Aerial Photography and Video with the DJI Mavic Pro

Aerial Photography and Video with the DJI Mavic Pro

While small in size and stature, the DJI Mavic surprisingly packs quite a punch. The small sensor doesn’t look like much, but it still produces high quality aerial video and photography.

Aerial Performance

The first thing you’ll want to do is test fly a DJI Mavic Pro. I was surprised at how well it performs in climbs, turns, showcasing amazing stability even in adverse conditions. You can set a variety of flight modes such as tripod mode (a smooth video capture mode), or even timelapse mode.

The standard flight settings under GPS are, as you can imagine, tuned down slightly. Also, when the drone sense the ground or objects in front of it through the front sensor, the drone will slow down without your control. However, if you want to turn the DJI Mavic Pro into a near racing drone, flip over to the “Sport” mode, and get ready for a drone capable of speeds of 45 MPH. The drone can also stay in the air up to 27 minutes at sea level, and can be transported in an incredible small bag.

Video

The DJI Mavic Pro is capable of capturing full 4K video at 24 FPS, and near 4K at 24 and 30 FPS. The sensor is quite small, so if you are flying on a bright day or at twilight, you will notice issues related to shutter speed and noise. The best advice for daytime flying is to get a cheap pack of ND filters, around $9 off of Amazon. These filters will immediately bring the shutter speed down, reduce aliasing, and bring back natural colors to the sky and other harshly-lit elements to your video.

The DJI Mavic Pro does not capture anything near the DJI Inspire 2, but for projects in real estate or construction, the Mavic Pro camera performs admirably, and is an ideal complement to the Osmo Pro for ground footage.

 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Aerial photography captured by the DJI Mavic Pro has more broader uses than aerial video. The photo quality, shot in RAW or DNG, delivers a 12.71 megapixel photo out of its 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor. These photos are ideal for real estate and inspection work, and allowing a photographer plenty of latitude in post production to bring out fine details without pushing the levels of the photo too far.

The same thing applies related to ND filters. Make sure you are using one to ensure that images aren’t wasted due to harsh light.

The DJI Mavic Pro may not be what sells your work to big clients, but it is the drone that will keep you working by keeping a wide range of clients happy, although at a lower price point.

Hireuavpro.com has 1,000’s of drone pilots, operators, and businesses signed up in our network, providing global coverage for aerial photography, aerial video, and inspection work. Find out more at hireuavpro.com

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