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Mavic 3 or fake news?

This reaction from DJI if it's indeed true was started because of competition from Skidio 2. Our opinion here on the forums will not change anything. If the M3 indeed is released thousands will be sold whether we care or not. It's the way business works.
 
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True, which is why all the speculation based on past releases probably doesn't count for much - saying the M3 is "overdue" based on the previous release cycles when that cycle was already broken by the M2 is just silly. It could come any time, but hopefully that'll be "when it's ready", and not "when a competitor releases a competing product".

Frankly, it makes sense for DJI to slow down the release cycle a bit in these circumstances, and not just because it reduces the R&D pressure a bit. People are far more likely to accept an smaller incremental upgrade if they feel they've had good value from their current drone, and even more so if it's had enough time to acquire a few dints and scapes.

Competition is what made Mavic Pro so Great. Or a spec vacuum.
There was nothing like it.

It's just another Smartphone now.
Small incremental changes, and lots more "I accept" info given to third parties

"MaviCentiPad" anyone?
 
I'm part of the first batch so I would be able to tell the differences between DJI drones as I pretty much have all the latest consumer ones.
 
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I'm part of the first batch so I would be able to tell the differences between DJI drones as I pretty much have all the latest consumer ones.
Looking forward to your assessment. I see it as primarily a follow me action drone for the selfie crowd, which is what GOPro had hoped the Karma would be. Alas! Skydio 2 can create compelling cool footage while tracking a fast moving subject in tight spaces, but is certainly not a replacement for an M2P. They complement one another. Outside of a forest and away from tight spaces which make tracking difficult, an M2P will certainly produce better quality video, especially in low light and at night.
 
Looking forward to your assessment. I see it as primarily a follow me action drone for the selfie crowd, which is what GOPro had hoped the Karma would be. Alas! Skydio 2 can create compelling cool footage while tracking a fast moving subject in tight spaces, but is certainly not a replacement for an M2P. They complement one another. Outside of a forest and away from tight spaces which make tracking difficult, an M2P will certainly produce better quality video, especially in low light and at night.
13 Stops of HDR and 4K60 could be something to not discount. The only way is to truly compare the results. 1st batch usually has all the problems everyone else later wouldn't have like the S800s crashing all the time, like the antenna issue of the iPhone 4 but I was very first batch and had no problems.. Some people have flyaway issues when drones first came out. A reason why I stayed away from DJI but they have seemed to iron that out completely.
 
13 Stops of HDR and 4K60 could be something to not discount. The only way is to truly compare the results. 1st batch usually has all the problems everyone else later wouldn't have like the S800s crashing all the time, like the antenna issue of the iPhone 4 but I was very first batch and had no problems.. Some people have flyaway issues when drones first came out. A reason why I stayed away from DJI but they have seemed to iron that out completely.
Despite the 4K 60 fps, like the EVO, it's still only a 1/2.3” sensor. The obstacle avoidance cameras will also be useless in the dark. While a follow me action drone would be cool, I don't really have a pressing need for it. The novelty of it would quickly wear off, much like the Dolly Zoom of the M2Z. Similar close shots to obstacles can easily be achieved manually with the M2P, if you know what you are doing.
 
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Despite the 4K 60 fps, like the EVO, it's still only a 1/2.3” sensor. The obstacle avoidance cameras will also be useless in the dark. While a follow me action drone would be cool, I don't really have a pressing need for it. The novelty of it would quickly wear off, much like the Dolly Zoom of the M2Z. Similar close shots to obstacles can easily be achieved manually with the M2P, if you know what you are doing.
If you buy the remote, it’s not just a follow me action camera. It becomes a cinematic drone that uses its advanced obstacle avoidance to assist the pilot from not running into challenging subjects. Also, how much night flying does anyone really do? I mean seriously?
 
If you buy the remote, it’s not just a follow me action camera. It becomes a cinematic drone that uses its advanced obstacle avoidance to assist the pilot from not running into challenging subjects. Also, how much night flying does anyone really do? I mean seriously?
Not disputing that there definitely is a market for it, but no one with an M2P will be selling their M2P to "upgrade" to a Skydio 2. Maybe buying an S2 to complement their M2P, much like I consider my M2Z as a complement to my M2P, when I need optical zoom in good lighting. M2P's obstacle avoidance is quite good enough for every day flying of a cinematic drone. Flying at sunset for the golden light often results in returning in the dark, and night flying may not be legal forever for hobbyists, so do it while you still can! City lights at night are beautiful!
 
With all due respect, returning from within VLOS from a golden hour shot is not flying in the dark. I’ve done the city lights, not my thing; even though M2P is quite good at it.
 
With all due respect, returning from within VLOS from a golden hour shot is not flying in the dark. I’ve done the city lights, not my thing; even though M2P is quite good at it.

