If you’ve seen a movie lately which included an aerial shot or a tracking shot of a person or a vehicle – there’s a good chance that shot was captured with a professional film-making drone like the DJI Inspire 3.

That shot which can capture a speeding car from behind, the side and then from the front could only be achieved with a drone.

Until the recent release of DJI Inspire 3, filmmakers were using the DJI Inspire 2 which had a camera system with interchangeable lenses and the ability for one person to control the drone and its flight path and for a second person to just control the camera.

The DJI Inspire 3 takes that even further – it is a huge improvement.

Now in terms of this review – on my own I can’t begin test the Inspire 3 to its full potential, so this is more of an appreciation of its power and capabilities.

I hold a drone licence and I actually own the Inspire 2 so I can clearly see the massive enhancements and new features.

It’s been more than six years since the release of the Inspire 2 so to say this has been a long awaited release is a massive understatement.

There are two parts to this product – the actual drone itself and the camera system.

To enable the stunning shots that are possible, the Inspire 3 is a more than capable drone that can handle even the toughest and windiest conditions.

Like the Inspire 2, the Inspire 3 has landing gear that will lift out of the way to give the camera a full 360-degree view.

And when it’s time to land, the landing gear gracefully descends to return safely.

The drone has folding detachable rotor blades and, despite its 4kg weight and larger size, it is remarkably manoeuvrable and agile for you to maximise the potential of your shot.

It can reach speeds of up to 94km/h and has an ascent/’descent speed of 8m/s and a dive speed of 10m/s.

The drone is more complex and harder to fly than DJI’s smaller drones. We found the remote to be a lot more sensitive and less forgiving than DJI’s consumer drones.

The controls are a lot more precise so wrong-sticking it with the Inspire 3 could end disastrously.

That’s one of the reasons why it really needs to be in the hands of a professional.

The Inspire 3 runs on dual TB51 batteries which offer up to 28 minutes of flying time.

Also included is the DJI RC Plus remote control which has a 7-inch display with 1200nit high brightness so it’s still really easy to view even in direct sunlight. It is also powered by a hot swappable battery as well so you’re never left short of a charge.

On the photography side, the DJI Inspire 3 really does take things to another level.

In the right hands, a creative filmmaker can really come up with some spectacular shots and break the shackles of traditional filmmaking.

This professional level aerial platform can record with cinematic-grade quality that was only previously available with large and clunky camera systems.

Included with the drone is the Zenmuse X9 8K Air Gimbal camera which can shoot 8K 75fps ProRes RAW and 4K 120fps ProRes RAW.

Images and videos are captured and stored on the 1TB DJI PROSSD which slots inside the middle of the drone under a small hatch.

Footage can be downloaded directly from the SSD to a computer with the included USB-C cable

But it’s not just the quality of the camera that’s impressive it’s what you can do with it.

The Inspire 3 has advanced positioning technology so cinematographers can accurately plan their shooting routes and save production time.

One new function is Waypoint Pro which allows pilots to set flight routes for shot planning.

On a film set, it’s not unusual to do take after take and the Inspire 3 can do just that with a feature called Repeatable Routes so pilots can precisely fly the same route and even remember settings like speed, altitude, gimbal angle and all the camera settings.

This means it’s possible to perform difficult single shots and fly the same location at different times of the day for long time lapses and other transitions.

Another feature is 3D Dolly which gives the Inspire 3 the ability to imitate cranes, cable cams and a dolly without the limits those traditional tools usually impose.

A pilot can also create an aerial motion path so they can move backwards and forwards along that path at different speeds and different gimbal settings.

When it comes to safety, the Inspire 3 has a number of sensors that can detect obstacles in all directions.

And even when this active avoidance is turned off, the drone will still tell you the distance from an obstacle on the navigation display.

Also onboard is a small FPV camera so the drone operator can still clearly see where the drone is going while the camera might be pointed in a completely different direction.

The DJI Inspire 3 professional filmmaking drone comes with a DJI RC Plus controller, Zenmuse X9-8K camera, DJI PROSSD 1TB, six batteries, a charging station, foldable props, a shoulder strap and other accessories. It is priced at $20,469.

VERDICT

The DJI Inspire 3 is the go-to flying camera for filmmakers to achieve shots only possible with a drone. It is a safe and steady and dynamic drone that can capture jaw-dropping cinematic-grade video that have to be seen to be believed. It’s called Inspire for a reason.

The post DJI Inspire 3 professional filmmaking drone review – it’s called Inspire for a reason appeared first on Tech Guide.

Drones are going down the same path as smartphones when it comes to cameras – having just one is no longer enough. The new DJI Air 3 has two dual primary cameras.

It is the first dual camera model of the Air Series and it adds even more choices and functionality for aerial photographers.

Onboard is a wide-angle camera and a medium telephoto with up to 3x zoom that can produce stunning 48-megapixel images and 4K HDR videos at 60 frames per second.

The DJI Air 3 has a foldable design so when you’re done the props tuck away to make the drone a compact size – its about the size of a 1L water bottle.

And it weighs in at 720g which means you can only fly the DJI Air 3 a minimum of 5.5km away from a controlled airspace.

What really appeals with the DJI Air 3 is that it packed with features to capture stunning videos and images, it’s really easy to fly and has an incredible 46 minutes of flying time.

