Air vs Pro need info to decide!

[DTC709]

Once again, I would like to say in the short time I’ve been here, I’m thoroughly impressed with the help from this community.

I managed to swing by a local Bestbuy and have a look at a Mavic Pro that was on display, they had 1 Air in stock but nothing on display unfortunately. But I was still surprised with how compact the Pro was all the same. Now the only thing holding me back is trying to figure how much I’d actually use Active Track for off-roading and such, because the Airs rear sensors would be a great benefit for that. Also, thanks again everyone!!

 

[51 Drones]

My take.

 

[DTC709]

I’ll be sure to watch!

 

[AAPhoto]

Ask and you shall receive. I had both and ended up selling my Pro. I favored the Air's portability, 100megabit bit rate, and it has been doing better in high winds due to the fact that it will automatically turn off sensors to fight the wind. If you fly the Pro with all sensors disabled, this won't be a problem for you. The size of the Air allows it to fit in a lens pocket of my camera bag and the removable sticks on the controller make that easier to carry as well. I now have my drone with me ALL the time, whereas sometimes I'd leave the Pro home due to weight and size limitations in my pack. Something I wasn't looking for and have been appreciating is the ability to easily take off and land in the palm of my hand. Yes, that can be done with the Pro, but it's even easier with the Air. I also prefer the default colors in videos from the Air. It's easy to get videos that don't need editing if you don't want to mess with settings or color correction in post.

Flight time hasn't been a problem, but I plan my shots before I take it to the air. I have three batteries and have yet to use them all in a single outing.

The Pro has the advantage of Occusync which is only necessary if you plan to fly in areas with a lot of wifi congestion or flying beyond VLOS. If you need that, get the Pro. Other perks of the Pro are:

- dual compass: I've seen others report compass errors that caused the Air to crash. Add a pre-check to make sure the map shows the drone pointing in the correct direction, and this can be avoided. This could also happen with dual compasses but is much less likely.

- portrait mode: I've found myself looking for the portrait mode on the Air. Since it's not there (or I can't find it), I resorted to talking vertical panoramas. This has actually worked out better because I can be closer to the subject and end up with a much higher resolution image when stitched together.

- Extra screen on the controller. This was helpful when using fill screen mode in DJI GO 4, but I can get by without it.

- Manual focus: This was a con for me, but some people like it. The reason I didn't is you have to remember to focus before every photo or video. If you leave it on auto, it can focus hunt which could ruin a video. The Air is fixed focus so you never have to worry about it.

I can't think of anything else, so there you have it. In the end, it depends what you'll be using for. Don't let any of us decide for you.

 

[thebigbaddan]

Now the only thing holding me back is trying to figure how much I’d actually use Active Track for off-roading and such, because the Airs rear sensors would be a great benefit for that. Also, thanks again everyone!!

I would never drive and have it track. Active track still needs hands on IMHO. Especially obstacles, if you do anythong like Moab.

 

[Wrinkle249]

In DJI travel case. Not necessary but it came with a great Black Friday deal direct from DJI fly more combo and a few extras. Inside the case is the MP, Controller, 3 batts (1on MP - 2 in side slots), the Wunderphone (Huwei now banned in US for spying? - not really but I’m using it as a dedicated device anyway) 2 extra sets of props, SD cards, etc. Didn’t think I’d use the case at all but it is really compact and I pull it from a regular sized backpack that hold the chargers and everything else that I keep in the car on a hike or other outing. The case is about as big as my head - ala the hat fits over it. Love everything about it and concur with all details above....

 

[DTC709]

Thanks everyone, I searched and searched, but best prices to find was from DJI. So the Air with 3 batteries would have been a meer $65 less then the Alpine Combo, I’ve been leaning towards the Pro anyways, then checked DJI’s store and the combo was out of stock, my heart dropped lol! and a couple other sites I watched where down to half of what they had a few days ago, so I went ahead and made the purchase on the PRO, paid $20 extra over the DJI store, about he same as a cheap carrying case haha. Now time to start looking at Biginners guide videos and don’t look back. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Static8]

Hi from Western Canada....If this is your first drone. Get the air. I have both , I love both of them equally but I find the MA I.use the most because of the portability is just amazing. I have the combo with 3 batteries..I get great range with MA even in high wifi area. Unless you want to fly out to 5 KM , don’t get all absorbed with range..Yes the Occusynch is great and does provide better range and better reception at times around major wifi hot spots and the like but really not by much..the AIR really is amazing for WIFI quad., I also have 3DR SOLO and its WIFI and doesn’t come in close to range of the Mavic AIR. The fact it has so many redundancies, sensors for newbie, chances you will never crash the air, unless firmware issue etc..I don’t know its a tough call, I love them both but like I said, I fly my AIR the most and I find the 4K camera better than the PRO because of the 100mbs recording and trust me that makes a difference when editing film, now is this important to you..if yes, get the AIR. The subtle differences in camera resolution is apparent to photographers and videographers like me , Pictures yes the MP seems to win but video MA for sure....MPro does have less plastic and seems more robust but remember one last thing. The Canadian laws are getting really bad and smaller the drone, less people will care including he Police.

