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Are Follow Me and 4k video possible through firmware updates?

Kyle76

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I’ve read in one place that Follow Me is not possible on the Mini due to weight constraints, but a video I watched indicated that it’s already somewhat possible because the Circle function will follow the subject if you’re not moving too fast. In addition, I’ve heard that the video sensor in the Mini is also used in more advanced craft that are capable of 4k, so it’s theoretically possible in the Mini.
 
I’ve read in one place that Follow Me is not possible on the Mini due to weight constraints, but a video I watched indicated that it’s already somewhat possible because the Circle function will follow the subject if you’re not moving too fast. In addition, I’ve heard that the video sensor in the Mini is also used in more advanced craft that are capable of 4k, so it’s theoretically possible in the Mini.
You can get a app for a Tello drone could "Tellome" that has all the option for it to follow you but only in open fields cos it will crash in to stuff with no avoidance on it. So i dont see why a Mini drone could do the same but again has no avoidance so maybe reason for it to be left out. As for 4k the camera should at 12mp but limited to chips DJI used in drone.
 
The idea that follow-me isn't available on the MM due to weight constraints isn't true. All the hardware is there to do this, just the software/firmware doesn't support it as of yet. As @offie points out - an 80g non-gps microdrone with no obstacle sensing can do active tracking. It's a marketing decision by DJI not to include it.

As for 4k video, the MM has a sensor that is theoretically capable of doing this, but it is quite possible that the supporting hardware, with no active cooling, would struggle with the data throughput. It may be capable of 4k though!
 
It would make sense for DJI to market the MM at a certain price point, and voluntarily omitting some features to encourage customers to upgrade to the next drone. Even so those features could be easely supported by the MM software and hardware.
 
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The fact that they upgraded the app to include video camera settings gives me hope that Follow Me, at least, will be added at some point.
 
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Hopefully when the SDK is released a third party company such as litchi will release an app allowing the follow me feature.
Litchi should be able to provide their Follow function on the Mini because it uses GPS tracking instead of visual tracking, so it works on drones like the Phantom 3 that don't have Active Track. It will follow the device that's attached to the controller or a second device running the Litchi Magic Leash app. Because of delays and limited GPS accuracy, it can't be expected to work as well as Active Track, especially on a slow phone, but I think it will be much better than no tracking.

The camera system used in the Mini apparently has the on-chip object recognition and tracking function that Active Track uses, and the QuickShot modes seem to make some use of that capability, so I really don't see any reason DJI Fly couldn't support Active Track. It wouldn't have obstacle avoidance, but neither do any of the Mini's competitors -- every one of which has a tracking function, and so do drones costing less than $100. I know that was DJI's semi-official reason given on their forum (i.e. one techie said that's why it wasn't supported), but I don't buy it. Nor do I buy the suggested reason that it's because they want to encourage people to buy a more expensive drone. It's more like an encouragement to buy a Fimi X8 SE, a Hubsan Zino 2, or a Parrot Anafi.
 
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Ask yourself: are minis still selling well? Yes. Are some people who have already bought a mini spending again and upgrading to a MA2 to get active tracking/4k/raw? Yes. Are lots of potential customers leaving and buying a competitor drone instead, so they get raw, 4k and active track on an entry level/sub 250g drone? No.

Sadly there's not a lot of motivation just now for DJI to implement these features on the mini, even if the hardware is capable. Some features might get added in the future to boost late life sales. Alternatively 3rd party apps may add some features if and when the SDK gets released.
 
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I'm wondering how you know this to be true.
Name an entry level, sub 250g drone that has 4k video capability and active-track features. I'm not aware of any available just now to lure customers away from DJI products. If such a thing exists then educate me and let me know what it is.:)
 
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Ask yourself: are minis still selling well? Yes. Are some people who have already bought a mini spending again and upgrading to a MA2 to get active tracking/4k/raw? Yes. Are lots of potential customers leaving and buying a competitor drone instead, so they get raw, 4k and active track on an entry level/sub 250g drone? No.

