Whether you’re an aviation enthusiast and need a new toy to play with or a serious videographer who wants nothing but the best equipment in his photographic arsenal, having a good drone is crucial. The best ones are now equipped to house (or are already housing) the best action cameras and have been engineered to be even more stable despite some turbulence. Two such drones are DJI’s Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro, and they’re both on sale at Best Buy for a hefty $180 off.
DJI Mavic 2 Zoom — $1,170, was $1,350
DJI’s Phantom series was undeniably iconic and the reason why the company became the first name in drones, but they were slightly marred by their rigid design. Enter the Mavic 2 Zoom, which now sports a collapsible, and therefore more compact, frame. It gets its name from the zooming capability of its 4K camera (the slightly more expensive Mavic 2 Pro below has a higher-quality lens, although it lacks the zooming function). With impressive image quality with 2x optical zoom paired with a user-friendly app for camera control, this is one of the best drones to get if you want to zero in on the action. Right now it’s on sale at Best Buy for a huge $180 off. Get it for just $1,170 instead of $1,350.
The Mavic 2 Zoom weighs about 2 pounds and measures 3.3 by 3.6 by 8.4 inches when its arms are folded in, and 3.3 by 9.5 by 12.7 inches with its arms extended and ready to fly. Yes, it’s relatively bigger and heavier than most drones, but that doesn’t make it any less portable. It could easily fit in a camera bag that holds a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. Armed with a 1/2.3-inch image sensor with 12MP resolution, with a 24-48mm (full-frame equivalent) zoom range and an f/2.8-3.8 variable aperture, the 4K images and videos it captures are crisp, colorful, and finely-detailed. Its 2x zooming capability is a primary reason to buy it, of course. When used, the footage it captures still retains its sharpness with minimal distortion and little to no shake. All these are ensured by a host of advanced safety features. GPS lets you see the drone’s position on a map using the app and allows it to hold its position when hovering in the air. Another is collision avoidance, which uses omnidirectional obstacle sensing to prevent crashing. Finally, this drone has a maximum flight time of 31 minutes and comes with a dedicated remote controller that securely holds your smartphone, with a control app that’s very intuitive and easy to use. Get the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom today at Best Buy for $1,170.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro — $1,420, was $1,600
For even more jaw-dropping aerial shots, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the flying photographic beast to own. Although it lacks the Mavic 2 Zoom’s zooming function, which can be quite useful when capturing wildlife, the Mavic 2 Pro’s image quality is way more impressive, thanks to a one-inch image sensor (four times larger than Zoom’s) created in partnership with high-end camera maker Hasselblad. Combined with the same collapsible frame, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, and improved tracking found in the Zoom, the Mavic 2 Pro is one of the best professional-grade drones to own. Get it for $1,420 instead of $1,600 at Best Buy, $180 off.
The Pro and the Zoom are identical except for the camera. Featuring the same plethora of advanced sensors, the Pro’s omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is nearly flawless. Furthermore, the revamped version of ActiveTrack — now ActiveTrack 2.0 — can predict where you’re going to go. This upgrade has improved tracking immensely. For instance, if the Pro encounters a tree branch, it will go around it and continue tracking you. It works remarkably well. As mentioned, the footage that the Pro is capable of capturing is more striking than that of the Zoom’s. It works better in low-light, and its max ISO (that’s the sensor’s sensitivity) jumps from 3200 to 12,800. Even without any calibrations, you still get killer results when you shoot using the standard, out-of-the-box settings. Details in raw footages are terrific, with vibrant colors and an almost cinematic sheen to it. It’s as good as the GoPro Hero7. For cinematic birds-eye-view shots, get the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, our choice for the best drone of 2019, for $1,420 at Best Buy today.
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