DJI - Air 2S

I'm still using an Air 2S. I'd consider getting one with a vertical camera mode, but otherwise there's really not a huge difference. I'd rather buy a new proper camera lens for the cost of a new drone.

I have an Air 2s as well but I'm going to keep it for now for the improved stability in wind... The M5P might be rated higher but the 2s is over twice the weight which helps a ton.

Your iPhone won't overheat. If you're using the variant without the screen, the remote is doing all the heavy lifting and not stressing your antenna chips on the phone. Personally, I would recommend going with current gen drones, Mini 4, Air 3, Air 3S, Neo, Avata 2. If you go down a generation, the only drone I would recommend is the Air 2S, or Mini 4K. But their remotes are NOT compatible with any forward generation of drones. Tariffs, and price gouging is affecting drones across the board with imports being blocked, and you'll unfortunately have to suffice with third party if you live in the US as you will very unlikely clear customs with overseas import buying new. You'd have to Ebay, or use like Adorama. Air 3S is being scalped for 2K+ (supply & demand really), and Air 3 non S variants are still within reasonable prices including screened remote 1100-1400. Mini 4's is increasing in price significantly these last few weeks, floating around 1K+ $300 over MSRP. You won't be able to find a Mavic 3 Pro or Mavic 3 anywhere either, unless you just buy the drone itself.

Hey all. Had an irrecoverable flyaway event with my old dji air2. Stuck with extra batteries, blades, sticks, and controller. A replacement model is roughly $500, an air 2s is compatible with all my old stuff but those replacements are like $700-800. Now I'm researching all new drones and think it'd be smart just to snag a mini 4 pro fly more combo at ~$1099. Since it's a significant step up in capability compared to the air 2 and 2s. I don't want to go more expensive than that though. Input from others? I am skeptical of the minis in windy conditions. I liked how resilient my air2 was in high winds. Also, if I get the mini 4 pro, any advice on selling my kit from my air2? Figure I could let it all go for like $120 on marketplace or eBay. My use case is mostly over ocean for footage of wild life or my friends and I surfing (we hand off the controller, we're not surfing AND flying) Or over sheer cliffs for footage of friends and I climbing. Nothing professional. Just raw stills from unique angles. I would like to have something that is a bit more capable in motion and the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is appealing in the M4P too.

Just a heads up-I grabbed five of the Air 3S combos with the regular controller from Adorama earlier today. They actually have plenty in stock. Skip the eBay listings claiming "only 1-7 left"-they're almost always grey market, overpriced, and usually ship from Korea or one of the Indo-China regions with sketchy terms. Adorama's site is a mess right now (can't add to cart, checkout fails, DJI pages throwing 404s), but if you **call**, you can still place an order directly. Meanwhile, the RC 2 controller alone is going for **$1,000-$1,200**, up from $600 just yesterday. Prices have doubled overnight like it's wartime ration gear. Honestly, I wish I'd pulled a Costco move and gone in with friends to buy 200 units of the Air 2S or Air 3 before this market exploded. You could list the combo at $10K and people would still buy-at least until the shipping backlog clears and pricing settles closer to MSRP. Also worth noting: **DHL is hammering people with "handoff" fees** between $50 and $200, *on top* of normal shipping costs. Feels like straight-up extortion. And here's the part no one's talking about-ports like LA, NJ, and Miami are a total mess. Cargo containers full of DJI gear are going missing or getting "held," and if you think it's not an inside job, I've got a bridge to sell you. There's a real sense that organized groups, maybe even with mafia ties, are cherry-picking hot cargo before it even hits the system. Look, I love DJI. Yeah, it's state-linked, but the tech is legit. What we get here in the West is just the consumer-grade stuff-they're likely developing DARPA-level projects behind closed doors. The idea that my drone is a national security threat is laughable when the U.S. already has 1" eGIS terrain data, hyperspectral satellite imagery, and an always-on IoT network tracking everything down to our light bulbs. But with Remote ID now tying all of us to centralized drone data, and with another DJI blacklist bill back in play, the threat isn't the drones-it's that someone at the FAA, or worse, someone tweeting from a toilet, could *brick every DJI drone in the U.S.* in one night. No DJI Care, no repairs, no parts, no resale value. Just fleets of grounded gear and thousands of professionals screwed. We should've treated DJI stockpiles like GME (Game Stop) shares, but instead the ports knew what was coming since they talked about doing this durning the election eun-up - and now they've got the golden containers warehoused someplace while the rest of us are fighting over whatever they feel like gaming over a million Amazon and eBay FSBO scams going on this second. GAHHH!! lol APS: If my Air 2S flown for over 1600 miles and owned for 4+ years didn't decide to watch it's final sunset from about 10,000ASL in the high Rockies a few weeks ago, and drop lto terminal velocity through the thin air of about 400 feet after an un-happy battery released itself med-flight at the opportunity to be set free into the heavens, likely only to reappear in a glacier in a few thousand years, a few thousand feet down the mountain lol. Or maybe a mountain goat will find it swollen & leaking lithium, and use it as a salt lick until eventually turning into a the infamous Yeti? Anyway was amazingly able to recover the drone, and will never fly without an AirTag velcro'd somewhere on them again! sure lifesaver more than once, including one theft. So yeah... drones are way too expensive. >\_< Dont even get me started on commercial drone insurance costs and how they absolutely rake this nitch of ppl bloody with so many stupid fees. Like how the hell is it more expensive and dangerous for me to fly a 0.70 lb drone around a field, than it is for me to drive my 4,000lb SUV at 75mph through 5-lane rush hour traffic ?! Oh yeah.. cause its federal air space, they say. Good thing the firmware kids have already gotten into the super encrypted Air 3S and new Mavic firmwares according to many of the sub-reds and other "deeper" forums filled with ppl talking about this stuff and the blocks. And yep you guessed it - the knowledge gained in the last 2-4yrs alone across the Ukraine incld ed printed parts, cheap microprocessors running off-the-shelf relatively simple code systems like Raspberry Pi and others. The advant of fiber spooled drone comms, etc. Shit's gonna be bananas as we already see record rone swarms every month from countries like China who dominate. Fly safe ya'll!

