 The pair just released its second attempt at a drone tailored more towards travelers and videographers called Anafi. Now I had to test two units because the first one that I got wasn't working that well and the second unit that I got works a little bit better than that one. Anafi does introduce three features that you can't find anywhere else, but is it enough to rival DJI? It is so close to being good, but there are a lot of quirks that I just can't ignore. Disregarding the software issues I had, there are also design decisions that I just don't agree with. Let's start with the hardware. When unfolded and ready to fly, the carbon body with glass fiber is similar in size to the Mavic Air, but when packed up for travel, the Anafi is noticeably larger and just harder to fit in a bag. The SD card slot is placed under the battery in a lockable tray that reminds me of this old SIM tray you would find in Nokia phones. Also there's no way to check the battery level once the battery is plugged into the drone, but at least it lasts a little bit longer than the Mavic Air does. There is no internal storage in the drone, so forgetting an SD card, which happens more than any of us would like to admit to, becomes an issue. Although it's nice that there is a 16GB SD card included in the box. But the most important feature when it comes to drones designed for videographers is the image quality. And this is where Anafi shines. Its 4K 100Mbps bitrate footage looks great. I also prefer Anafi's flat profile better than the Mavic Air, which kinda helps me in color correcting in post. The ability to shoot HDR video is one of the three features that you can't find anywhere else on the drones in this price range. But I'm just not happy with how that footage looks. It's a little bit too noisy, a little over too saturated, and just looks unnatural. The Anafi's second standout feature is the ability to shoot upwards, so you can tilt the camera 180 degrees and shoot up towards the sky. It's nice, but I haven't really found a lot of use out of it. And the last unique feature, also my favorite, is Anafi's ability to digitally zoom without losing quality. While filming in 4K, you can zoom up to 1.3x, and if you're filming in 1080p, it goes up to 2.8x. Even though I can do similar things in post-processing by shooting in 4K and down-resing the 1080p, I really like that feature because it kinda puts you in a mindset where you frame your shots differently, and nowadays, drone footage is becoming very repetitive and recognizable. Being able to change your aesthetic without having to buy a more expensive drone with interchangeable lenses is a welcoming change. Let's go back to the things that I didn't like about this drone. When left in hover mode, it was kinda drifting away from me, which is mildly scary. When shooting HDR, which only works in 4K by the way, it was hard to tell when it was on or off, and some of the settings that I chose never got applied to the files, and some of those files were also just gone. A lot of the issues that I just listed can be fixed with a software update, but it makes for a stressful piloting experience. Every time I switch back to my Mavic Air, piloting is fun again. Anafi lacks that confidence, and with good reason. One time when I was testing its sensor at the bottom of the drone, just by putting my hand underneath it, the drone just went flying in circles. Finally, it crashed into a tree. Luckily, that wasn't the case with the new unit. Let's talk about the remote controller you get. It is massive. It does feel good in your hands, however, but be prepared for it to take up a lot of space in your bag. Ever since DJI introduced removable joysticks, it's hard to get used to anything else. The phone holder also doubles as an antenna, and despite a few bad connections I initially had, the wifi connection otherwise was stable throughout. If you don't want to carry this big ol' remote, you can fly your Anafi with your phone as well. Alright, now the battery. It is a little bit better than what you get with the Mavic Air. It's 25 minutes, and I think that's really a good spot for the drones that are meant for travelers and people on the go. And the fact that both battery and the remote can be charged through USB-C means you can easily charge it in your car or with an external battery pack. So that definitely saved my ass a couple of times, and you don't get that luxury with DJI drones where you gotta spend some money to get all the add-on accessories with it. Honestly, I had high hopes for this drone, and I really want all these software issues to get sorted out because this drone has a lot of potential, and we do need another player in this space. Competition is good. It forces you to get better, and it forces you to get more innovative. In the world of drones, DJI is a clear market leader, but with Anafi, Parrot has made the best competitor for DJI in years. Coupled with all the unique features, this drone is actually gonna appeal to a lot of people, but considering it's only $100 less, is it worth taking that risk? So there's a ton more detail in the written post, so go check that out. If you have any other questions, just leave them in the comments, and I'll get back to you. Bye. Bye. See ya. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold.