Mavic 2 Zoom Long-Term Review: The BEST (still flawed)

[@kirbyvacuummadman1814]

The Mavic 2 Zoom was my first drone. The most important thing about my Mavic is the fact that I can trust it. I've had it for over a year now, and it has never let me down. When you have $1,400.00 flying around, trust is very important indeed. As long as I do my part, it will do it's part without question.

[@kirbyvacuummadman1814]

@Rob Roy Were do you live? I live in Colorado and don't have problems finding places to fly. I know each state is different.

[@CorbanLaFon]

Tony can't admit his bokeh problem. @cameraconspiracies we need you!

[@CorbanLaFon]

JK Tony I love your videos and appreciate all you do for the photog community, even if your depth of field is so shallow. lol

[@ALSNewsNow]

You're right Tony. I manage a 2,400 seat Hard Rock venue, and I use my Zoom for tons of outdoor gigs. People who aren't A/V pros can get far too hung up on the Hasselblad name, but as you correctly state the Zoom is really the best OVERALL option, at least in daylight. I tell people if you shoot at least 15% at night then you do actually NEED the Hasselblad's big sensor. However, (like most people) IF you shoot outside in daylight, doing landscapes, cinematic stuff, weddings etc, the 96mm 1080p optical zoom is the LEGIT BEST in class for this size and price range....with the possible exception of the new Air 2s. The ZOOM is just bad ass!

[@jacksawild]

I'm glad Billy Bob Thornton took the time to make this video

[@izoyt]

well, as a m2p user, i have few things to comment here, tony: 1) you re not heavy user with single battery. why not just get fly more combo, you also get car charger and all that, and with 2 extra batteries, you are good to go probably anywhere, specialy with your "heavy" usage. 2) props in shot with m2 series are not a problem, imo, there's lot more of that on other drones (and new ones are basiccaly all copies of mavic series). situation, like you show, are dangerous anyway, since with that kind of waves and that altitudes, you 're pushing your luck, many crashes and flyaways are done because of heavy winds (and this are heavy winds for a drone, you know it). ad a licensed drone operator, you should know this (also for flying under that bridge etc). 3) hand catching: maybe as a experineced pilot you could do that acrobatics with fast catching and flopping the drone, but his is dangerous and again lead to crashing, since drone wants to pull away (it could be set in setting, but stll). just extend your hand, so drone can detect t, will lift a litlle and than land safely in your palm and will shot down. no drama, works from me every time. 4) i haven't calibrated my m2p not once io got it and i have been all over the place with it. i just check sensors, they're all green and ok, why bother? i know what manual suggest, but still.. 5) obstacle avoidance is done like it is, so it can be safe as possible. many test and reviews confirms even skydio 2 have big problems with detecting branches and cables (bacicalyl it doesn't, many videos proves that), and tracking is also worse, if you're looking for cinematic, smooth, in one line tracking capability in drone. but ok, tracking and sensor logics could can always be better 6) yes, 4k 60fps would, be great, but actually, in post you can ger 60fps easilly (i test this on davinci resolve for example and it works very nice). 2.7k is probably true native optical resolution anyway, as is in all similiar drones, it's know taht evo2 8k actually uses same or similar sensor as m2z, it only multiply pixel by its 4x devidey bayer filer (that's one topic for you i think, to test of it's true). 7) lastly, picture quality etc. this is maybe where i most dissagree on your view. m2p is great for landscape photos and take time to test one little bit more. i also doing some photogrammetry with it and it's been great. otherwise, there's some valid points you got there, but imo, you're being a bot to harsh about it. m2 series are just great drones and best you can find on the market, period. this will confirm anybody that use them (beside others, too). there are things they can make even better, for sure on mavic3 series, but even than, this will still be one great product, where they nail things right.

