DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo Quadcopter with Remote Controller

==== Summary ==== The DJI Mini 2 is a fantastic drone that is easy to fly, nimble, and packed with cool features. Although it only weighs 249g, the Mini 2 does an admirable job holding its position in windy conditions and taking crisp footage. The addition of OcuSync 2.0, which vastly improves the video transmission distance, can't be praised enough. At $599.99 for the Fly More combo, the value proposition is strong and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. _____ *Pros: -Super light and compact (no need for FAA registration). -Very nimble & responsive flyer. -Stable under windy conditions. -OcuSync 2.0 --> great flight range. -Long battery life for such a compact drone. -Ergonomic and thoughtful controller with time-saving features built-in. -1080p, 2K, and 4K footages all look great thanks to the smooth 3-axis gimbal. -Max video bitrate is now 100Mbps (versus 1st gen's 40Mbps). -Can shoot in both JPEG and RAW. -Comes with a nice carrying case & 3-bay charging dock. -The two-way charging hub can charge both the batteries and the remote controller. _____ *Neutral: -No "Follow Me" mode or active tracking. -No obstacle avoidance. -The carrying handle is on the side and not on top of the carrying case. _____ *Cons: -No micro-SD card included. ==== Design, Build Quality, and What's Inside the Package ==== For a drone that costs $450 ($600 for the Fly More combo), I'm quite happy and satisfied with the overall look, build quality, and fit-and-finish of the Mini 2. The Mini 2 is heavily plastic and some portions, such as the battery cover, stands out by feeling a bit cheap compared to the rest of the drone. I'm not bothered by it, though, because the battery cover snaps on securely, and by going with a light plastic construction, DJI managed to keep the weight under the FAA's registration threshold (250g/0.55 pounds). I would be very careful, however, not to crash the Mini 2 as the light plastic components probably won't survive any major impacts. As for the fit-and-finish, all the moving parts of the Mini 2 actuated smoothly and it was a frustration-free affair when handling it, such as the folding and unfolding process. I love the hold-down strap for the propellers which prevent them from moving around inside the case as well as the perfect-fitting and well-aligned gimbal protection cover that doesn't require any angle adjustments nor too much strength to pop in and pop out. The same can be said for the insertion and removal process of the battery; the battery makes a satisfying click sound when inserted and it pulls out smoothly. I love I can remove the battery even when the Mini 2 is all folded up and wrapped with the propeller guard strap. I'm a big fan of the design and layout of the remote controller. The spring-loaded phone holder easily accommodated my oversized phone, a Samsung Galaxy S20+, and the USB-C cord was long enough to plug in with some slack. There is a recessed compartment on top of the controller to stow the USB-C cable, which is a brilliant use of space, and the thumbscrews for the joysticks fit snugly and safely into the cutouts on the bottom of the controller. My Fly More combo package came with a three-bay, two-way charging hub and it's great. It has a USB-C input for charging the three batteries sequentially, as well as a USB-A output that can connect to the remote controller. The hub doesn't charge all the batteries and the remote at the same time; the batteries get charged first in a sequential manner (left to right), then the controller is the last piece to get its turn. The carrying case is pretty decent. Its padding is wholly adequate, outside and inside, and all the Fly More package components can fit inside comfortably with some space to spare. My only gripe about the case is the location of the carrying handle; instead of being on the side, I wish it were on the top. On the topic of gripes, there are two more, albeit small ones. First, I wish DJI had also included some propeller guards into the Fly More combo, as well as a micro-SD card. With all that said, it's my opinion the DJI Mini 2 Fly More combo is a great package that offers strong value. You get almost everything you need to start flying right away without the registration headache, and the Mini 2 is a well-built and very capable drone that's well-equip to capture stunning 4K videos and photos with a long flight time and great flight distance. ==== What's it like to fly the Mini 2? ==== I cut my teeth on drone piloting via the Autel Evo drone ($1,050 on Best Buy) for the past two years and I have to give props to DJI for creating such a nimble, agile, and easy-to-maneuver compact drone. Out of the box, all the gimbal settings (pitch, yaw) were tuned perfectly for my flying style, and it was a lot of fun flying the Mini 2 everywhere I took it to, such as around my neighborhood, class 1 bike trails, and parks. At first setup, you're required to view three short video clips from the New User Guide within the DJI Fly app (Finding the Best Place to Fly, Preparing to Fly, and Flying the Aircraft). After going through the quick registration or log-in process, then you're ready to go right after the drone locks in a GPS signal, which usually took about 15-20 seconds for me. Launching the drone couldn't be any easier. All you have to do is tap and hold on the Auto Take-off icon and the Mini 2 will fly up a few feet into the air and steadily hold its position and await your command. Using the well-weighted and finely-tuned joysticks, the Mini 2 moves about precisely, accurately, and predictably - very important because there is no obstacle avoidance built-in. The gimbal angle adjustment is done via the shoulder switch located on the upper-left corner of the controller and it, too, was well-calibrated out of the box. The shoulder button on the upper-right hand corner is used to take photos and capture videos and it reacted quickly with a satisfying click and feel. The Mini 2 is rated for a 31-minute flight time but that's only when there is no wind and a traveling speed of 10.5mph (4.7m/s). My average flight speed was 20mph most of the time and I got the low battery warning after about 20 minutes, which is still very good for such a tiny and light drone. If you activate Sport Mode and push the Mini 2 to its maximum speed of 35mph (16m/s), then expect an even shorter flight time. When you're done flying the Mini 2, there are two ways you can bring it back - tap and hold the Return-to-Home (RTH) icon, or fly it back manually. I prefer the latter option as RTH wasn't always precise. When out in wide-open spaces, RTH was mostly accurate and missed the mark only a few times. But in more cramped spaces, like my backyard, the Mini 2 became confused and tried to land on my roof instead of the ground, which was disconcerting. Distance-wise, I got the Mini 2 to travel about 1,100 feet away in a dense residential area before the signal began breaking up. To sum it up, the Mini 2 is an absolute pleasure to fly thanks to the smart tuning and calibration out-of-the-box. It's just a shame that DJI didn't include active tracking or a front obstacle avoidance system, probably to hit that 249g weight target. ==== Video & Photo Quality ==== The Mini 2, with its 1/2.3" CMOS sensor and 12MP effective pixels, did an admirable job capturing great-looking 4K, 2K, and 1080p videos as well as photos. Compared to my Autel Evo 4K drone, which has a 1/2.8" sensor and max capture rate of 4K@60fps at 100Mbps, the Mini 2 held its own ground and produced footage that often came out better looking with more realistic colors and superior auto-exposure. The only advantage the Autel Evo has over the Mini 2 is smoother footage during gimbal and drone rotations thanks to its higher 60fps rate, an impressive feat since the Mini 2 costs 133% less than the Evo as of 11/16/2020. Here is a short clip taken with the Mini 2 at 4K@30fps with all the settings on auto: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XIcpieS36u0FWdOT3Qp8NEjDuRu55UKW/view?usp=sharing I use zoom quite often when flying and it was nice to have several options at my disposal. At 4K, you get up to a 2x zoom; at 2K it's 3x and at 1080p, it's up to 4x. Naturally, the more you zoom in, some fine details become lost, especially when there isn't enough lighting. With good lighting, though, you can focus on your subject and get some excellent details out of it. If you'd rather prefer the Mini 2 to perform some trick shots while you keep your hands free, then you're all set because there are several nifty modes, such as Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle, and Boomerang. The photo-taking ability of the Mini 2 was quite satisfactory as well. I found myself using all three modes quite often - Wide, 180-degree, and Sphere - and they were easy enough to process and export using the Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE) desktop app. Thanks to the march of technology, it's amazing how many cool features can now be crammed inside a small and compact drone that is so light and portable. I think the vast majority of people interested in drone cinematography will be very happy with the Mini 2. ==== Is it a good buy? ==== I absolutely think so. DJI has pulled off an excellent engineering feat by implementing many meaningful & useful upgrades over the original Mavic Mini and created a force to be reckoned with.

I'm reminded of a slogan, "you've come a long way baby". My current drone is the Phantom 3 and the new Mini 2 is way way beyond that in just 4-5 short years. It's so tiny it fits in the palm of your hand. And lite too! That low weight comes into play when you look at the FAA regulations. You won't need to register the drone because it falls under the 250g weight limit. Just because it's tiny doesn't mean it can't fly though. I took it out in some windy conditions, probably 15-20mph, and while it swayed a little while hovering, it was very responsive when flying and you wouldn't know by looking at the video it was that windy until you saw the trees rocking. Speaking of flying, the new Fly App was easy to use. You get a quick, interactive, guided tour of the interface when you go to fly the first time. You will actually be flying the Mini 2 within a couple of minutes as it has you take off, do a few quick maneuvers, and land. The app is so user friendly, you just push a button and the Mini 2 will take off and hover in front of you, and when it's time to land, press the button again and it will return back to where you started and automatically land (some caveats apply). Continuing on the flying aspect, the Mini 2 now connects to the controller via OccuSync 2.0. This means you can theoretically fly with a good connection for miles. The FAA requires you to maintain Line of Sight to the drone so you will have a hard time seeing it that far away but if you are flying within 1/2 mile you can easily see the drone and feel confident in the connection. That alone makes flying a dream. Once you've taken off, you can get beautiful 4k footage of your flight if you want to use the highest resolution. As the commercials say, "and that's not all!". You can actually zoom the camera! Ya, zoom. You can zoom up to double when shooting in 4k. The video quality will suffer a little but if the light is good, it's very useable. If you drop down into regular HD mode, 1920 x 1080, then you can zoom up to double and lose no resolution. It's crazy. And if you really need more zoom, you can go up to 4x in that HD mode. Just like the 4k zoom, once you go past 2x, you will start to lose video quality. If you like to shoot pictures as I do, the Mini 2 has you covered. It will shoot 12mp images that look really nice. What's more, if you like to do your own customization on the images, it allows you to shoot in Raw mode to produce a DNG file. That was reserved for only Pro-level equipment last year. The Mini 2 has more than just a single picture mode. It will shoot HDR images by taking 3 differently exposed images in AEB mode (you will need to combine them manually though). It takes panoramic images. A full 360-degree images as well as a 180-degree image. It shoots that in Raw mode also. You can grab the files from the SD Card and stitch them yourself. You've undoubtedly seen some interesting footage over the years where the video circles an object, or shoots up in the sky. Quickshots mode handles all that camera and drone movement for you to get the same cool video. Let's talk about flying time. The Fly More Combo comes with 3 batteries and that cannot be understated at how important that is. Realistically you get about 25-28 minutes of flight time per battery before you get into an area where you will need to land the craft safely. You won't believe how quickly those 25 minutes are. Having a couple of extra batteries allows you to fly for a long time and position yourself to get the shots you want without having to rush. You also get a 3 hub battery charger which makes charging the batteries very easy. It won't charge all 3 at once, unfortunately, but you won't have to worry that forgot to unplug one before charging the next. If the batteries aren't enough in the Combo, it comes with a very cool carry case for the Mini 2, controller, batteries, and accessories. Again, you're going to buy a bag anyway so you might as well save money and get it in the Combo Pack. It also comes with a few sets of propellers. Eventually, they will need to be changed due to normal wear our you scraping it on something, and they are basically freebies in the Combo pack so again, why not! If you've been looking for a camera drone that is packed with high-end features and a great price then the Mini 2 Fly More Combo is amazing.