This is the first Air model to incorporate omnidirectional obstacle sensing so it can detect and avoid objects in its path and prevent crashes.

First time pilots will appreciate the safety net this provides so they don’t accidentally back into a tree or clip a building.

The sensors can be seen on the front, back and bottom of the drone and has added a little more size to the body – but being slightly larger is a small price to pay for added safety.

This increased size in no way affects the aerodynamics of the DJI Air 3.

It’s still steady as a rock even in high winds and the gimbal keeps your footage smooth as silk.

We flew the DJI Air 3 off Lurline Bay and we saw a couple of high wind warnings on the remote’s screen but it just stuck there and it’s course wasn’t affected when it was moving.

The two cameras offer excellent options for aerial photographers.

One is a wide angle camera which allows users to capture sweeping landscapes and wide shots. It is the equivalent of a 24mm format.

The other 3x medium tele camera is a 70mm equivalent and allows your subject to pop against the background with a nice depth of field.

The 3x zoom is also remarkable and does get you significantly closer to your subject.

And the quality of images and videos is also superb – 48-megapixel stills and 4K video at up to 60fps.

There’s support dual native ISO for direct output of 4K/60fps HDR video through the onboard 1/1.3-inch sensors.

And each camera also supports 10-bit D-log M, for more light and shadow detail, and 10-bit HLG colour modes, for higher dynamic range without the need for colour grading.

Our review unit included the DJI RC 2 remote with the built-in 5.5-inch display.

It was bright enough to see clearly even in direct sunlight and saved us having to connect our phone. The package that includes the RC 2 is definitely worth the extra money.

The drone also has an excellent RTH (return to home) feature which means the DJI Air 3 will land from exactly where it took off from.

This engages automatically if the drone loses contact with the remote or when it senses the battery power required to get back to the take-off spot is approaching a critical level.

This is another safety feature first time fliers will really appreciate.

Of course you have all the intelligent features at your fingertips like vertical shooting, night mode and Quickshots which gives you stunning creative movements at the press of a button.

But one of the biggest improvements with the DJI Air 3 is the flying time of 46 minutes. That’s a 48 per cent improvement.

It wasn’t that long ago when you’d be happy with 20 minutes flight time.

But the battery technology, aerodynamics and efficiency have improved so much you get a lot more time in the air.

There is also a new battery charging hub which can transfer power from other batteries to the battery with the highest charge so you can continue flying without having to go back and charge.

The drone has only 8GB of internal storage but, of course, can expand the storage with a microSD card.

The DJI Air 3 is available now and is priced at:

DJI Air 3 (DJI RC-N2) – $1,699

DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo (DJI RC-N2) – $2,049

DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) – $2,349

VERDICT

The DJI Air 3 is one of the best and most versatile drones the company has produced with amazing cameras, excellent battery life and outstanding safety features.

The post DJI Air 3 review – excellent dual camera drone with amazing flight time appeared first on Tech Guide.

DJI has unveiled its new Mini 3 Pro drone which manages to squeeze in the latest features, extended flying time and camera quality in a unit that weighs less than 249g.

The ultra-light foldable drone is small enough to fit in your hand when its folded down and designed for users to take it anywhere with you – including on your travels.

And that’s why the 249g weight is so important because it means (according to CASA – the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority) you can fly within 5.5km of a controlled airport.

And weighing less than 250g means the DJI Mini 3 Pro drone doesn’t have to be registered.

There are similar regulations and policies in other parts of the world so you can legally fly without registration.

It has been quite a feat for DJI to improve the quality and performance of a drone of this size – and that’s exactly what we get with the DJI Mini 3 Pro.

If you compare the DJI Mini 3 Pro with the Mavic Air 2 (570g) it has a better camera, greater video transmission range, similar flight time, same safety sensor set-up and can match the video quality and image resolution.

The other 249g drone in DJI’s fleet is the Mini 2 but it has a shorter flight time than the Mini 3 Pro, no safety sensors and inferior video quality.

So you can appreciate what DJI has achieved with the Mini 3 Pro.

The design has changed for the Mini 3 Pro to give it a more aerodynamic body tilt when hovering, but it straightens out when flying forward to reduce wind resistance.

This reduction in wind drag not only improves performance but also make it more energy efficient.

This new design also allowed DJI to increase the propellor size and offer more propulsion efficiency.

Tech Guide has been flying the DJI Mini 3 Pro for a couple of weeks and we’re certainly impressed with the performance, the flight time, the multiple features and, of course, the stunning video and image quality.

The DJI Mini 3 Pro has a 1/1.3 CMOS sensor, larger pixels and an aperture ratio of f/1.7 – the result we found was excellent natural colour in the videos and images – even in low light.

The onboard camera can shoot 4K HDR video at 60 frames per second and 48-megapixel images in RAW format.

There is up to 2x zoom while shooting 4K, up to 3x in 2.7K and 4x in FHD.

There is also a slow-motion mode which shoots at 1080p./120fps.

Also onboard is a D-Cinelike colour mode which offers even more rich colour and detail in your images. HDR (high dynamic range) also comes in to play to offer even more highlights in the lighter and darker areas of the video and image.

We flew the DJI Mini 3 Pro off the Sydney coast and was impressed the video quality and colours.

DJI has also recognised the fact that people now consumer their video content in portrait mode – in other words – the shape of your smartphone screen on TikTok and Instagram – so the now there’s a True Vertical Shooting mode.

