DJI unveils two Mavic 2 drones with a huge camera and zoom

New drones have improved tracking, obstacle avoidance and battery time

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DJI unveils two Mavic 2 drones with a huge camera and zoom

Published: 10:30pm, 23 Aug 2018Updated: 8:37am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

DJI is undeniably the leader in consumer drones today. It’s done so by repeatedly pushing the boundaries, leaving rivals always chasing behind. The Mavic 2 series, the Chinese manufacturer's newest offer, keeps doing that by checking more items off our wishlist.

The Mavic 2 is slightly bigger than the Mavic Pro. But the small jump in size gives you a whole bunch of upgraded features: Sensors on all sides for obstacle avoidance, an improved tracking system, and new bottom lights that help with landing in darker environments.

As seen in leaks, the Mavic 2 comes in two versions -- and it could be a tough choice to pick between them. The Mavic 2 Pro carries a Hasselblad camera with a 1-inch CMOS sensor -- the first drone to come with this camera after DJI reportedly acquired a majority stake in the iconic Swedish firm last year. It also shoots 4K video in HDR.

The Mavic 2 Zoom doesn’t have that Hasselblad sensor, but does have something the Pro doesn’t: 2X optical zoom (24-48mm). Together with a 2X digital zoom, it can reach a focal length of 96mm. This allows the drone to stitch several zoomed-in photos together to create a larger, higher resolution image. It also makes for some cool tricks, like the Dolly Zoom effect:

The Dolly Zoom is pretty cool, but also gives me motion sickness. (Picture: DJI)

Both models have a maximum flight speed of 44 mph (72 km/h), faster than the original Mavic Pro and similar to the Phantom 4. And the Mavic 2 actually outdoes the bigger Phantom 4 Pro in battery life, lasting a minute longer to fly up to 31 minutes in one charge. It can also stream 1080p footage from nearly 5 miles (8km) away -- further than both the Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro.