CAMERA DRONE TEST DJI MINI 4 PRO
grown a little, the battery seems interchangeable. On the base of the Mini 4 Pro there’s a central LED light, not unlike on other larger DJI drones, and two vision-positioning sensors – both new to this model – as well as the obstacle avoidance cameras. The light and vision positioning means the drone can land and hover near the ground in low light.
The front arms have gained legs, just like on the larger DJI quads, making it easier to land on short grass, if needed. Despite this, it’s still possible to open them in either order, making it less fiddly than many folding drones and, although it’s made of plastic and obviously light in the hand, the hinges feel reassuringly strong.
Controller build and handling
My experiences with DJI’s alternative control choice, which has a grip for a phone that slides from the body, have generally been excellent, but for this review I used a DJI RC 2 controller. Outwardly, it looks like a slight regression from the DJI RC controller that I’ve been using with my personal Mini 3 Pro. It has a folding antenna, which, given that it’s about 20 years since my mobile phone last had an antenna, feels a bit retro. Similarly, there’s no rubber cover on the base, and one fewer USB-C socket.
Otherwise, the two controllers are essentially the same, with a high-resolution screen that’s bright enough but occasionally could still be a little brighter, backing an Android-based device that hosts
DJI’s piloting app, and means you can keep your phone free when flying.
More importantly, the radio system, which not only sends controls but also receives the live video, is actually more reliable. How much of that is down to the antenna and how much is due to the upgrade to DJI’s newer O4 system, we’ll probably never know. It was already hard enough to get its predecessor to glitch out when flying within a reasonable range; nonetheless, this feels like a marked
improvement. That one USB-C socket also serves as a DisplayPort, so can be used with glasses.
Camera performance
As I write this review I’m desperately trying to avoid reaching for my copyand-paste commands, since the DJI Mini 4’s camera is more or less the same as the one on its predecessor, at least as far as the hardware is concerned. The processing grunt now exists for nearly everything to be done in 4K 60fps if desired. This was not always the case – in the past, many auto-tracking modes or the QuickShots would require a drop to a lower resolution or frame rate.
The video output is gorgeous, no question about it. The bit rate fluctuates around 130kbps in the 4K 60fps clips when checked in VLC, sometimes higher, so there’s always enough data to ensure rich detail in the video. It’s a good idea to think about your shots and to use manual mode, too – the automatic exposure is susceptible to a quick shift when you tilt the camera up or down. That’s not always the wrong response, far from it, but it might not work in certain creative circumstances; however, it’s good to have the choice.
I also had the opportunity to test the wide-angle lens adapter. This easily replaces the camera lens surround with a slight twist, and offers an alternative perspective if the already generous 24mm EFL doesn’t seem enough for you. Admittedly, this comes at the cost of a slight fisheye effect, but since the lens detects the presence of the adapter and adds it to the metadata, it’s easy to locate and correct.
At the other end of the spectrum, the drone offers a 2x digital zoom which, although not especially stunning in its quality, should easily be sufficient for an Instagram post, especially since the camera can be physically rotated so there’s no additional cropping. I also noticed when shooting in JPEG+RAW mode
that I still got to keep the uncropped version in the raw format anyway; that’s a good touch from DJI.
I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but the automated panorama mode, in which the drone automatically assembles many shots into a large still image as it flies, feels a little quicker than in the past.
Drone performance
The problem an ultralight drone faces will always be how vulnerable it is to the wind, but during testing I found the Mini 4 Pro to be confidenceinspiring. The motor control systems are clearly quick to respond to inertial changes, and I even flew around some tight gaps in a sports field with no problem. The waypoint system means it’s possible to define a flight path (and gimbal angles) even before take off, and the drone will follow that route – the only issue is that it’s a little too easy to forget to hit record! This is a fantastic mechanism for repeating routes in different conditions.
Usability can be fiddly on the small screen of the controller or a phone, but given the number of options it feels a little churlish to complain. Though it isn’t new here, I love that the collision avoidance can be asked to avoid and keep going rather than stop and hover – it just feels so much smarter. That said, while ActiveTrack subject tracking did seem better, it still lost a couple of subjects I tried it on – one moving and one static – so it isn’t flawless. Between it and waypoints, however, it’s easy to plan smooth, sweeping professional-looking shots without having to master fine piloting controls.