Lugging heavy equipment when you’re traveling can literally be a drag. It can hinder your ability to be creative, keep you from enjoying the moment, and prevent you from exploring new places. I remember having to carry a large backpack just for my drone. My Phantom 4 Pro included multiple pounds of heavy batteries and accessories. Lugging all that gear would turn my joy for travel into a labor-intensive experience. Thankfully, those days are long gone. I can happily carry my tiny half-pound DJI Mini 2 next to my other camera gear. It’s the perfect travel drone!
Compact size
The DJI Mini 2 is a small and powerful drone. It’s built specifically to be ultra-portable, lightweight, and travel-friendly. It weighs in at a mere 249 grams — smaller than an iPhone 12 Pro Max. Also, it doesn’t require FAA registration in the U.S. (if used for recreational purposes) and can easily be carried with the rest of your camera equipment.
Image quality and signal transmission
In addition to its travel-friendly size and weight, the DJI Mini 2 offers great benefits for creators. This includes amazing 4K video (with up to 4x digital zoom), up to 31 minutes of flight time, and RAW photos (including AEB and Panoramic modes). It also features convenient automated Quickshot video modes and DJI’s stellar Occusync 2.0 transmission technology offering up to six miles of signal transmission.
Quickshots are convenient for capturing short aerial videos. They automate advanced camera movements that would typically require coordination by relatively seasoned pilots. You can easily capture one of five automated Quickshots simply by selecting the desired mode and tapping on the subject. This is a super convenient travel-friendly feature. You can easily capture epic aerial videos and share them directly to social media within minutes.
The included Quickshots for the DJI Mini 2 are:
- Dronie
- Helix
- Rocket
- Circle
- Boomerang
The DJI Mini 2 is also the first compact drone to include professional-grade signal transmission using DJI’s Occusync 2 technology. This feature is typically reserved for DJI’s line of Mavic 2 drones, which come with a price tag that is several times that of the Mini 2. All previous compact drones from DJI — including the DI Spark, the Mavic Air V1, and even the DJI Mini V1 — only offer Wi-Fi signal transmission, which isn’t always reliable.
The inclusion of Occusync 2.0 in the DJI Mini 2 is a major reason why it’s the perfect travel drone. It offers the benefits of the robust transmission signal from DJI’s pro-grade drones in a small footprint.
This allows you to fly with confidence during your travels. It easily moves through areas with strong Wi-Fi interference. This is because Occusync 2.0 is an RF transmission system which is not susceptible to Wi-Fi interference.
No permits or registration required
Also, the DJI Mini 2 is the perfect travel drone because creators can capture aerial photos and videos without need of permits or registrations. There’s no need to register your DJI Mini 2 with the FAA in the U.S. if you only plan to fly it for recreation. The Mini 2’s 249-gram payload was designed with the intention of keeping it beneath the weight classification for registration and permits in the U.S., Canada, England, and many other countries. Canada currently waives registration and permits for any sub-250-gram drone regardless of personal or commercial use. The UK classifies sub-250-gram drones as toys which exempts them from registration or permits.
The DJI Mini 2 is exempt from permits or registration in certain countries as of the date of this article. Although, it does not negate the need to abide by all established aviation rules, regulations, and airspace restrictions. Creators should always conduct extensive diligence on all drone rules and regulations in the country that they plan to visit. Being respectful of the rules for aerial operations will ensure maximum safety for creators, citizens, and the community of drone enthusiasts.
Conclusion
Having covered all of these highlights, it’s easy to see why the DJI Mini 2 is the perfect travel drone. It offers the ability to capture incredible photos and videos. At the same time, it removes the heavy payload, high price tag, and additional overhead of registration and permitting. Robust signal transmission allows it to perform like its much bigger siblings but in a much smaller size. Creators can now enjoy the ability to make aerial photography and videography a ubiquitous part of their travel portfolios.
Definitely consider adding the amazingly small but mighty DJI Mini 2 to your essential travel gear kit. Check out this article on how you can get the best photos from its powerful 12-megapixel camera.
