In the case of pocket-friendly flying machines, DJI has lengthy reigned supreme. From the Mavic Mini to the Mini 2, its dinky drones stay the birds to beat. However there’s a brand new quadcopter child on the town – and Autel’s after the crown.
Displayed at CES in Las Vegas, Autel’s Evo Nano collection has the tech to go toe-to-toe with the DJI Mini 2. Pre-programmed video modes promise to seize cinematic pictures on the contact of a button, whereas a three-axis gimbal means footage ought to be regular in a headwind. And with a weight of 249g, the Nano drones are clear for liftoff with out the necessity for registration.
Like DJI’s miniature machines, each the Evo Nano and the Evo Nano+ can fold down for compact journey. However in contrast to the DJI Mini 2, in addition they function three-way impediment avoidance sensors – so first-time flyers ought to be much less more likely to come a cropper in a coppice.
As for capturing specs, the usual Evo Nano (£719 / $649) comes outfitted with a 1/2in CMOS sensor that’s good for 48MP stills and crisp 4K/30p video. That ought to be greater than sufficient for many fledgling filmmakers, however in case you’re severe about aerial videography, the Nano+ (£859 / $799) steps issues up one other notch.
A bigger 1/2.8in sensor serves up 50MP stills, with greater pixels and a large f/1.9 aperture promising wonderful outcomes even in low gentle – an space the place most drones normally stumble. The Nano+ additionally packs a mixed phase-detection and contrast-detection autofocus system, guaranteeing pictures ought to all the time be sharp.
Each fashions profit from subject-tracking smarts, which may lock on to pets, buddies and passing site visitors, whereas HDR is readily available to carry out one of the best in any scene. A flight time of 28 minutes compares nicely with the competitors too, whereas a spread of 6.2 miles goes nicely past line-of-sight limitations.
Solely a full assessment will reveal how the Evo Nano fares in flight, however the spec sheets counsel that DJI has a rival for sky-high supremacy.
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