![]() It even includes the Waypoint feature from the Mavic 3 Pro, which lets you pre-program complex drone moves and repeat them - a sophisticated feature for a small drone.įor the latter feature, you launch the drone and select the Waypoint function, fly to a spot of interest and set the correct camera angle. Of course, the Mini 4 Pro still has DJI’s automatic modes aimed at social media users, like MasterShots, QuickShots and Panorama along with Hyperlapse. With all that, it’s best to practice in an open area before trying it in a complex environment. The usual obstacle caveats apply, though, and it also adds complexity - because you have to figure out where the drone is going to be when you arrive at your end point. If you plan carefully you can get some gorgeous, swooping ActiveTrack shots. The tricky part was figuring out which side the drone considered to be forward and backward - DJI should work on this to make things clearer. That makes it possible to get a wide variety of shots. You can change parameters including the inner and outer radius, inner and outer height, camera speed and ground proximity. You use the so-called steering wheel to “draw” a route on concentric circles, and the drone will follow it, ducking any obstacles it encounters. It looks confusing at first, but the idea is pretty simple. That helped me capture some nice action footage, though one should always remain wary of accidents.ĪctiveTrack 360 adds camera moves to the usual subject tracking to create dramatic shots. It was able to maneuver around those, choose decent routes and reacquire subjects if they disappeared. It did work around well-spaced trees with thick branches and plenty of leaves, near buildings and generally around well-defined obstacles. ![]() Finally, the Mini 4 Pro detects obstacles best when traveling forward, less so when going sideways, and worst of all when flying backwards. And dense forest with fine branches is a no go - the omni sensors can miss those, but the propellers won’t. ![]() The sensors are visual, so they don’t work in dim light. I did have a few crashes, but here’s what I learned on how to avoid them. That's my job, so working with my drone pilot friend, I had it follow me while I walked and biked among trees and other potential snags. If you’re spending $760+ on a drone, you may not want to test the obstacle detection limits. ![]() It also uses DJI’s APAS, which offers automatic braking and obstacle bypass for extra security. The Mini 3 Pro was effectively blind on the sides, but the Mini 4 Pro offers protection all around like the Mavic 3 Pro and Air 3 - thanks to four new omnidirectional sensors on top and two on bottom (along with a time-of-flight sensor). In operation, it can look like it’s being buffeted fairly hard by the wind, but you wouldn’t know it from the footage thanks to DJI’s gimbal and stabilization technology. It can handle winds up to 24 MPH, an impressive figure for a sub 250 gram drone. Maximum speed is a decently fast 35 MPH in sport mode, or 26 MPH in regular operation. ![]() The light weight (and low price compared to, say, a Mavic 3 Pro) also makes crashes less consequential. Given its small size and maneuverability (and the same sensor as DJI's Action 4), you can think of the Mini 4 Pro as a flying action camera. It also works wirelessly, so there’s no need to download footage to your smartphone. As DJI says, it allows “one tap generation of captivating videos by merging ActiveTrack, MasterShots, and QuickShots footage,” while automating sound effects and more. The drone also supports DJI’s Lightcut, an editing app that lets you generate quick videos for social media. DJI also offers a wide-angle 18mm equivalent lens attachment ($40), but it has significant barrel distortion and can cause focus issues. You can buy it with a $55 ND filter set for sunny days, which I’d recommend if you can afford it. ![]()
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