Haye Kesteloo

Rick from Drone Valley interviewed two key people from DJI; Adam Lisberg, Corporate Communications Director North America and Michael Oldenburg, Products Communications Lead, who also gave the main product presentation during the ‘See the Bigger Picture‘ event that brought us the Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro drones. The interviews are well worth watching for anybody with a serious interest in drones, as Rick tries to get some ‘extra’ information about possible new products and discusses the legal challenges drones pilots and DJI deal with when it comes to flying drones in the U.S.

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One of the dramatically improved features of the new Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro drones is DJI’s ActiveTrack 2.0. Where in the past ActiveTrack would lose its subject quite easily, it now locks on with much greater confidence and also attempts to predict your movements up to three seconds into the future so it won’t lose sight of you when you suddenly disappear behind small trees as DC Rainmaker shows in his video. Is it as good as the Skydio R1? No, it isn’t but it is a big step up from the original ActiveTrack.

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So, you’ve watched the reviews on YouTube. You went over the specs. And now you have made up your mind about which DJI Mavic 2 drone to buy (we ordered the Pro). The only question that remains is, where do you go to buy the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom or Pro drones? If you took this quiz, you will have received a coupon for priority shipping. If you didn’t, well you probably still will want to order through DJI as they have the drones in stock and ship really fast. We got ours on Monday the 27th, only days after the ‘See the Bigger Picture‘ event. Of course, you can also order thru Adorama, B&H and potentially save the sales tax. Or shop at Amazon, NewEgg or BestBuy.

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Good morning, lot’s of news from last week starting of course with DJI’s release of the two new Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom models at the ‘See the Bigger Picture’ event in New York last Thursday. The specs are quite amazing and I’m sure the Mavic 2 will be another hot selling drone for DJI. Of course, there was other news as well over the weekend. So jump right in and get our selection!

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As expected many well-established YouTubers already had the new DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom in their hands well before the launch yesterday. We have watched them all so you don’t have to. Here are the best ones with many of your questions answered about DJI’s latest and greatest foldable drone. Such as, can you fit ND filters on the Mavic 2 Pro version? Yes, you can. How good is the obstacle avoidance? Very good! Does it record in 120fps slow-motion? Yes, it does at 1080p. Can it handle high wind? Yes.

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Today was the day of the long-awaited DJI global introduction of the successors to the original Mavic Pro, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. Both versions are identical in terms of their body-style and flight capabilities. The difference between these two foldable drones comes down to their cameras. The Pro version has the Hasselblad camera with the 1-inch sensor and the Zoom version has a camera with an optical zoom lens from 24mm to 48mm and offer the unique Dolly Zoom effect. Both drones allow you to record hyperlapse videos. DJI’s new foldable drones have omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, fly faster, farther and for longer with a higher capacity battery and OcuSync 2.0. DJI has improved pretty much every aspect of the best selling original Mavic Pro and has come up with two outstanding drones that should get any drone enthusiast very excited indeed. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro retails for $1,449 and the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom sells for $1,249. There is also a special Fly More Kit available with extra batteries and other accessories for $319. DJI starts shipping today so you should be able to get your hands on one in only a matter of days. Does it get any better?

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The Mavic Pro is according to insiders, DJI’s best selling drone ever. It is small, light, foldable, very capable and, at least in our experience, very reliable. It wasn’t the world’s first foldable drone, but it was the first one that got (almost) everything right. DJI has sold thousands of them around the world and in the eyes of many, it has become the gold standard for foldable drones. The two-year-old Mavic Pro still holds its own against its much newer little brother the DJI Mavic Air. Now, as the sun is setting on this all-time favorite, we thought it made sense to do a final DroneDJ Review. As a goodbye and thank you if you will, but also for those of you who are considering picking one up, new or used, as prices are likely to drop even more after DJI’s ‘See the Bigger Picture‘ event tomorrow.

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After the specs from earlier this morning, we now have the first hi-res photos of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom models. The photos show the drones from the front which gives us the opportunity to compare the two different cameras and gimbal setups as well as two photos that show the drones from an angle. Check them out.

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Very early this morning, one of our readers emailed us what seems to be a leaked specification sheet comparing the soon-to-be-released DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom models to the original Mavic Pro. A few things stand out right away. The new drones are heavier, fly farther and for longer, will have OcuSync 2.0. And, if image quality is at the top of your list the Mavic Pro 2 is the one to get.

