Let's face it: no edit is complete without a few aerial shots to add depth and dynamism, but drones of the past have been bulky to carry around. DJI aim to solve that problem with the Mavic Air: it's foldable, making it small enough to fit in the side pocket of a rucksack.
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Main features
- 7 on-board cameras
- Ultra high definition video cameras shooting at 4K
- 3-axis mechanical gimble
- Able to record slow-motion video
- 8GB of internal storage in addition to Micro SD slot
- 21 minute flight time
- Smart capture
DJI Mavic Air new drone
Portable design
The Mavic Air consists of a central chassis or body, with arms that fold flush against it which makes it when folded about the size of a smartphone, according to DJI. The primary camera mounted on the gimbal is located in a recessed area to protect it in the case of impacts or crashes, with magnesium alloy brackets also reinforcing the cameras.
As with the vast majority of drones, the Mavic Air comes with a remote control. This is designed to fold away also, with detachable control sticks which store inside the controller for a smaller size when packed away. The controller also has a design element that holds your smartphone during use.
360 degree high definition
For your sick edits, you need good quality video, and DJI states that the Mavic Air shoots at 4K 30fps, recording at 100 Mpbs Ultra High Definition. It has a 1/2.3" 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and an f/2.8 lens with 35-mm equivalent focal length of 24mm.
It can also do slo-mo for those moments where you want to savour the experience, and for this can record 1080p at 120fps.
It's also designed to help you get the right exposure settings, and will process over- or underexposed areas to smooth out any transitions between bright and dark areas, plus has DSP accelleration for greater efficiency, says DJI.
If panoramas are more your thing - and the Mavic Air can do horizontal, vertical and 180 degree versions of those - there is also a feature that allows the drone cameras to stich 25 images together to create a 32 MP Sphere panorama which can be viewed immersively. This, according to DJI, is done in only 8 seconds, and it suggests viewing the resulting image with DJI Goggles.
For all that video and photography, storage is important, and the Mavic Air also has 8GB of internal storage which allows you to store it on board, though it also has a Micro SD card slot. Files are exported via the USB 3.0 Type-C port.
Price and availability
The DJI Mavic Air drone is available at £769 / €849 / $799 / AU$1299, and is available now.
DJI state that due to limited availability customers are only permitted two drones per person.
