IntEx Imaging - Our choice of the best drones for commercial photography
Drone photography and videography is one of the most requested services that IntEx Imaging provides. Drones allow for unseen before views and the footage can totally capture a viewers attention. When I first saw DJI drones such as the Mavic models back in 2019, I knew that a drone would be an awesome addition to the architecture photography component of my business. In late 2019, I started studying in order to get my advanced drone certificate from Transport Canada, which I knew I would need when flying in urban areas. In May 2020, I passed the advanced exam and flight review which meant I was officially one of Canadas ~5000 advanced certified drone operators (0.01% of Canadians).
Flash forward to 2021 - IntEx Imaging now owns 3 drones. Today I’m going to give you a run-down of each drone and in what circumstances I would use each one.
DJI Mavic Zoom 2
In March of 2020, I bought the first drone for IntEx Imaging - a Mavic 2 Zoom. As the name implies, the camera on this drone has the ability to optically zoom from 24-48mm, which allows for more creativity with shots. For example: a dolly zoom, which is when the drone moves either directly towards or away from the subject while zooming in the opposite direction.
This is the oldest and heaviest of the drones IntEx has available, but that being said, it still captures awesome footage (12MP Camera, 4K 30fps video). It also allows us to mount items to the drone, such as our Ricoh Theta Z1 360 camera, for completing 360 virtual tours.
DJI Mavic Air 2
In August of 2020, IntEx Imaging invested in another drone to meet client needs. In other words, I crashed the Mavic Zoom 2 into a tree and wanted to make sure that the client got their footage in a reasonable time frame.
The Mavic Air 2 is a definite upgrade over the Mavic Zoom 2. The Air 2 had a larger camera sensor, weighed less, had better battery life, and recorded up to 4K 60fps video vs 4K 30fps from the Zoom 2. It also has the option to produce huge 48MP files with a slight sacrifice to dynamic range and colour. Adding the Air 2 to the fleet also meant that we had a backup drone in case something went wrong with one.
The Air 2 generally will produce the best quality photo and video files so as long as it’s safe and legal to do so, I will use this drone.
DJI Mini 2
In summer of 2021, IntEx Imaging was approached to complete drone photography and videography of several towers in downtown Calgary (footage above). Upon doing research into the local bylaws, I discovered that I would be very restricted as to where I could fly either of my drones and would be responsible for getting a permit with the City of Calgary and the costs associated with road closures, etc. However, there was a clause in the bylaws about micro drones (drones that weigh < 250g) which stated that flight of micro drones in parks or private property were permitted. As a result, IntEx Imaging added a third drone to the fleet - the DJI Mini 2.
The Mini 2 weighs in at 242g with the battery and a memory card…just under the 250g upper limit for micro drones. This allows about 7g for accessories, such as polarization and/or ND filters for buttery smooth video.
The Mini 2 is my preferred drone for most operations for four reasons:
In case of equipment failure, operator error, or any circumstance that could cause the drone to lose function and possibly collide with bystanders or property, this drone weighs the lightest, has the smallest props, and will generally cause the least amount of damage.
It is the least expensive of these three drones. The DJI Mini 2 is $519CAD, the Air 2 is $1000, and the Zoom 2 is $1639.
The batteries are also the least expensive of the three drones. A Mini battery is only $74CAD, an Air 2 battery is $159, and a Mavic 2 battery is $199.
Has the best value insurance from the Manufacturer (DJI). It was $49USD for DJI Care (which works like AppleCare) with a replacement fee of $49USD. DJI Care for the Zoom 2 is $119USD with a replacement fee of $119USD.
That being said, there are some shots that the Zoom 2 or Air 2 will do a better job on even though there might be additional requirements when it comes to getting permission to fly in that airspace as well as complying with local bylaws.
That’s it! Let me know if you have any questions about drones, laws, regulations…anything drone related. Let’s see if you can stump me!
