Digital Photographer - UK (2020-05)

choice, especially for stills photography.
Sports mode gives you maximum speed and
can be useful when you want to get the drone
into position quickly. Meanwhile, CineSmooth
mode extends the breaking time and is a
sensible choice for videography because you
get smoother footage. There are also a few
QuickShot modes (Dronie, Circle, Helix, and
Rocket) that put the drone in charge of its
flight and filming. They’re handy when you’re
tying to get to grips with what the drone can
do. However, it doesn’t take long to get up to
speed with the controls, and the gimbal does
a great job of compensating for movement, so
you get impressively steady footage.
The Mavic Mini has a 1/2.3-inch sensor,
which puts it on a par with a decent compact
camera or action camera. Its results are similar
to that level of camera, but with the extra wow
factor of being way above head height and
able to move without shake or wobble.

Above

Unique angles

TheMavicMinilets

yougetshotsfrom

otherwiseinaccessible

anglesandperspectives

Left

Steadyshots

TheMavicMiniboastsseveral

differentflightmodes,enabling

youtocapturestunningstills

andsmoothvideo

FEATURES

Thefeaturesetis goodforthe

price,butRAWfileshooting

wouldbenice

BUILDQUALITY

It’sbuilttobelightsoit’snot

themostrobustdrone,butit

doesn’tfeelcheap

QUALITYOFRESULTS

Thevideosandstillsaregood

fora 1/2.3-inchsensorandcan

deliverthewowfactor

HANDLING

TheMavicMiniis easytoflyand

control,butkeepaneyeonthe

windspeed

VALUE FOR MONEY

Considering what the Mavic

Mini can do and the quality of its

results, it’s terrific value

Megapixels (effective)

12

Max resolution

4,000x3,000

Sensor information

1/2.3-inch type CMOS

Lens data

24mm (equivalent) with

83° field of view

Focus/macro

Contrast detection

Shutter speed

4-1/8,000sec

ISO sensitivity

ISO 100-3200

Exposure modes

Auto and Manual, but

aperture is fixed at f/2.8

Metering options

Fixed

Flash modes

N/A

Connectivity

USB, Wi-Fi connection

to the controller

Weight

249g

Batteries

Removable 2400mAh

rechargeable

Li-ion battery in the

drone, 2600mAh

rechargeable battery in

the controller

Storage

microSD

LCD

N/A: images are

composed on a

connected smartphone

DJI Mavic Mini

The Mavic Mini is small

enough to carry everywhere

with you and is capable of

producing attractive results.

It’s a great first drone and

travel companion.

Overall

2.7K VIDEO

The maximum video resolution is 2.7K

(2,720×1,530) at 25/30p rather than 4K. Full

HD (1,920x1,080) footage can be shot at

25/30/50/60p, so there is some slow-motion

potential there.

IMAGE STORAGE

Unlike some of DJI’s other drones, the Mavic Mini

doesn’t have any internal storage for images or

video, but there’s a UHS-I microSD card slot.

IOS OR ANDROID

DJI supplies cables to connect the controller to

iOS or Android phones, and the DJI Fly app for

controlling the drone is available for both platforms.

CAMERA ANGLE

The controller has a dial to adjust the vertical angle

of the camera. You need to position the drone for

the correct horizontal angle.

REPLACEABLE PROPELLERS

The propellers attach via a small screw, and there’s

a screwdriver in the kit so you can replace them if

they are damaged at any point.

FLIGHT TIME

The Mavic Mini’s maximum flight time is

determined by its battery power, and DJI claims a

maximum of 30 minutes – but cold weather and

wind will reduce this.

FEATURES

It’s a little disappointing that it’s not possible

to shoot RAW files, but if you pay attention to

the exposure you’ll get good results that can

stand a little adjustment. Helpfully, the video

feed to a connected phone shows an accurate

preview, but this will vary with the phone.

The video bit rate is a bit low at 40Mbps, but

again the results are decent and you can get

some fabulous results from unusual angles.

One issue to be aware of is that the Mavic

Mini’s light weight means that it can only

withstand relatively light winds. Its maximum

wind-speed rating is eight metres per second

(28.8kph), and it’s important to remember

that wind speed increases with altitude.

We encountered a few low-signal warnings

during our testing, but the Mavic Mini

remained under control at all times. It

also responded promptly to any control

adjustments, and it’s easy to control it during

take off, flight and landing.