DJI confirms Mavic 2 Pro is on the way with interchangeable lenses

DJI has a new version of the Mavic Pro on the way, and thanks to a mistakenly published advertisement, the company has now confirmed to CNET a few of the drone’s specs and features ahead of its official reveal. The big change with the new Mavic 2 Pro is that users will be able to swap lenses on the drone for a 2x optical zoom version (a configuration DJI is calling Mavic 2 Zoom) that can shoot as wide as 28mm and as tight as 48mm.

Switching lenses is a feature that the company has typically reserved for its more expensive professional drones, though it’s been rumored to be coming to its smaller drones (like the Mavic) for a while. The camera system on the whole is getting an upgrade, too, with a big one-inch CMOS sensor — which is a huge bump over the 1/2.3-inch sensor in the original Mavic Pro. The advertisement also mentions that this is a “Hasselblad camera,” meaning the iconic Swedish photography company likely had some involvement in the development of the camera architecture. (DJI acquired a majority stake in Hasselblad a few months after the 2016 release of the original Mavic Pro.)

Of all places to confirm the Mavic 2 its Argos UK - 2 additions being released Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro (1” CMOS sensor) - both 31 mins of flight time, 8km range and 1080P live video transmission @OsitaLV @DroneDJ #mavic2 #djimavic2 #dji #mavic #news #dronedj #ositaLV #drone pic.twitter.com/uDY4luqP6n

— Brett Thake (@Chromonian) July 28, 2018

The Mavic 2 will fold up, much like its predecessor, and appears to be slightly slimmer. It will feature improved performance in the air as well, with a 31-minute flight time and nearly five miles of range. It will have better obstacle avoidance thanks to sensors that face in all directions, which is similar to what DJI did with the smaller, newer Mavic Air.

No other specs have been revealed so far, but it’s safe to assume the Mavic 2 Pro will shoot 4K footage, and will build on the already robust features that have given DJI a stranglehold on the drone market. The company had originally planned to announce the new drone in July, but delayed the event (for an unannounced reason) late enough that UK retailer Argos did not have time to pull the advertisement.