MANILA -- Two of the hottest portable camera drones have just been launched in the Philippines. After their international debut last month, DJI launched the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom.

As a user of the DJI Spark, a mini drone that features many of DJI's signature technologies, I was excited to see what the latest models have in store for users.

The Mavic Pro 2 is world's first drone with an integrated Hasselblad camera, while the Mavic 2 Zoom is the world's first foldable consumer drone with optical zoom capability. Flight time was also beefed up to 31 minutes from the previous Mavic Pro’s 27 minutes.

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This is the new #DJI Mavic 2. Available as the Pro Edition with a @Hasselblad camera and 1" CMOS sensor and the Zoom Edition with 4x lossless zoom in full HD video, you won't find any better tools to add to your kit. #SeeTheBiggerPicture

A post shared by DJI (@djiglobal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 10:52am PDT

Designed for professionals, aerial photographers, videographers and content creators, DJI said the Mavic 2s are the most advanced camera drones they’ve built with a host of intelligent features.

Travel bloggers, vloggers and tech journalists got to briefly pilot the drones during the recent launch held by DJI in collaboration with ICT distributor MSI-ECS Philippines to test out its new features.

The brief drone test was not enough to whet our appetite, but it did give us a glimpse into what these new machines are capable of.

“When the Mavic Pro was launched two years ago, it redefined the way people looked at a drone and expanded possibilities for creators around the world,” said Kevin On, global communication director at DJI.

With the popularity of video content on social media, they expect the Mavic 2 series to usher in a new era of aerial photography for personal and commercial use.

"The Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom will enable photographers and videographers to take their inspirations to the air quickly and elevate their creative ideas to new heights."

Co-engineered with Hasselblad, which is known for medium format photography, DJI said the Mavic 2 Pro provides outstanding image quality. It has an adjustable aperture which provides greater control across a variety of lighting conditions, and can capture 20-megapixel photos.

Its camera also captures four times as many levels of color per channel compared to the first generation Mavic Pro, providing greater flexibility for photo and video editing.

Meanwhile, the Mavic 2 Zoom allows users to get closer shots of their subjects via its 2X optical zoom (24-48 mm) and 2X digital zoom to simulate a 96mm telephoto lens.

This allows users to shoot vivid 12-megapixel photos as well as stitch together photos for a highly detailed 48-megapixel image, making it an ideal option for landscape photography, DJI said.

Exclusive to the Mavic 2 Zoom is a the new Dolly Zoom QuickShot mode that makes the camera automatically zoom in on its subject while moving away from it. This creates a bizarre perspective where the background seems to expand while the subject remains the same size. The technique was invented by a camera man on Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” and is usually seen only in professional cinematography.

Both Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom can capture RAW photos and 4K video in various formats including MP4 and MOV. With these new capabilities, these new drones are like DSLRs with wings.

The retail price of a basic package Mavic 2 Pro is P98,800, while the Mavic 2 Zoom will set you back P76,300. The basic package includes 1 battery, remote controller, charger, and 4 pairs of propellers.

But as someone who has used drones, you’ll probably want to add a Fly More Kit, which includes two additional batteries, a multi-battery charging hub, a car charger, a battery to power bank adapter, two pairs of propellers and a carrying pack. You will have to shell out an additional P23,100 for the package, but the ability to swap batteries and charge on-the-go can spell the difference between getting an awesome shot and going home with mediocre footage.

DJI also announced that a gimbal replacement service exclusively for Mavic 2 will be available soon.

Last summer, we pushed the DJI Spark to the limit while shooting ABS-CBN News Digital’s series on The Next Boracay. I can just imagine how much more awesome the footage would have been with the Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom.