DJI Mini 4 Pro review

Trade in DJI Mini 4 Pro

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The DJI Mini 4 Pro, available at a starting price of $759, is a compact camera drone that excels in nearly every aspect. It offers the convenience of folding for easy storage, falls below the weight threshold that triggers registration requirements in most regions, and boasts an outstanding Quad Bayer camera capable of seamlessly switching between wide-screen and vertical video recording. Additionally, its comprehensive 360-degree obstacle avoidance sensors and HDR video profile give it a significant edge over its predecessor, the Mini 3 Pro. As a result, it has earned the prestigious title of our new Editors’ Choice winner for both aerial imaging enthusiasts and beginners seeking the added security of obstacle avoidance technology.

Light Enough to Skip FAA Registration

The Mini 4 Pro maintains the same weight as its predecessors, coming in at a mere 249 grams, which is equivalent to 8.8 ounces. This weight classification places the drone in a category that is subject to fewer restrictions in many regions worldwide. For instance, in the United States, this weight exempts recreational fliers from the $5 FAA registration fee, although they are still required to complete the basic TRUST knowledge test, which is free. In several other locations, such as Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, more lenient regulations apply to drones in this weight range.

However, it’s crucial for newcomers to the world of remote copter flight to take the time to familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations governing drone operation before embarking on their inaugural flight.

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The DJI Mini 4 Pro boasts a compact size. When folded down, it occupies minimal space, measuring just 2.4 by 3.5 by 5.7 inches (HWD), making it effortless to stow away in a gear bag along with any necessary accessories.

In terms of design, the airframe is constructed from plastic and features a light gray finish. The presence of air cooling vents positioned behind the gimbal and on the rear of the drone serves to prevent overheating of its internal components. However, it’s worth noting that the open design lacks any form of weather protection, which is a feature more commonly associated with industrial-grade models.

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A Dual Aspect Ratio Camera and All-Around Obstacle Sensors

The DJI Mini 4 Pro is equipped with a front-facing camera featuring 24mm F1.7 optics, ensuring the capture of clear and vibrant video in various lighting conditions. Thanks to an integrated three-axis gimbal, the footage maintains a smooth and stable quality, akin to what you would expect from a Steadicam. This stability is maintained even when the drone is executing acrobatic maneuvers in the air.

The camera offers a versatile range of movement, with the ability to tilt upward by up to 60 degrees. Furthermore, it can pivot to record in either wide-screen (16:9) or vertical (9:16) formats, catering to different content creation needs, whether it’s for platforms like YouTube or TikTok.

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The DJI Mini 4 Pro boasts a comprehensive obstacle avoidance system, with sensors covering a full 360 degrees around the drone. This intelligence enables the Mini 4 Pro to navigate effectively through environments with many obstructions. Furthermore, the drone features an autopilot assist system that aids in avoiding obstacles when it’s tracking subjects. This all-around coverage represents a significant improvement over the Mini 3 Pro’s three-way system, which only allowed for obstacle detection in the forward, backward, and downward directions. The upgraded model can now also detect obstacles to the sides and above.

In terms of internal memory, the Mini 4 Pro comes with a modest 2GB of onboard storage. While this can be handy in a pinch if you happen to forget your memory card, it’s not an ideal solution due to its limited capacity, offering roughly three minutes of 4K30 recording. It’s advisable to invest in a V30 UHS-I microSD card with a capacity of at least 64GB for more practical storage. The presence of a USB-C port next to the card slot allows for convenient data transfers to a computer and in-drone battery charging.

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Are Any Other Drones Worth Considering?

In the consumer drone market, DJI largely finds itself competing with its own product lineup. Companies like Parrot, Skydio, and Yuneec have shifted their focus towards enterprise and industry-specific drone solutions. As a result, Autel Robotics’ Evo Nano+ priced at $949 emerges as the leading alternative to DJI’s offerings in the 249g class.

