DJI Mavic 2 Zoom assisting in missing Dog search shot down in Long Island,NY
A DJI Mavic 2 Zoom was shot down today in Long Island, NY. The drone was flying for “Missing Angels” an organization which searches for lost pets. The Pilot was properly licensed to operate the Mavic 2 Zoom. What bothers me, is that this wasn’t just a drone flying around taking pictures for a hobbyist, or even for commercial imaging purposes. Don’t get me wrong, shooting any drone out of the air, is a crime and insanely irresponsible. The drone was trying to locate a missing pet. Ironically the family of the person who shot the drone down owns two dogs. The missing dog “Dezi”, an 18-month-old dog, had just entered her new forever home. Dogs get placed in forever homes after foster homes, or directly after someone cannot care for the animal anymore. Dezi had been in her new home for a few hours before she jumped the fence. Dezi escaped on Thursday, by Friday morning Missing Angels dog rescue posted a call on social media asking for help. Saturday several sightings were reported. After one of those sightings was reported in a neighborhood that is heavily wooded, Missing Angels launched the Mavic 2 Zoom. Soon after take-off the operator of the Mavic 2 Zoom thought he had collided with a bird. The screen went black and he couldn’t see the Ocusync 2.0 live-feed anymore. Gerard Chasteen fired three shotgun shots from the backyard of his home. One shot hit the Mavic 2 Zoom and caused it to crash. U.S. federal law makes shooting down even a drone illegal. See 18 U.S. Code § 32 – Destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities. The good news is that Dezi was found and is back home with her owner. We’re glad this story turned out to have a happy ending, for the dog and owner at least. STAY IN TOUCH! If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone/gimbal news, rumors, and reviews, then follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or sign up for our email newsletter. Purchase your next drone directly from DJI or retailers like Amazon. By using our links, we will make a small commission, at no cost to you. Thank you for helping QuadcopterGuide...
Best Mavic 2 Pro ND Filters – Which ones to buy?
You are on the search for the best Mavic 2 Pro ND Filters. We get it, you as a Mavic 2 Pro owner aren’t sure which of the many brands of ND filters you should consider. Don’t worry, we will go over some of the options, and dive into some analysis of the best Mavic 2 Pro ND Filters. Let’s get started! ND Filters Mavic 2 Pro Video Why do You need ND filters on a variable aperture drone such as the Mavic 2 Pro? Which ND filters should you consider out of so many brands? It turns out you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg. These questions and more are answered in our video: ND Filters Mavic 2 Pro - WHY you NEED them & Comprehensive Review! [4K] Watch this video on YouTube. What are ND/Neutral Density Filters? ND or Neutral Density Filters, limit the amount of light coming into the lens and therefore hitting the sensor. You can think of them as sort of sunglasses for your drone. They are essential for recording video, but also useful for photography. Certain ND filters also contain circular polarizers, we will cover what those are as well. ND Filters are important for Photos and Videos We learned that we should aim to shoot photos and videos at F4. In bright conditions, without an ND Filter, this would cause a very high shutter speed. For photos, any type of motion blur for panning shots, for example, would be impossible. For video, it is even more critical to lower the shutter speed. The 180-degree shutter rule Essentially your shutter speed for filming should be double of the frame rate you’re shooting at. So if you are shooting in 30fps (frames-per-second) your shutter speed should be 1/60th. If shooting in 24fps (the cinematic look) you would select 1/50th as 1/48th isn’t an available shutter speed. The name of the 180-degree shutter rule comes from when we used to shoot on film with rotary shutters. The shutter is rotating and it’s blocking 180 degrees of a full circle. So each time the shutter passes the frame, the frame gets exposed to a specific amount of time. In filmmaking standards that would be double the frame rate and if they wanted to use a different shutter speed they would just swap out the shutter. Most Hollywood blockbusters are filmed using the 180-degree shutter rule at 24fps, it gets you the most natural, cinematic look. Are ND Filters required on a Mavic 2 Pro? The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the first Mavic-Class drone to feature variable aperture blades....
