DJI Mavic Air
(A marvel of engineering and design, the Mavic Air was built to go wherever adventure takes you. Inheriting the best of the Mavic series, this ultraportable and foldable drone features high-end flight performance and functionality for limitless exploration.)
(A marvel of engineering and design, the Mavic Air was built to go wherever adventure takes you. Inheriting the best of the Mavic series, this ultraportable and foldable drone features high-end flight performance and functionality for limitless exploration.)
The Mavic Air can float for up to 21 minutes on a single charge. DJI claims that's the longest flight time you'll find in a drone this small.
As expected, though, the big draw here is the addition of 4K video recording with three-axis stabilization a feature conspicuously absent from the company's recent Spark.
That's all thanks to a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with a 24mm f/2.8 lens, which you'll be able to use for capturing 12-megapixel stills and stabilized 4K video at 30FPS (not the 60FPS we were hoping for).
You can still shoot full HD video at 120FPS. Finally, DJI added 8GB of onboard storage to the Air:
If you forget your SD card or fill it up, you can still get the shot you're looking for.
Another major new feature is the Advanced Pilot Awareness System (APAS), which works to detect obstacles in the environment and avoid them without any human intervention.
If you're flying straight toward something, the Air will be smart enough to either go around it or fly over it without the operator adjusting its path.
DJI showed this off in a prepared demo, but we'll be interested to see just how smart this new drone is when flying around in the real world.
New to the Air are a few Quickshot modes, including Asteroid which stitches together 32-megapixel spherical panoramas and Boomerang.
The name basically says it all:
The Air follows the same flight path as a thrown boomerang, which should offer some neat perspectives of the space around the pilot.
Meanwhile, the ActiveTrack flight assistance mode helps (what else?) track objects automatically while keeping them locked in the center of the frame.
The Air is the first DJI drone that can detect multiple subjects simultaneously, so you'll need to manually select which one you want to track.
So yes, the Air is shaping up to be a remarkable flying camera.
Almost more impressive is how DJI tweaked the Mavic formula to squeeze such impressive performance into a tiny package.
A new ventilation system means the Air should be more resistant to overheating a new housing for the gimbal makes for more precise camera control.
A new omnidirectional antenna design also means the Air can fly up to 2.5 miles away, as long as you're using it with one of DJI's smartphone-docking controllers.
That controller has been redesigned, in case you were wondering, and comes with the Air.
A neat but unmentioned feature is that the controller's joysticks can actually be removed to make it even more portable.
And in case you were worried, the Mavic Air seems like a fun machine to fly it'll hit speeds as high as 42.5 miles per hour in sports mode and can withstand winds of up to 22 miles per hour.
Granted, not everyone will want to push the Air to its limits. Less-adventurous users will probably appreciate the Air's improved object avoidance more.
The drone uses seven cameras to build a 3D map of its position around the aircraft, and if you manually steer it near an obstacle, it'll juke out of the way.
On top of that, DJI is playing up what it calls its GEO system: a real-time map that shows off where drone flying is prohibited as a result of federal regulation or potential safety issues.
Features :-
3-Axis Gimbal Camera :-
The Mavic Air is the most portable DJI drone to house a 3-axis mechanical gimbal, with its angular vibration range reduced to 0.005°. Set in a triangular formation, gimbal dampeners help create even steadier shots.
32 MP Sphere Panoramas :-
In addition to Horizontal, Vertical, and 180° panoramas, the Mavic Air stitches 25 photos together in just eight seconds to create crystal-clear 32 MP Sphere panoramas.1 View them from an immersive perspective with DJI Goggles. 4K 100 Mbps Video :-
The Mavic Air shoots video at an incredible 4K 30 fps, recording at 100 Mbps to capture every second with UHD quality.
Slow-Motion Video :-
With support for recording 1080p 120 fps slow-motion video, the Mavic Air captures all your epic high-speed adventures.
HDR Photos :-
New HDR algorithms help you obtain the right exposure settings intelligently, according to lighting conditions. Overexposed or dark areas are processed for more natural transitions between highlights and shadows, while DSP acceleration allows for more efficient shooting.
12 MP Stills :-
The Mavic Air’s onboard camera integrates a 1/2.3” 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and an f/2.8 lens with a 35-mm equivalent focal length of 24 mm to shoot high-quality photos and videos.