 

[DTC709]

Hi from Western Canada....If this is your first drone. Get the air. I have both , I love both of them equally but I find the MA I.use the most because of the portability is just amazing. I have the combo with 3 batteries..I get great range with MA even in high wifi area. Unless you want to fly out to 5 KM , don’t get all absorbed with range..Yes the Occusynch is great and does provide better range and better reception at times around major wifi hot spots and the like but really not by much..the AIR really is amazing for WIFI quad., I also have 3DR SOLO and its WIFI and doesn’t come in close to range of the Mavic AIR. The fact it has so many redundancies, sensors for newbie, chances you will never crash the air, unless firmware issue etc..I don’t know its a tough call, I love them both but like I said, I fly my AIR the most and I find the 4K camera better than the PRO because of the 100mbs recording and trust me that makes a difference when editing film, now is this important to you..if yes, get the AIR. The subtle differences in camera resolution is apparent to photographers and videographers like me , Pictures yes the MP seems to win but video MA for sure....MPro does have less plastic and seems more robust but remember one last thing. The Canadian laws are getting really bad and smaller the drone, less people will care including he Police.

Thanks for the input, I’m as Far East as you can get, Newfoundland, population density is at a min. So while I doubt I’ll get wrapped up in long distances, I have a lot of possibilities with coastline and such. I went Pro, I have a nice few friends whom are in the realestate game, so the better photos will be nice, and if I can make a good impression a second one/ upgrade could be sooner rather then later. I’m also a backpack guy so and sized up the Pro in person and I can’t see a issue. Even whereas the air is newer with some extra goodies, the Pro our weighs it in a few categories as well so at such a small price gap for same battery count and such, the Pro won out for me.

 

[Static8]

Thanks for the input, I’m as Far East as you can get, Newfoundland, population density is at a min. So while I doubt I’ll get wrapped up in long distances, I have a lot of possibilities with coastline and such. I went Pro, I have a nice few friends whom are in the realestate game, so the better photos will be nice, and if I can make a good impression a second one/ upgrade could be sooner rather then later. I’m also a backpack guy so and sized up the Pro in person and I can’t see a issue. Even whereas the air is newer with some extra goodies, the Pro our weighs it in a few categories as well so at such a small price gap for same battery count and such, the Pro won out for me.

Best part you made the decision!! Yeahhh...what made you decide on the Mavic Pro...curious other than price..etc

 

[MavicWorld]

Yeah that’s what I’ve been reading, I’ll have to do more searching. Shipping & customs will probably still go against me tho. Thanks!

If you buy directly from DJI you pay no Duty, no taxes and shipping is free.

 

[Static8]

If you buy directly from DJI you pay no Duty, no taxes and shipping is free.

Only risk if you get a defective unit..its a pain returning it for either a new one or money back...shipping back to DJI is not free unless you paid for insurance...I”ve been lucky so far

 

[DTC709]

Best part you made the decision!! Yeahhh...what made you decide on the Mavic Pro...curious other than price..etc

Well, got to admit a lot of it was centered around the price point, because it was the MA that originally caught my eye, if it wasn’t for the combo on sale I would have likely went with the MA with one extra battery. So then while I looked into it further, the flight time became a solid point for me as well, and as nice as the rear sensors and couple new quick shots are, just didn’t see me really needed em. The MA’s extra bit rate would be nice, but then the occusyncs more stable connection with extra RC data beat out the enhanced wifi for me, a lot of my use will be back country, thick country, so it’s a nice piece of mind. Both seem to handle wind very much the same, though I have read a bit that the MP is rock solid and the MA is a touch less, true or not? I obviously have no idea, but it’s windy more often then not here so the bigger platform seemed more appealing for that as well. I pointed out a couple things a post above and about how it seemed a decent size for portability as well so I don’t mind that. So flight time, price point on the combo, and range/ connection stability would be the main points, in that order.

