DJI Mini 5 Pro drone review

DJI's Mini Pro range of drones has been a huge hit since the launch of the Mini 3 Pro – the first model in the line-up. This was the first sub-250g drone with professional photo and video credentials.

After the 4 Pro, which was little more than an incremental upgrade, we now have the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Not only is this a serious upgrade, but it also sets a new bar for what's possible in the most popular drone category.

There are numerous impressive new features to shout about, not least the 50MP 1-inch sensor in the camera, which can rotate 225 degrees in addition to 90 degrees for portrait capture.

There's also forward-facing LiDAR as part of the Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance system, and HDR video capture, to name a few notable features. It's safe to say that the Mini 5 Pro is one of the best drones and best DJI drones available, as well as being one of the best camera drones.

Image quality for photos and video is fantastic, thanks to the large sensor that's been magically added to the familiar Mini drone design. It is, however, slightly heavier than other sub-250 g drones at 8.81 oz / 249.9g. Plus, users have reported that some drones actually weigh in at up to 251 g, although aviation authorities seem to be overlooking this slight discrepancy.

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DJI Mini 5 Pro: Design

• Sub-250g model with a folding design
• Palm-sized when folded
• 1-inch camera sensor

One thing you can rely on is that DJI Mini drones look remarkably similar, so there's no mistaking them for any other model or manufacturer. The Mini 5 Pro follows this rigid style with its folding design, where Omnidirectional Collision Avoidance sensors are visible on the airframe. In terms of size, it's pretty much as you'd expect at 6.18x3.74x2.68 in / 157×95×68 mm folded and 10.04x7.13x3.58 in / 255×181×91 mm unfolded.

It's a sub-250g model, like previous versions, and the 5 Pro weighs in officially at 8.81 oz / 249.9g, although some users have reported that the drone weighs as much as 251g when they've weighed it themselves. This hasn't caused any issues with the drone's place in the sub-250g category according to aviation authorities, and the slight weight increase is remarkable given that DJI has managed to cram a 1-inch sensor into the rotating camera.

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In terms of overall design and aesthetics, the 5 Pro looks extremely similar to previous models but is differentiated by the darker grey of the airframe and, of course, the bulkier camera to accommodate that larger sensor.

Flight times are advertised as being up to 36 minutes per 2,788 mAh battery, but in real-world flying conditions, flight times are around 20 minutes before Return to Home is initiated when the battery reaches 20% capacity. This is often the case, and the 20-25 minute range is still impressive considering the small size and capacity of the batteries.

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As always, there are two controller options: the budget DJI RC-N2, which requires attaching your phone, or you can opt for a smart controller. The DJI RC 2 smart controller features a built-in 5.5-inch FHD display and provides a much more convenient experience if your budget extends a little further. It's well worth it if you can afford it.

DJI Mini 5 Pro: Functionality

• Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing with LiDAR
• 360° ActiveTrack subject tracking
• Rotating camera

The Mini 5 Pro is an impressive performer in the sky, whether taking manual control yourself or using one of the automated flight modes and 360° ActiveTrack. Subject tracking is fantastic, and although this isn't a selfie drone like the DJI Neo 2 or HoverAir X1 Pro/ProMax, it still manages to successfully track people and cars, etc. In complex environments, it even manages to dodge trees and branches, which is thanks to its advanced collision avoidance system.

The Omnidirectional Vision Sensing system includes forward-facing LiDAR alongside fisheye lenses on the front and rear for sensing forward, backward, left, right, and upward. The bottom of the drone is fitted with binocular lenses and a 3D infrared sensor, enabling omnidirectional obstacle sensing. It's highly effective, and the LiDAR is designed to improve obstacle sensing and Return to Home in low-light conditions and at night.

The camera is extremely impressive, and although we'll go into more detail in the next section, the camera can rotate up to 225 degrees and it opens up many creative possibilities for capturing video. The camera also rotates 90 degrees, allowing for both landscape and portrait format capture, with the latter being ideal for social media.

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There are automated flight patterns that allow you to capture cinematic video at the touch of a button, and these include MasterShots and Quickshots. There's also Free Panorama, which offers more manual control over how panoramas are captured. The new 2x 48mm equivalent zoom is claimed to be a vast improvement over older digital zooms, and image quality is certainly good when zooming in.