The re-engineered gimbal can now rotate 90 degrees, so your videos and images are ready to share on social media.

The re-designed gimbal can also shoot upwards from a low angle and straight down to give you even more options.

Active Track 4.0 allows users to track themselves or something else smoothly and accurately while MasterShot can offer great shots with a single tap.

The usual Quickshot modes are also available to you including dronie, helix, rocket, circle, boomerang and asteroid.

Now let’s talk safety – the DJI Mini 3 Pro has tri-directional sensors – front, behind and below – so it can save you from flying into an object like a tree or a wall.

It’s remarkable that this level of safety is available in a drone of this size.

The downside of a smaller drone like this is keeping a line of sight so it means you are unable to fly the DJI Mini 3 Pro too far away from you.

Being so small it’s easy to lose sight of it.

We used the DJI RC – which includes a bright built-in 5.5-inch display that was still crystal clear while shooting in direct sunlight.

This means we don’t need to hook up our smartphone or iPad to keep an eye on things.

The controller felt great in your hands – well balanced and easy to use.

On the battery side, the DJI Mini 3 Pro can fly for up to 34 minutes thanks to the energy and propulsion efficiencies of the new design. That’s plenty of time to capture some incredible videos and images.

We easily noticed the added flight time so when we set our alert when the battery reached 25 per cent, we’d already been flying for about 24 minutes – that was the flight time of previous models – so this offers even more time in the air which means more shooting time and the option to fly further to get that shot.

DJI will also be offering an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus – which weighs 40g more – but that takes flight time up to an impressive 47 minutes.

What that will also do is take the weight above 250g and the limits come back in place like not flying near controlled airports and the requirement to get it registered.

DJI Mini 3 Pro is available for pre-order today from store.dji.com and most authorized retail partners in several configurations with shipping starting by May 17.

DJI Mini 3 Pro is priced at $1,119 AUD and includes DJI RC-N1.

DJI Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC with built-in screen is $1,299.

VERDICT

The DJI Mini 3 Pro might be one of the smallest drones the company as produced but it will rank as one of its biggest achievements to fit in so many features, next level performance, excellent camera quality and impressive flight time.

The post DJI Mini 3 Pro review – tiny 249g drone but with mighty features and performance appeared first on Tech Guide.

Flying the DJI FPV drone puts you in the driver’s seat and allows users to create some stunning cinematic footage. FPV stands for “first person view” and that’s what exactly what you get.

And the DJI FPV is fast and nimble – it’s the drone version of a Formula One car.

DJI FPV comes with a controller and also a pair of goggles that allows you to see just what the drone sees in real time.

But here’s the thing – flying the DJI FPV with the included goggles is actually illegal in Australia.

The CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) rules for recreational drone operators states: you must keep your drone within visual line of sight. This means always being able to see the drone with your own eyes rather than through a device, screen or goggles.

And wearing goggle prevents you from doing that.

Even if you have a spotter – the person with the controller simply cannot legally wear the goggles and fly the DJI FPV at the same time.

And if you do wear the goggles, all you see is what the drone sees and you’re not seeing the bigger picture like your surroundings and potential obstacles and dangers.

Best you do can is offer another person the option of wearing the goggles so they can enjoy the ride which can be quite fast and dizzying.

You might even make them sick if you’re really going for it with some fast moves and turns.

The alternative is what we did and that was connecting the goggles with a USB-C cable to our iPad running the DJI Fly app so we could see what the drones sees as well as keeping the drone in sight.

The issue we found with that was that while the camera view was excellent on the iPad, we couldn’t see the vital information like battery level, length of time we were recording and any safety warnings.

To find that out we had to stop flying the drone look into the goggles.

Most of the time we were able just keep an eye on the DJI FPV drone and make sure our path was free of obstructions and away from people and buildings.

The controller doesn’t even have a clip to attach your phone which is why we had to keep the iPad screen nearby so we could have a glance at our position.

Another way to control the DJI FPV is with the DJI Motion Controller which allows you to control the drone with hand movements.

This was really liberating and responsive and something better pilots can handle. Naturally you need a very steady hand because one wrong movement can send you into a tree – which is what we did (see our YouTube video).

But no matter how you decide to control the drone, the resulting footage of is nothing short of amazing.

Design-wise the DJI FPV drone is a lot different from the company’s other drones.

For a start it has a more compact size and shorter fixed arms rather than foldable arms found on other DJI Air and Mavic drones.

The removable battery actually forms the back landing section which is why it has a couple of nodules to provide some cushioning.

The DJI FPV is built for speed and manoeuvrability.

It can reach speeds of up to 140km/h and can go zero to 100km/h in a couple of seconds.

The camera on the DJI FPV is located in the nose of the of the aircraft with the ability to tilt it up and down on a one-axis gimbal to create that first person effect.

And the RockSteady EIS technology keeps your videos smooth and steady.

The onboard camera is capable of shooting 4K video at 30 frames per second and has a 150-degree field of view.

One down side of that is that you often see the props in your video.

The video quality is unmistakable – crisp and clear with great colour in glorious 4K.

There are three different flight modes – S Mode which give you the freedom and speed but with simplified controls, M Mode which gives you the complete FPV experience and, for beginners, there’s N Mode which slows things down for less experienced pilots.

But the DJI FPV is definitely not a beginner’s drone.

