Skydio 2 Plus Review: The Videographer’s Drone
Duane Beckett
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For anyone seeking a drone that is easy to handle and that can produce high-quality video, the Skydio 2 Plus might just be the best drone on the market.
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What makes this drone stand out is its AI-assisted controls and autonomous flight capabilities, features that make this drone suitable for even younger or inexperienced users:
And when usability is combined with an impressive 4K 60 FPS video (Frames Per Second), this drone is easily comparable with more expensive top-end drones on the market.
Image Quality
- The most desirable characteristic of any camera drone is its primary camera. The Skydio 2 features a Sony IMX577 1⁄2.3″ 12.3MP CMOS sensor as its main camera. It shoots 4K content up to 60 frames per second.
- Specifically, there are three sensors driven at 3840 x 2160 at 60, 48, 30, or 24 FPS, and one at 1920 x 1080 at 120, 60, or 30 fPS. This allows you to shoot slow-motion video at 1080p resolution at 120 fps. Images are saved in the raw file size at 4056 x 3040 12MP with JPEG or DNG.
- Moreover, with a 13-stop range of dynamic exposure value, images will be evenly balanced and not over or underexposed. The built-in lens is a 20-mm (35-mm equivalent) with an f/2.8 aperture.
- The 4K camera on the Skydio 2 produces crystal-clear, sharp footage, which makes a substantial improvement over its predecessor.
- With ideal lighting conditions, video footage is practically on par with that of some of DJI’s high-end prosumer models. The weakness of this model’s camera lies in overcast and low-light conditions. In those scenarios, picture quality starts to degrade if the camera even allows you to fly.
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Portability
- Unlike its predecessor, the Skydio 2 Plus Edition is small enough to carry around in a backpack easily.
- It also packs away into a protective case, which lets you store the drone, extra batteries, and the beacon module:
- Although it’s a great feature to count in, some other models are foldable, which allows extra carrying space in your tour backpack.
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Battery Life
- The battery connects to a drone’s mast through a magnetic mount system.
- Operating six 4K cameras to process all of that video likely makes the most significant difference battery-wise compared to similar drones.
- In addition to exceptional autonomous flight capabilities, the tradeoff is a battery much like that which powers an ordinary smartphone.
- Following this, a single battery supplies about 23 minutes worth of flight time on the Skydio 2 Plus, short of expectations when taking into consideration its high cost.
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Conclusion
The Skydio 2 Plus is high-end quality, but it comes at a high-end price. We recommend experts pick up the beacon controller to make the Skydio 2 Plus more manually controllable, than AI-driven.
The only downside is that the battery life is a little short-lived, so if long flights are something you’re after, you’ll need to pick up extra batteries.
The Studio 2 Plus is perfect for newcomers to the drone world, or for photographers who don’t want to be as hands-on with manual controls.