Drone Sensor Showdown

Although the original Mavic (the Mavic Pro, 2016) released by DJI has been around for a couple years, the second half of 2018 saw several updated iterations of the Mavic released to an enthusiastic market. The Mavic 2 Zoom was released in August 2018 (along with its counterpart, the Mavic 2 Pro), and just two months later, on October 29, 2018, the Mavic 2 Enterprise and Enterprise Dual burst on the scene. All of the recent versions offer improvements on the original Mavic, while having a variety of unique individual features which make them suited to different applications. Here we compare three models, the Mavic 2 Zoom, the Mavic 2 Enterprise and the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual, to highlight some of these unique features, and identify which applications each of these three is best suited for.

Mavic 2 Cameras, Features, & Modular Attachments

Camera options are where the trails diverge with the Mavic models here being compared. While the Mavic 2 Zoom is comparatively single function (optical camera), both Mavic 2 enterprise models have the capability of carrying other attachments along with a camera, namely, a spotlight, a beacon, or a speaker. More on that in a bit. The Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual has the additional feature of having both a visual camera and a thermal camera.

Mavic 2 Zoom

The camera housed in the Mavic 2 Zoom is a 1/2.3-inch 12-megapixel sensor with up to 4x zoom, including a 2x optical zoom (24–48 mm). For the uninitiated, compared to a 24mm wide angle lens, the 48mm telephoto lens compresses your perspective, enhancing the parallax effect, helping you achieve cinematic-style aerial shots. When shooting in full HD video mode, the 4x lossless zoom (including 2x optical zoom) allows you to capture a closer view of distant subjects. This capability allows you to shoot unique scenes at a distance, while also helping you maintain a safer distance from buildings, vehicles, animals, and people. The Mavic 2 Zoom has a hybrid autofocus mode, which makes subjects appear clear and sharp when zooming in and out. It also has what they call a “Dolly Zoom” mode, which automatically adjusts focus when flying. The result is an intense, warping visual effect in your video. You also have the option when flying in manual mode, to manually control focus speed values, giving you greater control in your creative shots.

Mavic 2 Enterprise & Dual

The camera on the Mavic 2 Enterprise is essentially the same as that on the Mavic 2 Zoom, with all of its features and functions. The main difference here arises, as mentioned previously, in the other payload options: the speaker, the beacon, and the spotlight. It’s these options that make the enterprise models of the Mavic ideal for business applications such as utility inspections, search and rescue, first responders and law enforcement. The Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual carries a slightly less robust camera than the Mavic 2 Zoom and the Mavic 2 Enterprise, but has the added feature of a thermal camera. The visual camera in the Dual does not have zoom capabilities but instead houses a side-by-side 4K sensor to capture visible light and a FLIR Lepton thermal camera to capture thermal data. These thermal capabilities make the Dual a good choice for work in emergency services and for those in light industrial sectors. The Enterprise Mavics also feature GPS timestamping which records the time and date that the images and videos are taken for better data processing. Another benefit of the M2E is password protection which ensures secure access to the drone and onboard data storage.

Applications

In comparing these three Mavic 2 models, they fall very obviously into two categories, and in fact, into the stated and intended uses from the manufacturer. The first category is that of aerial photography and cinematography. The Mavic 2 Zoom is clearly well suited to that use, and all of its features are aimed toward making the life of a hobby or professional videographer easier. There are arguably better drones out there for shooting photo and/or video, but the Mavic 2 Zoom is a vigorous contender in that category espically at its portability and price point. The other category is that of industrial and emergency services applications, such as utility and infrastructure inspections, law enforcement, search and rescue, or firefighting.

Here the Mavic 2 Enterprise and Enterprise Dual are obviously better suited, being custom-design for these uses. The option of attaching the speaker, beacon or spotlight are a unique and invaluable tool to work in these sectors. The option of the thermal camera with the Dual is an added asset, and for industries and applications where FLIR capability is needed, this is the obvious choice. Here again, one could argue that there are better workhorse type drones for these sectors, but where ease of transport and portability are essential, without any loss of capability, the Mavic 2 Enterprise and Enterprise Dual are a great choice.

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Mavic 2 Specs

Weight

The Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic 2 Enterprise, and Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual have nearly identical aircraft specs, primarily differing only where the function is impacted by the add-ons available with the enterprise models. The M2Z, M2E, and M2ED all weigh under 2 pounds before the modular attachments are added in.

Size

Aircraft size is virtually the same across all three models: Folded: 8.4×3.6×3.3 Inches; Unfolded: 12.7×9.5×3.3 Inches. Of course, with the add-ons available with the Enterprise models, unfolded size differs, increasing the height dimension, as follows:

Unfolded+Spotlight：12.7×9.5×4.5 In
Unfolded+Beacon：12.7×9.5×4 In
Unfolded+Speaker：12.7×9.5×5.5 In

Max Speed

Max Speed: For all M2 models the max speed is 45 mph in S-mode and 31 mph in P-mode. For windy days remember that the maximum wind speed resistance is 24mph, although we do not recommend flying in anything greater than 18mph.

Obstacle Avoidance

The Mavic 2 Zoom, Enterprise and Enterprise Dual each make use of all 6 direction obstacle sensing, with obstacle sensors on every side of the aircraft. Having sensors on the front, top, back, bottom and both sides give remote pilots in command greater reassurance and safety while flying. A benefit of the Mavic 2 Enterprise and Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual models is that they come equipped with DJI’s AirSense technology, which enhances pilots’ airspace safety by sending instant real-time positioning alerts on nearby manned aircraft. DJI’s AirSense technology can also be found of the Matrice 200 series of drones as well. An Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver makes DJI’s AirSense tech possible as it picks up ADS-B signals from manned aircraft.

Storage

Forgot the memory card? Not to worry the Mavic 2 Enterprise and Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual have 24GB of storage space on-board. The Mavic 2 Zoom has 8GB on-board storage.

Transmission Range Distance

The Mavic 2 series feature DJI’s newest and most powerful image transmission system. With OcuSync 2.0 the drone can transmit 1080P at up to 5 miles. OcuSync 2.0 is powerful enough to transmit video through solid walls. This powerful video transmission system makes the Mavic the preferred drone of choice to clear buildings for law enforcement purposes.