400 for first mavic pro is rather high, is it with fly more kit? I see a bit newer Air2 fly more for 400 in my area, and mavic pro with hard case but no kit for 250

i do wedding videos and overall happy with the DJI Air 2s so far. just looking at FPV to get those cooler fly by shot. speed is not a requirement. i just hate swapping batteries all the time. clients dont like it when they have to wait on 1 of the most busiest day of their lives while i chance batts. thank you for the Flywoo link, it looks pretty good! how easy is it to install the DJI o3 camera on as well as an Insta360 Ace Pro? i guess i need a 7inches drone since i need the Insta360 cam i am starting from scratch with FPV so i assume i will need the DJI goggle (since i want the dji o3), a controller, lipo pack for drone, lipo for controller, and lipo chargers, anything else?

why can't you buy a used air 2 on ebay? Or get the air 3 because mini 4 pro isn't as good in the wind.

I got a new Air 2S from Amazon for similar reasons. $800 or so all in. It's out of production but the price was right.

I have flown an Air 2S, Mini 3 Pro, Mini 4 Pro, Mavic 3, Mavic 3E and a Matrice M30. I get the best photos with the Mavic 3 and 3E since they both have a 4/3rds wide camera sensor. They are also good at night. The Mavic 3E has a mechanical shutter which none of the consumer drones have. This virtually eliminates rolling shutter effects and makes for sharper photos. The Air 2S has a 1" sensor and can shoot 5.1K video. Still shots are also very good. My Mini 4 Pro takes surprisingly decent video, but still photos have a lot of artifacts due to the compression and the small sensor. If you want DSLR level quality, you will need to go up to an Inspire 3 or an RTK 350 which can mount a number of really high end sensors.

eBay, craigslist, Swappa, etc. If you have an Inspire 1 or a Phantom 2, you're in for a bad time. Air 2S? You're going to come out ahead.

Besides my Air2s and Avata, I just picked up a Hoverair X1 ProMax, whoa it's really cool and fun (especially if you get all the accessories

