DJI Mini 2 Review
posted 10/14/2021 by Maxim Grin
Photography and videography are very fun hobbies to pick up. The freedom that comes with going outside and capturing the experience through a camera can leave a huge impact on yourself and others. It doesn’t have to be complex; from simple photos of a river or a video of hiking through the woods, capturing the sound, environment, and a lot more. But it feels limiting at times. You’re mostly on your feet, but there’s a handful of angles that you can’t get by staying on your feet - one of the views being from the sky.
There are many different ways to go about that problem, but the ways to approach it can be very overwhelming. The simplest and most practical solution is to use drones (basically a flying camera so-to-speak). But the sheer amount of brands and models is so vast that it may be hard to find a place to start, and depending on the price-point you’re looking for, the results may change drastically. So, allow me to create that starting point for you by telling you about the DJI Mini 2 and my personal experience with it.
According to Global Brands Magazine and DroneRush, DJI is one of the top consumer drone manufacturing companies. DJI is known for its high-quality drones, such as those from the Phantom and Mavic lineups. DJI is also constantly trying to expand its reach by making its drones more available to the average consumer. Possibly, one of their best models to display these efforts is the Mini 2. It’s not the top-of-the-line model nor the drone of the future like their phantom models, which are made for professionals or companies to use. It’s a consumer product made specifically for the average user or beginner. The Mini 2 is made to be compact with a max weight of 249 grams, portable, and easy to use while still packing a punch with its 4k camera and a top speed of 16m/s (roughly 36 mph).
The Mini 2, coming in at a starting price of $450, is one of the best starting points when looking for a drone to start with. But by paying $600, the package is upgraded, giving you an extra two batteries, triple the number of replaceable wings, and a stylish carrying case. Paying the extra $150 is the best way to go, especially if you become a frequent user of the drone and end up giving it a few scratches along the way. What’s not to love? With its 4k camera, photos and videos have never looked better from such a small device. I have used this drone a handful of times and I am very pleased with the results. The photos and videos that this drone produces are amazing for the price it comes in at; it’s basically a steal! The 3-axis gimbal (the mechanism that allows the camera to tilt, pan, and roll) enhances the video quality to a further extent, allowing for smoother videos and for various types of framing and video techniques.
But if you want to keep your awesome photoshoot, you have to store it somewhere. There are two ways to save photos from the Mini 2. You can either download them from the drone directly using the DJI Fly app, or you can transfer them onto a computer with a micro SD card. There is a catch, though - if you download any videos directly from the drone onto the phone, the video quality drops from 4k to 720p in order to make the download a little faster. So if you want to keep the videos at the highest quality, using a micro SD card is the way to go. But in order to get those high-quality videos, DJI requires a micro SD card with a UHS-I Speed Class 3 or higher - meaning that the micro SD card has to be really fast and small in order to fit inside the drone and store your content. DJI provides a list of recommended micro SD cards on the DJI website which I’ll provide a link to below, but the micro SD card I use is a SanDisk 32GB Extreme microSDHC UHS-I. I have two of them and it’s perfect for how often I use the drone. Depending on the photos and videos you take, the amount of storage they take may vary. A single photo can take between 4-5MB of storage, while a 1-minute 4k video at 30fps will take about 350MB of storage. So if you really wanted to, you could have 90-minutes of video on one 32GB card. Sadly, you can’t take one video uninterrupted as a single battery lasts only 30 minutes, meaning that having fully charged batteries is key. Granted, getting a micro SD card reader that has a USB or USB-C adapter that plugs into a computer is a must-have if you want to store all of your photos in high quantity and quality.
Despite the need for extra accessories, the payoff is highly rewarded, with its built-in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), the Mini 2 is capable of hovering almost completely still even if there are winds, allowing for some of the smoothest videos to be taken. The Mini 2 has a range of up to 10km/6 miles (with zero obstructions). The amount of land coverage is almost too much as a single battery life only lasts a maximum of 31 minutes. It’s also why having more than one battery is a must and why the swappable battery feature is very handy. After all, all of that land is simply more opportunities for amazing content!
Despite trying to pack everything about this drone into a single post, I have only scratched the surface. The amount of innovation that has gone into this drone is out of this world. If I were to give different aspects a rating out of 10, there would be nothing that goes below a 9. The drone is very easy to use, the DJI Fly App is easy to navigate and provides tons of help, the software is simple yet effective and the hardware is suitable for people that are brand new users all the way to professionals who want to have fun. Yes, the batteries may only last 30 minutes, but you can have more than one! Swapping batteries is a breeze and will get you right back into the action. The photo and video modes are plentiful for getting a taste of what it’s like to get a view from the sky, and the quality is simply splendid. The carrying case is very stylish and the controller is compatible with multiple phone brands (it even charges your phone!). So is this drone worth it? You sure bet it is!