For those looking to spend less, it’s worth keeping an eye out for discounts on the Mini 3 Pro, which typically retails for $669 without a remote. Another budget-friendly option is the Mini 3 priced at $559, offering similar camera performance, although it lacks obstacle sensors. Additionally, the Mini 2 SE, priced at $339, provides a basic video toolkit for those who can forgo advanced features.

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When you move up in price to a higher class of drones, you typically enter a category that requires registration, even if you’re flying purely for recreational purposes. In this segment, you might want to consider the DJI Air 3, priced at $1,099, especially if you find a dual-camera system more practical than one focused on vertical video recording. Alternatively, if you’re looking for drones capable of cinema-quality and serious photography work, any model from the Mavic 3 series, priced at $2,199, would be a suitable choice.

It’s essential to keep in mind that using any drone for paid work, such as commercial photography or videography, requires obtaining a license or relevant permits, as there are regulations and legal requirements to consider.

Regular or Fly More Combo?

DJI offers the Mini 4 Pro in various configurations, catering to different needs and budgets. The standard edition, priced at $759, is the most economical option. It includes the drone itself, one flight battery, a USB-C charging cable, and two additional propellers. This package also comes with the RC-N2 remote controller, which necessitates pairing your smartphone as a control screen using the DJI Fly control app, available for both Android and iOS devices. The remote controller charges via USB-C and comes with cables to connect to either a Lightning or USB-C device for added versatility.

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DJI offers a range of configurations for the Mini 4 Pro, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your needs and preferences:

1. Standard Edition ($759): This entry-level package includes the drone, one flight battery, a USB-C charging cable, and two extra propellers. It comes with the RC-N2 remote controller, which requires pairing your smartphone to serve as the control screen via the DJI Fly app.
2. RC 2 Edition ($959): For $959, you receive the same accessories as the Standard Edition, but with the improved RC 2 remote controller. The RC 2 features a built-in touch screen and runs the DJI Fly app on its custom Android system, eliminating the need to use your phone as a control screen during flight.
3. Fly More Combo ($1,099): The Fly More Combo includes the drone, RC 2 controller, and several additional accessories. This package provides three flight batteries instead of one and includes a multi-charger that can replenish them sequentially. Additionally, you’ll receive three pairs of spare propellers and a zippered shoulder bag for convenient storage and transportation.
4. Fly More Combo Plus ($1,159): The Fly More Combo Plus is similar to the standard Fly More Combo but replaces the three standard flight batteries with three Plus batteries. These Plus batteries offer longer flight times, up to 45 minutes compared to the standard 34 minutes. However, it’s important to note that these batteries are slightly heavier and may push the drone slightly over the FAA registration weight limit. This may result in minor registration requirements for buyers in the United States, but the extended battery life can be well worth it.

Each configuration offers its own set of advantages, allowing you to choose the one that aligns with your specific requirements and preferences.

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During my review of the Fly More Combo, I found that the Mini 4 Pro performed admirably in terms of flight time. When flying in the Normal speed mode with obstacle avoidance enabled, I achieved close to the expected 34 minutes of flight time. However, during a flight that involved a mix of Normal and high-speed Sport flying, the drone provided approximately 25 minutes of flight time.

It’s worth noting that Sport mode, while allowing for exhilarating high-speed flight at around 36mph, completely disables the obstacle sensors. Therefore, I recommend using Sport mode primarily in wide-open areas where there are minimal obstacles to avoid.

For those seeking a more cinematic and slower-paced flight experience, the Cine mode limits the maximum speed to around 11mph. This mode is ideal for capturing smoother and more deliberate shots for videos.

The Mini 4 Pro offers a well-rounded flight experience with different speed modes catering to various scenarios, from leisurely cinematic footage to faster-paced, obstacle-free flying in Sport mode.

A Full Set of Safety Features

The Mini 4 Pro comes equipped with a built-in GPS system, a standard feature for quadcopters. During my testing, it took approximately 45 seconds for the drone to lock onto satellites in my neighborhood. The controller provides feedback when the drone establishes its home point, which serves as a reference for its location.