To get the most out of the drone you need to be fairly skilled because it is so fast and manoeuvrable.

And how you fly the drone also determines how long the battery lasts. If you are in M Mode and going hell for leather, you’re probably only going to get about 10-12 minutes of flight time.

If you’re a lot more conservative and stick to 40km/h or slower you might get about 20 minutes of flight time.

That’s why we’d recommend the DJI FPV FlyMore Kit which adds two extra batteries for a total of three and a charging hub.

The DJI FPV is priced at $2,099 with the DJI Motion Controller ($229) and FlyMore Kit ($429) available as optional extras.

VERDICT

The DJI FPV is an amazing new drone that’s super-fast to produce high speed and high energy. It’s a shame that technically wearing the DJI FPV goggles is illegal according to the CASA drone laws – but that won’t stop the sheer enjoyment of flying the DJI FPV and capturing truly stunning videos.

The post DJI FPV review – the Formula One car of drones appeared first on Tech Guide.

The DJI Mini 2 drone is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand but don’t let its size fool you into thinking it is not a capable drone that can handle the conditions and also produce stunning videos and images.

This is the follow up to the original Mavic mini and its small size and easily portable design really gives you no excuse why you couldn’t take this with you wherever you go.

It’s literally small enough to fit in your pocket but it’s still powerful enough to capture 4K video at 30 frames per second and 12-megapixel images.

It wasn’t that long ago when a DJI drone that was much larger and much more expensive couldn’t come up with anywhere near the quality that the Mini 2 can produce.

Design-wise it has your typical DJI folding prop arms which, in the folded position, is actually smaller then a smartphone and a can of drink.

on the front is DJI’s amazing three-axis gimbal which really stabilises things even in windy conditions when you’re shooting your video or capturing your still images.

The great thing about the DJI Mini 2 is the fact it can be set up and ready to take off in seconds.

The remote control is actually larger than the drone itself and it has a bracket to slip in your smartphone so you can see exactly what the drone sees on your display.

The bracket has enough room to fit in even large smartphones.

During our testing we used our iPhone 12 Pro Max which fit comfortably on the controller.

The small size of the Mini 2 makes it an ideal beginner’s drone.

It’s quite light at 249g and doesn’t have the large size that may intimidate first time pilots.

What we liked about the DJI Mini 2 was the fact it offered tutorials for beginners so they can take lessons on every aspect of the drone and flying before taking to the sky with confidence.

What also helps newcomers is the included high-grade positioning and vision sensors so you can hover precisely in place while GPS keeps track of the drone’s position at all times.

In fact, it take the press of one button on the controller to get the Mini 2 to automatically return to your take of spot and land at your feet.

The camera on board the DJI mini 2 is brilliant with a maximum video resolution of 4K at 30fps at 100Mbps.

On the still image side it can capture 12 megapixel images which can be saved as either in JPG or RAW for those photographers who want to have more editing options.

Now it takes a skilled drone pilot to capture steady video while steering the drone at the same time.

it takes years of practise to capture smooth and stunning sweeps that would make a cinematographer proud.

But you too can look like an expert with the DJI Mini 2 thanks to the included Quickshots. These are pre-programmed movements and image capture modes that look absolutely stunning.

You can shoot a dronie (drone selfie) where the Mini 2 flies backwards and upwards while tracking your subject – in this case – you!

Rocket mode shoots video while flying straight up into the air with the camera pointing directly below it.

But our favourites are Circle and Helix.

Circle allows you to set a radius around your subject which then sees the drone circling at a constant altitude to produce a cool video.

Our other favourite , the Helix, uses the same principle as Circle but increases its altitude as it flies through the 360 degree movement.

These modes can really showcase your surroundings in a remarkable way.

For our review we took the DJI Mini 2 down to Pyrmont and Maroubra Beach and Lurline Bay in Sydney’s east.

Our circle and Helix shots were completed at the point overlooking the ocean which showed off the surrounding area as well.

And it was all done automatically thanks to Quickshots.

There are also some amazing modes to capture still images.

The wide angle mode captures an image consisting of nine pictures arranged 3 x 3 while the 180 degree setting captures seven photos and stitches them together for sweeping landscape images.

There’s also Panorama mode to capture a wider perspective of the scene.

Flying the drone is really easy once you get the hang of the controls.

What really amazed us was how well it handled high winds.

According to DJI, the Mini 2 can handle winds of up to 38km/h.

While the wind speeds during our testing weren’t quite that high, we were still very impressed with how stable the drone remained in the solid breeze on the coastline.

It just stuck there while the 3-axis gimbal got to work and kept the scene as smooth as silk.

The only downside of the DJI Mini 2’s small size is the difficulty of keeping your eye on the drone at a distance.

Drone laws state a pilot must keep their drone in line of sight.

If the drone is even 100m away from you, it’s very hard to see it.

Of course, you can still see what the drone sees through the app on your smartphone.

The Mini 2 can fly up to 10km away from you and reach an altitude of four kilometres – not that you would ever do that because it is illegal.

DJI says battery life is 31 minutes and that’s from the second you take off till it falls out of the sky so effectively, if you want a safe buffer to get back to you, it’s more like about 28 minutes. And that’s still pretty good.

The DJI Mini 2 is priced at $749 and for that you get the drone, a battery, spare propellors and the controller.

But we think the real value is with the DJI Mini 2 Fly More combo which comes with three batteries, a charging hub, controller and carry bag.