+1

I'd always check the legal specifics of whatever country you are in just in case, but in my experience when the say "dark" what they mean is the period between the end of civil twilight and the start of civil twilight the following morning (both the CAA and FAA use this definition). The type is important because it can still seem to be reasonably light during the period following civil twilight, often with some colour in the sky from sunrise/sunset.

Basically, it's the first half of the photographic period known as the "Blue Hour", which is subjective but generally includes the period of nautical twilight as there is usually still some blue colouration in the sky. Note that the actual duration of this period can vary significantly depending on your latitude and time of year; at it's extremes it ranges from around 20 minutes at the equator to a full 24 hours nearer the poles.
 
With all due respect, returning from within VLOS from a golden hour shot is not flying in the dark. I’ve done the city lights, not my thing; even though M2P is quite good at it.
When ISO reaches 3200, while recording continuous video, and you have no further exposure compensation available, it is flying in the dark. I often wait until the sun has set to launch, to avoid flying into the glare of the setting sun, and to record spherical panoramas. Gets dark pretty fast over the next 25 minutes! The M2P handles it quite well! Just have to remember to turn the landing lights ON and then OFF, well before landing, to get them out of AUTO, as otherwise the landing lights will turn on and will night blind you, just as you are reaching up to hand catch! :oops:
 
When ISO reaches 3200, while recording continuous video, and you have no further exposure compensation available, it is flying in the dark. I often wait until the sun has set to launch, to avoid flying into the glare of the setting sun, and to record spherical panoramas. Gets dark pretty fast over the next 25 minutes! The M2P handles it quite well! Just have to remember to turn the landing lights ON and then OFF, well before landing, to get them out of AUTO, as otherwise the landing lights will turn on and will night blind you, just as you are reaching up to hand catch! :oops:
Yeah, nope. Done all that, and it just doesn’t do anything for me. But to each his own.
 
When ISO reaches 3200, while recording continuous video, and you have no further exposure compensation available, it is flying in the dark. I often wait until the sun has set to launch, to avoid flying into the glare of the setting sun, and to record spherical panoramas. Gets dark pretty fast over the next 25 minutes! The M2P handles it quite well! Just have to remember to turn the landing lights ON and then OFF, well before landing, to get them out of AUTO, as otherwise the landing lights will turn on and will night blind you, just as you are reaching up to hand catch! :oops:
If I get caught in the dark during a flight doing sunsets and all the sensors on my M2P become useless, I put it in hyperlapse and open the exposure settings to several seconds... viola! Brighter than ever.
 
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If I get caught in the dark during a flight doing sunsets and all the sensors on my M2P become useless, I put it in hyperlapse and open the exposure settings to several seconds... viola! Brighter than ever.
I'm still recording continuous video in Auto, and I know my surroundings really well, but your suggestion is an excellent one to force the higher 12,800 ISO of manual still shots for 2 more extra stops on the FPV!
 
If Skydio can do this, Then it's got my Vote


Let's face it. DJI consumer drones are good only for manned flight and are attempting some semi-autonomous flight with poor results. Skydio is apparently getting DJI out of business on the "flying action camera" segment, if they aren't catching up fast.
 
Despite the 4K 60 fps, like the EVO, it's still only a 1/2.3” sensor. The obstacle avoidance cameras will also be useless in the dark. While a follow me action drone would be cool, I don't really have a pressing need for it. The novelty of it would quickly wear off, much like the Dolly Zoom of the M2Z. Similar close shots to obstacles can easily be achieved manually with the M2P, if you know what you are doing.
We will see.
 
We will see.
I think there is too much attention to the sensor size, hence I labelled the Skydio a "flying action cam" as opposed to the DJI line being more on the "general purpose" side. Not all "pilots" are interested in supreme video quality, not everyone is even wasting terabytes of 4k+ footage, when 1080p is more than enough, not everyone is even doing post-processing but rather performing simple smartphone compositions, not even using the onboard SD (in such case, for instance, the 4k footage is unusable).

DJI will have to position themselves carefully: either serve only a niche pro market (which apart from the buggy software they are doing pretty well) or delve into consumer level with the right approach, otherwise there will be someone else (preferably not Chinese, and Skydio ticks the box on that note) doing the right thing in their own segment.

Ah that's disruptive innovation btw, bringing a cheaper product which focuses only on what the vast majority of customer need, disregard whistles and bells that are only for engineers and die-hard aficionados. Much like drones were distruptive to aerial photography, when people were using (ultralight) aircrafts for that. Now even kids can do it blindfold :)

In the end what most people want is a flying camera that doesn't require much attention, doesn't crash and doesn't draw the attention of authorities because of "pilot errors". Skydio seemingly nailed it. Then they can simply catch up with all the whistles and bells geeks love, such as sensors size, zoom, etc.
 
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