DJY Mavic Air: any good?

MapisM

MapisM

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I'll fly to the US in Feb, and while googling for some other stuff that I'm thinking to buy there, I came across the Mavic Air.
At 800 bucks (or 1000 for the combo with case, spare batteries, props, and other stuff), and with the help of a relatively weak USD, I'm a bit tempted...
So, instead of studying the specs in detail, I thought that I could as well exploit the vast drone knowledge of the many experts around here!
Thanks in advance for any views & suggestions, folks.
 
MapisM said:
I'll fly to the US in Feb, and while googling for some other stuff that I'm thinking to buy there, I came across the Mavic Air.
At 800 bucks (or 1000 for the combo with case, spare batteries, props, and other stuff), and with the help of a relatively weak USD, I'm a bit tempted...
So, instead of studying the specs in detail, I thought that I could as well exploit the vast drone knowledge of the many experts around here!
Thanks in advance for any views & suggestions, folks.
Click to expand...

P
It’s Wifi only which is going to be the main problem, I’ve had ‘fly aways’ on the earlier Phantoms but never lost the connection of the radio controlled Mavic Pro.

(It’ll be far easier for Portifino to down with his spy gear;) ).

It’s smaller of course so that’s a plus but the battery life is 25% down on the Mavic Pro.

Picture quality looks comparable to the Mavic Pro, but nowhere near the Phantom Pro.

I’d pay the extra $$ and get the Mavic Pro, make sure to pay for the after care, whichever one you buy.
 
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MapisM said:
I'll fly to the US in Feb, and while googling for some other stuff that I'm thinking to buy there, I came across the Mavic Air.
At 800 bucks (or 1000 for the combo with case, spare batteries, props, and other stuff), and with the help of a relatively weak USD, I'm a bit tempted...
So, instead of studying the specs in detail, I thought that I could as well exploit the vast drone knowledge of the many experts around here!
Thanks in advance for any views & suggestions, folks.
Click to expand...

This guy flies and breaks lots of drones he did not believe the WiFi was an issue with the Air -have a look here LINKY

He is also a filmmaker and is very happy with the picture quality.
 
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NormanB said:
This guy flies and breaks lots of drones he did not believe the WiFi was an issue with the Air -have a look here LINKY

He is also a filmmaker and is very happy with the picture quality.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link
I was/am seriously interested in this new drone.
I haven't replaced my Mavic Pro since it went swimming last summer.
I really do want to replace it but I haven't actually needed one since the end of last summer.
It would have been great to have had one in the few weeks after my Mavic accident but I've not really needed one so far.

That said, when this new Mavic Air came out, I thought that would be the one.
But after watching the clip above, I'm thinking that a straight replacement might be better.
I still have a couple of batteries for the Mavic Pro and filters etc.
So, maybe I will just replace the old one with the Mavic Pro or Mavic Pro 2
 
They were doing a deal in Jessops the other day on these for pre-order, less than £800 iirc but cannot find the email.
 
still no one done a swimming drone?
or a floating REUSEABLE one??
I still find them too expensive for possibly a few mins worth of video (I mean in their entire life...)

What if you spray one with these special blue can sprays that you can dunk your 220V drill in the water or a light bulb with its fixture and they still work? you know what I mean...

V.
 
vas said:
still no one done a swimming drone?
or a floating REUSEABLE one??
I still find them too expensive for possibly a few mins worth of video (I mean in their entire life...)

What if you spray one with these special blue can sprays that you can dunk your 220V drill in the water or a light bulb with its fixture and they still work? you know what I mean...

V.
Click to expand...

Waterproof drones do exist but after owning a DJI, I wonder if they are as good.

Spray interesting idea
I agree that these things dont last long but the footage that they produce adds to the memories and thats what life is all about - having memories of the things you enjoy.
 
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My 11 year old wanted a camera drone for xmas, and I wasn't going to spend close to a thousand pounds on one, so after a bit of research I bought a Hubsan H105S X4. It has full HD video, and GPS in both the unit and the handset so it's incredibly easy to fly. It has a full suite of functions, including follow me and circle fly, both of which are great for boating videos, plus return to home to make landing easy.

It even has a built in LCD screen in the remote, so no messing around with phone apps. Range is about 500m, though you can get an upgraded handset to increase that. You can buy them for as little as £165, although I paid a bit more from a UK supplier.

I can't comment on long term reliability yet as we've only had it a month, but it seems well made so if anyone wants a cheap drone for a bit of fun and to grab some video of their boat without spending too much, I think it's a great option.
 
Nick_H said:
I bought a Hubsan H105S X4
Click to expand...
I googled for it, I guess it's the 501 you're talking about, not 105, right?
Anyhow, that's indeed interesting, thanks for the pointer.
A good example of how often you can get 80% of the result with 20% of the cost!
At first glance, the major difference vs. the more sophisticated stuff seems to be the lack of gimbal stabilization.
How smooth/stable are the clips that you get out of it?

In the meantime, I also came across the GoPro Karma, which looks another interesting alternative to the Mavic Air.
It's bigger and similarly expensive, but the fact that it's built around the Hero 5/6 gives the nice flexibility of using also the standalone camera for u/w shooting etc.
And if it would hit the water, at least the camera itself could be recovered... :rolleyes:
Did anyone have a chance to try, or at least hear about, this Karma thing and its pros/cons vs. the Mavic?
 
Karma is discontinued - stay clear imho. It lost out to DJI big time, too big, too expensive and too late...
The only alternative to Mavic air is the the Pro or the Spark, (hd only), but for many that’s fine.

