DJI Mavic Air 2 vs Parrot Anafi Camera Drone Comparison

Spec Comparison of the DJI Mavic Air 2 and the Parrot Anafi

Here we compare two consumer camera drones made by DJI and Parrot. Both companies have a number of camera drones available to buy and here we are looking at the Mavic Air 2 and the Anafi models.

The Anafi is the older of the two, released 2 years ago, with the Mavic Air 2 recently released in spring of 2020, so 2 years newer.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 retails at slightly more for the fly more combo, at $999 and the Parrot Anafi retails at around $699 depending on where you look.

Physical Comparison

The DJI Mavic Air 2 and the Parrot Anafi are both folding arm camera drones, this is great for travelling and portability.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is more of a square oblong when looking at it from above, the Parrot Anafi is longer and thinner.

The Mavic Air 2 is not a large camera drone but you'll find that the Parrot Anafi is much smaller than the DJI Mavic Air 2.

When folded up, in their smallest form, the MA2 is 20cm length diagonally and Anafi is 25cm.

This is the only dimension where the Anafi is larger, the other two dimensions it is much smaller.

This is what makes the volume of the Anafi smaller than the Mavic Air 2. With the Anafi being just over 1L in size, at 1062cm³ and the Mavic Air 2 is just under 1.5L in volume, at 1466cm³.

This is a difference of 400ml, so slightly more than a can or tin.

There is also a big difference in terms of weight, with the Mavic Air 2 weighing in at 570 grams and the Parrot Anafi weighing 320 grams, that is 250 grams lighter, which is the weight of the Mavic Mini.

Performance Comparison

In terms of performance, the Mavic Air 2 is the slightly faster camera drone, with a top speed of 68kmh.

The Parrot Anafi is capable of speeds of up to 55kmh, so only 13kmh top speed difference between the two camera drones.

The ascent and descent speeds are the exact same, both achieveing 4m/s in both directions.

The max flight altitude is very similar at 4500-5000m for both camera drones, although you are limited to 120m and 400feet in most countries to be legal.

The transmission distance is a big difference with the DJI Mavic Air 2 capable of 10km and the Parrot Anafi coming in at under half of that at 4km in distance.

The flight time is similar with the Mavic Air 2 having a longer flight time out of the two. The DJI MA2 is capable of 34 minute flights and the Parrot Anafi has 25 minutes, which isn't bad but a 9 minute difference between the two.

If you're looking for a quiet drone, the Parrot Anafi has the quietest on the market at 64 decibels at head height, compared to the Mavic Air 2 which is 10 decibels louder. This isn't too bad compared to some drones but is a considerable difference between the Anafi and Mavic Air 2.

You get active tracking and a number of auto shot modes with both cameras.

Photo and Video Comparison

The first difference between the two camera drones is that of field of view, the fov on the Air 2 is 84°, which is 15 degrees more than that of the Parrot Anafi which has a 69° degree FOV.

This means you will see much more from the same spot in the sky when comparing the field of view of the two camera drones.

They are both 4K video camera drones, with the Mavic Air 2 recording 120 mbps video bitrate and the Parrot Anafi recording 100 mbps video bitrate.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 uses a slightly larger 1/2" image sensor, the SONY IMX586 and the Parrot Anafi uses a 1/2.4" SONY IMX230 image sensor.

The Parrot Anafi cant take some of the largest photos at 21mp and also JPG and RAW photos in DNG file format.

With the DJI Mavic Air 2 capable of 48mp photos but only in JPG form, this is perfect if you wish to zoom in, crop or make large prints.

Both are 4K camera drones, with the Mavic Air 2 capable of taking 4k at 60fps, whilst the Parrot Anafi is the more standard 30fps at 4k.

The Mavic Air 2 also has 1080p at 240fps and the Parrot Anafi does not, so if you want slow motion frame rates you have more options with the Mavic Air 2.

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

But the Parrot Anafi has one advantage, in the form of a camera that can also look up. We are unaware of any other camera drone that can do this, which means unique aerial photography and drone film making shots.

Summary

These are both very impressive drones, especially the Parrot Anafi which is now 2 years old. It is cheaper and a fantastic aerial photography and 4k camera drone with some unique features.

It's flight time is not as long but it is much smaller than the Mavic Air 2, you could possible fit it in to the side pocket of a backpack and put the controller in your pocket, it's that portable.

The Mavic Air 2 has some unique flying features which are very cool, such as the timelapse shooting modes and obstacle avoidance in three directions.

It's hard to compare these two, but we're sure you'll get a fantastic drone whichever you choose.