I finally broke down and purchased the RC controller for my Air2s.  One key feature I was looking forward to using was the zoom motion dial.  I had several succesful flights but, I could never zoom so obviously I thought I was the problem.  I did an online chat session and we tried to troubleshoot but ultimately I sent it back and received the replacement today.


I could not get it to pair which then taught me the importance of downloading the desktop DJI Assistant to update both the drone and the controller.  I was not familiar with that process versus always updating via the app/controller with my phone. Everything got updated and I was able to pair.


So, I just went to fly the drone and EXACTLY the same behavior with the controller.  I saw a youtube video of a guy in the UK where there is sort of a sliding distance scale just to the left of the red video recording button.  On both controller  it just shows Auto, or if you click it goes to a mountain graphic or a headshot graphic.  But, the zoom dial does not work AGAIN.  


The owners manual mentions very little about this zoom feature.  Why is that?  If fact, I had to learn that the zoom only works with video.  The only way I knew there was a zoom feature on my Air2s was I did a mastershot composition and part of that included zooming which was cool.

I went into the camera settings and I cannot toggle MP4 to MOV to troubleshoot.  Also, the various film capture optins (which I know the other options do not work with the zoom) but, those are greyed out as well.

I really like having a controller now because the connection is much better but, why offer this zoom if it does not work with the Air2s?  I sort of feel I should get a discount for a degraded product.

Hello, there. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will look into your question first and try to find a solution for you.  

May we know do you have some videos or any clip that can illustrate your issue better. On the other side, we can consult your issue with our engineers smoothly?

DJI Wanda Posted at 3-24 04:37
May we know do you have some videos or any clip that can illustrate your issue better. On the other side, we can consult your issue with our engineers smoothly?

I will shoot some video this weekend with a GoPro on my head pointing down at the controller while I am flying so the engineers and visually see what I am seeing.

vegasphotog Posted at 3-24 05:08
I will shoot some video this weekend with a GoPro on my head pointing down at the controller while I am flying so the engineers and visually see what I am seeing.

Thank you in advance.

Ok, I edited the thread title...as I originally posted this, I was working on another project with slo motion.  So, this thread is all about the zoom feature not working with the RC controller and my air2s.  Here is a video I shot today....super boring but maybe it helps to see that I think I am doing everything correctly but the zoom dial does not work and pinching the screen does not work.

vegasphotog Posted at 3-26 12:06
Ok, I edited the thread title...as I originally posted this, I was working on another project with slo motion.  So, this thread is all about the zoom feature not working with the RC controller and my air2s.  Here is a video I shot today....super boring but maybe it helps to see that I think I am doing everything correctly but the zoom dial does not work and pinching the screen does not work.

YouTube Video

Sorry for the late response. Please reply to our thread directly so that we can receive a notification and reply to you in time.
After watching your video, we would assume that your settings do not meet the zoom requirements of DJI Air2s. Because of the image quality, we can not see clearly what settings you adjust to. Please check the information we given below and try again.
For the DJI Air 2S, it supports zooming up to 8x, but it does not support zooming in or out when shooting 10-bit or 120fps videos. The detailed scale factors in each shooting mode are as follows:

(1) When recording a 1080p video at 24 to 30fps, the zoom can range from 1x to 8x. When shooting at 48 to 60fps, the zoom can range from 1x to 6x.

(2) When recording a 2.7K video at 24 to 30fps, the zoom can range from 1x to 6x. When shooting at 48 to 60fps, the zoom can range from 1x to 4.2x.

(3) When recording a 4K video at 24 to 30fps, the zoom can range from 1x to 4.3x. When shooting at 48 to 60fps, the aircraft does not support zooming in or out.

(4) When shooting a 5.4K video, the aircraft does not support zooming in or out.

(5) When shooting 1080p videos either at 120 fps or in HDR/D-log/HLG mode, the aircraft does not support zooming in or out.

3. DJI Air 2S does not support zoom in photo mode, and DJI Air 2S does not support zoom in MasterShots.

ah HAH!  That makes perfect sense.  I have never changed the resolution for video before because as a photographer I always think in terms of highest resolution possible.  But, I also understand this is a digital zoom feature, not an optical zoom feature. I found how to change the video resolution and I suspect the zoom wheel will work as it is supposed to.  I will try it out later today and report back.