DJI has hit it out of the park with the Mini 2, and I say that as a Phantom Pro owner who is used to a higher-end, full-featured drone. While the original DJI Mavic Mini (we’ll call it the “Mini 1”) was designed to be a watered-down, entry-level drone with largely missing or reduced functionality compared to the Mavic or Phantom, DJI really worked to bring this still limited offering up to standards which make it a great choice for anyone looking for a first drone, or maybe just a more portable drone with great features. Pros: -Small and capable of being thrown in a jacket pocket or backpack. -Added 4k resolution and RAW photo support. -Pro features added to make shooting & processing video much easier for beginners. -Occusync 2.0 avoids signal degradation. Cons (covered in detail at the end): -No collision avoidance. -RC joysticks have to be removed for storage. -Phone can be tough to see in bright light due to angle -Can’t charge batteries and RC controller at the same time with the 1 included charger. -Color and size can make it hard to keep visual tabs on when flying. Camera: The Mini 2 adds in 4K/30fps (up from the Mini 1’s maximum 2.7k/30fps), which makes the video quality crisp and full of color & contrast. If you do have a need for 60fps, you can downgrade the settings in the app to 1080p/60fps (for action or post-processing slow motion shots). Still photos can be shot in JPG or JPG+RAW mode. You can also get “4x zoom”, which is not a true optical zoom, rather it’s the app cropping the video from 4k down to 1080 with 2x lossless zoom, then an additional 2x lossy zoom where it’s zooming on the pixels in the video resulting in quality loss. The camera is mounted on 3-axis gimbal, which gives it extremely good stability during turns or quick starts & stops. The DJI app now also includes 4 pre-programmed cinematic scenes that make beginners look like pros with their “QuickShot” options. These include “Rocket” (starting off looking at the ground & taking off straight up, expanding the shot as it climbs), “Dronie” (camera faces you then pulls back & upward, keeping you in the middle of the “selfie” shot), “Circle” (just orbits a set area, turning to keep the selected object in the center of the video as it orbits around it), and “Helix” (similar to circle, but in a more complex pattern of circles & zooms). The video shot in these modes can then be quick-edited, music added, and uploaded to social media all from within the app, no post-processing software required. Weight: The drone comes in at a mere 249g, which puts it 1g below U.S. FAA regulations for mandatory registration weight. If you’re outside the U.S. check with local regs for weight & registration requirements. The size makes it small enough to put in your jacket pocket, though the fact you have to have a controller, which is almost larger than the drone itself, you’ll still need a small bag to carry this (this “Fly More” package comes with a bag). Each prop is only about 3” in size, and the legs fold inward when not in use to make it easily packable. Stability & Flight: With the low weight you lose absolutely nothing with stability. The Mini 2 is FAR more stable in the wind than the Mini 1, and I actually found it more stable than my larger & much heavier Phantom Pro. In 2 days of flights – 1 with 15mph sustained/21mph gusting winds, followed the next day by 21mph sustained/28mph gusting winds – it felt like flying in no-wind conditions. DJI touts that it will fly in up to 37mph winds without issue . You can launch the drone with 1 tap. Likewise, the Mini 2 now features a GPS-based “Return to Home” feature which allows you to click the “RTH” button and have the drone automatically come back to the exact launch point and fully land. The RTH is good if you’re not sure where the drone is, or are in a situation where you need to get it home quick (i.e. low battery, weather, etc.). The drone now uses DJI’s Occusync 2.0 technology for wireless communication between the drone & controller, greatly increasing maximum distance between controller & drone and ensuring clear video feed over that distance. DJI states the max distance from the controller is 10km, but flying that distance from the pilot is a huge violation of FAA regs and a good way to lose your drone when it hits something or the battery dies miles away from you. Suffice it to say, the reach with Occusync will more than cover your flight. The controller has a 3-position switch for quick toggling of the flight modes available with the drone. “Normal” mode is, well, normal flight speeds (22mph) and turning. “Cine” mode slows all functions of the drone down, including forward speed, turning speed, and camera angle speed to give you that slower-motion cinematic feel. “Sport” mode gives you maximum speed and power, meant to follow fast-moving objects, yielding you a max speed of 36mph (remember this will kill your battery MUCH quicker than the 31-minute specs). Battery: Batteries will give you “up to 31 minutes” of flight time, though I never run them that low to make sure the drone makes it back to me. I usually bring it home at about 25% remaining. (Pro tip: Number your batteries & make sure you’re using them in a rotation rather than constantly using, recharging, and using the same battery again to extend battery life). Basics for Beginners: For those picking this up as their first drone, or transitioning from another drone manufacturer, the DJI Fly app gives you a full tutorial on how to use your drone to get you comfortable with its use. And the app’s ability to know what areas are allowable vs. not allowable to fly in will keep you from making a mistake flying somewhere not allowed or dangerous. Fly More Combo: The Fly More combo package comes with more that just the drone & controller. The package comes 3 batteries (instead of 1), which will get you about 90 minutes of flight time, with a 3-battery gang charger to allow you to charge all 3 in 1 device (but note that the gang charger will only charge 1 battery at a time despite being able to insert all 3), a water-resistant carry case about the size of a binocular case that features self-sealing waterproof zippers in case you get caught out in the rain, 3 sets of extra props in case you break a set, as well as an extra set of remote control joysticks in case they’re lost (you have to unscrew them & store them in the bottom of the controller when packing it up, so the potential for loss is there). Cons: - No collision avoidance: On all other non-Minis from DJI, the drones include forward/side/underside sonar for collision avoidance. So if you’re