[@TomSpurlock]

Tony, IMO your demo of hand catch is ill advised. It's OK to hand catch, but NOT with a moving object. That's asking for trouble, and stitches. Hovering 1' above head level about 3' away is best. Then take your hands OFF the sticks and walk over the grab it from beneath. Once it's grabbed, push left stick down 3 seconds to turn off the motors. Your fancy flip by hand to turn off the motors is high risk, as the drone is very powerful and can get away from the grasp, as it fights your flip. If it does get away from you, it could fly into your EYES, in it's effort to level itself and hover. It's least risk to simply hold the left stick down for 3 seconds. That's much safer. You may be good enough to catch using "your way" but it's ill advised for newbies. You shouldn't be recommending it IMO, by demoing it. I love your idea of a launch button on the drone. AND.....Love your channel, I've learned a lot! I agree about the props, but what you're seeing isn't the prop, it's the shadow of the prop, flicker shadowing the lens. Put the sun behind you and that goes away, however I realize that's problematic sometimes.

[@gcarmichael]

Well done. Calibration does not require you to turn your body while holding the drone, its easily done by rotating the drone in your hand in both axises.

[@blackmennewstyle]

Tony, the battery inside this quad-copter is a 4cells lithium polymer battery which is 14.8V, your USB plug generally outputs 5V max, you will need hardware capable of generating a lot of AMPS in order to charge properly your multi-rotors...

[@SirBeauJangles]

If you think THAT is prop flickering, try a P4/P4 Adv/Pro.When flying into a stiff breeze the pitch gets so steep as to allow you to admire how great your props are working… That’s about the only crit of the big old white cross I have. Maybe that’s why they never progressed to P5, the needed geometry made it too hard to keep props completely out of sight?

[@ModMINI]

Getting one tomorrow as an upgrade to my Mavic Mini! That thing is a gateway drug. Great to hear the limitations now so I can focus on the amazing stuff when it arrives

[@IKNFLY666]

I had this drone for over a year now, but it has been sitting on the shelf for six months now, so busy with work and the weather always change my plan to fly

[@skeeterman7144]

I am so happy you did this update. I’ve had my zoom for years and completely agree. 100% reliable for me too.

[@JoeMaranophotography]

I noticed a mistake at the beginning.... you referred to Tony as Bokeh?

[@lukelu]

love it, very in-depth and professional reviews, containing detailed and the first-hand user experience in practice !

[@Pholiage]

I have no experience at all how to choose a drone. This video made me feel like a pro now. Excellent approach on what to look for to someone not knowing where to start wether it's for hobbiests or pros

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Glad it was helpful!

[@OcciDam]

So basically, all the annoyances (props ruining shots, calibration, charging, hand landing) are not a problem with the Anafi, which is twice cheaper than the Mavic 2 zoom. Food for thought :)

[@Praetoreon]

I love the increased sharpness over the pro. I also use a touch of zoom, quite a bit, to help keep the drone at a safer distance.

[@WheresMyKeysAt]

I like my M2 Zoom, but one thing I really wish it had was the option to just do the 2x digital zoom separate of the optical zoom. The optical zoom changes the aperture and changes the exposure setting, which can get pretty annoying especially if you're zooming when filming.

[@thesedrumbeats9039]

Every single “nitpick” is absolutely valid! Really hope DJI sees this and starts working on implementing these features that true professionals need.

[@hover-fly5668]

He should use a Pro, not a Zoom. ;-)

[@sunshynff]

I was gonna say the exact opposite, DJI has taken care of the props in the shot problem, It's called the Inspire, or Matrice, or a 550. Yeah they're bigger and harder to travel with, but that's just the way it is. $1400 may seem like a lot to some, it is for me, but in the drone filming arena, thats pretty much a toy grade photog drone. I mean the thing already flies itself (I don't mean follow me or mission flights, i mean when using the sticks you're just telling it where to go) and has a bit of obstacle avoidance, which is as good if not the best in the business with the exception of maybe the Skydio, I mean for under $1500 what more do you want it to do? All the professional drone pilots i know would NEVER use obstacle avoidance while getting a shot, and they fly acro mode too, no auto level, no accelerometer, no let go of the sticks and hover. You have to learn to actually pilot the drone, and when you master that, then your shots a sooo much better and it opens up so many more avenues for types of shots.

