London · FPV and drone guide for filmmakers
“FPV gives you energy. A camera drone gives you the shot you can promise in the brief.”
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the drone you bring when the client needs wide, steady, high-resolution aerials, a tight shot from a long way off, or footage after sunset. Here is what its three cameras are good for on a commercial video, what our own zoom and night tests showed, and how to decide between a camera drone and FPV on a paid job.
The Mavic 4 Pro's triple camera, from our first look in July 2025 · SwainUK
01 · The cameras
Three cameras, three jobs
The Mavic 4 Pro carries three cameras on one gimbal. Think of them as a wide, a short tele and a long tele, the way you would pack lenses for a ground camera.
| Camera | Sensor and focal length | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Hasselblad main | 4/3 CMOS, 100MP, 28mm equivalent, 6K up to 60fps | Establishing shots, landscapes, property, anything that needs the cleanest image |
| Medium tele | 1/1.3-inch, 48MP, 70mm equivalent, 4K up to 120fps | People and buildings with less distortion; slow, compressed orbits |
| Tele | 1/1.5-inch, 50MP, 168mm equivalent, 4K up to 120fps | Tight framing from far away, parallax shots, details you can't fly close to |
All three record 10-bit, with D-Log, D-Log M and HLG, so the footage can be graded alongside a cinema camera. The gimbal is what DJI calls an Infinity Gimbal, with 360° rotation, and the drone weighs about 1,063g with a quoted flight time of up to 51 minutes.
Sources: DJI, Mavic 4 Pro specs · DJI, Mavic 4 Pro.
02 · Zoom
Mavic 4 Pro zoom: get close without flying close
From our Mavic 4 Pro zoom test: top-down over tennis courts, switching between the cameras.
In our zoom test, the drone stayed high over a row of tennis courts while we switched between the cameras and then moved straight towards the players. On the lake test, the frame showed swimmers in the middle of the water, and when the camera pulled back it was obvious how far away the drone really was. That's the point of the tele cameras: the frame looks close while the drone keeps a sensible distance.
Distance from people
The tele helps you respect the minimum distances from uninvolved people. It doesn't replace them. The drone rules guide covers the UK and Dubai.
Privacy
A long lens makes strangers recognisable. Keep the public out of client footage, or get releases.
Wind shows on the tele
Any wobble is magnified at 168mm. Fly slowly and give the gimbal time to settle before you record.
ND filters still matter
Our lake flight used ND filters for a natural shutter speed, the same principle as on the Avata 2.
03 · The aircraft
Why a camera drone feels like "cheating"
In the air, and the sensors underneath that make it so forgiving.
After months of learning FPV, the Mavic 4 Pro felt so easy that one of our Shorts is titled "I thought I was cheating". It has omnidirectional obstacle sensing with forward LiDAR, holds its position by itself, and in another test we filmed the automatic return-to-home bringing it back. For a client, that reliability is the point: you can promise the shot.
It is also a much bigger aircraft than an FPV drone. At around a kilogram, with large propellers, it belongs in open air above the action, not threading through a crowd.
04 · Night
Mavic 4 Pro at night, and the Mini 4 Pro alternative
DJI describes the Mavic 4 Pro's obstacle sensing as working down to 0.1 lux, which it calls Nightscape. That doesn't make night flying careless: the light on the ground still decides how clean the image is, and the rules for flying at night still apply. Scout in daylight, note every obstacle, and fly the same path again after dark.
The DJI Mini 4 Pro on a 2km flight in Verona.
For travel, the DJI Mini 4 Pro is the lighter option: under 249g, a 1/1.3-inch 48MP camera, omnidirectional sensing and a night video mode, which we used to film a marquee event after dark. It still needs a Flyer ID and an Operator ID in the UK because it carries a camera.
Sources: DJI, Mavic 4 Pro (0.1-lux Nightscape sensing) · DJI, Mini 4 Pro specs.
05 · On a paid job
Camera drone or FPV: how to decide for a commercial video
| If the brief needs | Use |
|---|---|
| A wide establishing shot of a building, venue or landscape | Camera drone, main camera |
| A tight shot of something you can't fly close to | Camera drone, tele |
| Movement through a space: doors, corridors, between people | FPV |
| Energy, speed, a chase or a dive | FPV |
| Golden hour and blue hour cityscapes | Camera drone |
| One continuous take that ties a venue together | FPV, planned and rehearsed |
On many jobs the answer is both: the camera drone opens and closes the film, and FPV carries the middle. For the FPV side, see Avata 2 vs Avata 360 vs Neo and FPV for brands and fashion. For crewing a shoot in the city, the London commercial guide covers permits and planning. The zoom and night tests are on Joshua's FPV channel, Swainuk FPV.
Watch
Mavic 4 Pro and Mini 4 Pro tests
First look at the Mavic 4 Pro
Mavic 4 Pro zoom test
How far away is it really?
I thought I was cheating
Mavic 4 Pro return-to-home
Mini 4 Pro night mode at an event
Mini 4 Pro, 2km over Verona
Aerial for Reebok x CAFCMore guides
Keep reading
FAQ
Common questions
Is the DJI Mavic 4 Pro good for filmmaking?
Yes. Its 100MP 4/3 Hasselblad camera records 6K up to 60fps in 10-bit with D-Log and D-Log M, and two tele cameras give you 70mm and 168mm equivalent framing.
How good is the Mavic 4 Pro zoom?
The 168mm tele lets you frame tightly from a long way off, which helps with safe distances. Wind and vibration show more at that length, so fly slowly.
Can the Mavic 4 Pro fly at night?
DJI says its obstacle sensing works down to 0.1 lux. You still need to follow the night flying rules and scout the location in daylight first.
Should I use a camera drone or FPV for a commercial video?
Use a camera drone for wide, stable and tele shots, and FPV for movement through spaces and energy. Many commercial videos use both.
Written by Joshua Swain, who flies FPV and camera drones for commercial work in London. More flights are in the FPV and drone portfolio.