Mavic 2 Firmware Update Guide Pro & Zoom
Today you will learn how to update the firmware on a Mavic 2. Our DJI Mavic 2 Firmware Update Guide covers both the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 2 Zoom. To ensure the process is as painless as possible just follow the steps we outline below. If you have questions regarding our Mavic 2 Firmware Update Guide, don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments! Mavic 2 Firmware Update Video If you prefer to learn the different ways to update the Mavic 2 Firmware, as well as figure out when the best time to update check out our Video: DJI Mavic 2 Firmware Update: GO App & DJI Assistant 2 [4K] Watch this video on YouTube. UPDATE 2: What’s New in v01.00.03.00: Fixed the camera live view so it does not become blurry when using a color profile, i.e. D-Log, B&W, etc. Added Waypoints (requires DJI GO 4 v4.3.12 or later). Enabled Lateral Vision Systems for Timelapse (see Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom User Manual for more information about obstacle sensing). Increased the altitude accuracy of Waypoints in Hyperlapse. When using Task Library to repeat a flight, make sure the takeoff altitude is the same. Fixed issues: The remote controller’s operating time was shortened when used with some mobile devices. You could not open Sphere panorama photos in Facebook. The Intelligent Flight Battery could not be charged when the environment temperature was between 5° and 10° C. Update: Previous Firmware versions: What’s New in v01.00.00.00 – v01.00.02.00: Official Release Notes Here. Steps to update the Mavic 2 Firmware via DJI GO 4 in App Update: Before you get started with updating the firmware on your Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom, you can take extra precautions, by removing the propellers before the update, and ensuring that your batteries are charged. The removal of the batteries reduces the risk of the motors, spinning up accidentally and causing havoc on your desk :). Also be sure that the gimbal clamp is removed and that all legs of the drone are unfolded. Alright, let’s get to that update! Download the latest version of the DJI GO App on the Apple or Google Play App Store. Launch DJI GO App. Ensure you have at least 50% battery in your Mavic 2 and remote control battery. On the Home Screen of the DJI GO 4 App you should get an Update Available pop-up once the drone is turned on. If this doesn’t occur click the Camera Button to launch the Camera View. Tap the top status bar in top center of the screen. Under Overall Status it should now say Update available/required. Tap Update. *If...
DJI Smart Controller Review – Hands On!
After the leaked images we have seen for a while now, DJI released the new Smart Controller. In our DJI Smart Controller Review below, we will go Hands-On with this latest must-have gadget and show you what it is capable of. We will also show you some hidden features which aren’t so obvious, but let’s get this DJI Smart Controller Review started! DJI Smart Controller Review – Our Hands-On Video If you want to check out the pros & cons of the DJI Smart Controller in our Video Review, you can check it out here: Don’t miss that Intro sequence! DJI Smart Controller Review: Pros & Cons, Detailed Review [4K] Watch this video on YouTube. What is the DJI Smart Controller? The Smart Controller (currently) is essentially one of DJI’s normal Mavic 2 remote controls with a Crystal Sky Display built-in. It allows you to use just the remote control and no longer having to connect your smartphone in the oftentimes fiddly remote controls mobile device clamps. Besides just saving you time when getting ready to take your next drone flight, the remote of course features some other pleasant improvements over a smartphone connected solution, more on this in a bit. Note, that according to DJI this remote control will support further aircraft in the future. What makes the DJI Smart Controller attractive? We’ve covered the obvious one with having to deal with fewer cables and fiddling with your smartphone or tablet, that isn’t it though. Similar to what drew us to the built-in display on our Phantom 4 Pro +, the crystal clear and super bright HD display. The built-in display features a 1000 nit brightness display. Not only does the inherently bright display help you see the screen in the sunlight, but there’s also something called SRE mode (Sunlight Readable Enhancement) which helps increase the viewability further. The iPhone X and the iPhone XS Max reach a peak brightness of 725 nits. Most smartphones brightness-wise lie in a range of just under 500 nits to about 675 nits, as a comparison. OK, you get it, a super bright display. What about the size and resolution? The Smart Controller features a 5.5″ 1080P FullHD display. Even the pixel peepers amongst us will not notice individual pixels. No DJI Smart Controller Review is complete without a look at some of the specs, let’s take a look at those next. Don’t miss our detailed review past the specs though! What are the features of the DJI Smart Controller? Specs and capabilities Custom Android Operating System with DJI GO 4 App SRE Modes (Sunlight Readable Enhancement) Overall Enhance Dark Part Enhance Bright...
