Hello, im new to the forums and haven't bought a dji drone before. I'm not that interested in taking videos, mainly photos. Ignoring all the extra features the air has over the mini, which one is better for taking photos? I would imagine they are the same since they have the same lens/mp/focal length. I know that the mini doesn't support raw and you cant adjust color settings like the air. Are there any air owners who have also tried a mini out? Is the air worth the extra money if all i want out of it are photos?
Mavic Mini vs Mavic Air: Photo quality
- Thread starter noahsully02
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Have a look in the forums here. There are hundreds of examples of photos taken with both drones. Unless you are seriously into photography in a commercial way it’d be hard to see beyond the mini phoro wise . Look at other aspects of the kit in terms of ability to cope with wind , portability , battery life etc.
the answers are all here ...
the answers are all here ...
As above... try the search function of the forum.
And Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.
And Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.
THE CYBORG
Well-Known Member
Hi noahsully02 No help from me as I don't have an Air or a Mini but welcome to Mavic Pilots.
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From my experiences with BILs Air, both that and the mini seem to have very good 'inhouse' jpg processing.
They (and my Spark) seem to take marginally better jpg photos than my M1P, without me doing a little processing.
Unless you want the versatility of taking raw / dng pics for later processing, the mini would be fine for general social media use, person viewing on a computer screen, printing in smaller sizes, etc.
If you wanted to take better photos, you'd probably need to go to a drone with raw capability, the Air being the next entry level.
If you want to take pro photos, go for the M2P.
edit typos
They (and my Spark) seem to take marginally better jpg photos than my M1P, without me doing a little processing.
Unless you want the versatility of taking raw / dng pics for later processing, the mini would be fine for general social media use, person viewing on a computer screen, printing in smaller sizes, etc.
If you wanted to take better photos, you'd probably need to go to a drone with raw capability, the Air being the next entry level.
If you want to take pro photos, go for the M2P.
edit typos
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NAVMAV
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As a LONG-retired Photojournalist, we'd HATE to see you scrimp on a Mini.
For a few hundred buck$, the extras on an Air make it 'way more worthwhile.
We'd be willing to bet - after a few weeks - you'd be seriously bummed out for not going the 'extra mile'. Btw: we also have an Air. AND regret not doing likewise to bump to next level from IT.
However two years later... here we sit with the same old Air. It is SO good we cannot justify the Bump. It's that GOOD.
Capische?
Rgds, NAVMAV
For a few hundred buck$, the extras on an Air make it 'way more worthwhile.
We'd be willing to bet - after a few weeks - you'd be seriously bummed out for not going the 'extra mile'. Btw: we also have an Air. AND regret not doing likewise to bump to next level from IT.
However two years later... here we sit with the same old Air. It is SO good we cannot justify the Bump. It's that GOOD.
Capische?
Rgds, NAVMAV
I have an Air and have been more than satisfied with its imaging capabilities. I love its size and portability too.
Downsides? Just be prepared for a short(ish) battery life. I can generally get 17-18 minutes per battery so I'd suggest getting a couple of batteries right with it if you decide to get one. If you can swing it, the other "important" accessories would be some sort of landing pad for snow, wet grass, or dusty conditions and set of neutral density filters.
Downsides? Just be prepared for a short(ish) battery life. I can generally get 17-18 minutes per battery so I'd suggest getting a couple of batteries right with it if you decide to get one. If you can swing it, the other "important" accessories would be some sort of landing pad for snow, wet grass, or dusty conditions and set of neutral density filters.
FLPilotshark
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@noahsully02 - I would strongly suggest getting the Mavic Pro! I have never owned the new Dji Mini before BUT i have I owned the DJI Air which takes ok pictures, nothing to spectacular.
Now if you go with the Mavic Pro, it's like comparing apples to oranges in quality wise in my opinion when taking pictures or videos. Plus, you will be doing alot of post editing no matter what drone you buy in Adobe lightroom.
Here is a photo i took of this Marina @ John Pass with my Mavic Pro and its straight raw no post editing except for straitening the horizon. Long story short, I returned my dJI Mavic Air back to BestBuy and they hit me with a restocking fee in order to trade up for the Mavic Pro which is way worth it in the long run. Seems like you want something small but I still would get the Mavic Pro its not that much bigger...
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For serious imaging, there is no comparison. The Air has almost 50% more imaging pixels. In addition, it compresses the image much less.
Viewing conditions, and personal image quality standards will change how important you feel the improvements are, but the difference is physically there.
Viewing conditions, and personal image quality standards will change how important you feel the improvements are, but the difference is physically there.
I see the T-Kat sitting in its slip. Mine (KO Kid) is not.