 

[DTC709]

Only risk if you get a defective unit..its a pain returning it for either a new one or money back...shipping back to DJI is not free unless you paid for insurance...I”ve been lucky so far

I ended up going through Apple here in Canada, DJI sold out as well as another Canadian based site I found so that got me moving as well

 

[Static8]

Well, got to admit a lot of it was centered around the price point, because it was the MA that originally caught my eye, if it wasn’t for the combo on sale I would have likely went with the MA with one extra battery. So then while I looked into it further, the flight time became a solid point for me as well, and as nice as the rear sensors and couple new quick shots are, just didn’t see me really needed em. The MA’s extra bit rate would be nice, but then the occusyncs more stable connection with extra RC data beat out the enhanced wifi for me, a lot of my use will be back country, thick country, so it’s a nice piece of mind. Both seem to handle wind very much the same, though I have read a bit that the MP is rock solid and the MA is a touch less, true or not? I obviously have no idea, but it’s windy more often then not here so the bigger platform seemed more appealing for that as well. I pointed out a couple things a post above and about how it seemed a decent size for portability as well so I don’t mind that. So flight time, price point on the combo, and range/ connection stability would be the main points, in that order.

Sure sounds like you made the right decision. I concur on everything you mentioned...You will love the MP...and yes its rock solid in the wind...enjoy!

 

[Happyexpat]

I was in the same position trying to make my mind up between pro and air. I’ve been flying and making drones for a few years (started with a Flamewheel) but I wanted to get into leisure video and photos.

The decision is actually simple IMO. Do you want to fly long distance FPV (I don’t) and therefore long flight times. Or do you want to have fun, take excellent videos and stills semi near to you (up to 4km). The colour correction on the Air is better than the pro as are the pre defined flying modes.

The Air is small, it fits in a large pocket. You can use it with your phone, the controller of both. It flies in strong winds, I’ve had mine in 50kph gusting wind.

So it’s simple, long distance v portability and shorter flight times. Otherwise there isn’t much difference. By the way I get an easy 19mins out of my Air when videoing.

 

[Static8]

I was in the same position trying to make my mind up between pro and air. I’ve been flying and making drones for a few years (started with a Flamewheel) but I wanted to get into leisure video and photos.

The decision is actually simple IMO. Do you want to fly long distance FPV (I don’t) and therefore long flight times. Or do you want to have fun, take excellent videos and stills semi near to you (up to 4km). The colour correction on the Air is better than the pro as are the pre defined flying modes.

The Air is small, it fits in a large pocket. You can use it with your phone, the controller of both. It flies in strong winds, I’ve had mine in 50kph gusting wind.

So it’s simple, long distance v portability and shorter flight times. Otherwise there isn’t much difference. By the way I get an easy 19mins out of my Air when videoing.

Yup I agree with you regarding the colour correction is much better and pretty much everthing you mentioned reason I fly the AIR more than my Pro but I still don’t want to sell my Pro for all they other benefits I may need for certain situations. ,mostly range ... I also agree with the Air is great in wind,

 

[oldcelt]

This is my MP cased. I don't wear hats so it's sitting next to an iPad Mini3.
I have 1 spare battery but there is space for 2. The other battery slot has lens cleaning stuff in it which could easily fit into the small slot at the front. The longer slot at the front contains spare rotor blades. The net in the lid holds anti-reflection screens and connecting cables.

Hope that's of some help?.

 

[DTC709]

View attachment 36806
This is my MP cased. I don't wear hats so it's sitting next to an iPad Mini3.
I have 1 spare battery but there is space for 2. The other battery slot has lens cleaning stuff in it which could easily fit into the small slot at the front. The longer slot at the front contains spare rotor blades. The net in the lid holds anti-reflection screens and connecting cables.

Hope that's of some help?.

Thanks, I have the MP on the way, so I also ordered this same case, reviews seem good for the price, and will easily fit in my day bag

 

[tiparoch]

Thanks everyone, I searched and searched, but best prices to find was from DJI. So the Air with 3 batteries would have been a meer $65 less then the Alpine Combo, I’ve been leaning towards the Pro anyways, then checked DJI’s store and the combo was out of stock, my heart dropped lol! and a couple other sites I watched where down to half of what they had a few days ago, so I went ahead and made the purchase on the PRO, paid $20 extra over the DJI store, about he same as a cheap carrying case haha. Now time to start looking at Biginners guide videos and don’t look back. Thanks again everyone!

I think you made the right choice...going with the pro...

I think you will get some wonderful things in New F.

Yeah...the Pro is for you...