flying & not watching & come up on a tree, the drone will stop itself & not allow movement in the collision direction. Even as a longtime drone user, this has saved my rear a few times. To save cost & weight (trying to get below that magic 250-gram size), they did not include collision avoidance systems. Being this drone is likely being purchased by first-time drone operators, the very people likely to run into collision issues, not including this puts you at risk of damaging or losing your drone. Make sure you’re fully aware of the surroundings and just look to completely avoid any potential obstacles. - RC Joysticks: You have to unscrew the small thumb joysticks from the remote controller for storage, which could lead to a place where they’re lost. If they’re lost, you’ll have a very difficult time using the RC, which is why the Fly More combo kit comes with an extra set. - The RC uses your phone as the screen for viewing the drone’s flight, but how it’s placed in the RC makes seeing the phone tough in bright, direct light. I found myself scrambling to find shade to be able to see my phone during flight when the sun was directly overhead. Other RCs for other drones give you an ability to angle the phone a little to avoid direct glare. - With the 1 included USB-C charger, you cannot charge both the batteries and the RC controller at the same time. You’ll need a second charger, though the controller needs less charges than the batteries do. - Included dongles for connecting your phone to the controller (USB-C, micro USB, and Apple Lightning) have big, chunky collar around them for grip, but that collar keeps you from using them with many phones with a case in place (I use an Otterbox and the dongles didn’t even reach the port). I swapped it out with a smaller-collared cable & was fine. - Small size and color (whitish-beige) makes it easy to lose sight of when in the sky, especially against clouds. Wish it had more contrasting markings to be able to maintain FAA-required visual line-of-sight with the device. - Props poorly marked for replacement: While all of the props may look the same, 2 sets face a certain direction, while the other 2 sets are installed in the opposite direction. You differentiate with a very, very small line on the props, which if you’re new to droning and aren’t aware of that, you can install the wrong props, which will cause your drone to invert & crash on takeoff. Make sure you look for that marking if you need to replace the props. Would have liked to see a better marking or installation method like on other DJI products. In summary, DJI really did a great job with this drone. Despite wanting a nearly pocket-sized drone when the Mini 1 came out, I avoided it due to lack of critical features. DJI rectified that fully with this drone, making the Mini 2 one of the most feature-packed drones in an ultra-compact size that you could possibly buy. If this is your first drone, or you’re just looking for something smaller, I highly recommend the Mini 2.

This is my first DJI drone, coming from a parrot anafi, and the difference is staggering. DJI's app is easier to use and more intuitive with better controls; the form factor and design of the drone is better executed; the controller and packaging are way better and the range blows the competition out of the water! The Fly More Combo is a fantastic value so I highly recommend going that route if you are considering this drone. The carrying case is nice quality and has storage for the drone, batteries, charger, controller, along with all the cables and spare parts with room to spare. I also keep the old phone I've converted to my drone controller in there and still have room. The battery charger is an elegant solution. It houses all 3 batteries at once and has indicator lights showing where the charge is on each as they all charge at the same time keeping you ready to fly. The drone itself weighs almost nothing and is about the size of your palm folded up, making it extremely portable. But even with that light weight, it holds it's own in winds up to 25mph. I flew it at almost 400ft in 15-20mph winds and had no issues with control or taking stable shots. And this thing takes beautiful shots and video in 4k resolution, with 2x lossless zoom and 4x digital zoom. I recommend taking the full picture and cropping it later for best results but you can zoom if you prefer. You can also take panorama, 180 or sphere photos. Want some cool video effects? Try boomerang, circle, rocket, helix and dronie modes. Literally unbelievable how many things you can do with this small drone. Taking off is as easy as touching a button. When it lifts off, it will rise to 3-4ft and hover in place and record that spot. From that point on, when you're ready to have the drone come back to you, just hit the Return to Home button and it will return to that spot. One thing to note, this drone does NOT have obstacle avoidance, so make sure you set the altitude you want the drone to return at to avoid trees or other obstacles. If the biggest thing around you is a 100ft tree stand, set the RTH at 150ft to be safe. That will keep it at that altitude until it's directly overhead it's RTH spot, at which point it will come straight down. If you haven't flown a drone before, the tutorials built into the app are outstanding for teaching the basics and about some of the more advanced features. They include videos and step by step instructions, so definitely check them out if you're new to drone flying. My last drone would lose signal at 350ft and 50-75yds down range. This one, under the same conditions, went over a mile away at 400ft and showed no signs of signal loss. The OcuSync technology vs the old wi-fi tech is night and day. This is especially important if you're flying in an area with lots of wi-fi or other radio interference, such as suburban areas or cities. And you don't need to register this drone with the FAA or go through any licensing. It's size and weight don't qualify it for that. The geofencing technology built in will also help beginners with not taking off in restricted zones or violating airspace using the built in GPS. Overall, I can't recommend this drone highly enough for just about anyone. It takes amazing photos and videos, handles the wind fantastically for it's size and weight, and the new OcuSync 2.0 technology is legit. This is hands down the best drone you will find at this price point or below, and it's better than some others above this price point. Unless you're a professional who needs something crazy for commercial use, this is the drone you should buy.