[@johnhann1852]

Man, I didn’t see that power line on my phone display until it went right under the drone. Thats a quick way to lose 1000$!

[@TSGEnt]

5:42 & 9:18 Pigeon Point is a lovely area. We used to live in the area and visit it often. 8:41 Bixby Bridge is another fav spot. Thanks for the rundown on this drone. Very helpful.

[@markgiles8527]

You're right about the hand launch. Watched someone launching the Mini 2 and he had to juggle the drone and controller to get to launch it. Seems like that aspect could be improved.

[@matwaymusic]

On the Phantom, I setup one of the "C" buttons to disable the obstacle avoidance while it's being pressed. This has worked perfect for indoor flying (going through doors eg.). Maybe the Mavic can do the same?

[@MarcMetcalfe]

Thanks for your input on this drone, I’m looking at buying one, more and more people are wanting drone footage of their wedding and I like that I can get farther away to reduce the noise and still be able to zoom in…your thoughts on using it like this would be greatly appreciated!

[@mois721]

As usual very distinctive in-depth coveraged without bias. Thank you.

[@shanedye7295]

Mo Is this whole video is what he dislikes about the drone so that would be biased.

[@asub3292]

Theyre never going to do hand launch/land because of the HUGE legal risk. People cutting themselves would be DJI's problem because they were using the product "as advised". The user manual probably even says to be like 10 ft away from launch/land.

[@sean961]

So I really lucked out and got an opened box stickers still on Mavic 2 zoom from micro center for 800 and also a fly more Combo complete for 225. I think a once in a life time accidental mark down. Now since it is still within a month I could get a full refund, should I keep what I have or return it for Mavic air 2?

[@AeroworksProductions]

The Skydio 2 might be your new best friend for Drones. Has a lot of the things you are looking for. Reviews on our channel.

[@jamescain1508]

It has a flaw the battery will become bloated after 20 to 40 charges.

[@joseph-the-seventh]

Is the Mavic 2 Zoom hood for still photography? I found one 2nd hand (still in the box) for a pretty good price. I’m more into photography than video.

[@ThePoloFamily]

I watched over 20 videos looking for the best drone for myself and you just convinced me to buy the mavic 2 zoom 🙏

[@Lukefoster89]

As a Complete amateur drone flyer and video maker its hard to complain about the Zoom. Still find it amazing the footage possible to capture now with these insane drones.

[@zurcfamily]

Hi Tony, You 100% correct with regard to the launch and land safety.

[@miketipton678]

great video! Nice to see some pros and cons as well. I have the 2Pro, P4P, Anafi, and Autel Evo. Each has their own set of wins, but I find myself gravitating mostly to the Evo. For one, 94 deg FOV is unbeatable, and if you fly in closer, you get that extra 17 degree compared to DJI birds at 77 deg FOV. Most foldable drones like Mavic, Evo are going to not have the camera forward enough to avoid props. It's the biggest issue I have with any of them outside of the Anafi. If Parrot can make a non wifi version, with a 1" sensor and tilts 180... maybe stronger motors, but remain as quiet.. yeah I'd be all over that. Evo will do 4K 60 fps so most of our video work is done with that bird. The video looks razor sharp everywhere unlike a lot of our DJI birds that seem to have soft edges or other video related problems. Looking forward to Evo II with interchangeable camera systems. Will they widen the legs enough to not get prop in the scene? We'll see. Best part about EVO I found is no flight restrictions. It will warn you of height limits etc, but never stops the flight which is a great time saver vs getting auth codes.

[@specsarena1124]

“I am Tony Northrop and I will use as much Bokeh as I want.” Canon Cripple hammer appears 🤭

[@coolman9i6]

this is the video that convinced me to purchase this drone thanks man

[@Garymayo]

Tony, get a cardboard box that exactly fits your zoom and do the calibration spin in the box on a table. It’s more accurate and no embarrassment

[@asotoole1985]

Mavic 360? Pardon me? First time I've heard of that. Is there a link to any details?

