The quality of the Air 2S footage is excellent with any of the three color profiles, with good detail and sensational colors. Low-light performance is the only weak point compared to the latest DJI models. The excellent 1″ sensor has a video resolution of 5.4k allowing digital zoom without loss of quality
The DJI Air 2S was released in April 2021 and at the time it was a big step above the other models of DJI prosumer line, both for video and photo quality
It is now the oldest model of the line but it remains a favorite of many and can be purchased at a very competitive price
You can check the prices for the different configurations of the Air 2s through the button below (commission earned)
Some related articles about the Air 2s you might find interesting:
Air 2s Video Specs
| Sensor size | 1″ |
| Field of view | 22mm |
| Aperture | f 2.8 |
| Video resolution | 5.4k at 30fps (5472 x 3648) 4k at 60fps |
| Max video bitrate | 150 Mbps |
| 8-bit color modes | Normal |
| 10-bit color modes | D Log, HLG |
| Obstacle sensors | Forward, backward, upward, downward |
| Digital zoom | 4x at 4k 30fps |
| Max flight time | 31 minutes |
| Weight | 595 grams |
Sensor and resolution
The sensor is 1” in size. This should translate in high quality both for video and photos, especially in low light and high dynamic range scenes
A very important feature for video is the ability to shoot at a resolution of 5.4k resolution, higher than the 5.1k of DJI flagship prosumer model, the Mavic 3. Even though there is not much benefit in using footage encoded at 5.4k, this feature is very useful for increased detail when encoding in 4k and for reframing and zooming dynamically in post-production
Slow Motion
The Air 2S can use a frame rate of 60 fps at 4k resolution. This is a welcome addition for users who are into action, sport, lifestyle, or even for landscapes when moving elements are present, like people, animals, cars, boats, waves, waterfalls, and so on
I have done a specific article about slow motion and higher frame rates with drone footage
Color Modes
The Air 2S features two 10-bit color modes, DLOG and HLG. 10-bit modes can handle over 1bl colors vs 16ml for 8-bit ones and perform much better in post-processing. More info in my article about Color Modes of the Air 2s
The Air 2S has a high bitrate of 150 Mbps, which means less compression in the files and more solid files for post-processing
Digital Zoom
The Air 2S has surprisingly good zoom capabilities for video. The quality of the 2x zoom at 4k is excellent, it is hard to notice any loss of quality. There is also a 4X zoom at 4k with some loss of quality, but very useful, especially when used in conjunction with the intelligent flight modes Spotlight, Point of Interest, and Active Track, click on the links for my specific articles
This model doesn’t have lateral sensors for obstacle avoidance, so tracking fast-moving targets from close range is very risky, but with the zoom functions it is possible to keep the drone above obstacles and still get decent results in tracking
The Air 2S has other useful features, like a well-implemented Hyperlapse mode and Masterhots
Air 2s Footage quality
Normal Mode
Normal is the one to use out of the camera to post on social media, it is an 8-bit mode that can be used even without color grading, although a bit of editing to increase contrast and saturation improves substantially the result, as otherwise, it looks just a touch flat
Let’s start with some top-down views, taking the sky out of the equation to better appreciate the detail and the color rendition. The detail is excellent, even in the shadows, and the footage looks very natural and organic. I find the color rendition of the Air 2s outstanding
And now some images containing the sky. I have always been a big fan of the image quality of the Air 2S, both in video and in photos. After adding a touch of contrast the colors are a thing of beauty and the detail is excellent
D Log and HLG
Let’s move to the flat profiles, the ones meant for serious post-processing. The Air 2S has two of them: D LOG and HLG, they are both true 10-bit color modes. D Log is the most widely used and it needs a good dose of post-processing and the right LUTs
I find that HLG retains perfectly the wonderful natural colors of the Air 2s with good contrast, it also has a slightly more extended dynamic range
The performance against the sun is a big improvement compared to previous models of DJI prosumer line. The lens manages to contain flair to an acceptable level, but there is some loss of color information around the position of the sun. A decent amount of info is maintained in the shadows, but shooting against the sun is better avoided unless needed
In high dynamic range situations, the Air 2s is a big improvement over the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mini 2, but it starts to show its age, as the more recent models have seriously raised the bar. In this department, the Mavic 3 performs much better, thanks to the larger sensor and the excellent new Hasselblad lens
Low-Light Footage
Before the release of the Air 2s, low light footage was a very weak point of drones in general. This model raises the bar with good detail in the shadows
There is a noticeable amount of luminance noise, but it can be managed up to ISO 800 using the excellent denoiser Neat Video.
More details about Neat Video in my specific article
Night footage is an area where the Air 2s show its age, as new DJI’s models perform better in these conditions