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Tdub's stats
- Review count4
- Helpfulness votes1
- First reviewDecember 27, 2020
- Last reviewFebruary 19, 2023
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating5
- Review comment count1
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentDecember 29, 2020
- Last review commentDecember 29, 2020
- Featured review comments0
Questions
- Question count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First questionNone
- Last questionNone
- Featured questions0
- Answer count1
- Helpfulness votes0
- First answerJanuary 3, 2021
- Last answerJanuary 3, 2021
- Featured answers0
- Best answers0
Tdub's Reviews
With the Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader, it's easy to download photos and videos from your digital camera to your iPad or iPhone so you can view them on the gorgeous Retina display and share them with family and friends.After you insert the SD card into the reader, your iPad or iPhone automatically opens the Photos app, which organizes your photos into Moments, Collections, and Years. And when you use iCloud Photo Library, all your full-resolution photos and videos are stored safely in iCloud and automatically added to the Photos app on all your devices. With iCloud Photo Sharing, you can share your photos and videos with just the people you choose.The Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader supports standard photo formats, including JPEG and RAW, along with SD and HD video formats, including H.264 and MPEG-4. It supports data transfer at up to USB 3 speeds on iPad Pro, and up to USB 2 speeds on all other iPad and iPhone models.*
Customer Rating
5
Must have for transfer
on February 19, 2023
Posted by: Tdub
Verified Purchase:Yes
This is a must have to transfer files from a drone, GoPro, or other camera mini sd card to your iPhone. Extremely fast!
Length of ownership: 376
Mobile Submission: True
I would recommend this to a friend!
Ease of Use
5
Quality
5
Value
5
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DJI Mini 2 is beginner-friendly, powerful, and well, mini. Impressive performance, stunning image quality, and creative videos are just a few taps away. Explore an entirely new perspective, capturing the moments that make your life truly yours.
Customer Rating
5
Wow
on January 3, 2021
Posted by: Tdub
Verified Purchase:Yes
First of all, this is my first drone. Let me say that I’m blown away by the capabilities of this drone. The first flight was a bit unnerving after losing site of it but the return to home feature works perfectly. Just be sure to set your minimum return to home altitude to avoid any obstacles. The technology is truly amazing. I’ve currently flown about 2 hours with this one. I’ve had it up to the maximum elevation of 1640 feet which is approximately 4100’ in altitude where I live. I flown it out to about 8000’ from home base and the video was still transmitting. I would highly recommend this drone to anyone looking at getting into the hobby or even experienced pilots. The camera is phenomenal and it is simple to fly. A++++.
Length of ownership: 4
Mobile Submission: true
I would recommend this to a friend!
Quality
5
Value
5
Ease of Use
5
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Secure your phone from damage with this black OtterBox Symmetry case for Apple iPhone 11/XR. Polycarbonate construction resists scratching and impacts, keeping your device safe in a drop, while tactile button covers keep dust out and function in. The slim styling of this OtterBox Symmetry case slips easily into your pocket or purse.
Customer Rating
5
The best
on December 27, 2020
Posted by: Tdub
Verified Purchase:Yes
Otter box. What more can I say. They are hands down the best protective case on the market. A few more options for designs would be nice. It would be cool to see some mlb cases.
Length of ownership: 2
Mobile Submission: true
I would recommend this to a friend!
Quality
5
Value
4
Ease of Use
5
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Easily add funds to your account for PlayStation Network (PSN) to use towards anything from PlayStation Store~s (PS Store) huge library of content, including: PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) subscription* with online multiplayer access, games every month, exclusive discounts and more. Games, Virtual currency and add-ons, and more.
Customer Rating
5
Easy to use
on December 27, 2020
Posted by: Tdub
Verified Purchase:Yes
We purchase these for my son which makes an easy spending limit.
Length of ownership: 13
Mobile Submission: true
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Tdub's Review Comments
DJI Mini 2 is beginner-friendly, powerful, and well, mini. Impressive performance, stunning image quality, and creative videos are just a few taps away. Explore an entirely new perspective, capturing the moments that make your life truly yours.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Close to perfect 4K compact drone.
By optimummind
from Orange
==== Summary ====
The DJI Mini 2 is a fantastic drone that is easy to fly, nimble, and packed with cool features. Although it only weighs 249g, the Mini 2 does an admirable job holding its position in windy conditions and taking crisp footage. The addition of OcuSync 2.0, which vastly improves the video transmission distance, can't be praised enough.
