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David Busch's DJI Mavic Air 2/2S Guide

Obregon Obregon

Is from: Southold, US
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Obregon Moderator Donor Ribbon awarded for his generous support to the Fundraising Campaign 2014 Donor Ribbon awarded for his generous support to the Fundraising Campaign 2015 Awarded for his in-depth knowledge and high level of skill in several areas.  Charter Member
Fri 13-Jan-23 01:52 PM | edited Fri 13-Jan-23 05:12 PM by Obregon
David Busch's DJI Mavic Air 2/2S Guide to Drone Photography

I’ve been flying drones and photographing and videoing with them ever since I could afford one with a camera. The DJI Air 2S is the best flying camera I’ve ever owned. Because I want to use every drop of its capabilities, I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since it was announced.

The book is aimed at new users of the DJI Air 2 and Air 2S drones, especially those with little experience using cameras with manual controls over focus and exposure. Busch goes into far more detail than the manuals that come with these models, telling you the controls for both flying the aircraft and using the camera for still and video photography, and providing tips on content. If you have no experience with drones I recommend completing the book before your first attempt at flight.

I did find that Busch’s order of presentation was sometimes confusing. For example before a new user takes any pictures, he or she should run some simple practical training exercises with the drone. Yet the suggested exercises are not presented until late in the book in the penultimate chapter on video. The chapters on exposure and using the camera on the aircraft also are difficult to follow. I suggest you first practice the techniques he suggests for exposure while your aircraft is sitting on the ground, perhaps while you are sitting in a chair with the book in your lap.

Occasionally the author wanders off the reservation, as with a lengthy discussion of Cruise Control, a function which, at least on the date of this review, has not been implemented for either model. (There is a similar function available in Hyperlapse, which is a time-lapse type of operation.)There is also a lengthy discussion of using split neutral density filters on the drone. I have used this kind of filter in terrestrial photography, but after searching the web, including both Amazon and large camera stores, I have not found any such devices for the Air2S. Such a filter is available for the Air2 from Freewell Gear.

I’ve been using my air 2S for photography for more than a year before this book was available, relying on DJI’s instructions and the internet to figure out its capabilities but still found a few tips in the book, like the precision landing capability, that I never saw documented before. Still, experienced users will probably not find much new here.

It may be pettifogging, but, at least in the Kindle version, there was no index.

If you are serious about photography and videography with either of these drones, this book will only be a start in learning how to best use these devices, but it will be a good start.

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