Sadly there's not a lot of motivation just now for DJI to implement these features on the mini, even if the hardware is capable. Some features might get added in the future to boost late life sales. Alternatively 3rd party apps may add some features if and when the SDK gets released.

I'm wondering how you know this to be true.
Well, if sub-250g is a requirement, that would eliminate the competitors I mentioned. If you want decent video in a sub-250g drone, I don't think the Mini has any serious competitors.
 
Even expanding it to sub 500g there are still very few compelling alternatives at a similar price point. You do start to get a bit of choice, though.
 
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Even expanding it to sub 500g there are still very few compelling options at a similar price point. You do start to get a bit of choice, though.
Once you go over 250g, the drones I mentioned should be considered as competitors to the Mini, and I'm pretty sure a lot of newbies are buying those drones because of more impressive feature lists.
 
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Once you go over 250g, the drones I mentioned should be considered as competitors to the Mini, and I'm pretty sure a lot of newbies are buying those drones because of more impressive feature lists.

The big advantage that the Mini has (and one of the main reasons I bought it) is its tiny size and weight. It's just so easy to take it with you when you travel. You can even slip it into a coat pocket, something you can't do comfortably with the others you mentioned. I'm quite happy to compromise on a few features for the portability.
 
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The big advantage that the Mini has (and one of the main reasons I bought it) is its tiny size. It's just so easy to take it with you. You can even slip it into a coat pocket, something you can't do with the others you mentioned. I'm quite happy to compromise on a few features for the portability.
I was too, at least for the limitations dictated by cost and weight constraints. I'm not quite so understanding and forgiving of DJI leaving out not just Active Track but standard software features like waypoint missions and course lock. There just doesn't seem to be any justification for that, and I'm sure it's hurting their sales. The idea that those software features would make the Mini too competitive with DJI's more expensive drones doesn't make any sense to me, because hardware limitations mean the Mini can never hope to compete with drones that have large-sensor 4K video, obstacle avoidance, OcuSync, and the ability to handle more than moderate wind.
 
I'm not quite so understanding and forgiving of DJI leaving out not just Active Track but standard software features like waypoint missions and course lock.

To be fair, though, you knew this when you bought the drone and they were never promised features.

There just doesn't seem to be any justification for that, and I'm sure it's hurting their sales.

Whilst it certainly looks like an unnecessary omission, there may be a perfectly legitimate reason for leaving out those features. I'm not defending DJI, but it's easy to assume that they just made a mistake without knowing all of the facts.
 
The people who are talking about and wanting these extra features on the MM pretty much exclusively seem to be current MM owners. I'm not convinced the lack of these features are really hurting sales as there are no direct competitors to the MM.No doubt there are a handful of people who have not bought non- DJI drone instead of a Mini due to lack of features, but they would be a very small minority.

I bought my MM knowing full well it didn't have these features and am happy with my purchase. I would really like it if they were added by DJI, but also don't expect them to, unless a rival product appears at a similar price point, posing a genuine threat to MM sales.
 
The people who are talking about and wanting these extra features on the MM pretty much exclusively seem to be current MM owners. I'm not convinced the lack of these features are really hurting sales as there are no direct competitors to the MM.No doubt there are a handful of people who have not bought non- DJI drone instead of a Mini due to lack of features, but they would be a very small minority.

I bought my MM knowing full well it didn't have these features and am happy with my purchase. I would really like it if they were added by DJI, but also don't expect them to, unless a rival product appears at a similar price point, posing a genuine threat to MM sales.
I knew it didn't have Active Track because nearly every review on YouTube mentioned that, and I don't really care about that. However, none of the reviews I saw mentioned the lack of waypoints and course lock, and it never occurred to me that a DJI drone would lack those features since virtually every other GPS drone on the market has them. I would not have bought the Mini if I had known that, and I nearly returned mine when I found that it doesn't, but eventually decided to keep it and wait for Litchi, although I didn't think it would take this long.
 
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