At $599.99 for the Fly More combo, the value proposition is strong and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
_____
*Pros:
_____
*Pros:
-Super light and compact (no need for FAA registration).
-Very nimble & responsive flyer.
-Stable under windy conditions.
-OcuSync 2.0 --> great flight range.
-Long battery life for such a compact drone.
-Ergonomic and thoughtful controller with time-saving features built-in.
-1080p, 2K, and 4K footages all look great thanks to the smooth 3-axis gimbal.
-Max video bitrate is now 100Mbps (versus 1st gen's 40Mbps).
-Can shoot in both JPEG and RAW.
-Comes with a nice carrying case & 3-bay charging dock.
-The two-way charging hub can charge both the batteries and the remote controller.
_____
*Neutral:
-Very nimble & responsive flyer.
-Stable under windy conditions.
-OcuSync 2.0 --> great flight range.
-Long battery life for such a compact drone.
-Ergonomic and thoughtful controller with time-saving features built-in.
-1080p, 2K, and 4K footages all look great thanks to the smooth 3-axis gimbal.
-Max video bitrate is now 100Mbps (versus 1st gen's 40Mbps).
-Can shoot in both JPEG and RAW.
-Comes with a nice carrying case & 3-bay charging dock.
-The two-way charging hub can charge both the batteries and the remote controller.
_____
*Neutral:
-No "Follow Me" mode or active tracking.
-No obstacle avoidance.
-The carrying handle is on the side and not on top of the carrying case.
_____
*Cons:
-No obstacle avoidance.
-The carrying handle is on the side and not on top of the carrying case.
_____
*Cons:
-No micro-SD card included.
==== Design, Build Quality, and What's Inside the Package ====
For a drone that costs $450 ($600 for the Fly More combo), I'm quite happy and satisfied with the overall look, build quality, and fit-and-finish of the Mini 2. The Mini 2 is heavily plastic and some portions, such as the battery cover, stands out by feeling a bit cheap compared to the rest of the drone. I'm not bothered by it, though, because the battery cover snaps on securely, and by going with a light plastic construction, DJI managed to keep the weight under the FAA's registration threshold (250g/0.55 pounds). I would be very careful, however, not to crash the Mini 2 as the light plastic components probably won't survive any major impacts.
As for the fit-and-finish, all the moving parts of the Mini 2 actuated smoothly and it was a frustration-free affair when handling it, such as the folding and unfolding process. I love the hold-down strap for the propellers which prevent them from moving around inside the case as well as the perfect-fitting and well-aligned gimbal protection cover that doesn't require any angle adjustments nor too much strength to pop in and pop out. The same can be said for the insertion and removal process of the battery; the battery makes a satisfying click sound when inserted and it pulls out smoothly. I love I can remove the battery even when the Mini 2 is all folded up and wrapped with the propeller guard strap.
I'm a big fan of the design and layout of the remote controller. The spring-loaded phone holder easily accommodated my oversized phone, a Samsung Galaxy S20+, and the USB-C cord was long enough to plug in with some slack. There is a recessed compartment on top of the controller to stow the USB-C cable, which is a brilliant use of space, and the thumbscrews for the joysticks fit snugly and safely into the cutouts on the bottom of the controller.
My Fly More combo package came with a three-bay, two-way charging hub and it's great. It has a USB-C input for charging the three batteries sequentially, as well as a USB-A output that can connect to the remote controller. The hub doesn't charge all the batteries and the remote at the same time; the batteries get charged first in a sequential manner (left to right), then the controller is the last piece to get its turn.
The carrying case is pretty decent. Its padding is wholly adequate, outside and inside, and all the Fly More package components can fit inside comfortably with some space to spare. My only gripe about the case is the location of the carrying handle; instead of being on the side, I wish it were on the top. On the topic of gripes, there are two more, albeit small ones. First, I wish DJI had also included some propeller guards into the Fly More combo, as well as a micro-SD card.
With all that said, it's my opinion the DJI Mini 2 Fly More combo is a great package that offers strong value. You get almost everything you need to start flying right away without the registration headache, and the Mini 2 is a well-built and very capable drone that's well-equip to capture stunning 4K videos and photos with a long flight time and great flight distance.
==== What's it like to fly the Mini 2? ====
I cut my teeth on drone piloting via the Autel Evo drone ($1,050 on Best Buy) for the past two years and I have to give props to DJI for creating such a nimble, agile, and easy-to-maneuver compact drone. Out of the box, all the gimbal settings (pitch, yaw) were tuned perfectly for my flying style, and it was a lot of fun flying the Mini 2 everywhere I took it to, such as around my neighborhood, class 1 bike trails, and parks.
