Q500 vs Mavic Pro

[skadee]

Just a follow-up, I did pick up the Q500, at a good price, but to make it “like new”, I’d have to replace a motor and come up with a gimbal clamp. The treads are shot on one motor, but it is flyable for now.

What I suspected is true, the Q500 with the integrated display is far superior to the MP controller, from a usability standpoint. I would absolutely love to be able to use the Q500 controller with the MP. There is a physical slider for the speed control, another for the gimbal control (much easier to use than the wheel for the MP gimbal pitch), the connection upon startup is quick, and the rugged switches give some confidence that the craft will comply with commands.

The MP user interface has many more options and greater flexibility than the Q500 controller display, and the MP is FAR, FAR more stable than the Q500 in flight. With that said, the photo/video quality is a draw, with each having its advantages.

The charger was the weak point in my kit, so it was another $
$50+ for a new 2-battery charger, and 3rd-party Q500 batteries seem to have flooded the market, leaving the end-user to find a crap-shoot of good and bad batteries. I picked up one POS battery from Amazon, and am in the middle of trying to get the supplier to take the bad battery back.

I still consider the Q500 to be the “brute” between it and the MP, but the image quality is still great on the Q500. If the transportability and precision of position were never an issue, I’d rather fly the Q500, because of the controller. If I need to fly within a few feet of an object, and/or transport the craft in a backpack, it will be the MP.

 

[Ren57]

Indeed, you're just about bang on with your comparison between the two aircraft. I actually flew my Q500 yesterday! Still nice to fly but I have to admit, the Mavic Pro is in a different league in just about every area. The MP is the perfect aircraft, for it's size and portability. The only thing that could ever be better (for me) would be if someone could make a MP sized drone a foldable hex. Having that motor redundancy would be perfect for me. The only thing I don't like about the MP is DJI. Their big brother approach, with having to sign in before you can start flying and their NFZ's that don't exist really get me down. I also have a Yuneec Typhoon H. It's a hex and it comes with a really nice back-pack. it's not quite as portable as the MP but it's pretty close! I also like the gorgeous mode on Yuneec's CGO3+ cameras. If you just can't be bothered with colour grading, it's really good, if just a tiny little bit over saturated. Then again, I do like the D-Cinelike mode on the MP but have to spend time colour grading. Two different aircraft the MP and the Q500. One up to date and just about perfect and one from a time gone by but still nice to fly every now and then........