maximum Flight Time
|
31 Mins | 30 Mins | The maximum duration of an uninterrupted flight. |
Sensor Type | 1″-Type CMOS Sensor | 1″-Type CMOS Sensor | The larger the sensor the more light the sensor captures yielding in better image quality. |
Sensor Resolution | Effective: 20 Megapixel | Effective: 20 Megapixel |
The number of megapixels determines the resolution of the images captured with the main camera. A higher megapixel count means that the camera is capable of capturing more details. However, the megapixel count is not the only important element determining the quality of an image. |
Focal Length | 22mm (35mm Equivalent) | 8.8mm / 24mm (35mm Equivalent) | |
Field of View | 88° | 84° |
Field of view (FOV) is the part of the world that a device can view and record. A wider field of view allows you to capture more of the action. |
ISO Sensitivity |
Photo/Video 100 to 6400 in Auto Mode Photo/Video 100 to 12,800 in Manual Mode |
Photo/Video 100 to 3200 in Auto Mode Photo/Video 100 to 6400 in Manual Mode |
|
Maximum Operating Distance |
12 km | 7 Km | |
Weight | 595g | 1375g | We consider a lower weight better because lighter devices are more comfortable to carry. |
Shutter |
electronic rolling shutter |
mechanical shutter |