With the GPS in place, you can utilize the Return to Home function, which automatically activates if the drone and remote controller lose their connection. This feature can also be manually engaged.

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DJI incorporates a geofence system called FlySafe into its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enhance safety and adhere to airspace regulations. This system serves to prevent the drone from taking off in restricted or no-fly zones, such as the airspace around Washington D.C. It also provides warnings if you approach an airport or other prohibited flying areas. If you’re new to flying drones, it’s advisable to consult FlySafe to check for any restrictions in your area or preferred flying locations. Additionally, FlySafe allows professional pilots with proper authorization to take off in normally restricted locations. It’s worth noting that the competing Autel Evo Nano+ does not enforce a geofence, providing more flexibility in flight.

For licensed UAV operators who operate in proximity to airports and other manned aircraft, it’s recommended to consider the DJI Air 3 or Mavic 3. These models include an AirSense ADS-B receiver, a feature not present in the Mini 4 Pro. The AirSense sensor can send warnings to your controller whenever manned aircraft are operating in close proximity, enhancing safety during flight.

Regarding obstacle detection, the Mini 4 Pro is equipped with a comprehensive system that utilizes six sensors to map the environment and prevent collisions in all directions. It offers different operating modes:

1. Brake mode: This mode causes the drone to come to a complete stop whenever it approaches an obstacle.
2. Bypass mode: In Bypass mode, the drone adjusts its flight path to avoid obstacles while maintaining its current trajectory, ensuring a conservative approach.
3. Nifty Bypass mode: Nifty Bypass mode takes a more agile approach by allowing the drone to navigate around obstacles while staying on its current flight path.

These obstacle detection modes provide flexibility and enhance safety during flight, catering to various scenarios and flying preferences.

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I had the opportunity to test the Nifty Bypass mode while flying the Mini 4 Pro in low-to-the-ground scenarios around trees and down a wooded path. In this mode, I could concentrate on directing the camera in a specific direction, while the Advanced Autopilot Assist System 6.0 (APAS 6.0) actively mapped the environment in real-time and calculated flight paths to navigate around obvious obstacles. While I did experience a couple of close calls, such as the drone’s undercarriage making contact with a shingled roof and another instance where it briefly became entangled in small, thin branches, I was able to safely land the drone on both occasions. The only notable damage was some scuffing on the bottom plastic of the drone. Despite these minor hiccups, the Mini 4 Pro demonstrated impressive obstacle avoidance capabilities, ranking among the best for ultralight drones in this aspect. It nearly matches the performance of the larger Air 3, which successfully completed a similar course without any near misses.

Furthermore, the onboard sensors play a crucial role in fully autonomous flight modes. The Mini 4 Pro supports QuickShots and MasterShots, offering a variety of cinematic maneuvers such as orbits, corkscrews, pullbacks, and other revealing shots that focus on a tagged subject. Many of these maneuvers involve sideways and upward movements, and the presence of all-around sensors enhances their safety when compared to the Mini 3 Pro. This additional sensor coverage makes these autonomous flight modes more secure and reliable for capturing creative shots and footage.

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Content

The Mini 4 Pro’s obstacle sensors play a vital role in ensuring safe tracking of subjects. Its Active Track mode is designed to track people and vehicles, although it doesn’t extend to tracking pets and other subjects. What stands out about the Mini 4 Pro is its refined tracking interface, which enhances the user experience. One particularly noteworthy feature is the inclusion of a jog wheel on the on-screen interface, allowing you to change the direction from which the drone follows a target. This level of control provides finer and more precise tracking adjustments compared to the simple directional buttons typically found on other drone models. It’s a thoughtful addition that contributes to the ease and accuracy of subject tracking with the Mini 4 Pro.