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Good morning, the launch of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom models must be DJI’s worst kept secret as yesterday we got to see a photo of the bottom plate of the foldable drone and if that wasn’t enough we then discovered new photos that seem to be an accidental listing of both drones on the website of English retailer ‘Very’ on Facebook. The photos were shared by multiple drone enthusiasts for which we are of course ‘very’ thankful. Lastly, we have a video of the coastline of Portugal that simply looks stunning. Enjoy!

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DJI doesn’t seem to get a break when it comes to the launch of the new DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom drones. First, they had to postpone their ‘See the Bigger Picture‘ event. Then they had an ad showing both drones show up in the Argos catalog. Followed by a video thumbnail of the Mavic 2 Enterprise Edition on the official DJI website and now, for a short period only both drones were displayed on the website of the UK retailer ‘Very‘. Note: ignore the prices as they were likely just preparing the listings for after the event. We do not expect both drones to be priced the same, nor would they be discounted right from the start.

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Today, we get our first good look at what seems to be the underbelly of the soon to be released DJI Mavic 2 Pro / Zoom drone. The photo that surfaced on Twitter shows the bottom plate with various openings for screws, ultrasonic sensors, downward dual-vision sensors, a downward infrared sensing system to allow for better positioning when flying (and landing) in general and especially indoors. The new foldable DJI drone is expected to perform significantly better in terms of obstacle avoidance than both its predecessor the Mavic Pro and the latest DJI drone the Mavic Air.

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A suspected burglar was apprehended with the help of a police drone in Kelso, WA. On August 17, the Kelso police were informed about a man who had broken into a car storage area. The 45-year-old man tried to hide and evade being arrested but he was no match for the police drone.

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Good morning, here are the headlines you may have missed over the last couple of days. Yesterday we posted Billy’s review of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which if you haven’t read it yet is definitely worth checking out. Also, there’s a DJI Quiz that if you participate will help you get your Mavic 2 Pro or Zoom drone faster. Over the weekend there was this incredible video of a near-miss between a helicopter and a DJI Mavic Pro Platinum drone. And there’s more news as well, plus a three-and-a-half hour (!) long drone video of Croatia.

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Law enforcement officials in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania have been using a drone for the last three months, before announcing their new crime-fighting tool and say that it has taken public safety to a new level. Not only has the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) been used to fight crime, it has also helped in locating missing persons.

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DJI just launched a Quiz this morning. By answering a few simple questions you can potentially win a DJI Select Membership and $20 worth of DJI Credit that you can spend in their online store. However, by simply participating in the quiz you will earn you one Priority Shipping Coupon that allows early access to DJI’s new products such as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom models that will very likely be introduced this Thursday, August 23rd at 10 am EDT in New York. So, if you are planning on ordering the new drone, it would make sense to take this quiz.

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In Colombia, tests are underway that use drones to destroy coca plants that are used for the production of cocaine. The drones carrying defoliants (glyphosate) can target the coca plants with greater precision than can be achieved with airplanes. Colombian anti-drug officials have said that in recent weeks 10 drones, loaded with herbicide, have been used in tests in the southwest Nariño province to reduce the illegal crops.

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Check out this near-miss drone video that was just posted on YouTube yesterday. It shows you how a helicopter can quickly appear out of nowhere and come at you fast. All of a sudden, your leisure drone-flight along the Hollywood Beach, FL coastline, could potentially cause a tragic accident, guaranteed to make the headlines throughout the country. Luckily this one ended well, but it shows you how careful we all have to be when flying our drones in a congested airspace.

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Around the world more and more lifeguards are turning to drones to get to people in need faster. So too in this latest rescue in Puerto de Sagunto, Spain where the new Auxdrone Lifeguard drone, developed by the company General Drones, was put to use to help three swimmers who got in trouble in the surf in two separate events. the rescues took place last Wednesday.

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Good morning, here’s the news you may have missed with DJI’s biggest event of the year, micro-drones to spice up Drake’s show in Detroit and amazing drone photos from a terrible drought in Australia. Oh, and to finish things off we have the exact right drone video to kickstart your weekend. How about cruising through the Caribbean on a 100ft catamaran with the Slingshot Kiteboarding Team? So, hurry up get your coffee and check this one out!

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