Amateur Photographer - UK (2021-01-16)

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Testbench DRONE TEST

A

lthough it has dropped the Mavic
moniker, the Mini 2 is the upgrade
to the DJI Mavic Mini that
launched in October 2019. That
created lots of excitement in drone circles
because it weighs 249g, which means it
comes under the CAA’s 250g threshold for
the UK Drone Registration scheme. DJI has
pulled off the same feat with the Mini 2, this
time taking the weight down to 242g (with the
battery, propellers and microSD card) despite
uprating the motors and enhancing the
transmission technology.

New controller
DJI has also improved upon the controller
that comes with the Mavic Mini by supplying
the Mini 2 with the same RC231 unit as
comes with the Mavic Air 2. This is more
robust, it’s easier to  t a smartphone in the
clamp and there is storage for their
connection cable.
Between the power and return-to-home
buttons on the top of the controller there’s a
handy switch to select the  ight mode (Cine,
Normal or Sport), which governs the drone’s

speed and stopping distance. There’s also a

dial on the front-left of the controller for

adjusting the vertical angle of the gimbal and

a shutter/record button on the front right.

A button next to the right control stick lets

you switch quickly between stills and video

shooting while an Fn button next to the left

stick can be customised to re-centre the

gimbal or toggle the phone screen between

the map and live view with a single or

double-tap. They’re all well-positioned and

useful in- ight.

Key settings such as the resolution,  le

type, frame rate, exposure and the white

balance are set via the DJI Fly app on the

smartphone.

T a k e - o 

As usual, it’s well worth going through the

initial set-up of the Mini 2 at home or

somewhere with a decent Wi-Fi signal

because you need to install the free DJI Fly

app on your phone, create a DJI account and

download the inevitable  rmware upgrades.

But with that all done and a microSD card in

the drone’s card slot, you’re ready to head

DJI Mini 2

Uprated video capability and raw shooting gives the

Mavic Mini’s replacement extra appeal for new drone

pilots. Angela Nicholson takes to the sky to test itout

Ataglance

£419

£549 Fly More Combo

● Drone with integrated camera

● Weighs just 242g

● 12MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor

● Max video resolution of 4K

(3840x2160) at 24/25/30p

● 24mm (equivalent) f/2.8 lens

● 3-axis stabilisation

Camera

Thegimbalat the

frontof thedroneholds

thecamera,whichhasa

coverforprotection

duringtransportation.

microSD

Card

There’snomemory

on-boardtheMini2 but

there’sa slotto accept

a UHS-ImicroSD

card.

out to your take-off location.

With the smartphone in the controller

clamp and connected, and everything

powered up, the DJI Fly app usually opens

automatically, but you can start it yourself if

necessary. The app can take you through

some pre ight checks, but you can opt to

Propellers

Thefourpropellerscome

in twohalvesandare

user-replaceable.

DJI’s Mini 2 folds

up to a compact

138x81x58mm