At first setup, you're required to view three short video clips from the New User Guide within the DJI Fly app (Finding the Best Place to Fly, Preparing to Fly, and Flying the Aircraft). After going through the quick registration or log-in process, then you're ready to go right after the drone locks in a GPS signal, which usually took about 15-20 seconds for me.
Launching the drone couldn't be any easier. All you have to do is tap and hold on the Auto Take-off icon and the Mini 2 will fly up a few feet into the air and steadily hold its position and await your command. Using the well-weighted and finely-tuned joysticks, the Mini 2 moves about precisely, accurately, and predictably - very important because there is no obstacle avoidance built-in.
The gimbal angle adjustment is done via the shoulder switch located on the upper-left corner of the controller and it, too, was well-calibrated out of the box. The shoulder button on the upper-right hand corner is used to take photos and capture videos and it reacted quickly with a satisfying click and feel.
The Mini 2 is rated for a 31-minute flight time but that's only when there is no wind and a traveling speed of 10.5mph (4.7m/s). My average flight speed was 20mph most of the time and I got the low battery warning after about 20 minutes, which is still very good for such a tiny and light drone. If you activate Sport Mode and push the Mini 2 to its maximum speed of 35mph (16m/s), then expect an even shorter flight time.
When you're done flying the Mini 2, there are two ways you can bring it back - tap and hold the Return-to-Home (RTH) icon, or fly it back manually. I prefer the latter option as RTH wasn't always precise. When out in wide-open spaces, RTH was mostly accurate and missed the mark only a few times. But in more cramped spaces, like my backyard, the Mini 2 became confused and tried to land on my roof instead of the ground, which was disconcerting.
Distance-wise, I got the Mini 2 to travel about 1,100 feet away in a dense residential area before the signal began breaking up.
To sum it up, the Mini 2 is an absolute pleasure to fly thanks to the smart tuning and calibration out-of-the-box. It's just a shame that DJI didn't include active tracking or a front obstacle avoidance system, probably to hit that 249g weight target.
==== Video & Photo Quality ====
The Mini 2, with its 1/2.3" CMOS sensor and 12MP effective pixels, did an admirable job capturing great-looking 4K, 2K, and 1080p videos as well as photos. Compared to my Autel Evo 4K drone, which has a 1/2.8" sensor and max capture rate of 4K@60fps at 100Mbps, the Mini 2 held its own ground and produced footage that often came out better looking with more realistic colors and superior auto-exposure. The only advantage the Autel Evo has over the Mini 2 is smoother footage during gimbal and drone rotations thanks to its higher 60fps rate, an impressive feat since the Mini 2 costs 133% less than the Evo as of 11/16/2020.
Here is a short clip taken with the Mini 2 at 4K@30fps with all the settings on auto:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XIcpieS36u0FWdOT3Qp8NEjDuRu55UKW/view?usp=sharing
I use zoom quite often when flying and it was nice to have several options at my disposal. At 4K, you get up to a 2x zoom; at 2K it's 3x and at 1080p, it's up to 4x. Naturally, the more you zoom in, some fine details become lost, especially when there isn't enough lighting. With good lighting, though, you can focus on your subject and get some excellent details out of it.
If you'd rather prefer the Mini 2 to perform some trick shots while you keep your hands free, then you're all set because there are several nifty modes, such as Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle, and Boomerang.
The photo-taking ability of the Mini 2 was quite satisfactory as well. I found myself using all three modes quite often - Wide, 180-degree, and Sphere - and they were easy enough to process and export using the Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE) desktop app.
Thanks to the march of technology, it's amazing how many cool features can now be crammed inside a small and compact drone that is so light and portable. I think the vast majority of people interested in drone cinematography will be very happy with the Mini 2.
==== Is it a good buy? ====
I absolutely think so. DJI has pulled off an excellent engineering feat by implementing many meaningful & useful upgrades over the original Mavic Mini and created a force to be reckoned with.
Tdub
Clyde NC
Thank you
December 29, 2020
Awesome review!
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Tdub's Answers
DJI Mini 2 is beginner-friendly, powerful, and well, mini. Impressive performance, stunning image quality, and creative videos are just a few taps away. Explore an entirely new perspective, capturing the moments that make your life truly yours.