The DJI Mavic 4 Pro zooms up to 24x. It has three cameras with fixed lenses: a 28 mm Hasselblad camera (1x), a 70 mm medium tele (2.5x) and a 168 mm tele (6x). DJI Fly fills the gaps with digital zoom, from 1x to 2.5x on the main camera, 2.5x to 6x on the medium tele, and 6x to 24x on the tele. There's no optical zoom lens; the sharpest images come at exactly 1x, 2.5x and 6x.
How Mavic 4 Pro zoom works
| Zoom | Camera used | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1x | 28 mm Hasselblad, 4/3 | Native, sharpest |
| 1.1x to 2.4x | Hasselblad | Digital crop |
| 2.5x | 70 mm medium tele | Native |
| 2.6x to 5.9x | Medium tele | Digital crop |
| 6x | 168 mm tele | Native |
| 6.1x to 24x | Tele | Digital crop |
Each tele is a separate camera with its own sensor, not a crop of the main one. The 168 mm is 6 times the main camera's focal length, which is why it starts at 6x.
How far can you see?
Detail depends on distance, light and resolution, so there's no single answer. As a rule:
- 1x, 2.5x and 6x give full-quality footage. Use them freely.
- Up to roughly 12x on the tele is usable for scouting and social clips, with visible softening.
- Near 24x is for checking what something is, not for final footage.
DJI Fly shows the current zoom level on screen. Available digital zoom can be lower in some video modes and frame rates.
Camera differences that matter
- Light: the 4/3 main camera gathers far more light than either tele. At dusk, stay at 1x and use the teles for brighter scenes.
- Dynamic range: DJI quotes up to 15.5 stops on the main camera, 14.5 on the 70 mm and 13.5 on the 168 mm.
- Slow motion: 4K/120 on the main and 70 mm cameras, 4K/100 on the 168 mm.
- Vertical video: 4K vertical on the main camera, 2.7K vertical on both teles. See Mavic 4 Pro vertical.
- Tracking: DJI says the tele camera supports only Spotlight in FocusTrack. Use the main or 70 mm camera for ActiveTrack. See Mavic 4 Pro ActiveTrack.
- Panoramas: Free Panorama works on all three cameras. A 168 mm pano of a skyline holds far more detail. See Mavic 4 Pro panorama.
How to zoom
Use the zoom control in the DJI Fly camera view to jump between cameras or step through zoom levels. On the DJI RC 2 and RC Pro 2 you can also customize the C1 and C2 buttons and the right dial in DJI Fly for faster control.
Tips for sharp tele shots
- Stay at a native step (2.5x or 6x) for anything that matters, and move closer legally rather than zooming further.
- Wind shows more at 168 mm. Fly in calmer air and slow your stick inputs.
- Use ND filters to keep a natural shutter speed on all three cameras. See Mavic 4 Pro ND filters.
- Use Subject Focusing, which DJI says works across all three cameras, for close-ups of a distant subject.
- Tele compression flattens depth. Use it to stack mountains, city layers or a car against a backdrop.
Zoom and privacy
A 168 mm lens makes it easy to film from far away, but privacy laws still apply. Don't film people where they expect privacy, such as through windows or into backyards. See drone privacy laws.
For zoom on other DJI drones, read how to zoom on a DJI drone. Want three focal lengths in one drone? See the DJI Mavic 4 Pro.
Related guides
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro zoom: how far can the camera zoom?
- DJI Mini 5 Pro zoom: how far can the camera zoom?
- DJI Mavic 3 Classic zoom: how far can the camera zoom?
- DJI Mini 4 Pro zoom: how far can the camera zoom?
- How far can the DJI Mavic 4 Pro fly? Range and transmission explained
- Best DJI Mavic 4 Pro camera settings for photo and video
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