DJI Mavic 4 Pro First Look Review – D-Log 10-Bit on All Cameras, 6K Video, and a Fully Rotating Gimbal

by Nino LeitnerMay 13^th, 2025

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Finally, true 10-bit D-Log across all three cameras, better image quality, and full 360-degree gimbal movement — including native vertical shooting. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro steps things up in a big way. With a brand-new RC Pro 2 controller in the mix, this drone is clearly aimed at high-end creators. We put it through its paces — here is our full review on the Mavic 4 Pro!

DJI’s new flagship drone in their foldable series: the Mavic 4 Pro. After months of rumors and anticipation, it’s finally here.

While this isn’t a full review of the Mavic 4 Pro just yet, I’ve spent enough time with it to know one thing: my trusted Mavic 3 Pro will likely stay grounded going forward. If you want more info on the specs and such, please head over to my colleague Jakub’s article here.

Shortcomings of the Mavic 3 Pro

The previous model, the Mavic 3 Pro, was a game-changer when it launched, thanks to its three-camera setup — including a 24mm wide-angle, which is the best camera on any DJI drone, with D-Log, a 70mm medium telephoto with D-Log M, and a 168mm long telephoto with no flat profile support at all.

While sometimes that super long focal length would be amazing for close-ups of buildings or people far away, giving amazing opportunities for parallax movements, relying only on a contrasty standard picture profile and relatively low image quality made it more of a gimmick rather than a usable professional camera. 

True D-Log across all three cameras

With the Mavic 4 Pro, DJI has finally delivered. All three cameras now support D-Log, D-Log M, HLG, and Standard profiles — and better yet, these settings carry over when switching between lenses.
This makes a huge difference for professional color grading, especially for teams handing footage over to editors. No more explaining mismatched picture profiles. It just works.

Image quality of the Mavic 4 Pro

DJI has significantly improved the image quality across all three cameras. The main camera now has a 28mm equivalent field of view — slightly narrower than the previous 24mm — but it retains a variable aperture from f/2.0 to f/11, making it a full stop faster. It still uses a 4/3 CMOS sensor, again branded Hasselblad, but now boasts a 100-megapixel resolution. While that’s more relevant for photographers seeking ultra-high-resolution aerial stills than us filmmakers, it’s still a noteworthy upgrade.

For filmmakers, the more important change is that the main camera now records 6K at up to 60 frames per second, up from 5.1K 50fps on the Mavic 3 Pro. In slow-motion mode, it can shoot up to 120fps in 4K.

The medium telephoto camera remains largely the same, featuring a 70mm equivalent field of view with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and a fixed f/2.8 aperture. It records in 4K at up to 100 frames per second in high-speed modes. According to DJI, image quality has been improved thanks to a new image processing engine.

The long telephoto camera, however, looks considerably better. Image quality has clearly improved, with reduced rolling shutter, likely due to a newly optimized gimbal algorithm specifically developed for this lens. The sensor has been upgraded to a 1/1.5-inch format, still with a fixed f/2.8 aperture, and now delivers 4K at up to 100 fps in slow-motion modes.

The larger sensor and faster aperture have an immediate effect on picture quality. While the long telephoto lens on the Mavic 3 Pro always seemed like an afterthought, only good for spotting things on the ground but not recording, it has now become a tele camera that can be used for production shots, partly thanks to the introduction of D-Log. 

A fully rotating gimbal for Dutch angles and vertical video

One of the most apparent changes in the design of the Mavic Pro 4 is the 360-degree rotating gimbal holding the three cameras. And there’s a good reason for that: This is the first DJI drone that offers full 360-degree rotation in the gimbal for insane-looking Dutch angles.

It’s a look we have only known from FPV drones that are capable of doing full rotations, and now it’s built directly into the Mavic Pro 4’s gimbal. This opens up some great creative opportunities. I played with the mode a bit, and it makes for some really interesting and disorienting angles for your productions. We all know how tricky it is to get a proper Dutch angle shot with a traditional camera setup on a tripod — now, you have that ability built into your drone. It gives your footage a touch of FPV flying without having to actually fly an FPV drone. 

The full gimbal rotation brings two additional advantages: First, it enables extremely low-angle shots as the gimbal can point up to 70 degrees upwards without getting the props into the frame. Second, it allows for true vertical shooting across all three cameras: With the press of a button, the gimbal rotates 90 degrees, and all the resolutions and frame rates are available in vertical mode without cropping the horizontal image. 

Low-light performance

While I haven’t had enough time to fully test low-light capabilities, DJI claims significant improvements: Better obstacle avoidance with omnidirectional sensing, and even cinematic tracking in low light. ActiveTrack 360 keeps subjects in frame even when partially obscured, and recognizes cars up to 200m away.

File compatibility

Everything about the DJI Mavic 4 Pro so far sounds amazing, right? Well, let’s talk about one downside that will affect my regular shooting for sure: file compatibility.

When recording 6K at 60fps (H.264 All-I or H.265), only Premiere Pro and Handbrake could read the files properly. Even on a top-spec MacBook Pro M2 Max that usually cuts through any kind of footage in an instant, transcoding took hours. Dropping the resolution to 4K 60fps made transcoding five times as fast. Clearly, something’s not right — whether it’s a codec issue or a lack of QuickTime support, it’s a workflow headache.

Still no ProRes and no “Cine” version

This leads me to one of the biggest downsides of the Mavic 4 Pro: no ProRes recording. My Mavic 3 Pro Cine has a built-in 1TB SSD and supports all major ProRes formats (except RAW). These codecs are far easier to work with in post. ProRes is versatile and can be processed in any NLE without a hitch, and I don’t know why there isn’t a Cine version of the Mavic 4 Pro.

The Mavic 4 Pro only comes in two versions: 64GB internal storage and 512GB internal storage (required for H.264 All-I). I tested the 512GB version, but I’d happily trade H.264 All-I for ProRes support. Let’s hope DJI either releases a Cine version of the Mavic 4 Pro or enables ProRes via a firmware update, because dealing with high-resolution and high frame rate clips in H.264 and H.265 is simply putting unnecessary strain on our computers, which costs time in post-production. 

Smarter, brighter remote: the RC Pro

But let’s move on to some more innovations by DJI — the redesigned controller, the RC Pro 2. The 7-inch Mini-LED display with 2000 nits offers great visibility even in direct sunlight. By lifting the display, you uncover the sticks and other buttons underneath, making the collapsible design both clever and intuitive.

No more fiddling with attaching the joysticks every time you unpack the controller. Rotate the screen by 90 degrees, and the gimbal rotates with it, allowing you to natively shoot vertical video.

The RC Pro 2 also has a built-in mic and can directly connect to a DJI Mic 2 to record audio. 

Battery life and transmission upgrade

Not that the 43-minute flight time of the Mavic 3 Pro wasn’t enough, but the new 95Wh batteries in the Mavic 4 Pro push that up to 51 minutes in one go. DJI has also upgraded the transmission system to O4+, offering 10-bit HDR image transmission of up to 30km.

But it’s not just about the range; the real benefit here is the increased reliability. Even in areas with heavy signal interference, the connection holds strong, making disconnections far less likely.

Final thoughts

There’s still a lot more to explore, but the DJI Mavic 4 Pro is already shaping up to be an impressive leap forward for professional drone users. Yes, there are workflow concerns with codec support and no ProRes option — but the improved camera quality, creative flexibility, and gimbal innovation are game-changing. If DJI can address the recording format issues, the Mavic 4 Pro might just become the new gold standard. Let me know if you have any further questions, and I’ll try to find out in my future tests.

What do you think of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and my review? Do you own the previous model and are thinking about upgrading? What are some things you’re still missing and would like DJI to integrate?