I’ll start by saying that I have never used a drone and I had some expectations that the Mavic Mini 2 would be relatively easy to use. Safe to say that this drone is incredibly user friendly. Out of the box, I did a firmware update, and watching a few YouTube videos, I went to the FAA website and set up as a recreational flyer. Although I didn’t need to, I figured I would since I eventually would like to be under Part 107. I watched Alien Drones on YouTube “How to fly a drone anywhere” video which gave an incredible amount of detail into planning your drone flight and taking the necessary safety/aviation awareness precautions. I highly recommend the steps listed in this video. I also downloaded the B4UFLY and Kittyhawk apps for flight planning. Off the ground, the Mavic Mini 2 is incredibly stable, and super easy to fly. The controls are incredibly sensitive and even subtle movement can be achieved with practice. Whenever I would be concerned about unintended movement, such as, when the flying the drone towards you, and the controls are reversed, I would release the controls and the drone would immediately stop and remain stationary at the current altitude. This would give me time to get my bearings and adjust the controls to get the indented movement/direction. Being that I’ve never operated a drone before, I have no frame of reference to compare it to but if I were to design an entry level drone, the Mavic Mini 2 would be it everything I would want. The features and technology packed into this small little package seems to me amazing. It does not have all the features of some other DJI drones, it does pack an incredible amount of value. If I could have one feature thats missing in this package, it would be the ability to program waypoints. Weighing in at 238 grams, it puts you well below the max weight of 250 grams, putting you in Part 107 territory. Even with an ND filter (1 gram, you’re still at around 239 gram. If you decided to pop on an anti collision light for dusk/twilight flight, you will probably be at, or just over 250 grams. The video quality of the Mavic Mini 2 is fantastic. I shot a few videos already and posted them on YouTube and many people have said they cannot believe how good the quality is considering the size of the camera. I purchased the fly more combo and I think it is a must have. On the first flight, I went into the second battery and I feel its nice knowing you have back up batteries in case you need to extend your flight time. Things I liked the most about the Fly More Combo; Extra Batteries Battery Charger (Holds and charges 3 batteries) Soft Case Accessories I purchased; RC-N1 Tablet Holder Longer 90º USB-C to 90º Lightning Cable (for use with ipad) Freewell Standard Day ND/PL Filters Sandisk Extreme microSD Card 256gb (128gb is more than enough) DJI Care (1 year 2 occasions repair/replacement) If you’re looking for an entry level drone that packs some serious technological punch, this is it. As far as purchasing from BestBuy, I’m completely satisfied. I used my birthday bonus to bring down the price significantly. The shipping time was excellent considering how popular these drones are. Being that DJI is on the US Government’s naughty list, I would suggest buying one sooner than later. Should a ban be put in place, inventory could be limited and the prices will almost certainly be higher due to supply and demand.