[@AAAA-mk6lj]

Good Point to ask for from DJI Tony, And I think they are not hard to do it for their customer all around the world, and can be done from software freedom to have in the setup. Thanks alot.

[@ramsrock85]

Lol. Loved the opening.

[@carlraetzsch]

Yes!!!!

[@WesPerry]

I’m here for it. 👌🏻

[@standhd]

BOKAH!

[@mohsenzamani8118]

Hello I'm 63 years old living in Iran!!??? Need one ....hope win your giveaway

[@sambochen2010]

As a real estate photographer I would recommend the Mavic 2 Pro more than the zoom. While on location, there's usually not enough time to shoot multiple exposures and stitch like landscape photographers do. It's just quicker and best bang for the buck and has better low-light quality.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Yeah good point about traditional RE photogs not needing high res.

[@motoacquatico1967]

I love my M2zoom! 🥰🥰🥰... although now, after 330 km, he has decided to break the gimbal😞. tomorrow or the day after tomorrow should leave for the service center. I look forward to returning for many beautiful km of flight together! 👍💪🏁😁🥰

[@anthonyk27]

Do you have things you do not like about the Mavic 2 pro?

[@MrEddieNunez]

Any battery swelling?

[@DroneSyndrome]

Congrats to the winner of the Mavic Mini! Great video as always. The Mavic 2 Zoom is no doubt a solid drone.

[@Thethriftpicker]

Great video and content. I like the ways you went over pros and cons as well as showed video that the drone captured. We are looking to get a drone to help get amazing footage on our full time travels we will be posting on youtube.

[@samhodson6470]

I'm thinking about getting the Zoom but I've never had a drone...can you guys recommend an upper middle quality drone for me to learn and train on first, one that will get me ready for all the good things the zoom can do.

[@obisstuff6884]

my wife just got me a used phantom 3 standard. I am still a beginner. But I am learning to get shots and thats important to me. I remember there being a company called Autel. They made drones as well. I have not seen a review from a photo/video review yet.

[@Sawta]

Is there a difference of durability / survivability for the Pro over the Zoom? I see very little benifit of the Pro, aside from a bigger sensor.

[@captinktm]

I have a mavic pro and find that to be brilliant as far as signal strength is concerned. I have never had it loose signal with line of sight even out to 4.5km. I would agree with all your points though, I am currently experimenting with mounting or under slinging a Lumix FZ 72 so I can use its monster zoom for capturing wild life at a distance. How do you visualize your shots, I find I fly around far too much?

[@matthewsequoyah2665]

The zoom does seem like a great feature but the Mavic 2-Pro with a much larger 20 megapixel, 1-inch sensor, 1-billion colors (10-bit Dlog-M)+(HNCS color technology), ISO 100-12800, And some kind of built in crop factor. What a tough choice. I'd wish for a Mavic Pro version With Zoom in the near future.

[@TinkerTactical]

Great video Tony! I just purchased a Zoom in Early Feb. and you are spot on with it's issues. Fantastic Drone regardless .

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

Wow! Trolled Camera Conspiracies in the first 5 seconds. A new record!!

[@SterlingSanders]

@Tony & Chelsea Northrup What DJI needs to do is make the heads interchangeable, so I could buy a 360 Pro head, a zoom head in addition to my pro head. So I don't have to continue to choose between drones with equally awesome, but different features. Also, you forgot the mention on the Pro can: change the aperture, increase ISO to 120k, use 10bit DLOG, 4k lossless crop to 1.4x effective zoom from 28mm to around 39.2mm. The codec and dynamic range alone make a substantial difference in color grade/post for video and photo. The colors look crunchy and unnatural in my testing on the zoom compared to the Pro. The zoom has some really awesome features, I'm rather jealous of super-resolution also, however, for what it's worth, I'd choose the Pro all over again, even more so for photos. Mostly, I'm annoyed I even had to choose. Even if the heads were half the cost, I'd gladly pay $700 for interchangeable zoom lenses on my Pro. But now we'll have to decide between the 360, Pro and the Zoom when the 3's come out. Hey DJI, interchangeable please!

