Here we have it. One of the cheapest DJI drones, an entry-level approach that seems excellent for many people who want to get into this hobby.
Because the question is, why not? You’ll hardly find anything better around this price point in terms of performance and even image quality.
And DJI is widely known as one of the top drone companies in the world for creating high-quality and long-lasting drones; you’re off to a great start.
So far, so good, but the main reason anyone would want to buy a drone, including the DJI Mini 2 SE, is to photograph or film with it. So, how does this drone hold up in this area?
Let me take you on a journey through the Florida vibes with a series of photographs taken by one of our fellow writers and a professional photographer, Dan Bayne, with the DJI Mini 2 SE.
To help, we’ve identified and reviewed the best drone courses for beginners and professionals.
DJI Mini 2 SE camera sensor
The DJI Mini 2 SE comes with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal.
In terms of the sensor size, the Mini 2 SE’s sensor is equivalent to the one found in DJI FPV and the older version of this drone, the DJI Mini 2.
In this scenario, we can see an improved CMOS due to advancements in drone technology and camera quality, so, in real terms, the camera found in Mini 2 SE is better than the older one found in Mini 2.
But by today’s standards, 1/2.3-inch CMOS is too little for any kind of professional photography.
Don’t expect much of it. If you’re aiming for a professional-level camera, look for no less than a drone with 1/1.3-inch CMOS but preferably 1-inch or the Mavic 3 Pro‘s Hasselblad 4/3-inch.
Note: A 1-inch sensor is more than four times bigger than a 1/2.3-inch one.
To understand it better, a sensor size will directly contribute to how much light the sensor can register in a short period of time, which directly impacts the dynamic range and quality of the image (difference between the highlights and the shadows)
With larger sensors, we get more natural images, clearer and with much better dynamic range, so even photographing in daylight, the shadows won’t be too dark, and the brights won’t overexpose the entire image.
But what we get with the DJI Mini 2 SE is a bit low. That’s what we have with an entry-level drone, and yet, it’s not that bad if you just want to get into the hobby, especially in photography.
You’ll simply have to be aware that the Mini 2 SE’s sensor will fall behind if you’re aiming for low-light photography.
In terms of pixel density, this camera sensor has 12 million. In short terms, it can photograph at a resolution of 12 Megapixels, which is below today’s standards, but not too far.
In reality, if we publish photographs on social media or take some vacation photos, 12 Megapixels is more than enough.
Let’s have a look at all the specs behind the DJI Mini 2 SE camera and its true quality.
| Specs | DJI Mini 2 SE Camera |
|---|---|
| Sensor Size | 1/2.3-inch CMOS |
| Effective Pixels | 12 Million (12MP) |
| Aperture | f/2.8 |
| Field of View | 83 degrees |
| ISO Range | 100-3200 for both photos and videos |
| Electronic Shutter Speed | Between 4 sec and 1/8000 |
| Image Size | 4000×3000 |
| Photo Format | JPEG & RAW |
| Video Resolution | Max 2.7k at 30 fps or FHD at 60 fps |
| Max Video Bitrate | 40 Mbps |
| Video Color Mode | Normal |
| Gimbal | 3-axis |
» MORE: Camera Technology in Drones (Explained)
DJI Mini 2 SE for photography
Strictly in terms of photography, the DJI Mini 2 SE is decent. In fact, it is more than decent for everyday types of photography, but if you’re aiming toward professional captures, it falls short.
The camera aperture of f2/8 is average for most drones on the market. However, with a larger aperture, we would be able to take better low-light and night photographs, including long-exposure images.
Same with a larger sensor.
But you’ll see that the DJI Mini 2 SE can’t do much of that.
On the other side, we have an upper limit of ISO to 3200. The ISO is the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light, where the image sensor increases its sensitivity in order to expose the image properly in low-light scenarios at the cost of inducing image noise.
Still, this will directly contribute to the quality of low-light photographs.
What we have as an advantage with the DJI Mini 2 SE is that it can photograph in RAW.
This means that you’ll be able to post-process your images further in programs like Lightroom to adjust the shadows and highlights, exposure, colors, temperature, and much more.
Behind every great photograph, there’s a lot of post-processing to improve the quality of the image.
As a disclaimer, all the images you see here are post-processed, so the sky’s the limit. And that’s normal. But if you’re looking to see what kind of image quality you can take with the DJI Mini 2 SE directly without editing (still RAW version), here we have two images to compare.
Not so spectacular, right? That’s fine because even if you capture photographs with a professional DSLR camera or high-end drone, the images will still suffer a bit unless improved via post-processing methods.
But now let’s see how this drone does at different times of the day.
» MORE: Is the DJI Mini 2 SE Worth It?
Daylight photography