Nice pic, think I’ll save it. Passing it on to Tom Kane (TK) too. ?
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B&H has the air for $600 now.
www.bhphotovideo.com
DJI Mavic Air (Flame Red)
Buy DJI Mavic Air (Flame Red) featuring Capture 4K Video and 12MP Photos, 3-Axis Gimbal-Stabilized Camera, GPS- & Vision Position-Based Navigation, 8GB of Internal Storage, FlightAutonomy with Obstacle Detection, Top Speed of 43 mph in Sport Mode, ActiveTrack Subject Tracking Modes, Up to 21...
And the Air combo for $699. Looking too, for my son.B&H has the air for $600 now.
DJI Mavic Air (Flame Red)
Buy DJI Mavic Air (Flame Red) featuring Capture 4K Video and 12MP Photos, 3-Axis Gimbal-Stabilized Camera, GPS- & Vision Position-Based Navigation, 8GB of Internal Storage, FlightAutonomy with Obstacle Detection, Top Speed of 43 mph in Sport Mode, ActiveTrack Subject Tracking Modes, Up to 21...
Is this quality good enough for you? It’s from my MM. The other issue is wind, which has already been mentioned.
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FLymore ? Good deal there.
Here's a near new one open for offers in the forum classifieds . . .
NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE-An almost new MA (fly more combo) up for sale
not available anymore got Mavic Mini and found it to be keeping instead of mavic air which I just purchased before receiving mavic mini. It’s basically new and would hardly have been used for more than 20 minutes maybe.
mavicpilots.com
FLPilotshark
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Don't take this personal but I got the same quality if not better pictures from when I owned my DJ Spark!
As others say, mavic air has superior image quality compared to the mini. On top of that it is much better at general flying minus the battery life comparison. Wind handling is the biggest drawback of the mini in my opinion.
I can't recall if it's just for video but the Mini with the latest Fly app now provides white balance adjustment. Strangely enough, it's only in Kelvin rather than sunny, cloudy, indoors, etc.
The other interesting thing is that it was opened up with just an app update and not a firmware update, which suggests the AC has the capability for who knows how long.
The other interesting thing is that it was opened up with just an app update and not a firmware update, which suggests the AC has the capability for who knows how long.
NG Wildman
Well-Known Member
Hello, all,
I just received an email from DJI they are advertising ??? coming out 27 April. The general consensus is that this will be a newer version of the air. You may want to hold off a bit be for your purchase. I started with and still have the original Phantom, a Phantom 3, an MM and the M2P along with a couple AEEs ( the 10 and 11). I love to fly them ALL. The mini is my favorite carry around because of its air time and portability. The pics and video are acceptable for social media etc. and I have heard that some firmware updates are possible maybe bring the MM up to 4K quality (I don't know a lot about this). My stand-by is the M2P. I love how versatile the features are and how well it flies in wind. My educated guess would be that the (new) air may be the perfect cross between them. I have also ordered a Skydio 2, but production has ceased due to COVID-19 and I am in the 4th wave. I just love to fly and based of what I have seen, I may wait and see what the new Air has in store for us. If it's a $ issue, and let's face it; it usually is for most of us, you don't want to waste money on something up to the task. You are better off spending more up front and not having to upgrade (to a completely new airframe) later.
But for all around fun, I LOVE the MM. Check out videos on-line and compare the resolution for the photos you want to take. Drones are like all other vehicles i.e., e.g. there is a reason for a sports car, sedan, MINI-van or a truck.
Good luck with your decision.
I just received an email from DJI they are advertising ??? coming out 27 April. The general consensus is that this will be a newer version of the air. You may want to hold off a bit be for your purchase. I started with and still have the original Phantom, a Phantom 3, an MM and the M2P along with a couple AEEs ( the 10 and 11). I love to fly them ALL. The mini is my favorite carry around because of its air time and portability. The pics and video are acceptable for social media etc. and I have heard that some firmware updates are possible maybe bring the MM up to 4K quality (I don't know a lot about this). My stand-by is the M2P. I love how versatile the features are and how well it flies in wind. My educated guess would be that the (new) air may be the perfect cross between them. I have also ordered a Skydio 2, but production has ceased due to COVID-19 and I am in the 4th wave. I just love to fly and based of what I have seen, I may wait and see what the new Air has in store for us. If it's a $ issue, and let's face it; it usually is for most of us, you don't want to waste money on something up to the task. You are better off spending more up front and not having to upgrade (to a completely new airframe) later.
But for all around fun, I LOVE the MM. Check out videos on-line and compare the resolution for the photos you want to take. Drones are like all other vehicles i.e., e.g. there is a reason for a sports car, sedan, MINI-van or a truck.
Good luck with your decision.
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