Quad Bayer Camera With HDR Color

The Mini 4 Pro features an upgraded camera compared to the Mini 3 Pro. While both drones share the same 24mm F1.7 lens and Type 1/1.3 Quad Bayer CMOS image sensor, they also offer similar recording modes, including 10-bit 4K60, 4K100 slow-motion, and Hyperlapse. However, the Mini 4 Pro introduces two new color profiles to enhance creative options:

1. HDR HLG: This is a true HDR profile designed to deliver visually pleasing results on HDR TVs without the need for additional color correction. It operates within the Rec.2020 color space, offering a broader color gamut for a more vibrant and dynamic HDR experience.
2. D-Log M Profile: The flat D-Log M profile is intended for creators who seek greater creative control over their footage. It provides a flatter, less processed look, allowing for more flexibility during post-production color grading and editing.

The Standard profile, on the other hand, uses the Rec.709 SDR color space but still performs admirably in preserving highlight and shadow detail in challenging scenes, such as sunrises and sunsets. For beginners, the Standard profile is recommended, as its footage is easier to edit and work with. However, HDR HLG is a suitable choice when creating content to be viewed on HDR UHD TVs at home. Test footage displayed on an HDR TV, such as the HiSense 65U8H, can deliver impressive results.

The camera’s bright f-stop (F1.7) is well-suited for capturing images in low-light conditions and nighttime cityscapes. Additionally, the clear glass filter is removable with a twist, allowing you to swap in a neutral density (ND) filter to control incoming light for more natural footage in bright lighting conditions. The camera offers a wide tilt range, from -90 degrees (straight down) to 60 degrees upward. Furthermore, it can record both wide-screen and vertical video, catering to various shooting orientations and preferences. DJI also provides a wide-angle adapter to broaden the lens’s field of view, making it suitable for immersive point-of-view footage.

The video quality delivered by the Mini 4 Pro is among the best you can expect from a compact drone, thanks to several key factors:

1. Crisp Details: The camera captures video with sharp, clear details, ensuring that your footage is visually appealing and highly detailed.
2. Accurate Colors: The Mini 4 Pro reproduces colors accurately, resulting in vibrant and true-to-life color representation in your videos.
3. Smooth Gimbal: The integrated three-axis gimbal ensures that your video remains stable and smooth, even when the drone performs turns and other maneuvers. This stability enhances the overall quality of your footage.
4. Reduced Rolling Shutter Distortion: The sensor scans quickly enough to minimize rolling shutter distortion, ensuring that horizontal lines in your video appear straight, without skew or wobbling.

However, it’s important to note a couple of considerations:

1. White Balance: The white balance may shift if there are changes in ambient light conditions during your flight. To maintain a consistent look throughout your shot, manual adjustment of the white balance may be necessary.
2. Ghosting and Flare: Some instances of ghosting, such as a false green spot of color, may occur in scenes where the drone flies directly toward the sun. Additionally, flare may be noticeable when sunlight hits the lens from an off-angle position. These effects are worth keeping in mind when planning your shots and framing your footage.

Overall, the Mini 4 Pro’s video capabilities deliver impressive quality for a small drone, making it suitable for capturing a wide range of cinematic and creative content.

The Mini 4 Pro provides a digital zoom feature that allows you to zoom in up to 3x (72mm), but it’s important to note that the results at this maximum zoom level may appear soft and less detailed. The zoom function is most usable and delivers better results when used up to around 2x zoom, making it a viable option for certain shots. However, if you prioritize high-quality telephoto lens capabilities, the Air 3 may be a better choice. The Air 3 offers both a 24mm lens and a 70mm one with optical-grade magnification, ensuring clearer and more detailed results for telephoto shots.

When selecting your video profile before starting your flight, it’s essential to choose carefully based on your intended use:

1. Standard Profile (Rec.709): This profile uses the Rec.709 color space, which is a widely supported standard that looks good on most displays and integrates seamlessly with basic video editing software. It’s a solid choice for versatile and easy-to-edit footage.
2. HDR Profile (Rec.2020): Enabling the HDR mode switches the color space to Rec.2020, which offers a broader color gamut but can be trickier to edit, especially when intercutting with Rec.709 footage. Certain video editing software, like Final Cut Pro, may require different libraries for managing footage in different color spaces. Consider this profile if you are specifically targeting HDR displays and are willing to work with the associated editing challenges.