[@AnishKaranPhotography]

USB charge is not easy for drones since it’s more than 60 watts. Some charge at over 100 watts like the Phantom 4

[@bolivarleiton8883]

Thank you for the information. It is great news I have this drone

[@frankvet1]

Thanks Tony. The downward skip in the camera while flying is a non-starter! What a shame. Major flaw.

[@augmor]

Love this drone, I use the zoom feature all the time makes it so much easier to to follow moving subjects.

[@timdaugherty7612]

I've not flown the Zoom, but I really don't know what you could do with the zoom that you can't do with the Pro in post production. Especially if you're only shooting 2.7K on the zoom anyway - you could shoot 4k on the Pro and then crop and such for zooming effects?

[@AtortAerials]

Personally I want 4K 60fps and I’ll be stoked. I like the zoom more than the Hasselblad blah more too.

[@phillipmaguire4671]

I still have the first generation Mavic Pro, and it is good enough for my existing video needs, but I am wanting to upgrade when DJI have improved the camera substantially, and also made it a lot easier to launch or land by hand. As you say Tony, there are many situations where you really do need to hand launch or hand land, and I don't think DJI have put much thought into this. The other problem I found also is having the props get into shot, when doing certain shots where the attitude of the aircraft is heading downward, and the camera is trying to correct that low angle. I sometimes wonder why we have to tell DJI and other companies all these basic things... Surely they must know about it before they release their products, or perhaps they are lazy at road testing their devices properly before going to market.

[@amberhawke]

Tony, could you do a short video explaining why you gave up on the Parrot Anafi? I got one on your recommendation and am wondering if I made a huge mistake.

[@Ohios1Cheesehead]

I sold my Zoom in December in hopes of buying Evo 2. But this video might just have me buying another Zoom. Coronavirus and Autels history have scared me about waiting for Evo 2 pro.

[@aerialphotographyRDT]

The DJI Spark has a button that you tap 3 times in order to hand launch . Thx for the video

[@PaulKentSkates]

Thumbs up for not backing down at the start of the video 👍

[@frostoshi]

I AM IN LOVE WITH MY ZOOM, I LOVE IT SO MUCH

[@TheAegisClaw]

If you were to USB charge a 4s Lipo in the Mavic 2 it would both take forever and add a significant amount of weight to the drone. These are 15.4v 3850mah batteries. That's almost 60wh, too big for a 1-3 amp 5v USB cable to charge.

[@baqcasanke]

these are many of my same gripes. I would love if DJi released a firmware to allow us to adjust the range at which the sensors engage. I would like them to still beep if i'm close and stop at 1 foot, but he's right they stop me from flying near stuff all the time. I had the same problem with my spark. The problem with the blades getting in the shot has been around since the first phantoms. I can't believe they haven't/can't/won't address this issue

[@user-sg3pm2kd4q]

Most drones use lithium batteries at 7volts or higher, USB has a 5volt limit and you need higher voltage than the battery to charge

[@Ijusthopeitsquick]

They could add a voltage boost circuit or a parallel (per cell) charging circuit in the drone.

[@iPhonedo]

That first sentence ahahhahah :) I love this community so much.

[@RISE-327]

I went to use bokeh on my shoot yesterday, but someone had downloaded it ALL , now i know where it all went .i had to wipe vaseline on my lens, i hear they had a meeting at Bokeh council, wonder how that went?

[@keithtacia7244]

Ahh yes, the calibration dance! I know that dance! Men without hats should make a song for that.

[@michaelripple8371]

Dude you do not have to rotate your body just the drone. Trust me I have Ménière's disease I could never do it that way. Nice video ,that drone is timeless

[@edgarblueyes]

What Lens did you use to film this Video?