The DJI Mini 2 is an exceptional drone. It's well suited for those just getting started with drones but will likely be enjoyed by enthusiasts as well. I'm sure one thing that both beginners and enthusiasts will love is the incredible portability and size of the Mini 2. One of the more appealing parts of the Mini 2 is the fact that it's small size and weight make it possible to fly without having to register or get a license. I think I have older TV remotes that are larger than it when folded up. The Fly More package makes that even more clear. When you open the box, everything is already neatly packed in the camera bag, just as you'd have it if you were packing it up yourself. With everything you need, and then some all packed up neatly in a small camera bag. There's even plenty of room left for any other accessories you may want to add to your kit. Once you've gotten past how small and light the Mini 2 is, your next step is setup. Which is also very easy. You just slip your phone into the retractable controller and plug it in with the included cable and turn on both the controller and drone. Pairing the two worked seamlessly for me, and I was ready to go in just a few minutes after opening the box. Getting up and running, and ready to start shooting is easy enough on its own, but there are some great quick video tutorials you can watch when you first fire up the app that streamline the process even more. These introduce you to some of the app and drone's features, as well as some general tips. They also make the drone feel less intimidating. Which would be great for someone just getting started. Takeoff is very simple. Once you're ready, you just hold the take-off button in the app, and the Mini 2 will start ascending to a few feet off the ground. After flying around and getting a bit more familiar with the drone, I was excited to try out the "Return to Home" feature. Basically, you set your home point and if the Mini 2 loses its signal, or you've lost your way, you can do a long press on the Return to Home button on the controller and the drone will return to the place it was launched from. This worked very well in my experience, often getting within a couple of feet of the launch spot or better. At the very least getting back to where I could take over and safely land, if I wasn't comfortable where it was attempting to land itself. I found myself using this feature often. Not because the drone lost its signal, or I didn't know where it was. It was just convenient to let it handle the return flight on its own. Another cool part of the Return to Home feature is that you can set an altitude for it to reach before comes back. This is great if you're in an area with trees or something you want to make sure the drone clears before attempting to return. You just set the altitude high enough to clear those taller objects and let the Mini 2 do its thing. Again, I'm just impressed with the Mini 2 all around. It's camera and video quality are also very good. Capable of shooting 4k at 30fps in this tiny package and at this quality is incredible. It also offers the ability to shoot at 1080p (up to 60fps) with a 2x zoom, but I mostly stick with the 4k resolution. It is nice to have the 60fps option though, if you intend to do some slow-down/half-speed effects. The photos come out very crisp, and I've been in disbelief at how well the Mini 2 can hold its position and shoot multiple exposures that can be combined for an HDR image. While we're talking about its features, I have to mention the Quick Shots. These make short work out of shots that I'm sure professionals struggle to get. Shots like rotating smoothly around or pulling away steadily while focusing on a subject. The app makes these so easy to do. You just select your subject by tapping on them (if it's a person) or drawing a selection around an area. It does a fantastic job of staying focused on them and performing complicated movements around them. Truly excellent stuff. I could probably talk about the Mini 2 all day. I really love this thing. It helps eliminate barriers that some may have about getting into drone photography or video and makes short work of some otherwise complicated tasks. Pros: Very easy to use, quick to get started, excellent image quality, packed full of useful and well-thought features, excellent range Cons: I think the only thing you could really have against the Mini 2 is "maybe" the battery life. It may require you to do a bit of planning, but hasn't been an issue for me at all yet. The ~30 minutes per battery is more than enough to go get some shots and return to swap them out if necessary. I do wish it had more object detection sensors around the drone, but that's tough to complain about at this price.

