The Mini 5 Pro is DJI’s first lightweight drone to feature a 1” sensor, something many users have been eagerly anticipating. This upgrade should result in significantly improved footage quality, which we’ll examine later in the video
Beyond the camera, the new model also introduces a range of enhanced features that could make upgrading worthwhile
In this video, I will compare it to its predecessor, the Mini 4 Pro, in terms of footage quality and functionalities to help you decide
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Functionalities for Video
The 1” CMOS sensor of the Mini 5 Pro has a field of view equivalent to 24mm and an aperture of f1.8, while the Mini 4 Pro is equipped with a 1/1.3” sensor with the same field of view and an aperture of f1.7
The slightly smaller aperture of the new model should not cause any issues in low light, as the larger sensor should compensate by collecting more light
The camera specs of the Mini 5 Pro are the same as those of the wide-angle lens on the Air 3s, including HRD recording with 14 stops of dynamic range, thanks to the Dual Native ISO Fusion, while the Mini 4 Pro is limited to 12.8 stops
This technology works by recording each frame at two different ISO values, resulting in an underexposed and an overexposed image. The two frames are then blended to increase the dynamic range. The Dual Native ISO Fusion only works when recording footage in Auto Exposure mode
I normally prefer to use manual exposure to avoid shifts in luminosity when the light changes, but in high-dynamic range situations, with the Mini 5 Pro, it is worth switching to Auto Exposure to take full advantage of the ISO Fusion
When using Auto Exposure, avoid turning the gimbal towards the sky or rotating the camera in the direction of the sun to maintain a constant luminosity within the same clip
The maximum video resolution is 4k with frame rates of up to 120 fps for super slow motion, an improvement over the 100 fps of the Mini 4 Pro
One of the weak points of Mini 4 Pro is the internal storage of only 2Gb. With this model, it is not possible to do any serious video shooting if we forget to bring a micro SD card or if the card gets damaged. DJI has fixed the issue in the Mini 5 Pro with a generous internal storage of 42GB
While both drones are equipped with omnidirectional obstacle sensors, the Mini 4 Pro’s detection system becomes inactive in poor lighting conditions
The Mini 5 Pro is equipped with a forward-facing LIDAR for so-called Nightscape Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, able to detect obstacles in very low light. It can be a game-changer for users involved in frequent night filming, especially at close distances
The Mini 5 Pro is the first lightweight model with a Flexible Gimbal Rotation, a feature introduced with the Mavic 4 Pro. The gimbal offers continuous 225 degrees of roll rotation for dynamic and creative camera movements. The gimbal rotation can also be applied to intelligent flight modes like Quickshots, Hyperlapse, Spotlight, and Waypoint
With the Mini 5 Pro, when using Active Track, it is possible to set a Dynamic Home Point, a handy feature when tracking while driving or hiking
DJI rates the Mini 5 Pro for 36 minutes of flight time compared to 34 minutes on the Mini 4 Pro, but in real-world use, I’m seeing at least five extra minutes of airtime from the newer model. That’s a great improvement, particularly for shooting hyperlapses
The announced wind resistance is 12 m/s for the new model versus 10.7 for the Mini 4 Pro. The 5 Pro feels more powerful and stable in flight, and I have never struggled to bring it home, even in medium to strong winds. For the first time, I can recommend a lightweight model even to users living in relatively strong winds
The Mini 5 Pro is also faster, especially when ascending and descending
The Mini 4 Pro has excellent signal strength, a huge improvement over the Mini 3 Pro. The Mini 5 Pro, with its O4 plus transmission system, performs even better: I have been able to push it further in the area I use for signal strength tests. I have also noticed that the new model connects to a much larger number of satellites
The Mini 5 Pro outperforms the Mini 4 Pro in nearly every department. These upgrades may not seem essential by themselves, but combined, they make flying safer and more enjoyable
Med Tele Mode
A major new feature of the new model is the 48mm Med Tele Mode. Thanks to the larger sensor, the Mini 5 Pro can apply a 2x zoom with hardly any loss of detail and resolution, very close to an optical zoom
The presence of a second telephoto lens is, for many users, a major reason to purchase an Air 3s over the Mini 4 Pro
With this new Tele Mode, we can get close to targets that cannot be reached, increase the parallax effect when different layers are present in an image, and obtain better separation between a target and the background
In Med Tele mode, the frame rates are limited to 30fps; therefore, slow motion is not available. It is possible to switch to this mode while recording
The footage produced by the Med Tele lens is excellent, very close to a real optical lens, a huge difference compared to video taken with the Mini 4 Pro with the digital zoom
In the Camera tab of the settings, there is a Style option to modify the Sharpness and Noise Reduction values applied to the footage. In all the examples shown in this video, I have applied a value of -2 for Sharpness, as I find that the default value of 0 has too much detail, as you can see from this clip.
Normal Profile
With the Mavic 4 Pro, Normal is an 8-bit profile, capable of displaying approximately 16 million colors, while with the Mini 5 Pro at 4k resolution, Normal is a true 10-bit profile, with over 1 billion colors
I have always found that Normal mode with the Mini 4 Pro delivers outstanding quality, very hard to beat, especially in easy lighting conditions
The footage quality is excellent with both models, very hard to declare a clear winner
I find that the Mini 5 Pro responds slightly better to post-processing, due to the richer color palette. For advanced users, it makes it easier to adapt the clips to the color scheme of a specific project
D-Log M
Both models have two other 10-bit color profiles. D-Log M and HLG. I will not analyze HLG, as it is used only in specific situations and is generally disregarded by most users
D-Log M is a flat profile that requires a good dose of post-processing and the use of LUTs. It should deliver better results in high-dynamic-range situations
DJI has made available a specific LUT for the Mini 5 Pro
With this profile, I slightly prefer the rendition of the Mini 5 Pro, especially in high dynamic range situations, thanks to the HRD recording with 14 stops of dynamic range