VERDICT

The DJI Mini 2 might be small but it’s huge on features and capable of handling windy conditions. It’s an ideal choice for beginners who want a real drone and not a toy and one that can produce amazing videos and images.

The post DJI Mini 2 drone review – small in size but huge on features and quality appeared first on Tech Guide.

DJI has proven once again why they are the premier drone manufacturer with the release of the Mavic Air 2 which has an even better camera as well as longer flight time and greater range.

The Mavic Air 2, like the other Mavic drones, is a fold down model so it is quite small in the folded position – as small as a water bottle and just as easy to carry around with you so it’s a perfect companion for your next holiday or road trip.

It is surprisingly small and light and, we’ll be honest, we were wondering whether it could handle the wind especially on the coast where we like to fly our drones.

But boy, were we wrong.

On a reasonably windy day on the eastern beaches in Sydney we took the Mavic Air 2 up and it handled the wind so well there ought to have been no wind at all.

The sleek aerodynamic shape really comes in to play here.

The body of the Mavic Air 2 is actually quite small so not much of a target for the wind. It just stuck there even when we were flirting with the maximum height of 120m.

And the videos and images reflect the drone’s endurance and sticking power.

This is also due to the camera’s incredible three-axis (tilt, roll, pan) gimbal which continues to amaze us.

They were as smooth and clear as you would expect on a clear calm day.

Setting up the drone is simple – simply match the right propellers with the right motors.

These are identified with either a black or silver mark.

The silver props go on the two silver motors and the two black props on the black motors.

Initially we pulled out the pack of six black props that come with the Fly More combo version of the Mavic Air 2 – thinking they were all the same.

But when we couldn’t take off that first time, a closer look showed we overlooked the half a dozen silver props in the bottom of the box. Rookie mistake.

For first time flyers, features like obstacle avoidance through the sensors front and back will give you added peace of mind.

There are no sensors on top or on the side so you still have to keep an eye out while ascending and moving sideways.

But the main sensors are still the extremely useful and will have your back for nearly all of your flying.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is really easy to fly so you can get in with taking great photos and capturing great videos.

The included controller has also had a redesign and is slightly larger and easier to grip and use.

It has a clip at the top which can easily secure your smartphone with two built cables – Lightning and USB-C – to connect an. iPhone or recent Android smartphones.

There’s a spare microUSB cable included in case you have an Android older device.

The thumb sticks, which can be stored in the base of the controller, can be screwed in place in seconds and you’re ready to fly.

Users are also required to download the new DJI Fly app which has been refreshed and with a slightly different look that makes it easier to access your camera controls and easier to see your battery level.

The app also allows you to easily edit your videos, up to 1080p, on the device as well and with some impressive results so you can easily share to social media or with friends.

DJI Fly also offers a shortcut to Quickshots, these preset flight modes like Dronies, Rocket, Circle and Helix that set the Mavic Air on a pre-programmed path and offers a professional look to your shots.

On the memory side, the Mavic Air 2 has 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot so you can expand that memory to fit more videos and images during your flight.

That built in 8GB is very handy, especially if you turn up to fly and forget a microSD card, which we have done, so you can still utilise that onboard memory to capture your videos and images.

The star of the show of the DJI Mavic Air 2 is the camera system which has been improved with new features like low light photography which, like a smartphones, can manage great photos in low light and also scene recognition so it can recognise blue sky, clouds, grass, tress, snow and much more and optimise the image.

The Mavic Air 2’s camera has a half-inch sensor and is capable of shooting 4K at up to 60 frames per second as well as up to 48 megapixel stills.

It’s possible to capture your videos in several different codecs including MOV, MP4 and H.265 which offers the same quality but a more compressed and therefore smaller file.

The camera also has enhanced HDR (high dynamic range) to add some more punch especially in the lighter and darker areas of the image.

Our videos and images were nothing short of breathtaking even when they were shot in cloudier conditions.

In bright sunlight they would have been even better.

On the battery side, the Mavic Air 2 offers up to 34 minutes of flight time.

We didn’t quite get that much from our flight but it was over 30 minutes.

For safety we set the low battery warning at 25 per cent just to know we still had plenty of juice – in this case was about seven or eight minutes – in case we need to get back to shore if we were over the ocean or to return the drone of it was a fair distance away.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is available now and is priced at $1,499 with the Fly More Combo (which adds a shoulder bag and two extra batteries) is $1,899.

In our view, we think it’s worth spending the extra $400 for the Fly More Combo to get those extra batteries and bag which can easily fit the drone, the remote, the extra batteries and much more.

VERDICT
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is one of the most capable drones in its class and, despite its smaller size and weight, can handle all conditions and still produce outstanding results with breathtaking 4K videos and images. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced drone pilot, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is a great choice to take to the skies.

The post DJI Mavic Air 2 review – small but capable drone that produces stunning results appeared first on Tech Guide.

The go-anywhere drone – the Mavic – just got even better. The Mavic 2 Pro is an amazing aircraft that boasts a range of enhancements including an even better camera to capture some truly stunning 4K videos and images.

DJI recently introduced the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 2 Zoom – two versions of the incredible folding drone then you can take anywhere to produce incredible results.

Tech Guide took a closer look at the Mavic 2 Pro and we were amazed with the ease in which you could come up with amazing videos.