Disclaimer – This product was received in exchange for an honest review. The DJI Mini 2 is my first real experience with a drone and I'm having a blast. I am no expert in drone flying but found the basics of the Mini 2 easy to get the hang of quickly. The controls are very reminiscent of video game controls and the basic functions are pretty intuitive. So, I would says this is a great drone for beginners. The app includes multiple instructional videos to help you get started, with subjects such as your first flight, camera controls, editing functions and photography tips. This particular combo pack comes with all the accessories a beginner might not realize they need. Included are 2 extra batteries, a charging pack, extra propeller blades, the remote control and a carrying bag that holds it all. So, this thing is tiny. I expected it to be small, but the name “mini” is very appropriate. All folded up I'd say the drone is roughly the size of a roll of toilet paper, for lack of a better example. It only takes up a little more than a third of the available space in the carrying case, which itself is pretty mini. Fully opened, the drone takes up about as much area on a table as a laptop computer. Because of this size, the Mini 2 is quite portable. All bundled in its carrying case, it is like having a small camera bag over your shoulder. Also, it is my understanding that because this drone is so small and lightweight, there is no need to register it. Of course, check your local regulations just to be on the safe side. Were I an adventure blogger or nature photographer or something along those lines, I can imagine having the Mini 2 Fly More Combo being a go-to tool for hard to reach and dramatic shots. The Mini 2 sports a camera with 4K video resolution up to 30fps. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed with the quality of video I've been able to capture thus far. I see the designation 4K and I envision ridiculously lush colors and super fine detail. On the other hand, in the week I've had to review this item the local weather has been cold and dreary… not to mention it is the middle of Autumn and everything is gray. When flying the drone slowly video capture is very nice, but if you put some velocity behind it there is quite a bit of motion blur. What did impress me though, was how steady the camera was. I expected some shaky shots when coming to a quick stop from full speed, but the video stayed smooth and level. I will include a picture or two, but I feel they may not be good representations of what the camera is capable of because the weather hasn’t been very agreeable this past week with a lot of rain and cold temperatures. My favorite feature so far is the 360 degree photo. The drone will hover and take multiple photos, stitch them together to give to a picture you can rotate around 360 degrees! Controlling the Mini 2 is pretty straightforward. You’ll need a smart phone with the DJI Fly app installed, which you attach to the remote control via the included USB or lightning cable. Up/down on the left stick controls your altitude, while left/right controls direction. On the right stick up/down is forward and backward while pushing left/right controls strafing. If you grew up playing Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 it’ll seem very familiar. My only wish would be controller customization. I would prefer forward/backward to be on the left stick and altitude on the right. This may be possible for all I know, I just haven't figured it out yet. Unfortunately, your phone must be connected to the remote control to adjust settings in the app. Not a huge deal, just an inconvenience. Another small annoyance about connecting your phone is the included cable. The connector is at a short right angle, so if you have a phone case then you must remove it before you can insert the cable. Aside from the basic controls there are a couple of nice additional features. You can use Auto Takeoff to get your drone airborne and hover a little over a meter in the air. The advantage to this escapes me so far, as pressing up on the left control stick does the same thing. There’s also the Return-to-Home button that will call your drone back to your position. Just be sure there is a clear path between you and your drone, as it will return to you in a straight line without detecting obstacles. I have some trees in my area, so I have been too apprehensive to test this feature out at this point. In the end, I find the DJI Mini 2 to be a fun hobby drone, especially for beginners. It is super lightweight and portable, very easy to use, few regulations to adhere to, and a quality build.

You should check the map before you buy a drone to make sure you're able to use it in your neighborhood. DJI drones include a geofence system, FlySafe. It prevents you from taking off in restricted airspaces, including those set up to prevent unauthorized flight around major sporting events, during wildfires, at National Parks, and around Washington, DC. I live near an airport and had to create an account with the FAA and agree to rules before it would let me fly above 10 feet. Fairly easily accomplished but an important consideration for anyone. DJI Mini2 has a high quality camera that can record up to 4K/30p video, capture Raw+JPEG files, and features DJI's robust OcuSync 2.0 transmission technology instead of relying on Wi-Fi. The DJI Mini 2 is a great entry-level drone for those that don't want to spend closer to $1,000 on a drone and accessories, the Mini 2 is absolutely worth considering. To use this drone requires a smartphone to interface with and fly with this drone. Download the AP, charge the batteries and away you go. This is an incredibly easy drone to fly but also allows for some advanced maneuvers by experienced flyers. It’s small enough and light enough to carry with you but solid enough to fly in some pretty stiff winds. Flying in stiff winds (anything over 15-20 mph) will affect your flight time by roughly 5-10 mins. I achieved times of roughly 30 mins calm winds. There is a bit of a learning curve to learn the app and its many features. It doesn’t have collision sensors, so it doesn’t have the follow me feature it’s bigger cousins have (it also doesn’t cost as much). The case is a great travel pack and will hold everything you need to fly. You’ll need to purchase SD card separately to allow video recording.