Thats for sure just a normal dji drone. They can transmit easily up to 10km with flighttimes around 20-30minutes. The camera angle are typical for a "non professional" pilot. For example: DJI Mini 3 DJI Mavic Air 2s , 3 pro, 4 pro etc... A custom built fpv drones like i fly them, could reach even more distance. some people are using fpv videotransmitting systems on fixed wings. (basically a littel airplane) with an analog ground station its easily possible to reach distances of 40km+ Always funny to see the "drone over the airports" news XD they are having normal signal lights. Guess what. you could start your dji drone 5-10km away from the airport and fly to it. Yes they normally have geofencing, but even for dji drones their are "hacked" firmwares out there. The ukraine and russia are using modified firmwares. They use normal dji drones as mavic 3-4 pro for scouting and custom built fpv drones for throwing the bombs or kamize drones. And someone in the comments mentioned already, there are aswell LTE modules nowadays. In theory with that you can fly unlimited distances as long as you stay close to modern civilsation with LTE antennas. There is a fixed wing video on youtube doing a 100km round trip with LTE from one island to another. Not going to post it, due i don't want to "expose" the other pilot, because this kind of flights from private persons are not permitted at all most of the times. And here is an example from DJI LTE-module: [https://store.dji.com/hu/product/dji-cellular-dongle-lte-usb-modem?vid=112071&set\_region=HU&from=site-nav&\_gl=1%2A1e4l7b6%2A\_up%2AMQ..%2A\_ga%2AMTMyNTYxOTI1Mi4xNzYwNzgzMDQ0%2A\_ga\_HXRDE344GS%2AczE3NjA3ODMwNDMkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjA3ODMwNDMkajYwJGwwJGgw](https://store.dji.com/hu/product/dji-cellular-dongle-lte-usb-modem?vid=112071&set_region=HU&from=site-nav&_gl=1%2A1e4l7b6%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_ga%2AMTMyNTYxOTI1Mi4xNzYwNzgzMDQ0%2A_ga_HXRDE344GS%2AczE3NjA3ODMwNDMkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjA3ODMwNDMkajYwJGwwJGgw) # GEO-Fencing dji since 2025: DJI has removed its geofencing software that automatically prevented drone flights in restricted areas, such as near airports and prisons. As of early 2025, the DJI app will now only display warnings for these zones, which pilots can bypass. Therefore, to avoid geofencing, no action is needed because the system is no longer a restriction; however, users are solely responsible for knowing and following all airspace rules and regulations. How to fly now * **Be aware of restrictions:** Understand that even though the drone will not be blocked, you are responsible for knowing and following all airspace restrictions, such as those around airports, military bases, and government buildings. * **Follow the warnings:** The app will still provide warnings when you are near a restricted area, but these warnings can be dismissed, and the drone will be able to take off. * **Prioritize safety and legality:** It is crucial to avoid flying in restricted areas to comply with local laws and ensure safety, even if the geofencing system has been removed.

I'm wondering the same thing. I dirtbike and I've been bringing the Neo rather than my air 2s just because the air 2s is a bit heavy with the whole kit.

The Air 3S can do plenty of pro work, who is saying otherwise? I'm a full time pro photographer and my upgrade path has been: Inspire 1->Air 2->Air 3->Air 3S Air 3S has been my favorite drone by far, and would still be overkill for your use-case. Honestly only go Mavic if you need true D-log shooting, which you don't. Basically the M3P is for people who want most dynamic range without going full Inspire 3, dynamic range 99.99% of the audience will not notice in the end product.

You could probably find a used DJI Air 2s in that range. It has a great camera. The Air 2 has a nice camera as well, but the 2s is a little improved.

1. doesn't the Air 3S have DLOG? The Air 3S doesn't have DLOG. The larger dynamic is normally only with DLOG but DJI has a unknown feature only on the Mavic 4 Pro which is called Daul Gain ISO Fusion or Fusion HDR. This hidden feature on the Mavic 4 Pro is only activated when using DLOG-M with auto everything or Auto ISO. I've used this hidden feature and it works great because it lets even the most inexperienced user take professional quality footage and now I only use DLOG-M for personal usage on the Mavic 4 Pro. 2. Mavic 4 Pro Creator Combo ALL-I H.264 vs Mavic 4 Pro H.265. My experience is the ALL-I is a little quicker to edit but I just got a new PC and it makes this timing difference negligible. Further more I like using H.265 because it uses less space for storage. The supposed better image or video quality of Using ALL-I H.264 vs H.265 can't really be seen in my humble opinion and now I always use H.265 for more efficient smaller storage. 3. How do I see the effects of an adjustable aperture? Is an adjustable aperture really necessary? I found that having an adjustable aperture gives me a better control of the exposure on a sunny day and also allows me to control what is in focus for my image. I don't need to use filters to decrease the light on sunny bright days because I can just use a smaller aperture setting. In summary of the questions I answered. If all I did was social media posts and was younger with a limited budget. I would go with a mini 4 Pro but if I had a bit more money. I'd get the Air 3S because it is more stable in windy conditions plus the Air 3S has internal cooling fans which is important for high temperature environments. If I had a little more money. I'd get the Mavic 3 Pro because of the better camera control and adjustable aperture and it is even better with windy weather compared to the Air 3S. If I had money to burn and was younger. I'd definitely get the Mavic 4 Pro Fly More package. Because I'm older and can afford it. I got the Mavic 4 Pro Creator Combo because I really needed the larger screen size controller because my eyes aren't what they used to be. I'm originally from North America but here's a city about 1.5-2 hours away from where I live. Sorry for the poor image quality because it's a screenshot from a video. https://preview.redd.it/h1cfdqr3cpdf1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7885833d85909019f3d6f319a4e8e01cb51cd6a9 Cheers mate,

I think now it's time to retire my air2s. Or is there anything the air2s still may be better in?