The Mavic 2 Pro looks a lot like the previous Mavic Pro with its foldable arms and props which means it is easy to take it anywhere.

It actually folds down to 21.4mm x 9.1mm so you can slip it into a backpack or into your travel bag.

The biggest change you’ll see is the amazing new Hasselblad L1D-20c camera which has a 20-megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor and an adjustable aperture between f2.8-f11 so you can really take control of your photos and videos.

On this model, the props are still foldable but now also removable. With the Mavic Pro the propellers were screwed into place.

This time out, the props can be installed and removed in the same way as on the Phantom 4 Pro.

Just make sure you check they are locked in place and the right props are on the right arms.

For one of our flights, one of the props wasn’t locked into place properly and it detached and flew up into the air on its own.

So be sure to do your pre-flight checks because you may lose a prop or, worse still, injure someone standing nearby.

The other amazing improvement is Obstacle Sensing which is active on all sides of the aircraft.

This means that if you come within a couple of metres of an object you will get quite a loud alert and the craft automatically stops when it gets to close.

During our review we took the Mavic 2 Pro up to about 60m to record a sweeping shot of the view and while we were looking down at the controller the obstacle alarm sounded loudly.

How could there be an obstacle in open space, we thought to ourselves.

When we looked up we saw two massive crows circling the drone and they got within a couple of metres of the craft and set off the alarms. You can catch a glimpse of one of the crows in our video.

It’s good to know that Obstacle Sensing has always got your back. Without that our little flight could have ended a lot differently.

Once again DJI has knocked it out of the park with its amazing three-axis gimbal.

You can have the best camera in the world on a drone but if the gimbal isn’t up to scratch the results can be terrible.

Thankfully that’s not the case with the Mavic 2 Pro and all of our videos were smooth as silk even when flying in quite windy conditions near the water.

The video and photos you can capture with the Mavic 2 Pro are breathtaking.

They take advantage of the camera’s Natural Colour Solution which, when combined with the 10 bit HDR (high dynamic range), produces some remarkable results.

With the adjustable aperture it can help you handle different light conditions so you can decide on the spot for your best results, rather than having to fix that up in the editing room.

Photos and videos can be stored either on a microSD card or on the aircraft’s 8GB internal memory.

This internal memory came in handy when we arrived to fly the drone and realised we forgot to put the microSD card back in.

The Mavic 2 Pro allows users to take some remarkable videos using Quick Shots which include Circle, Helix, Boomerang and Dronies.

There is a new quick shot available and it’s called Hyperlapse and it’s basically a timelapse video you can capture while flying the drone.

When this mode is engaged you can choose whether to fly in a pattern or to fly freestyle.

Whichever way you choose, the drone flies really slowly to capture the video that will later be sped up for that time-lapse effect.

Even if you try to go full throttle the drone is speed limited to ensure a proper time-lapse capture.

This is a great addition to the capabilities of the Mavic 2 Pro.

On the battery side we didn’t find too much improvement in the flight time.

DJI claims a flight time of up to 31 minutes but the most we could manage was about 28 minutes – and that is flying it until the battery is near zero per cent.

For safety, we always set our low battery warning to sound at 25 per cent which results in about a 22 minute flight time.

But if you’re operating close to the drone and flying over land, you can properly stretch this for even more flight time.

Like last year’s controller, the Mavic 2 Pro can easily connect your smartphone which will act as your screen using the DJI Go 4 app.

At first, we were attempting to activate the drone using iPhone 8 Plus which didn’t have a SIM card.

it turns out you need a phone with a SIM card on board to not only activate the drone but to fly it is well.

After activation we attempted to use the iPhone 8 Plus and it still wouldn’t connect to the drone.

Once we connected our new iPhone Xs Max with a SIM card onboard it went like a dream.

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro isn’t cheap at $2,499 – it’s actually now more expensive than the Phantom 4 Pro – but it has a better camera so worth the money.

DJI MAVIC 2 PRO – $2,499

VERDICT

The Mavic 2 Pro is a vastly improved drone that takes its photographic capabilities even further and presents some stunning options for aerial photographers.

The post DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone review – a stunning solution for aerial photographers appeared first on Tech Guide.

DJI has a drone to suit everyone from beginner to professional and the new Tello drone is an ideal entry product for kids and adults for them to discover the joys of flying.

And the good news is it’s really easy to fly.

The drone from Ryze Tech is powered by DJI’s technology and it is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It weighs just 80g.

Users can control the drone with the Tello app which simplifies the whole process.

The app teaches you the basics and educates pilots on how to steer the craft while take-off and landing is automated for the user.

Once you get up in the air, you will find Tello to be quite stable and easy to control, unlike other smaller drones which can prove to be trickier to fly than their larger cousins.

But that’s not the case with Tello.

So even if you’ve never flown a drone before, you’ll get the hang of Tello in minutes.

It’s so stable, you can even fly it indoors thanks to the Vision Positioning System that can provide precise hovering.

We preferred to take it outside to give ourselves a little room to move but it’s good to know the drone can go anywhere and fly anywhere.
There is a five megapixel camera on board which can shoot impressive images and videos.

You can even capture professional-looking images and videos with EZ Shots including orbits to showcase where you are.

You can take your selfies literally to the next level with the Tello drone.

Image quality is impressive considering it was captured with a drone small enough to fit in your hand.

