Drones have soared in popularity over the last few years, particularly in the photography world. There are a lot of different makes and models to choose from, and we've found this Black Friday deal on the DJI Air 2S — now selling for $799 at Amazon, saving you a healthy $200. While that is a nice saving, the price has been going back and forth between $999 and $799 for the past few months, so it's not some 'mega Black Friday deal' they're making it out to be.
When we reviewed the DJI Air 2S, we thought it was an exciting option for photographers and videographers with its 20MP sensor and excellent image quality. It has advanced safety features making it a sensible option for beginners, although you will need to register it with the FAA (US) or CAA (UK) before you fly it due to its weight category.
We gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review, and it certainly earned its spot as the 'best for portability' in our best drones and best camera drones buying guides.
- Read our Black Friday 2024 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
Design-wise, it's very similar to the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, just smaller and lighter (and less than half the price). We thought the build quality was excellent in our full DJI Air 2S review, and although it states the flight time is 31 minutes per battery, we found a more realistic flight time to be around 20 minutes.
If you are going to use this drone for photography purposes, keep in mind that it has a fixed aperture of f/2.8, so the only way to change the exposure settings is with the shutter speed and ISO. For videography, we'd recommend investing in some ND filters.
With this $799 deal, you get just the drone, controller, one battery, charger and all the spares. But you only need to spend $7 more to get the Fly More Combo, which includes a set of ND filters, 3 batteries, a charger, a shoulder bag and all the spares. Although they haven't listed the Fly More Combo as a Black Friday deal, we can see that it's been sitting between $1039 - $1299 for the past few months, so either option is definitely a saving. For our money, we'd say go for the Fly More.
Key Specs: 1-inch CMOS 20MP camera, 5.4K, 4K, 2.7K, 1080p (FHD) video resolution, 12km transmission range, 7.1 x 3 x 3.8 inches when folded, 21oz / 595g, battery 3500 mAh LiPo 3S / up to 31 minutes, 5.4K up to 30 fps / 4K up to 60 fps / 2.7K up to 60 fps / FHD up to 120 fps.
Consensus: With a host of impressive features including a 20MP one-inch sensor in a drone weighing just 21oz, the Air 2S is an exciting option for photographers and videographers.
Buy if: You aren't totally confident with flying and want to take excellent quality photos and videos while knowing the safety features will help prevent crashes.
Don't buy if: You're a professional photographer/videographer and want to be able to change all the settings for photo/video.
Alternative models: For pros with a big budget, the DJI Mavic 3 Pro is the best drone overall, but it's also one of the most expensive. If you want an affordable but capable drone that you don't need to register, try the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
Check out our Black Friday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
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