Anything in the DJi Mini series for hobbyist use. I have a DJi Air 2S that I travel with extensively but it is significantly bigger and heavier than the Minis.

Look at the first post in my profile. That video is a hyperlapse with the 3x lens on the 3S. The 3x on the 3 is the same. The 3 flys better than the 2S and the extra camera gives you way more options. If you can only afford a 2S though, they're great

I spent a grand on a Air2s nearly 3 years ago. I have purchased 1 additional battery at $115. A drone wrap for $60. Night time blinking light for like $10-$15. Prop guards were like $15 ish. A landing pad I've never used, it was like $15 ish. And I got some different colored joysticks for no reason and they were $10 ish. The wrap is still awesome, the batteries still give me my 20-25min flight time, the night time blinky rarely gets used. Prop guards even less. But I have it all and really don't need to purchase anything else. I had memory cards already. Oh I also have a variable ND filter, I don't remember what it cost. There's a lot of these things I didn't need at all or rarely use, but this is also a pretty complete kit and it doesn't really need anything else. I fly about once a week or so. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I'm still running the original props, the camera bag I own has a drone pocket and I had that bag a year or two before getting a drone, so no money there. I did own a few cheaper more toy like drones before this one, but I see no reason to upgrade for several more years still. Air2s is a solid drone and has been great for me.

DJI makes throwaway drones too. It's called the Tello. Having flown Holy Stone, Tello and then Mini 2, Air 2, Avata 2, etc, it's like going from riding a bicycle to a CBR1000RR. Sure, they both have wheels and move you from one point to another, but the similarities fade soon after.

Love my air 2

Just my opinion, but overpriced drones are also not worth it. And yeah, I'm pretty much looking explicitly at DJI and autel when I say that.. I remember when DJI did not inflate their prices so much. I've had affordable drones from them. Mavic Air 2, great drone at a great price. Ever since the air 2s came out it's like they really took premium pricing to a whole other level. The 2s was basically adding obstacle avoidance and roughly doubling the price of the air 2. While it's a comparison of two different categories, one being prosumer and the other being professional, my x8 tele max was mine (on sale) for $400, and have loved it ever since. I can identify buildings 30 km away with it at 400 ft. That drone has 90% of the capabilities of the mavic 3 Enterprise, which starts at $4,500. Could the fimi step into the mavic 3 enterprises role at a corporation? No, definitely not. Mainly due to the lack of software integration. It could easily replace the M3E at many smaller businesses, however. Anyways I'm just ranting about how expensive DJI has gotten. While at it, I think I need to mention that the ability to take 360° photospheres should be standard on pro camera drones. That is a feature that is more useful than many realize. Anybody out there with a DJI drone, and in need of a hobby, look at major points of interest in your city and if there isn't an aerial 360 panorama in place already for a location, take one with your drone and post it on Google maps. Pretty soon you'll dominate the entire region because people like Aerial shots for those places better, almost universally. I'm up to 36 million views on Google maps for what was essentially a hobby where I would stop somewhere interesting after work on my way home. Now the entire front page for Eugene is full of [my shots](https://maps.app.goo.gl/4ejX4Etfk7GExQA8A?g_st=ac). It was fun.

The Air 3 is better unless you're printing pictures, then you'd maybe notice a small difference for the 2S. Neither of those are better than the 3S though, so just get one of those. Honestly all 3 drones are great. I own the 2S and 3S.

Thats why I posted this, I wanted input from someone who's used the mini 4 pro to get a gauge on how well it performed in windy conditions compared to the heavier systems. When I first bought my air2, I didn't think I'd be able to use it in high winds then it surprised me with how well it actually did, so I'm looking for advice on how well the mini actually does in the wind. Wind performance is my deciding factor, if the mini 4 pro gets knocked around in small gusts and gets poor footage then I don't want it. If its more robust than that then great. Air2/2S con: They're older systems and don't have omni directional obstacle avoidance. These limitations kept me on specific use cases for the drone. The price difference is minimal between the 2S and the mini 4 pro \~$200 for fairly substantial upgrades. Air 3 is off the table because its just as expensive as the mini 4 pro, capabilities are worse and none of the equipment I already have would work with it. Its only upside is wind performance. mini 4 pro...con: Price, none of my current gear works with it, and potentially the wind effect. I've never used one so idk how the wind would impact it.

