Buying a Mavic Air, need your opinion

[ruibullseye]

Hi guys,
I'm finally taking the leap and buying myself a drone, always wanted one and since i'll be going in vacation in the next days i thought i should took the opportunity and put it to good use and get some video and photos.
I live in Portugal so the prices here differ a bit from the US for example.

I recently found a Dji Mavic Air being sold with fly more combo + 1 battery ( 4 in total ) with a bag and car charger as an extra for 725€.
The user has reported around 25 battery cycles in each battery and informed me that he follows the recommended battery care guidelines meaning no flight below 20% and around 50-60% for storage purposes.

Although the main 2 aspects of the Mavic Air that kinda turns me down are the flight time ( but with 4 batteries i should get around 1h or more of flight time in total ) and the WiFi connection (to counter this i'll be using one of those cheap 8€ passive antenna booster for now + switching to FCC mode should get me more than enough distance ).

Yesterday i came to Mavic Pilots forum and started searching for Mavic Air batteries specifically and found that some users were reporting swelling in their batteries, but when i search for other Forums ( Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro 2, Phantom) there were reports aswell.
Is this common ?
Should i be afraid of buying this Mavic Air with 25 cycles in each battery although the user stated he takes very good care of them and follows the guidelines ?
Any special attention i should take/have when closing the deal ?
What should i look for when inspecting the drone and stuff like that ?

PS: This will be my first done, and in that regard i would also want your opinion on which drone should i take between Mavic Pro and Mavic Air.
From what I've read Mavic Air seems better for video while the Pro seems to be better for Photos.
To be hones at the moment i don't know which one i'll be performing more.
I would say in the beginning a little bit of both.
The cheapest i could get a second handed Mavic Pro with Fly more combo (3 batteries) is about 850-875€ in Portugal.

Should i still go for the Mavic Air ?

Sorry for the long post, but i wanted to fit all the information and doubts in a single post so i could get better answers from you guys.

Best Regards,
Rui

 

[n1cK!]

that price seems somewhat high for a used drone. i understand there is a difference in price between here and there. do you have an idea of how much it would be new?

i wouldn't say that the battery swelling issue is a problem, but i've only seen one post about it. being a new member myself, i don't have that much experience with the unit's battery.

 

[ruibullseye]

that price seems somewhat high for a used drone. i understand there is a difference in price between here and there. do you have an idea of how much it would be new?

i wouldn't say that the battery swelling issue is a problem, but i've only seen one post about it. being a new member myself, i don't have that much experience with the unit's battery.

Hi @n1ck brand new it would cost around 950-1050€ ( Mavic Air ).
The drone itself was bought from Dji Europe and its covered for another year of warranty. Nonetheless i'm thinking about getting Dji Care Refresh in case i get unlucky somehow.

 

[ruibullseye]

I've noticed my post already has around 100 views.
I would appreciate a ton if i could have the opinion of 10-20% of those views

 

[DDS]

go w/ the mavic pro if you can spend the additional euros

the air is basically a souped-up spark

not a big fan of wifi connections, you get better flight & time longer distance with the occusync. also the remote has no screen like the spark so you also get the better remote with the digital screen

 

[charlas]

I've got an Air, just bought a MP2. Flown all over the world with it, never had a single issue... So here's my thoughts..

Positives

Tiny, light, fly's well and decent camera has good range in non urban areas with fcc mode.

Negatives
Congested air waves does hit on your flight distance (however I've never had a need really to fly further than where you get signal issues mostly, although a couple times had to reposition where me and controller was to get to where I wanted to go)

Wind, it does pretty well in most wind, except return to home when up against headwind. Also stability when gusting wind ain't brilliant (its light after all!)

Battery life, it really could do with a few minutes more, found myself rushed to take the shots sometimes when you have to fly to the shot position.

So what it comes down to is what's best for you. As a starter drone it's unbeatable, to be honest I may just keep mine as a backup/travel light drone if it doesn't sell.

Biggest reason upgraded? Flight time, and 1"sensor (better dynamic range) and wanted a new toy (if brutally honest)

So go for the air, you won't regret it. Certainly better than the MP1 for the most part id say. And the wifi issue is a non issue for the most part unless in a really congested area.

Also, because it is wifi, if you forget the remote you can just use phone, helped me once or twice when the controller was dead on me (my fault) and forgot to pack back in the case as it was on charge when I left hotel [emoji23]

 

[Thomas B]

“A few days” is not much time to develop proficiency. Be careful. It will take a few days to read and digest the full (only available online) version of the manual.
Get very familiar with the pause and RTH buttons... they are your friends.
That said..Have a great vacation!

 

[Deleted member 93449]

In my opinion DJI missed the boat by not putting Occusync in the Mavic Air. That knocked it out of consideration for me and I went with the Mavic Pro. I have no need or intention of flying outside line of sight but did want the added assurance of the solid connection provided by Occusync (I live in a suburban area with a lot of wifi interference). In addition you can find new Mavic Pro's that are not much more expensive than the Mavic Air (Mavic Air at B&H $679, Mavic Pro on Amazon $755).