5 things you didn’t know about the DJI Smart Controller for Mavic 2
DJI released the much awaited Smart Controller for the Mavic 2 at the CES show in Las Vegas. We have seen leaks of this Remote Control with a built-in display for a while, now it’s finally here. Let’s check out the DJI Smart Controller for Mavic 2. Be sure you check out our detailed DJI Smart Controller Review. 5 things you didn’t know about the DJI Smart Controller for Mavic 2 1. It features an ultra-bright display (DJI Smart Controller available now) Of course, the large 5.5″ display is the main feature of the DJI Smart Controller however, its best feature will surely be the 1000 nit (1000 cd/m2 ) display. Interestingly most smartphones only reach up to a maximum brightness of around 500-700 nits. The flagship Apple iPhone XS reaches a max nit value in bright outdoor conditions of 658 nits (according to iMore). So this display is able to get even brighter than that. Sunshades for displays are a thing of the past, finally! The display features a resolution of 1080P. 2. It will support future OcuSync 2.0 Aircraft According to DJI, the Smart Controller will support future Aircraft. We assume this means all future aircraft using DJI’s OcuSync 2.0. Anyone willing to place bets on the DJI Phantom 5 being an OcuSync 2.0 Aircraft? Currently, the Smart Controller is compatible with the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. Update: The Mavic 2 Enterprise is displayed as compatible in the DJI launch video for the device. The Mavic 2 Enterprise is not on the compatibility list, perhaps this is due to the Enterprise version of the Mavic 2 Drone using the DJI Pilot app instead of the usual DJI Go 4 App. 3. It supports 3rd party apps This is a big surprise, as the Built-In Screens on the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 never officially allowed people to load their own APK application files. Now it is possible out of the box! 4. It features an HDMI port which supports 4K Video Out The Smart Controller features an HDMI-Out port which allows playback up to 4K. OcuSync 2.0 is limited at transmitting a 1080P live signal, so this will have to be recordings you load via the microSD card or downloaded from the built-in browser. 5. It supports QC2.0 quick charging At the bottom of the Smart Controller, you will find a USB-C port and what looks like two 1/4-20 tripod screw mounts. The USB-C port can be used to QC2.0 Quick-Charge the Smart Controller. Charging through the USB port will take 2 hours using a 12V/2amp power supply. Smart Controller Video Review Be sure...
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review: Hands On The Ultimate Drone
The much-awaited successor to the popular DJI Mavic Pro is here. Today we are excited to present to you our detailed and Hands-On DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review! DJI provided us with a pre-production unit for review. Read on to find out why the Mavic 2 Pro is The Ultimate Drone to own. Watch this video on YouTube. (Our Own Hands-On In Depth Review of the Mavic 2 Pro) The Power of the Phantom 4 Pro in a compact package How did the original Mavic Pro change consumer drones? The original Mavic Pro launched almost two years ago in September 2016. DJI took the Phantom 4 and crammed its features into the foldable and therefore compact Mavic Pro. Foldable props were in style. It was the first compact drone on the market with the combination of an excellent camera & 3-axis gimbal, great hard- and software. All was good. Yet, we wanted more. We started thinking up what-ifs, what if we could have a Sony RX100 style sensor on something that is smaller than an Inspire? Bam! DJI released the Phantom 4 Pro (P4P). But that wasn’t enough of course. We got used to only carrying the Mavic Pro with us. One less bulky piece of luggage on road trips? Yes! Now the only option to have that level of quality in your footage and images was to carry around the P4P. The styrofoam cooler was back in the car. Since the release of the P4P, the dream of having that huge 1″ sized sensor in a compact package, close to the size of the original Mavic Pro, was in peoples heads. Well, it’s no longer a dream, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro has arrived. (The DJI Mavic 2 Pro and not Mavic Pro 2 as was initially rumored) Our DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review While there are several similarities to the original Mavic Pro, a few things immediately stand out when comparing its successor. We will discuss design, size, and features in a bit, but first the camera and what Hasselblad has to do with it. Mavic 2 Pro Camera Disclaimer and Information for photographs: The test flights took place in the Bavarian Alps in Germany! All images are jpg’s out of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. WB set. Style Standard 0,0,0. Color Normal. Pre-Production Firmware (v1.00.00.00). Images are resized, watermarked and saved as 80% quality jpgs. The saturation is a bit high on the Standard Style setting. Sample images are available for download below. (Morning fog) (Feed Storage) (The details in the full-sized images are incredible) Get unedited Mavic 2 Pro Sample Images! Enter your email to get the Mavic 2...
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