Yeah idk I've owned an air 2 and 3, and now I own a Fimi mini 3 and an X8 tele max... I don't find myself longing to get the air 3 again. I'd say across all specs, the air 3 wins but picture quality is the same to most people and the Fimi's zoom is sweet, as is the weatherproofing. I miss 360 panoramas though, very much. The value winner is Fimi, hands down. I got my tele max new for $450 lmao.

I've gone from the following drones. Air 2S, Mavic 3 Pro Cine, Air 3S and now Mavic 4 Pro Creator Combo. Gave away my Air 2S/3S to family members who were visiting but kept both Mavics. I say just use whatever you want but one thing you missed on the Mavic 4 Pro is the dynamic home point which I have been waiting for a long time. This feature not only continuously updates your RTH based on your controller location. It allows you to fly further and makes water footage from a boat much more user friendly. There's also the longer range of control and where I live. I have the version of drone with Enhanced Transmission Control which uses 4G/LTE giving us beyond visual line of sight capabilities which is also allowed for us. Even the regular drone has the new O4+ transmission system which allows you to fly over 10km away in CE mode. The tracking and low light conditions for flying are also better than anything I have previously owned. Newer technologies will always have better capabilities in my humble opinion. However, I found any of the drones I've owned to all be extraordinary pieces of technology even today. I only updated my drones because I just wanted to push the envelope. I kept the Mavic 3 Pro because I sometimes need to get ProRes 4.2.2 raw footage when requested. Plus I like having a 2nd drone as a backup and for visiting family or friends to fly with so they can get their own footage. The Mavic 4 Pro is also the fastest and quietest drone I've had too. https://preview.redd.it/nvd15e93xkmf1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c8eb2afc662a00a20b301cd8412c34995339fc4 Ok

Thirding this guy. I ran Minis for years and had 2-3 close calls with potential flyaways, and NUMEROUS ruined shots from wind. Grabbed a Mavic Air2S and realized how much time and money I had wasted rescheduling / worrying / etc due to wind. I've since upgraded to pros which are even better, but the Airs are seriously stable in just about any conditions, even noticeably windy days.

If you like zoom lenses Air 3. Its such a sick drone. I have the fly more. My buddy just bought the same one. If the zoom lens didnt exist Id probably have done the mini 4 pro. The Air 3 has great range and does incredible in high winds, way more quiet than I was expecting as well. Highly recommend getting the controller with the built in screen. Its a game changer Previously Ive had the Air, and Air 2

How's the wind resistance? Would like one of the newer mini models but I feel like their light weight would make them more prone to flyaways during high winds and gusts that my Air 2s can handle in a pinch

$600 used Mavic Air2s will work just fine. Your customers work with you, cuz they trust you and possibly like you. 98% of the realtors have no clue about bit rates or resolution. If you're gunning for this guys business, then ya, you'll need expensive gear. As a newb there's No reason to buy the expensive gear until you've mastered, and crashed, less expensive drones. My 02

I've had the Air 2S, Mavic 3 Pro Cine, Air 3S and now the Mavic 4 Pro Creator Combo. They are all amazing drones and can take spectacular footage. I have my Air 2S and 3S to family members who were visiting me but have kept the 2 Mavic Pros. I kept them because I needed the DLOG and manual camera control and most importantly the adjustable aperture. The Cine also shoots in ProRes 4.2.2 but the 4 Pro Creator shoots in ALL-I which I'm still getting used to plus some clients insist on the ProRes 4.2.2 raw footage. Mostly I just use them for a hobby and social media posts. So if it's a commercial or professional requirement. I have to go with the Mavic 4 Pro but if it's only mostly social media stuff. I'd go with the Air 3S in my humble opinion but only you can decide what's best for you. Cheers mate. https://preview.redd.it/nq9jfp042jdf1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ea64b61d775c8afd451d892ca95666a1ef63468 I'm getting older so I also needed the bigger screen controller. 😬

This is my main drone. I can push and pull the colours so much better than my mini 4 pro and air 2s.

I use a Mavic 3E and before that, a plain Mavic 3 for the 4/3rds 20 mpx sensor for larger files that I can work with in Photoshop. I am a photographer and originally got into drones as a way of having a lens in the sky. You can get Mavic 3's for a good price - they fly great, have long flight times, and have a 7x telephoto that has great reach. If you're on a real budget, for a few hundred dollars, you can get an Air 2S which has a 1" sensor and takes decent photos and videos. Here's an example of what you can get out of the Mavic 3 camera: https://preview.redd.it/466p050jgakf1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e542b8ae43e183dbe29c24d363e0bd958d624acf