 

[Dan-Petter]

Hey Rui! I’ve had my Air for about 6 - 7 months, flown quite a bit, and think it’s an excellent drone. Easy to pack for travelling, hiking, etc etc. If you read / play around with the settings, photos and videos are plenty acceptable, and personally I find the flight time ample. Unless of course you’re out “to fly for the day”! I’d say go for it!

 

[Rayray]

I have the MA and it is a very good drone with advanced features. I see them on sale in USA.

Also, my advice is do not buy a used MA, get a new one from DJI or a reputable supplier, and do not buy used LIPOs.
Good luck!

 

[johnnybflyguy]

I have the MA, I have over 18 hours flight time on three batteries maximum distance about 4,800m
Will be taking with me on my Summer trip.

 

[irpnetgb]

I've been flying a manufacturer refurbished Mavic Air since December 2018. Over 14 hours flight time, 71 flights, 103km travelled and almost 4km max distance.

Very portable, image quality is amazing. Realistic flight time per battery I find is around 16-18 minutes (temperature and weather dependent of course). My 3 batteries, remote controller, cables, spare props, ND filters, wipes, lens blow brush and additional screen bracket all fit in a small bag (The official MA bag) that is easily carried anywhere over your shoulder.
Yes it is light and in the wind it does move around a little but if you must fly/film when it's windy, use Tripod mode. Either way, the images are steady as a rock still. I rarely use any automated modes, but on the occasions I have they are amazing. IMHO the Mavic Air is the best 4K drone out there for the causal user.
I also fly a Parrot Bebop 2.
My YT channel to see some of my footage

 

[NAVMAV]

We've had a Mavic Air for almost a year now, and the only real issue we've had is Fly Time per battery. The Bigger Toy can give you almost double the Air's Fly Time, so give that some consideration.

Tough call, but Size of the Air is unbeatable for Travel - if you do a lot, the Air - no contest.

Rgds, NAVMAV

 

[top360]

Hi guys,
I'm finally taking the leap and buying myself a drone, always wanted one and since i'll be going in vacation in the next days i thought i should took the opportunity and put it to good use and get some video and photos.
I live in Portugal so the prices here differ a bit from the US for example.

I recently found a Dji Mavic Air being sold with fly more combo + 1 battery ( 4 in total ) with a bag and car charger as an extra for 725€.
The user has reported around 25 battery cycles in each battery and informed me that he follows the recommended battery care guidelines meaning no flight below 20% and around 50-60% for storage purposes.

Although the main 2 aspects of the Mavic Air that kinda turns me down are the flight time ( but with 4 batteries i should get around 1h or more of flight time in total ) and the WiFi connection (to counter this i'll be using one of those cheap 8€ passive antenna booster for now + switching to FCC mode should get me more than enough distance ).

Yesterday i came to Mavic Pilots forum and started searching for Mavic Air batteries specifically and found that some users were reporting swelling in their batteries, but when i search for other Forums ( Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro 2, Phantom) there were reports aswell.
Is this common ?
Should i be afraid of buying this Mavic Air with 25 cycles in each battery although the user stated he takes very good care of them and follows the guidelines ?
Any special attention i should take/have when closing the deal ?
What should i look for when inspecting the drone and stuff like that ?

PS: This will be my first done, and in that regard i would also want your opinion on which drone should i take between Mavic Pro and Mavic Air.
From what I've read Mavic Air seems better for video while the Pro seems to be better for Photos.
To be hones at the moment i don't know which one i'll be performing more.
I would say in the beginning a little bit of both.
The cheapest i could get a second handed Mavic Pro with Fly more combo (3 batteries) is about 850-875€ in Portugal.

Should i still go for the Mavic Air ?

Sorry for the long post, but i wanted to fit all the information and doubts in a single post so i could get better answers from you guys.

Best Regards,
Rui

Check price of Mavic Air at Target stores for a limited time.

 

[aokusman]

Check price of Mavic Air at Target stores for a limited time.

He is quoting euros so not in America.

 

[Dakarenduro]

I am a new MA owner/pilot.

I know price is a consideration. However I would be hesitant in buying a used drone like the one you are talking about. 25 cycles per battery and 4 batteries, he has flown it a few times. And odds are what he is telling you is half of the actual... You could ask the seller how many flight hours/time is on the drone (can see it on the DJI Go4 App) for a good idea of how much it has really been used.

DJI warranties the batteries for 6 months or 200 cycles. So I would expect you are buying batteries that have half of their life used up. Of course this is just my opinion and I'm sure others will respond with how they have 400+ cycles on a single battery and are still going strong.

I'd buy a new one or offer a lot less to the seller. You asked for opinions/advice and that is mine.

Good luck! The MA is an awesome drone for cinematography. I bought it for the travel size over the M2. Can't beat it for that purpose.