DJI Mavic Air: What you need to know

DJI Mavic Air

This week at an event in New York City DJI introduced its newest drone, the Mavic Air, a foldable model that looks like a mashup between the company’s popular Mavic Pro and diminutive Spark models. There’s a lot to be excited about here, given that it seems to have inherited most of the advanced features from the Mavic Pro while visually resembling the smaller Spark.

Who’s it for? The event’s tagline, ‘Adventure Unfolds’, provides a pretty good hint. DJI is clearly aiming the Mavic Air at travelers, outdoor photographers, and particularly adventurers who plan to go off the beaten track. We expect it to be popular among athletes and adventure filmmakers, though its combination of advanced features in a small package will likely appeal to users of all types.

Size and weight

Above: The folded Mavic Air is actually slightly smaller than the Spark, though it's still a bit heavier.

The Mavic Air weighs in at a svelte 430 grams (a little less than a pound). That’s a bit heavier than the 300 gram Spark, but substantially lighter than than the larger Mavic Pro (734 grams). Impressive, given that its feature set is much closer to that of the Mavic Pro than the Spark.

Also, when you consider the folding design of the Mavic Air, it’s arguably more portable than the Spark which, while very lightweight, doesn’t benefit from the folding design. Unless cost is a deciding factor, it would be hard not to choose the Mavic Air if portability is your priority.

Camera and gimbal

The Mavic Air uses the same 12MP 1/2.3" CMOS sensor as the Mavic Pro, so it's reasonable to expect similar image quality at the sensor level, though some miniaturization was required to fit the camera onto such a small drone.

The Air has a 24mm (equiv.) F2.8 lens, providing a 85º FOV. That's a bit slower than the Mavic Pro, which has a 28mm F2.2 lens with a 79º FOV. In this respect, the Air's camera has more in common with the Spark, which has a 25mm F2.6 lens and a 82º FOV.

Despite its very small size, the gimbal is a 3-axis design rather than the 2-axis design found on the Spark. That's a good thing. In our review of the Spark we called out the 2-axis gimbal as one of that model's weak points. DJI tells us that it put a lot of effort into the design of the gimbal on the Mavic Air, building in multiple layers of vibration reduction and creating a recessed casing that protects the camera. It also claims that it's the smallest camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal on the market.

Still photography

The Mavic Air has a lot for still photographers to like. It has the same 12MP sensor as the Mavic Pro and Spark, however unlike the Spark the Air supports Raw image capture in DNG format. Lack of Raw support was one of our major cons when we reviewed the Spark, and we know that it was a showstopper for a lot of photographers who otherwise liked that model. With the Air, there's now an option for a tiny drone that does shoot Raw, and we anticipate that it will be a product that motivates many photographers to take the leap into the world of drones.

In addition to Raw capture, the Air can capture vertical, horizontal, and 180º panoramas. It will also create very high resolution 32MP spherical panoramas, which it does by automatically shooting 25 still images and stitching them together in about 8 seconds. A built-in HDR function is available for shooting scenes with high dynamic range.

We know a lot of photographers were hoping for a 1"-type sensor similar to the one found on the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced models. As much as we love the idea ourselves, it's probably an unrealistic expectation for a drone of this size, especially considering DJI's focus on making the Mavic Air as compact as possible.

Video

The Mavic Air has impressive video capabilities, and even outperforms both the Mavic Pro and Spark in this area. It captures UHD 4K/30p with a 100Mbps H.264 codec, similar to the more expensive Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced. Unlike those models, however, it doesn't provide the option to record in the newer HEVC (H.265) codec that retains more detail at a similar bit rate.

In the event that slow motion video is needed, the Mavic Air also captures 2.7K/60p, as well as 1080/120p.

Controller

The included controller works with a smartphone and operates at a range up to 4km / 2.5mi. It appears visually similar to the Mavic Pro and Spark controllers, but unlike those models DJI designed the Air's controller to be as compact as possible for transport. It's even possible to remove the flight control sticks if necessary to fit into a very tight space. This should be a welcome feature to adventurers who may want to stuff the Air into a backpack full of other equipment, such as climbing gear and ropes, without risking damage or taking up any more space than absolutely necessary.

Gesture control

Gesture control is a feature that the Mavic Air inherits from it's smaller sibling, the Spark, which can be used to control the drone using hand motions. This is particularly useful if you're trying to film yourself while doing an activity, such as climbing or kayaking, in which your hands are occupied with other tasks. (Or, for that matter, when you just don't want the controller in your shot.)

In our review of the Spark we noted that gesture control was a very hit or miss experience. DJI tells us that the gesture control system on the Mavic Air has been 'significantly improved' and has more precision and reliability. Based on our hands-on experience with the Air at DJI's launch event, we're inclined to believe this. It seemed much more responsive to our gestures and didn't hesitate to respond to our commands. We'll give it a more rigorous test in our full review, but signs are good. Gesture control should work at distances up to 5.8m / 19ft.

