I’m about to purchase a new drone to use as an “Inspection” - drone. Since 2 years I’ve been using a P4P 2.0 for mapping and capturing.
Now to my question:
I’ve more or less decided to purchase a MAVIC 2 Enterprise Zoom. Seems like a good choice.
But…
Reading the specs gives that the camera is providing 12 Mpx with a CMOS-size of 1/2.3 inches (https://www.dji.com/se/mavic-2/info#specs).
My two-year-old P2P gives me 20 Mpx with a CMOS size of 1 inch (https://www.dji.com/se/phantom-4-pro-v2/info).
This is a bit worrying in my eyes. In my humble world buying something new normally shold mean “Better” and “Improved”… A new drone that gives me less quality (pixels) and a smaller CMOS than my two-year-old P4P is way off.
Can any of you skilled guys explain this to me? This seems insane. Is it as bad as I think?
Regards and thanks in advance!
Roger
PS: Might be posted in the wrong forum, but I didn’t know where to post it. DS
I purchased the mavic 2 Zoom some time ago which got more or less the same camera. At least 12mP and 1/2.3inch Sensor. But „only“ using a 4x Zoom. But I can tell you that the quality is really amazing.
It’s not all about mp, for instance if you have a look at iPhone cameras.
We are using it for inspection as well and are more than happy with the quality of the images.
You would not regret it, I’m pretty sure.
On the picture you can see the top of my roof. If you zoom in on my computer you can easily see everything you want.
Just as an example.
And the quality of the image uploaded here now, is definitively worse, than the original image.
Hi Rodger. The P4P’s camera is still one of the best you can get for photogrammetry on a consumer drone. The M2P and MPZ are great little uavs, but the their camera’s are a step down, especially for photogrammetry, The M2P also has a 20mp sensor. But it has an electronic shutter where as the P4P has a mechanical shutter. Why do you think there was enough demand for DJI to start selling it again?
If quality of imagery is your #1 priority, then stick with the P4P and save your $$ until a better camera system is available.
The M2Z may be better suited for you if you do inspections rather than create orthophotos.
@Dave: This new one is only going to be used as an inspection drone. I’m so pleased with my P4P 2.0 for capturing and other mapping missions. The reason why I’ve started to look for another is the size. M2Z has a nice size more suited for close inspections, especially if I purchase a “bumpcage” from https://airbournedrones.com/bumpcage.
But I HATE the feeling of spending lots of money and getting something that obviously is a step down from what I have even if @SpatenEvergreen points out that there is still lots of quality even if the CMOS size and the amount of Pixels have decreased.
And if you are unsure I would think about buying a „normal“ mavic 2 Zoom instead of the dual enterprise. You still have zoom and the same camera, no thermal view which is fine if you don’t necessarily need it, and save quite a lot of money.
The M2 is a great form factor for sure. Sensor size does matter though, just as you suspected. Here is a very good comparison between the Pro and Zoom if you haven’t read too many already. You will probably be happy with either one.
I have a friend that is a professional motorsports photographer and does a lot of marketing videos and events using drones. He started out with the Mavic Zoom thinking it would be better for events since you can’t fly over people. His partner was using the Zoom one weekend and he asked to borrow my M2P. After that weekend he sold his zoom and bought a M2P. He said because of the mp on the M2P that the photos turned out 10x better than he was getting on his zoom and that he could zoom in on those pics with greater detail. I’m not sure if that helps, but I’ll take his word for it since he has been a photographer for the past 30 years and does most of the Monster Energy Supercross races!
Hmmm. I purchased the M2Z, and as the “Enterprise” had attachable LED lights I went for it. If there had been a “Mavic 2 Pro Enterprise” available I would have purchased this package. There was no LED light (Enterprise) possibility available for M2P as far as I could see.
Naah. The decision has been made and I think it’s going to work well for inspections.
No way I’m going to abandon my P4P V2 when I’m mapping.
Inspections are a different animal than aesthetic photography. The premier dji inspection camera is the Z30. But the quality of images are less than the M2P, even though it lists for over $2k just for the gimble/camera.
I would have probably gone for the M2Z with a Lume cube kit, but that’s just me. And you wouldn’t get a speaker!
