DJI Mavic Air 2 vs Hubsan H117S Zino Camera Drone Comparison

Spec Comparison of the DJI Mavic Air 2 and the Hubsan Zino H117S

In this article we compare the features of the DJI Mavic Air 2 and the Hubsan Zino also known as the H117S camera drones.

The Hubsan Zino is the first consumer camera drone by Hubsan which has some serious specs and great potential to be used as a professional aerial camera and film making drone.

It only costs $399 brand new and was released in early 2019.

The Mavic Air 2 which has just been launched as of spring 2020 is almost three times the price, at $999 for the fly more combo, is it three times the drone?

Physical Comparison

In their folded form, these camera drones are almost identical in size, with the Mavic Air 2 being a few mm wider but also a few mm smaller in height.

This gives them near exact volume sizes of 1.4L, 1458cm³ for the Hubsan Zino and 1466cm³ for the Mavic Air 2. If we were to get picky, the MA2 is actually slightly larger by 8cm cubed which is about the size of your little finger.

Even though they are the same size when their arms are folded in, their weight is much more different.

The Mavic Air 2 is the lighter of the two drones, coming in at 570 grams, ready to fly. With the Hubsan Zino weighing in at 700 grams total weight.

Performance Comparison

There is a huge difference in the top speed for the two camera drones, with the Mavic Air 2 coming out on top.

It has a top speed of 68kmh, compared to the 36kmh speed of the Hubsan Zino H117S.

The transmission distance from the camera to the remote control, or your smart phone is one of the best from Mavic Air 2, with a 10km transmission distance.

The Hubsan Zino has a transmission of just 1km in comparison.

Flight time is also very good from the Mavic Air 2, at 34 minutes total flight time.

The Hubsan Zino has a total flight time of 23 minutes, so 11 minutes less flight time between the two camera drones.

Photo and Video Comparison

The cameras on the two camera drones are much different, with them both using different image sensors and image sensor sizes.

The Mavic Air 2 has the slightly larger 1/2" inch image sensor, using the Sony IMX 586, whilst the Hubsan is utilising the Sony IMX258 which is a 1/3" image sensor size.

This is a difference of 2mm diagonally between the two image sensors.

Because of this size, it shows in what photo and video resolutions they are capable of.

Both are 4K video cameras, but in regards to their photography, they Mavic Air 2 is also capable of taking 48mp photos, 4x bigger photos, which is perfect for prints.

They both have a number of photo and video shooting modes, with the DJI Mavic Air 2 offering a few more features, such as timelapse and cinematic modes.

The Mavic Air 2 is also capable of taking RAW photos in DNG format and d-cinelike flat profile videos. This is great if you want to do post colour grading by yourself without relying on the HDR video or normal exposure and colours coming out of the Mavic Air 2.

You do get slow motion on the Hubsan, but only in 1080p and at 60fps. This is nowhere near as good as the Mavic Air 2 offering of 240fps at 1080p. You can actually get this framerate at 4K on the Mavic Air 2, 4K at 60fps.

Both camera drones use a 3-axis gimbal to smooth out their footage.

Summary

This is just a brief introduction to the features and comparison of the two camera drones, but they are like night and day in terms of differences.

But this is unfair to the Hubsan, which as a simple beginner camera drone for film making, we have seen create some fantastic short films on youtube.

It is a very capable camera drone, but much more manual work is needed for it. It doesn't fly as long and is also heavier.

If you have the money, then the Mavic Air 2 is hard to beat, it has all the bells and whistles and more and a fantastic drone, even for $999.