Advanced Return to Home utilizes Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance and LiDAR for a safer and more reliable Return to Home by calculating the most efficient route back to the take-off point. There's even Non-GNSS RTH, where the 5 Pro memorizes the path home when light levels are high enough, so you can get the drone safety home without satellite signals. This wasn't specifically tested, but RTH was always reliable when initiated during flight testing.

With all these features, the Mini 5 Pro takes a little of what the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Air 3 S have to offer, making it an incredibly advanced sub-250 g model able to take on professional work where a smaller and lighter drone is required.

DJI Mini 5 Pro: Performance

• 50MP 1-inch sensor
• 24mm f/1.8 camera
• Excellent image quality

The camera offers a 24mm equivalent focal length and has a fixed f/1.8 aperture with focusing from 50cm to infinity. The camera houses a 50MP 1-inch CMOS sensor, and you choose between 12MP and 50MP modes. Shutter speeds available are between 1/8000 and two seconds, while in 12MP mode, you also get two and a half to eight seconds for simulated long exposure.

The image quality produced is excellent when capturing photos and videos, although photos taken in the 50MP mode are on the soft side. You can capture photos in Raw and JPEG when shooting in both 12MP and 50MP modes, although you can achieve better results using Adobe Lightroom's Super Resolution feature to increase the size of Raw files.

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Video can be captured in Standard (for straight-out-of-camera use), the D-Log M flat color profile for color grading, and HLG for HDR capture with up to 14 stops of dynamic range. This makes it ideal for beginner and professional video capture. And with that fast f/1.8 fixed aperture, ND filters are extremely useful for maintaining a correct shutter speed during video capture.

Video can be captured up to 4K at 120 FPS and 1080p at up to 240 FPS for slow motion capture. 8-bit video is captured in H.264 while 10-bit HLG/D-Log M is captured in H.265 with a maximum bitrate of 130 Mbps. Photos and videos can be saved either on the 42GB of internal storage or on a microSD card inserted into the rear of the drone.

Please note the footage below was shot in 4K, but our video player only plays in HD.

Off-State QuickTransfer allows for remote wake-up via the DJI Fly app within Bluetooth range. The Mini 5 Pro or the controller doesn't need to be switched on, and you can transfer files to your smartphone at up to 100 MB/s via Wi-Fi 6. It's pretty handy if you want to share photos and videos quickly and easily.

DJI Mini 5 Pro: Price

With the ongoing issues with the availability of DJI products in the US, the Mini 5 Pro isn't available in the US, and therefore, no pricing is available. For UK-based drone pilots, several kits are available, with the basic option costing £689. With this kit, you get the DJI RC-N3 controller and a single battery alongside the drone and accessories.

To get the most out of the drone and increase flight times, one of the Fly More Bundles makes sense as they offer three batteries, a battery charging hub and useful ND filters for controlling shutter speeds when capturing video.

The Fly More Bundle, which includes the budget DJI RC-N3 controller, costs £869, while the DJI RC 2 smart controller Fly More Bundle costs just £979. Considering the smart controller kit is only marginally more expensive, this kit represents fantastic value for money.

Should you buy the DJI Mini 5 Pro?

If you're looking for a sub-250g drone and have the budget available, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is worth getting. And as previously mentioned, if you can stretch to the DJI RC 2 Fly More Bundle, you will enjoy fantastic functionality and value for money. The features on offer, including Omnidirectional Vision Sensing, 225-degree camera rotation, 360° ActiveTrack and more, are fantastic.

The 1-inch sensor produces excellent image quality for both photos and videos, although shooting in the high-resolution 50MP mode can produce softer images than 12MP shooting. It's no big deal and you can use Adobe's Super Resolution in Lightroom to increase resolution more effectively if necessary.

If this drone isn't for you

If you'd prefer a larger and more powerful drone with similar features, but two cameras instead of one, look no further than the DJI Air 3S. This drone also has a 1-inch sensor in the main camera and a second telephoto camera with a 70mm equivalent focal length.

The Potensic Atom 2 is an incredibly cost-effective sub-250g drone that is much less expensive than the Mini 5 Pro. Image quality is excellent, and it has all the features most beginners and intermediate pilots will need, but it’s not as feature-heavy as the Mini 5 Pro.

The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the flagship prosumer model and is the most advanced drone of this type to date. Image quality is exceptional, and the innovative new gimbal design allows for full rotation of the three cameras alongside landscape and portrait format shooting.

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