The two main things I want from a drone are great image quality without the bulk and now we have both with the DJI Mini 5 Pro, finally announced overnight. Although slightly longer than its predecessor, the Mini 5 Pro is still ‘around’ 250g and very easy to pack in your travel kit. But the big change is the inclusion of a 1-inch CMOS sensor with true vertical shooting and 225° flexible gimbal rotation.
1-INCH SENSOR
The Mini 5 Pro features a 50MP 1-inch large sensor, that captures more shadow and highlight detail in challenging lighting conditions. There’s even a new 48mm Med-Tele mode with higher digital zoom resolution than previous models, to make subjects stand out with greater texture, adding depth.
Up to 14 stops of dynamic range is possible with 4K/60fps HDR video recording. The Mini 5 Pro can record 10-bit video using H.265 encoding with the maximum ISO raised to 12800. In D-Log M and HLG colour modes, the maximum ISO is raised to 3200, allowing for greater brightness and more details in urban night scenes. Slow-motion video recording has been increased to 4K/120fps.
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Mini 5 Pro supports wide-angle 225° roll rotation and true vertical shooting. As much as I hate portrait video, it’s unfortunately a must for social media. No cropping means maximising your resolution which is very important shooting with a drone because it can quickly fall apart once you start punching in too far. The 225° roll rotation means the gimbal enables flexible and dynamic camera movement. Paired with intelligent modes like QuickShot Rotate, Timelapse, Spotlight, and Waypoint Flight, capturing creative rotating footage is easier than ever before.
SAFETY
Mini 5 Pro features a forward-facing LiDAR and multiple vision sensors for nightscape omnidirectional obstacle sensing, making return-to-home safer. In city nightscapes, it actively detects and avoids obstacles along flight and return paths for worry-free night flying. With sufficient light, it can memorise flight routes, enabling safe takeoff and return even without a satellite signal1.
Omnidirectional Vision Sensing System: With forward-facing LiDAR, fisheye lenses on the front and rear; binocular lenses and a 3D infrared sensor on the bottom omnidirectional obstacle sensing is achieved for safer operation. Nightscape Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing provides confidence when shooting at night with forward-facing LiDAR detecting obstacles like tall buildings even in low-light conditions.
Non-GNSS RTH is powered by real-time vision positioning and map construction technologies, Mini 5 Pro memorises flight paths when adequate lighting is available. This ensures a safe return even when taking off from locations without satellite signals, such as balconies.
Dual-Band GNSS: With L1 + L5 dual-band GNSS, Mini 5 Pro connects to more satellites, for improved signal stability and precise positioning.
TRACKING AND CAPTURE
Upgraded ActiveTrack 360° offers customisable tracking for various scenarios, and features more stable and safer tracking performance than previous models. Tracking performance has been enhanced to balance speed, agility, and safety.
- MasterShots: Provides high-level camera movement templates according to portrait, close-up, and long-distance shooting needs.
- QuickShots: Supports various modes such as QuickShot Rotate, Dronie, Circle, Helix, Rocket, Boomerang, and Asteroid, allowing the user to easily shoot stylish short films.
- Free Panorama: Enables users to create seamless panoramic shots by stitching together multiple images with a manually selected subject or area.
Mini 5 Pro supports remote wake-up via the DJI Fly app within Bluetooth range. Without taking out the drone or remote controller, files can be transferred at up to 100 MB/s via Wi-Fi 6. Even when switching to other apps, the DJI Fly app continues downloading in the background.
BATTERY LIFE
The batteries are same size but are packed with more power capacity with DJI Intelligent Flight Battery Plus increasing flight time by up to 16 minutes. But you’re very unlikely to get that enhanced flying time of 52 minutes.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
DJI Mini 5 Pro is available to order from store.dji.com/au and authorised retail partners, in the following configurations:
- DJI Mini 5 Pro: A$1,119
- DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC-N3): A$1,419
- DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2): A$1,699
- DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo Plus (DJI RC 2): A$1,799
