Regret with Mavic: Does DroneU have any merit

[CrossQuads]

College is great because what is not a lot of money to one person, is like a gold mine to me. That means in the drone photography business, $500 or $1000 is a ton of money. I got into the aerial photography platform of drones with grandiose dreams of making $2k or $3k a month on different jobs (I know, dreams vs reality). While I have my ducks in a row and have my part 107, my mavic makes me worried.

Can you use the Mavic in a professional aerial photography platform? With the Phantom 4 Pro dropping in price, I kinda regret my purchase. I dont want clients to see the Mavic and think since it is not a Phantom that it's sub par.

So where does that leave Drone U? While I disagree with alot of their bushiness practices, they have been in the game longer than me and know more. With Inspires and Phantoms at their finger tips, it seems like they love to bash the Mavic in a AP sense. Does it have any merit? I will say, the Phantom 4 Pro has a better sensor and low light abilities, along with 4k 60 fps it seems better. But the Mavic is good aswell and may serve all my needs.

So with that, should I sell my Mavic to get into the Phantom line for professional aerial photography?

 

[No1much]

I know of a couple professionals who use a Mavic or even Phantom 3.

Resolution is nice, they say, and can be handy in postprocessing and video editing, but what really counts is the work you as the photographer/videographer put in. If you're confident in your own ability, you should be able to make your output look good no matter what the resolution.

If the P4P's additional capability is going to be worth it to you in the long run, and there's some reason to use it in the short run too, then by all means. It's always your choice. (I'm just relaying their words as I remember them, in case you're wondering.)

If you can do it with a base P4 or P3, you can do it with a Mavic. And that said- it is still a wonderful drone to have for scouting out and practicing your shots without having to waste a battery on something fancier, giving you more flight time with whatever your best is.

If it helps, here is a gallery of what I as an amateur and hobbyist am capable of doing with just a Mavic and Photomatix to merge the AEB shots: Aerial by No1much on DeviantArt
And I have no doubt that in your hands, a Mavic would completely blow this gallery out of the water.
A P4P or Inspire would be great as a step up, definitely- but as you noted, money.

If you can get away with using the profits from a Mavic to pay for a P4P or Inspire one day, then that would be perfect.

 

[RobertD]

Just a casual and unprofessional opinion, flying the Mavic Pro and Phantom Pro 4 side by side: If you only have one choice, the Phantom Pro 4 is the way to go for a "business". The added $500 investment is worth the added features and durability. That said, the Mavic Pro still has its advantages for travel Vloggers and those "tight fitting" shoots.

 

[Robbyg]

The best camera is the one you have with you. If your brand of photography is fully planned shoots then the Phantom 4 Pro is the best option. If you travel around looking for great pictures then the Mavic is the way to go. I can throw mine in my Camera Bag with my DSLR and use it if I need it. I love not having a lot of extra weight and bulk to carry.

If your regretting your Mavic purchase, now is the time to do something about it. I have seen used Mavcis selling for the same price as new ones on eBay. Heck you can just advertise it here in the classified section and probably get back 90% of your money.

 

[CrossQuads]

Just a casual and unprofessional opinion, flying the Mavic Pro and Phantom Pro 4 side by side: If you only have one choice, the Phantom Pro 4 is the way to go for a "business". The added $500 investment is worth the added features and durability. That said, the Mavic Pro still has its advantages for travel Vloggers and those "tight fitting" shoots.

Thats thing, I love the Mavic for its portability. Maybe I can use the Mavic to buy a Phantom 4 Pro. But that could be a pipe dream.

 

[therealclarky]

I know of a couple professionals who use a Mavic or even Phantom 3.

Resolution is nice, they say, and can be handy in postprocessing and video editing, but what really counts is the work you as the photographer/videographer put in. If you're confident in your own ability, you should be able to make your output look good no matter what the resolution.

If the P4P's additional capability is going to be worth it to you in the long run, and there's some reason to use it in the short run too, then by all means. It's always your choice. (I'm just relaying their words as I remember them, in case you're wondering.)

If you can do it with a base P4 or P3, you can do it with a Mavic. And that said- it is still a wonderful drone to have for scouting out and practicing your shots without having to waste a battery on something fancier, giving you more flight time with whatever your best is.

If it helps, here is a gallery of what I as an amateur and hobbyist am capable of doing with just a Mavic and Photomatix to merge the AEB shots: Aerial by No1much on DeviantArt
And I have no doubt that in your hands, a Mavic would completely blow this gallery out of the water.
A P4P or Inspire would be great as a step up, definitely- but as you noted, money.

If you can get away with using the profits from a Mavic to pay for a P4P or Inspire one day, then that would be perfect.

Might I ask what your camera settings are? Nice pics. I'm having trouble getting pics this nice with my Mavic. Do you run stock 0 0 0? Do you use manual or auto ISO etc. really would appreciate it. I'm refreshing my firmware resetting the compass and IMU tomorrow because I'm starting to feel like there may be an issue with my Mavic itself


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[No1much]

Might I ask what your camera settings are? Nice pics. I'm having trouble getting pics this nice with my Mavic. Do you run stock 0 0 0? Do you use manual or auto ISO etc. really would appreciate it. I'm refreshing my firmware resetting the compass and IMU tomorrow because I'm starting to feel like there may be an issue with my Mavic itself

During the day, I let it go on Auto and stock everything, just taking 3-shot AEB pictures in DNG format. After flight, I hook it to my laptop and run it through Photomatix Pro 5.1, merging the bracketed photos 3 at a time, processing with preset "Balanced." If it's a grey or otherwise color-cast day, I set white balance to "cloudy" or "auto" instead of "as shot."
Photomatix lets me combine the 3 exposures of the AEB so that the overexposed shot provides detail in the dark portions of the picture, and the underexposed one provides details from the brightest parts of the picture.

At night, I take single shots in DNG format, with manual camera settings: ISO as low as possible, from 100 to 400 max (keeps the graininess at bay), with camera shutter speeds of usually no more than 2 seconds to prevent blurring of the whole scene while letting in enough light. When I run these night DNGs through Photomatix, it can recover some details that weren't easily visible at the time I took the picture.

(Article that got me studying these things: 8 Tips for Better Drone Photography -)

 

[J-Dub]

So with that, should I sell my Mavic to get into the Phantom line for professional aerial photography?

Think OLD SCHOOL is the New Cool. If I were you, and wish I was back in college with the wisdom I now have, I would not try to be like everyone else. 4K, soon to be 8K, is awesome, but I would try lower resolutions and cheaper cameras for the effect they give you. Everyone will have super high-def ,crystal clear, smooth as glass video; try to be different so it stands out (ie: Photogs who use old cameras and real film for the image quality only those can give you)

 

[GreatScott]

Given your options, certainly there are pros and cons both ways. In your case, you have some unique things you can do with the Mavic. Exploit them and take advantage of what you have. There will always be bigger and better or other. You have a great piece of technology in your hands in which you can work Mavic - err magic. Get creative and make it shine! Either way - no regrets.

Good luck!