Selecting the appropriate video profile depends on your project’s requirements and the editing software you plan to use, so choose accordingly to achieve the desired results in your videos.

For experienced video editors and those seeking maximum creative control, the D-Log M profile offers a flat and neutral starting point with low contrast and color saturation. While the video may appear dull straight out of the camera, this profile provides a blank canvas for advanced color grading and adjustment during post-production. However, it’s important to note that working with the D-Log M profile requires a certain level of expertise and the appropriate software tools.

To achieve the desired look and style for your videos using the D-Log M profile, you’ll need to possess knowledge of color grading techniques and have access to video editing software that supports advanced color correction and grading. This profile allows you to fine-tune colors, contrast, and saturation to precisely match your creative vision, making it a valuable option for expert editors and those aiming for a highly customized and distinctive visual style in their videos.

While it may require more effort and expertise, the D-Log M profile provides the flexibility and control needed to create visually stunning and unique video content.

If you’re seeking superior video quality from a drone, it’s worth considering models equipped with larger image sensors. While the Air 3 shares the same main wide camera as the Mini 4 Pro and doesn’t provide an upgrade in picture quality, you can explore other drone options that offer enhanced image and video capabilities:

1. Autel Evo Lite+ ($1,549): The Autel Evo Lite+ features a variable aperture Type 1 camera, which can offer improved video quality and flexibility in different lighting conditions.
2. DJI Mavic 3 Classic ($1,599): The DJI Mavic 3 Classic boasts a Four Thirds sensor, which is larger than the sensor found in the Mini 4 Pro. Larger sensors can deliver sharper and more detailed photos and videos, even if they have fewer pixels compared to the Mini 4 Pro’s 48MP Quad Bayer camera.

These alternatives may provide superior image quality and better performance in various shooting scenarios, making them suitable choices for users who prioritize exceptional video and photo capabilities in their drones.

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When it comes to still photography with the Mini 4 Pro, you have several options to tailor your output to your preferences:

1. Resolution: You can choose between 48MP or 12MP output for your photos, providing flexibility to capture images with varying levels of detail.
2. File Formats: The drone offers the choice of saving images in ready-to-share JPG format or the more editable Raw DNG format. Additionally, there’s a Raw+JPG option for those who want to keep multiple image formats for different purposes.

In terms of picture quality, the Mini 4 Pro delivers results comparable to high-end smartphone cameras. The 12MP output is notably sharp, thanks to downsampling. Photos exhibit a wide dynamic range, capturing shadow detail and managing clipped highlights effectively, even in challenging lighting conditions such as scenes with varying light levels, like a sunrise landscape.

While the 48MP shots may not be razor-sharp at full resolution, they still look great when viewed at typical sizes. It’s advisable to stick with the 12MP option unless you specifically require high-resolution output. If you seek more editing flexibility, opting for the Raw format provides ample room for adjustments during post-processing. Using software like Lightroom, you can open shadows, enhance contrast, and achieve a punchier look compared to the JPG version of your photos, allowing for greater creative control over your images.

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The Best Small Camera Drone

The DJI Mini 4 Pro stands out as the top drone choice for those who wish to avoid FAA registration requirements for takeoff weight. It enhances safety with its comprehensive obstacle avoidance capabilities, surpassing the Mini 3 Pro in this regard. Furthermore, it truly earns the “Pro” label with its advanced video engine, offering a wider range of color profiles for more professional video results. The camera’s dual aspect ratio is a practical feature, enabling shooting in both wide-screen and vertical formats to cater to various platforms and preferences.

For users who prioritize photo quality over video features, the Mavic 3 Classic with its larger sensor may be a preferable option. However, the Mini 4 Pro still receives our Editors’ Choice award due to its exceptional combination of features, suitability for most users, and reasonable pricing. It excels in providing a versatile and capable drone experience without the added complexities of FAA registration.

Source: Techradar