DJI is expanding its Mavic range with the new Mavic Air drone, a pocket-sized drone aimed at travellers and those who are constantly on the go.
The drone weighs just over 400 grams and has foldable arms and propellers, when it is completely folded it is a similar size to a large smartphone.
Mavic Air has a maximum flight time of up to 21 minutes. It can fly in windy conditions of up to 36 kph and at high elevations of up to 5,000 mabove sea level. Its omnidirectional antennas placed on the foldable landing gear help increase signal coverage to deliver a maximum range of up to 4km with 720p real-time video transmission when flying with the remote controller. When in Sport mode, Mavic Air flies at exhilarating speeds of up to 68 kph and is compatible with DJI Goggles for an immersive FPV flight experience.
During the Sydney launch, DJI demonstrated how the Mavic Air can be controlled with hand movements. Once the drone has locked onto a person they are able to move it up, down, towards them and away plus they can record a video and take a picture by framing their face and using the peace sign respectively.
The new DJI device is equipped with a 4K camera that has a new QuickShot mode and SmartCapture for what the company says is easier, more intelligent photo and video capturing. QuickShot mode is where the drone has predefined flight paths automatically keeping your subject in the frame. The modes are the current Rocket, Dronie, Circle, or Helix plus two new modes Asteroid and Boomerang. Asteroid starts with a spherical image that zooms in as it descends toward the subject on the ground, while Boomerang circles the subject in an oval-shaped flight path with the video finishing at the start point.
It also has FlightAutonomy 2.0 where it processes data gathered from seven onboard cameras and infrared sensors to construct a 3D map of its environment for more precise hovering and better flight performance. It also has Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) helping pilots avoid and bypass obstacles automatically, providing an extra layer of reassurance during flight.
Roger Luo, President at DJI says, “When DJI introduced the Mavic Pro, it reinvented what a consumer drone could be: powerful, yet portable, accessible, but advanced. Today, with the introduction of Mavic Air, we have pushed these attributes to the next level to create our best consumer drone yet.”
The Mavic Air houses a 1/2.3” CMOS sensor and the equivalent of a 24mm F2.8 lens (on a 35mm full frame sensor).
Mavic Air photographs 12-megapixel still images using new HDR algorithms preserving more highlight and low light details. It also shoots smooth stabilised 4K video at 30 fps, capturing the highest quality video of any DJI consumer drone with a maximum bitrate of 100 Mbps. The drone is also able to shoot 1080p slow-motion video at 120 fps.
Mavic Air is DJI’s first drone with 8 GB of onboard storage letting you save photos and videos directly to the aircraft on the go, plus a micro SD card slot for additional storage capacity. It also has a USB-C port installed on the device.
It is available in three colours: white, red and black. For those Aussies interested you can pre-order now and it will be shipped on January 28. The new DJI Mavic Air starts at $1,299 and include the drone itself plus battery, remote controller, carrying case, two pairs of propeller guards and four pairs of propellers. There is also a Mavic Air Fly More Combo including the drone, three batteries, a remote controller, a travel bag, two pairs of propeller guards, six pairs of propellers, a battery to power bank adapter and battery charging hub, retailing at $1,599.
For more information head to the DJI website.
