Long term test DJI Air 2S

Don’t stop smoothin’

Fresh from last issue’s fly-by-wire thrills with the DJI FPV, Stuff swaps to something a little more sedate that’s engineered to capture ultra-stable content

from R21 000 / takealot.com

The included charger takes around 80mins to fill up a depleted battery, so maybe pack a spare.

DJI’s status as overlord of the consumer drone world is pretty much unchallenged, but there’s no sign of laurel-resting from the Chinese company.

This is the Air 2S, a souped-up version of the Mavic Air 2 that’s the same shape and size, but drops the ‘Mavic’ while upgrading the camera, obstacle-avoidance systems and transmission range. At R4 200 more than the Mavic Air 2, we’ve got two weeks of capturing videos and snapping photos to decide whether this is a worthwhile upgrade.

At first glance the Air 2S is virtually indistinguishable from the Mavic Air 2: a rectangular block with four fold-out rotor arms and a gimbal-mounted camera on the underside of the nose. But the camera is slightly larger, and a pair of up-facing anti-collision sensors have been added. When folded it’s roughly the size of a beer can and tucks away in a backpack. It’s light too, but not so light that you can use it overseas without registering it with the local regulator.

It’s also reassuringly sturdy in spite of its folding design and preponderance of spindly bits. The rotor blades fold in so you don’t have to take them off, while the camera and its delicate gimbal can be protected with a pop-off plastic cover. The battery locks in place securely, while flush flaps cover the microSD card slot and USB-C file-transfer port.

The controller will be familiar to DJI owners. It’s not new, but neither does it need to be, with physical controls for gimbal tilt, taking photos or video, and automatic return to your take-off point without needing to touch your phone. The thumb-sticks can be removed for transport, with DJI thoughtfully including a place within the controller to stash them. There’s also a spring-loaded grip to hold your phone and connect via USB-C, microUSB or Lightning.

DJI has sent us the ‘Fly More’ package: for R27 800 you get two extra batteries, spare rotors and a carry case. That seems like a decent deal.

The camera is fantastic for a drone this size, turning out super-sharp photos and videos with stunning colour depth

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Donut of Truth™

01 A smartly compact and portable design… 02 …that plays host to a truly excellent camera 03 This drone is packed with safety features 04 The ‘Fly More’ package is good value 05 Rotors can creep into shot sometimes 06 Slightly less battery life than the Air 2

Tech specs

Camera 1in 20MP CMOS Video 5.4K @ 30fps, 4K/2.7K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 120fps Storage 8GB + microSD Max speed 42.5mph Max range 12km Max flight time 31 mins Dimensions 180x97x77mm (folded), 183x253x77mm (unfolded), 595g

DAY 02

Controller and phone hooked up, we tap the touchscreen take-off button. The Air 2S is beautifully easy to fly, zipping around in the default flight mode. It’s limited to 120m altitude to comply with SA law, and those sensors stop it if it detects an obstacle anywhere other than sideways on. Slipping into Cinema mode, flight is slower and smoother, while Sport mode turns off the speed limiters and safety sensors.

DAY 04

It’s breezy today but the Air 2S can handle it despite a warning from the app – flying responsively and stably, picking up some great sample footage. Range and flight time are impressive… but also illegal given you have to be able to see your drone with the naked eye. It beams a solid 1080p feed to the controller, and on the odd occasion of a lost transmission the ‘return to home’ function kicks in.

The DJI Fly app has been refined so muchthat it’s actually enjoyable to use. You can easily access cool flight features like subject-tracking and MasterShots – an automated sequence of dramatic video clips centred around your chosen tracking subject.

DAY 06

The 20MP camera is fantastic for a drone this size, turning out super-sharp photos in various file formats and videos up to 5.7K with stunning colour depth and low-light performance, all brilliantly stabilised by its three-axis gimbal.

One look at sample photos and videos shows how effective the 1in sensor is. Results right from the camera are impressive, but a bit of tweaking in Adobe Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve never hurts.

DAY 08

The richness of colour in conditions where a smaller sensor would struggle is the real killer feature. That this camera is bolted onto such a stable and easy-to-fly dronejust makes it all the better. OK, it lacks the adjustable aperture of the Mavic 2 Pro, and at certain resolutions the lack of a crop means the rotor blades can occasionally pop into the frame. Both are minor issues, though.

DAY 14

The Air 2S may be DJI’s best drone yet: an almost perfect balance of portability, performance and price. It’s ideal fornovices but still able to produce nigh-on pro-level results.