One additional useful feature when using gesture control is the obstacle avoidance system; you won't have to worry about accidentally backing the drone into something if it mis-reads your gestures.

Obstacle avoidance

Above: Obstacle avoidance sensors on the Mavic Air.

Obstacle avoidance is becoming a more common feature on drones, and the Mavic Air has a very comprehensive system, including dual forward, downward, and backward cameras. While not foolproof, obstacle avoidance makes it much less likely that you'll accidentally run your drone into a barn. We know it sounds kind of funny, but it does happen and can be an expensive mistake.

This feature is useful for other reasons as well, such as when you (or your aircraft) invoke the 'return to home' function. With obstacle avoidance, your drone is more likely to actually make it.

Advanced Pilot Awareness System (APAS)

In addition to obstacle avoidance, the Mavic Air goes a step further with a feature DJI calls 'Flight Autonomy 2.0', which conducts real-time positioning by building a 3D map of the environment around the aircraft.

This 3D mapping supports DJI's 'Advanced Pilot Awareness System' (or APAS), which provides more sophisticated obstacle avoidance. Instead of simply stopping in its tracks when an obstacle is detected, APAS will plan a path to bypass or go around obstacles, allowing the drone to continue on its course.

Intelligent flight modes

One of the more useful features on DJI's drones is its ActiveTrack technology. ActiveTrack follows a moving subject while allowing the pilot to focus on getting the right shot, and often results in more cinematic looking footage. However, it's not infallible and will often lose a subject.

DJI claims that ActiveTrack on the Mavic Air is much more precise than on previous models, and notes that it now has the ability to detect multiple subjects simultaneously. (We're not sure what will happen when those subject go in opposite directions, but we'll make sure to test that when we review the product.) Also, thanks to APAS, the Air will be able to follow subjects more effectively thanks to the drone's ability to navigate around obstacles.

Intelligent flight modes

Above: 'Asteroid mode' begins with a spherical panorama and zooms in.

In addition to improved ActiveTrack technology, DJI has introduced two new intelligent flight modes called 'Asteroid mode' and 'Boomerang mode'.

Asteroid mode creates a sort of hybrid clip in which a spherical panorama zooms in to a short video clip. Boomerang mode does pretty much what its name suggests, flying up and away from a subject before returning, creating an interesting cinematic effect.

Animated GIF showing 'Boomerang mode' in action.

Memory and connections

Like most drones, the Mavic Air stores photos and video on a microSD card. However, it also includes 8GB of built-in onboard storage. This is a thoughtful addition, and any drone pilot who has been flying for a while has probably had at least one experience of arriving on location only to discover an empty memory card slot. Having some amount of built-in memory could save the day. This is particularly true given the Air's target audience of adventurers, many of whom may be a long way from their car when discovering their mistake.

The Mavic Air also adopts the newer USB-C standard for connecting to other devices.

Battery

The Mavic Air's battery provides 21 minutes of flight time. That's quite a bit less than the Mavic Pro (27 minutes), but five minutes more than the Spark (16 minutes). However, considering that it's more similar in weight to the Spark it seems to be a reasonable compromise, and extra batteries are relatively small.

Speaking of extra batteries, if you want to add some to your kit they'll run you $79 each. DJI also sells a battery charging hub for the Air that charges up to four batteries in sequence according to their power levels. At $49 it seems like a very useful accessory.

Performance

The Mavic Air has an operational ceiling of 5000m / 16,404 ft. It's unlikely to be a critical factor for most people, but adventure filmmakers documenting mountaineers will probably take all the altitude they can get. DJI is quick to point out that the Mavic Air is the fastest Mavic to date, with a top speed of 42.5 Mph in Sport mode. Is that important? Possibly. If you're shooting a bicyclist barreling down a hill at breakneck speed it's likely helpful, though maybe not so much if you're filming someone canoeing across a glassy pond.

Colors

The Spark is available in three impressively descriptive colors: Arctic White, Onyx Black, and Flame Red. Take your pick.

We were a bit disappointed to discover that there's no option for DPReview Blue, but we'll mention this to the folks at DJI so they'll remember next time around...

Availability

The Mavic Air costs $799 in the standard package, which includes a protective case, propeller guards, and a remote control. A 'Fly More' combo that includes an additional set of propellers, two extra batteries, a folding charging hub that charges two batteries, and a shoulder pack will be available for $999.

It's possible to pre-order the Mavic Air immediately, with shipments and retail availability expected beginning on January 28.

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DJI Mavic Air: What you need to know was originally posted by proton T2a