It’s even got electronic image stabilisation to keep your video footage smooth and steady.

The DJI Tello can also perform tricks including Throw and Go where you simply toss Tello in the air are to start flying, it can also perform flips while Bounce Mode sees the drone take off and land from your hand.

Tello is also compatible with VR headsets so friends can enjoy a first person view of your flight.

The drone has an image transmission range of up to 100m and allows you to view 720p video from the drone live on the app.

There are two antennas on board and a 14-core processor as well as collision detection sensors.

With a full charge of the on-board battery, you can enjoy 13 minutes of flight time. Users can purchase a spare battery so they can fly even longer.

Users can take the enjoyment even further by learning how to program Tello.

Young pilots can learn the basics of programming and even developed software applications for the drone using the Tello SDK (software developers kit).

DJI Tello drone

Price: $169

VERDICT

The Tello drone is an ideal starting point for anyone interested in flying. It certainly punches above its weight in terms of stability and image quality and you’ll have a ton of fun flying it.

The post Tello drone review – fits in the palm of your hand and a ton of fun to fly appeared first on Tech Guide.

When DJI releases a new drone it’s a big deal. And the Mavic Air is no different. But it’s not that big. The foldable drone is actually surprisingly small but it can still shoot incredible video and capture incredible stills like its big brothers.

The Mavic Air packs a lot into its small body which, when completely folded down, is no bigger than a smartphone.

And it fits inside a case not much bigger than the one you use to store your sunglasses.

It’s smaller and lighter than the Mavic Pro and yet still includes a 3-axis gimbal, a remarkable camera capable of 4K video and collision avoidance sensors.

DESIGN

When you see the Mavic Air for the first time, you’ll be surprised at how small it is.

It literally fits in the palm of your hand. It’s been designed for you to take it anywhere with you whether it’s a trip to the beach or a trip to the other side of the world.

It’s four arms unfold elegantly when it’s time to fly with the propellers already attached and ready to go.

CONTROLLER 

The included controller is similar to the one included with the Mavic Pro and allows users to connect their smartphone or small tablet to run the DJI app.
And like the drone itself, the controller is super small and folds down to a compact size.

One thing we liked was the ability to unscrew and remove the joysticks so the controller can be stored in an even smaller space when not in use.

The controller has shortcuts to instantly snap images and shoot video and a dial to adjust the angle of the camera in flight.

Connecting to the drone is not an issue thanks to its new wi-fi video transmission system, located in the foldable landing gear on the front props, which supports dual frequency bands of 2.4 and 5.8GHz.

It’s also capable of streaming 720p video from up to 4km away

CAMERA & GIMBAL 

What’s really impressive about the DJI Mavic Air is the 3-axis gimbal and camera which can shoot 4K video at up to 30 frames per second, 2.7K at up to 60fps and full high definition after 120fps.

You can also capture 12 megapixel stills, bursts of three, five or seven frames at a time.

Throw in HDR (high dynamic range) and a maximum video bit rate of an impressive 100Mbps and you got one a highly credentialed flying camera

The video and image quality is undeniable. It’s hard to believe these results are coming from a device so small.

The 3-axis gimbal works wonders even in windy conditions to provide rock solid and steady video shots.

It also takes the shakes out of your still images which are also stunning.

SMART CAPTURE

One of the biggest appeals of the Mavic Air is that you don’t need to be a pro to fly it.

Yes, you can control it manually with the remote but is also possible to control the drone with gestures.

What pleasantly surprised us about this was how responsive the device was to our hand gestures.

A single out held palm allows the Mavic Air to lock on to the user who can then wave their arm left and right to move the drone in the air.

Holding out two open palms and moving them apart sends the drone further away from you while bringing your open palms closer together drags it towards you like it’s on a string.

In this mode, making the peace sign will trigger selfie mode. You will see the blinking lights which act like a countdown for your shot.

And if you want to take a video of yourself, you make a small frame with your fingers and start shooting. To end the video, make another frame with your fingers and you’re done.

QUICKSHOTS

You also don’t need to be a pro to capture amazing videos thanks to the incredible QuickShots. There are six QuickShots that can capture your surroundings in remarkable fashion.

They include Rocket (a straight up shot of yourself), Dronie (a video of yourself as the drone pulls up and away), Orbit, Helix, Asteroid and Boomerang (which shoot the subject as the drone circles at various heights and angles).

The resulting videos are quite dramatic and powerful and can really show off your location in a unique way.

And they were so easy to do – it was just a matter of choosing the subject (in this case yourself) and tapping on the circle which initiates a countdown for the shot to begin.

ACTIVE TRACK

The Mavic Air can also track moving objects. Select your subject or subjects and it will lock on and follow them either from in front, from behind or from the side.

It would be possible to track yourself while you’re running or cycling or moving any other way in any particular direction.

32MP SPHERE PANORAMAS 

Users can also get creative with their shots and create 32-megapixel sphere panoramas.

To achieve this the Mavic Air stitches 25 images together in just eight seconds.

This is in addition to the horizontal, vertical and 180-degree panoramas.

And to enjoy a truly immersive effect, they can be viewed on the DJI Goggles.

FLIGHT TIME

DJI says the Mavic Air has a flight time of up to 21 minutes. This is certainly true if the pilot flies the drone until the the battery is absolutely exhausted.

We were taught to activate the low battery warning when the battery level hits 25 per cent.

This is a good buffer especially if you’re out flying over water or with the drone a long distance away.

Setting these parameters means there’s plenty of juice left in the battery to bring it back to you and landed safely.

With our 25 per cent battery setting, we were averaging about 15 minutes per charge.

If there was no immediate danger, we were able to fly the drone till there was about 5 per cent on the battery which took that flight time out to about 19 minutes.

That’s actually not a bad result – you can get plenty of images and videos in 15 minutes.

And, of course, you could always carry spare batteries.

MEMORY

The DJI Mavic Air has 8GB of internal memory which can be used to supplement the microSD card storage.

This extra space to store your images and videos can really come in handy.

PRICE

The DJI Mavic Air is not exactly cheap but for the price you are getting a quality drone that is really easy to fly and easy to capture great videos and images without too much expertise.

It starts at $1,299 which includes the controller, a case, all the cables you’ll need to connect a smart phone or tablet, propeller guards and two sets of propellers. If you move up to the Mavic Air Fly More Combo for $1,599 you’ll have three batteries, three sets of propellers, a case and a travel bag.

The Mavic Air is also available in three colours – black, white and red.

VERDICT

The DJI Mavic Air is an excellent drone that produces stunning results. It also has an amazing design that means it can fold down to the size of a smartphone so there’s really no excuse to not  take it everywhere with you.

The post DJI Mavic Air review – the small foldable drone that produces big results appeared first on Tech Guide.

If you’re looking to buy a drone for photography there are lot of choices out there. The GoPro Karma has lots going for it including the fact that it’s a recognised photography brand and it’s also a bloody good drone.

If you’re already a GoPro user then the Karma is a great fit even if you’ve never flown a drone in your life.

Other brands are little more intimidating and involved when it comes to flying and this can take the focus off the photography aspect of the whole thing.

The GoPro Karma has addressed this and right out of the box because it’s really easy to fly.

It’s a more on-rails experience to get the drone into the air so you can focus on what you’d like to photograph or film.

On the design side, the Karma has a sleek elongated body and folding props and landing gear so when you’re done it packs down to a smaller size and sits nicely inside the backpack that comes with it.

The camera is located on the front of the drone on a gimbal – you can either BYO GoPro Hero Black5 or the Hero4 Black and Silver or opt to pay extra for the drone to get the camera as well.

What you also get with the Karma drone is the Karma Grip which means you can detach the stabilizer from the drone and attach it to the grip and you’ve got a handheld solution to shoot while on the ground.

So how easy is it to fly? Very easy.

The controller for the GoPro Karma has a built-in screen so you don’t have to fidget around with your phone and download an app.

The controller steps you through the pre-flight steps before one-button take-off and landings.

But while you’re in the air it’s just as easy. The Karma has excellent stability and GPS positioning even in high winds.

Its flat and elongated body makes it even more wind resistant so your images and videos are smooth.

One thing it doesn’t have is collision sensors – you need to pay more than a $1000 more for a drone with those features – so you need to fly in areas that are clear and away from buildings.

Most of the time the video we shot was smooth as silk but there were occasions when the drones vibrations made it through to the footage and showed up as slight juddering.

But that was a rarity with the hours of video we shot with the Karma.

And it’s a good thing you’ve got such an excellent camera with the Hero5 Black which is capable of shooting 4K video at 30 frames per second and 12-megapixel stills.

The Karma makes it easy to shoot like a pro like with flight modes. These include

–  Orbit where you set the centre point and the circumference and the drone films smoothly around the centre.

– Reveal sets the camera to tilt upwards slowly over a determined distance to reveal a point of interest.

– Circuit allows pilots to set a path where the drone can travel back and forth either flying forward or backwards.

– Selfie – also called a dronie – where you can set the drone to focus on you and fly up and away.

And of course, it’s easy enough to fly straight and sideways as well as up and down to capture some pretty stunning video.

GoPro says the onboard battery has a flight time of up to 20 minutes but we averaged about 15 minutes per charge.

But one of the few issues we had with the battery was the inability to set a safety point for the battery so we receive an alert when it hits that percentage – for example with 25 per cent remaining.

One of our first flights with the GoPro Karma we heard the low battery warning and were instructed to land the drone.

We did what we were told and on the way back to the take-off spot, we were then given an extremely low battery warning barely 30 seconds later.

Another 20 seconds later we had the Karma back and about to land it and it dropped to the ground from a foot above the ground.

Thankfully that was a one-off and didn’t happen again but being able to manage the battery more efficiently would make pilots (including this one) a lot more comfortable especially when you fly the Karma out over water and along sea cliffs.

But overall, the GoPro Karma was a joy to fly and a great tool to capture stunning images and videos.

Whether you’ve never flown a drone before or are a licensed pilot, the Karma is a great choice.

It’s also pretty good value when you consider you get the drone, a controller with built-in screen and the Karma Grip Handle as well as a backpack to easily carry everything around for $1,350 or $1,750 with the GoPro Hero5 Black camera.

VERDICT

Karma is a great first attempt by GoPro at building a photography drone for fans of the brand who have more interest in capturing great images and videos in the air and on the ground than spending extra time learning to fly a complicated drone.

At the end of the day, Karma is basically a flying mount for your GoPro camera instead of a camera you take for a ride.

The post GoPro Karma drone review – create stunning videos from the air appeared first on Tech Guide.