Friday, March 29, 2024

DJI Air 2S folding quadcopter with new 1-inch sensor shoots 5.4K video

It’s been a little over a month since DJI launched FPV, an innovative drone with crazy maximum speed, and the company has already launched a new model in the segment.

DJI’s new drone, the Air 2S, might just be the best drone for lovers of the great outdoors and beautiful images. Still, as compact, light, and enjoying good flight autonomy, it now has smarter flight modes, and its 1-inch CMOS Sensor offers superb images. To put it simply, this is an upgraded version of the Mavic Air 2 that DJI launched last year with a larger sensor.

Like its predecessor, the DJI Air 2S features propeller arms that can be folded down for easier transport and a variety of intelligent shooting modes. The DJI Air 2S is the first drone of this size capable of capturing 20-megapixel images and videos up to 5.4K (5472 x 3078 pixels) at 30 fps (frames per second) or 4K at 60 fps – thanks to its new 1-inch sensor. It can also shoot 2.7K at 60fps and 1080p at 120fps in slow motion.

DJI Air 2S folding quadcopter with new 1-inch sensor shoots 5.4K video.
The folding quadcopter weighs around 595 grams. Credit: DJI

Users will be able to choose either H264 or H265 recording formats according to their preferences in terms of image details, and 8GB of internal storage capacity has been added to the DJI Air 2S.

The folding quadcopter weighs around 595 grams, fits easily in a backpack, and can be carried everywhere. The controller is quite bulky, almost as big as the drone itself, but it’s sturdy enough that you can toss it in your bag without worrying about damaging it, and the spare batteries can fit into any side pocket of your bag without weighing you down. Above all, it presents a more comfortable grip. It connects to your phone (iOS or Android) using a supplied cable.

DJI Air 2S folding quadcopter with new 1-inch sensor shoots 5.4K video.
The drone has a top forward speed of 19 meters per second. Credit: DJI

For the transmission, DJI relies on its in-house OcuSync techno version 3. It can fly up to 12 kilometers (FCC) distance in the US version and 8 kilometers for the European versions. DJI promises 31 minutes of flight time on a full 3,500-mAh lithium-polymer battery. The drone has a top forward speed of 19 meters per second (68.4 km/h) and adopts front and rear obstacle avoidance sensors.

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. DJI also added a new mode called “MasterShots,” which apparently automatically records video along a set flight route. It is enough to select the subject, and the drone will start shooting, keeping the subject in the center of the frame. The device will perform ten maneuvers in succession, after which the software will proceed to put together a short cinematic video.

FocusTrack features Spotlight 2.0, ActiveTrack 4.0, and Point of Interest 3.0, making it a breeze for DJI Air 2S to follow or circle your subject. The Spotlight 2.0 mode fixes the camera centered on the subject as you fly in a spiral or take close-up shots. ActiveTrack 4.0 will allow it to follow your subject smoothly while autonomously avoiding obstacles, and Point of Interest 3.0 will take a perfect circle shot while keeping your subject-centered.

The Air 2S is available now at a price of $999 for the drone and the controller or in a Fly More combo pack, which adds two batteries.