[@kraigtmitchell]

any chance on doing a video zooming in and shooting the panorama you had mentioned

[@onemanmob6756]

I had the 1st gen Magic and I’m surprised so little has improved in terms of sideways obstacle avoidance... When I was shooting those ‘orbits’ I used Litchi app (after crashing while using DJI app to do it) and I would fly the first circle with the drone looking forward and only then I would make it look inwards. Re: other drones - there is a drone which may be better than the Magic, while being way cheaper - I’m talking about Skydio 2 - an uncrashable with phenomenal obstacle avoidance and superior tracking (unlike the Mavic, which relies solely on visual tracking - which sucks big time (anytime the subject disappears behind a tree/bush, the Mavic loses it), Skydio utilises a beacon built into the remote, so the drone always knows where the subject is, even if it has lost the visual contact for a long time). The tracking trajectory and obstacle avoidance trajectory are not perfect on the Skydio, but a) it does not crash, b) it is a big way better than any DJI drone in those two aspects.

[@StuffYouMightLike]

That's a lot of minor annoyances for something being called the best. Have you looked at the Autel Evo?

[@mstuartkendall]

Makes me wonder: why the zoom? Cell phone sized camera in comparison to the M2P

[@PaulKentSkates]

I want a mini pro that still weights 245ish grams that won't get blown away on the mountains and can do shoot 60fps for slow motion.

[@mjkl614]

I laughed when you mentioned the calibration portion, that's my biggest gripe I had with my Mavic 2 Pro....XDDD

[@wc9458]

That was great. Thanks. You're a great presenter.

[@b2bmail]

Congrats to the Mavic Mini winner! I’m in for your slightly crashed Anafi. Thanks for the giveaway! Fingers crossed! Mavic 2 Zoom is on my wish list, though I agree with your critique.

[@mrvang8077]

Great review. These issues could've been fix and added huge improvement to be able to handle in any harsh environment. I don't want a half ass drone with a high price tag making it just not even worth the investment.

[@sogron007]

Tony get the Mavic 2s you will enjoy this drone alot.

[@PTPavlos]

Outstanding video. Cheers.

[@mattguess628]

Let's hear thoughts on the Evo. Both the 1 and the 2.

[@HANOXTWO]

Great content as always! Would like to know your take on the FAA "REMOTE ID" situation!!

[@AT-Legence]

i prefair to have a external charger, as it allows me to charge anywhere where i want, at the car, at the wall, when Im flying and the 2nd is charging

[@fuglbird]

Very useful. Thank you.

[@Ithzzz]

omg yes been using the Mavic 2 zoom for work and some minor video things and the calibartion is an absolute insane annoyance. So many times iv set up the drone to do a roof inspection only to be told to calibrate even thou I calibrated earlier that day......

[@dominickp6982]

What video editing program do u use

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Final Cut Pro

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

The problem is not just the bokeh, it's the constant pulsing which is distracting and not professional, just look at the lights, you will see it clearly.

[@dalewiley9208]

The Mavic 2 Pro has a much more versatile camera. Not everyone wants to edit like hell to achieve sharp results that are common with the Mavic 2 Pro.

[@dwoodog]

Hmmmmm the less than impressive comments about the obstacle avoidance are bumming me out since I'm looking at a zoom. It's at the upper limit of what I wanna spend so....... we'll see.

[@brianstark3578]

Thought you were going to say Perth Scotland. It was the original one.

[@dombower]

1:20 magic invisible props

[@LadybugAdventures]

Thanks for the free stuff giveaway Tony. The terms and conditions I think need to be updated as it says it expires on January 31st 2020.

[@thebrownthomascrown917]

You need the Inspire. forget about travel size etc.

[@paulinefollett3099]

Congratulations to Grant, the Sand Groper (a colloquial term for anyone who lives in Western Australia). Great video Tony. I loved all of your drone footage, but I have to admit that I actually laughed when it crashed....sorry.

[@markgiles8527]

They could make it USB Charging. Doing so will just add more weight to the Drone.