DJI unveils latest Mavic drones that allow users to zoom while they fly

Chinese drone leader DJI unveiled two new drone models at a press conference in New York City that bring higher quality cameras and the ability to zoom in while flying.

They are updates to the Mavic line; the Mavic 2 Pro has a camera made by legendary imaging company Hasselblad, and the Mavic 2 Zoom lets users get closer to the action with the zoom.

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This is important because drones use wide-angle lenses to show the expanse of the area you’re flying over. And now, with the zoom, users will be able to zero in on other things on the ground.

Flight time from a battery, which has lasted around 20 minutes with the original Mavic Pro, is increased to 31 minutes on the new 2 Pro. The new model has a substantially larger 20 megapixel imaging sensor, 12.8 x 9.6mm vs. 6.17 x 4.55mm on the original, which should provide higher resolution.

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The Zoom edition has the original, smaller sensor, with a small 24mm-48mm that will bring flyers slightly closer to the action. DJI also touts a two-times digital zoom to simulate a 96mm telephoto shot. But reader alert: Digital zoom just means software is cropping the original image and potentially degrading it. DJI says its focus is 40 per cent faster than previously.

One component that sounds fun – DJI says a new feature that will use optical zoom to automatically capture and stitch nine photos together into one 48 megapixel image.

The previous new DJI drone released this year, the Mavic Air, sold for $799, and the new models are substantially pricier. The Mavic 2 Pro starts at $1,449, and the Zoom is $1.249. The cameras are available for sale at store. dji.com.