The DJI software is second to none and constantly updated, trick shots are wonderful and there’s loads of 3rd party accessories.
 
Good to know, thanks. But just out of curiosity, in which ways exactly is/was the Karma inferior?
I understand that it's larger and heavier, but at 1k$ including a Hero6 and a lot of accessories, it actually looks reasonably priced, considering that you can also use the camera standalone.
And with the rather peculiar possibility to detach the camera gimbal stabilizer from the drone and use it while shooting by hand.
I'm asking because I appreciate that DJI is the drones leader, I guess for some good reason.
But if I'm buying one of these toys, all I'm interested in is that it does what it says on the tin, regardless of brand... :)
 
Hurricane said:
Waterproof drones do exist but after owning a DJI, I wonder if they are as good.

Spray interesting idea
I agree that these things dont last long but the footage that they produce adds to the memories and thats what life is all about - having memories of the things you enjoy.
Click to expand...

fully agree, but here the big point is WHAT memoires they leave behind:
the money wasted,
or
nice shots

:D

that's my problem, I'll have a look at what Nick suggests and decide!

cheers

V
 
MapisM said:
Good to know, thanks. But just out of curiosity, in which ways exactly is/was the Karma inferior?
I understand that it's larger and heavier, but at 1k$ including a Hero6 and a lot of accessories, it actually looks reasonably priced, considering that you can also use the camera standalone.
And with the rather peculiar possibility to detach the camera gimbal stabilizer from the drone and use it while shooting by hand.
I'm asking because I appreciate that DJI is the drones leader, I guess for some good reason.
But if I'm buying one of these toys, all I'm interested in is that it does what it says on the tin, regardless of brand... :)
Click to expand...
Pretty decent comparison here
https://www.drone-world.com/dji-mavic-pro-vs-gopro-karma
DJI are so established now - their customer support is wonderful. They’ve replaced 2 drones for me, (one fly away, one bird strike) and the continuous software updates make for some great treats as the OS develops.

Back to the Mavic Pro, the importance of the UHF range shouldn’t be ignored and the extra 6 or 7 minutes of battery life will mean far less return to homes, (something that is truely wonderful on the Pro unless you are on a boat!).
 
Yup, all understood, though I can't help thinking that the Karma would suit my wishes better in more ways than one.
At least, as far as I can tell after reading just a few reviews. To summarize my understanding:
- strictly considering the drone features, the Mavic is hands down better. But it's not like I'm looking for a sophisticated flying experience - rather the opposite, in a sense...
- the remote is also much better and more flexible in the Mavic, but I actually like the all in one simplicity and practicality of the Karma remote.
- otoh, the GoPro6 image quality is allegedly superior to the one of the DJI camera, particularly for dynamic range. And I did already notice it to be pretty poor in any Phantom videos, also the best ones posted here in the past. And personally, I'd rather have better images than better flying performances. I also like the much wider FOV of the Karma, btw.
- even if it isn't my primary goal, I'm sure I would find occasions to use also the GoPro standalone, something the Mavic doesn't allow.
Bottom line, smaller size/weight is probably the only Mavic feature that I would miss by going for the Karma.
Decisions, decisions... Oh, well. Maybe I will eventually give the Hubsan thing that NH suggested a try! :D
 
MapisM said:
I googled for it, I guess it's the 501 you're talking about, not 105, right?
Anyhow, that's indeed interesting, thanks for the pointer.
A good example of how often you can get 80% of the result with 20% of the cost!
At first glance, the major difference vs. the more sophisticated stuff seems to be the lack of gimbal stabilization.
How smooth/stable are the clips that you get out of it?

In the meantime, I also came across the GoPro Karma, which looks another interesting alternative to the Mavic Air.
It's bigger and similarly expensive, but the fact that it's built around the Hero 5/6 gives the nice flexibility of using also the standalone camera for u/w shooting etc.
And if it would hit the water, at least the camera itself could be recovered... :rolleyes:
Did anyone have a chance to try, or at least hear about, this Karma thing and its pros/cons vs. the Mavic?
Click to expand...

Yes, the 501, and yes, the main difference is that it doesn't have a gimbal. That means the camera angle is fixed, though seems to work quite well for most purposes. When you move the drone from stationary the picture jumps as the drone tilts, but in stable flight the image is pretty good. You can obviously edit out the jump later. The circle view and follow me modes are really effective because the drone stays at a constant speed and angle. If you want broadcast quality footage then the DJI is obviously better, but for some decent HD video of your own boat the Hubsan drone is great.

It's also really quiet, which is a big plus in a quiet anchorage, and you can fit prop guards which was a key feature for me as I was buying it for an 11 year old, albeit a very careful and responsible one.
 
Still own my year old Mavic Pro, which will happily zing a few kilometres away in the deepest countryside, and respond perfectly, offering 4K video and unmatched features.

Yet the new kid on the block will match it in many ways and still slip into a shirt pocket!

Thats normal progress for DJi, and the reason people don't buy Phantoms any more.

However, I would imagine you can still buy a Mavic for the same money in reality and there are still a few advantages if you're making multiple flights with the Mavic's replacable battery.

The Hubsnan thing doesn't really get a look-in with a 1axis camera gimble, bog standard hd camera and £250 price tag. It's like comparing a Bayliner with a Fairline squadron...

The two DJi Drones have many similar specs, and a few different open, I would see which of those interests you most :encouragement:
 
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