8 GB Internal Storage :-
In addition to a Micro SD card slot, 8 GB of internal storage let you save photos and videos directly to the aircraft and export files through its USB 3.0 Type-C port.
Geometric Elegance :-
Expressing geometric precision, the Mavic Air's arms fold flush against its aerodynamic chassis. Magnesium alloy brackets reinforce the seven onboard cameras, rear vents dissipate heat efficiently, and the primary gimbal camera is recessed for better protection.
3D Foldable Design :-
As tall and wide as a smartphone when folded, the Mavic Air is an ultraportable drone that stretches the boundaries of what's possible for a device its size.
Foldable Remote Controller :-
The dedicated remote controller uses a foldable, low-profile, ergonomic design to hold your smartphone for maximum convenience. Detachable control sticks store inside the remote controller to pack more comfortably on the go.
ActiveTrack :-
ActiveTrack can sense up to 16 selectable subjects simultaneously,2 letting you choose the right tracking subject. With higher tracking precision and broader scenario applications, ActiveTrack follows targets even when they're running, jumping, or cycling.
QuickShots :-
Choose from six different QuickShots — Rocket, Dronie, Circle, Helix, Asteroid, and Boomerang. All are just a tap away and will get you those epic selfie drone videos without needing to think about composing your shot. Share your new creations to social media through the DJI GO 4 app instantly.
SmartCapture :-
Fun, simple, and intuitive, SmartCapture offers a new and interactive way of controlling the Mavic Air by hand. Launch and control the drone with hand gestures, then take photos or videos however you like.
TapFly :-
If you want to focus on just your shot, select TapFly in DJI GO 4, which lets you fly wherever you tap on your mobile device screen. TapFly works in Forward, Backward, Free, and Coordinate modes, and you can adjust flight speed to suit all your aerial needs.
FlightAutonomy 2.0 :-
Using advanced VIO technology, the powerful sensor system in FlightAutonomy 2.0 consists of a primary gimbal camera, forward, backward, and downward dual-vision sensors, downward infrared sensing system, IMU redundancies, and a group of computing cores.
Together, they collect and transmit information from the surrounding environment to the high-performance processor for more precise hovering and better flight performance.
Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) allow the aircraft to bypass obstacles in front of and behind it actively. Your grand adventures of discovery have never been so safe and easy.
Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) :-
A combination of VIO technology and the new positioning algorithm has doubled the Mavic Air's precision positioning.
VIO technology calculates the speed and attitude of the aircraft in real-time and locates it, making dual-camera attitude measurements while hovering or flying at any speed.
The working range of the vision positioning system is now 0.5 to 30 meters. With VIO technology, the Mavic Air hovers more precisely indoors and responds better to complex environments with finer control stick movement.
3D Map Building :-
Equipped with an advanced sensing system, the Mavic Air locates itself with accuracy and precision.
By processing data from the seven cameras at the front, bottom, and rear of the body, alongside the advanced infrared sensors and IMU, the Mavic Air will construct a 3D map by sensing the environment in real time, which significantly improves overall flight safety.
Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) :-
APAS is the result of DJI’s extensive research on flight path calculation.
Users can keep flying forwards and backwards, and APAS will plan an appropriate flight path to bypass obstacles automatically.
Multiple Redundancies
Besides dual IMUs, FlightAutonomy 2.0 has more redundant modules to increase the Mavic Air’s safety level.
The Vision Compass will assist the navigation system to estimate flight direction when the compass experiences interference.
When only one direction of the front, bottom, or rear vision systems is functioning normally, the aircraft will still position itself successfully.
There are two sets of sensor fusion algorithms based on two independent hardware platforms.
When an error occurs to one set of algorithms, the aircraft will switch to the other pair seamlessly to resume normal functionality.
DJI Mavic Air Images :-More Reliable Return to Home (RTH)
Expanding on existing RTH systems, the Mavic Air will ensure the safest flight path during RTH.
It does this by recording its real-time flight path, and when the control signal gets lost, the aircraft will fly towards the Home Point, bypassing any signal obstruction and reconnect to the controller.
When the Mavic Air detects an obstacle, it will choose a proper path to bypass it according to its altitude. The aircraft will match the images of the ground with those captured at takeoff for increased landing accuracy.
When landing automatically, the Mavic Air will scan the terrain of the landing area in real-time, then warn the user and safely hover if it detects an obstacle or water in the landing area.
