New UAV Offers Affordability and Function

Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies Ltd.—more widely known as Da Jiang Innovations, or simply DJI—is a Chinese state-backed designer and manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). 

The release of DJI’s new Mini 2 SE drone strategically expands the company’s Mini line and offers drone operators yet another powerful and portable UAV by which to accomplish their professional and/or recreational objectives.

A step up from the Mini SE, the Mini 2 SE improves upon many of the Mini SE's features while maintaining its resolution. However, in comparison to the Mini 2, the Mini 2 SE, while retaining the former model’s functionality, concedes a degree of image resolution. Nevertheless, with the advent of the Mini 2 SE, DJI delivers an entry-level drone at once capable of delivering pro-style quality and remaining accessible to casual and beginner pilots alike.

After the fashion of all Mini drones, the Mini 2 SE, notwithstanding the inclusion of an intelligent flight battery, efficient rotors, and an optional microSD card, masses less than 0.55-pounds—a weight that keeps the model under the FAA’s regulatory threshold for registration and renders it an ideal choice for individuals seeking a streamlined entry into drone ownership and operation.

By insinuating the "SE" designation into the Mini 2’s moniker, DJI alludes to the new UAV’s close ties to its Mini 2 forebear—and for good reason. The Mini 2 SE offers dual-band OcuSync 2.0 video transmission at a 6.2-mile maximum range, an identical selection of DJI’s popular QuickShots intelligent flight modes, the selfsame robust Level 5 (up to 24 mph) wind resistance—all while sacrificing resolution by only 2.7K/30 to the Mini 2’s 4K/30.

The Mini 2 SE’s affordability compromises little. The model offers extensive one-tap functionality by dint of the DJI Fly App. Pilots need only select from one of five pre-programmed QuickShots flight-modes and one of three Panorama options. The QuickShots suite of pre-programmed flight and filming protocols facilitates outstanding content creation in both landscape and vertical shooting. QuckShots’s indigenous profiles include:

• Dronie: Aircraft retreats and ascends with its camera locked on subject.
• Helix: Aircraft ascends and circles subject.
• Rocket: Aircraft ascends with downturned camera.
• Circle: Aircraft circles around the subject.
• Boomerang: Aircraft executes elliptical orbits around subject, ascending as it retreats and descending as it advances.

The DJI Fly App features clear operating instructions and easy-to-follow tutorials.

With its Mini 2 SE model, DJI endeavors to provide a best-of-both-worlds—high-performance, relatively low-cost—UAV solution that allows first-time drone buyers and neophyte drone operators to more easily negotiate the complexities of the contemporary UAV market.

The Mini 2 SE comes in a standard configuration as well as a Fly More Combo version. The latter includes additional accessories the likes of two extra batteries, a pair of replacement rotors, a shoulder bag, a two-way charging hub, and a rotor-holder.

FMI: www.dji.com