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Buying my first drone...

tmartin89

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So i'm looking at buying my first drone, either the Mavic Pro or Mavic Air, been watching a lot of review videos on YouTube. My concerns with the Mavic air is i've heard a lot of people say they've had issues the Wi-Fi connection and lagging video stream even as short as 500ft. Obviously the range isn't as long as the Mavic Pro but has anyone experienced connectivity issues with the Wi-Fi in the Air?

Also, the battery life of the Air scares me a little. 21 mins MAX so probably more like 15 mins. Has anyone bought a Mavic Air and regretted the purchase due to the connection and battery life or do the added photo modes outweigh these?
 
I have to echo the same sentiments.
When I bought my Mavic 2 Pro I kept my Mavic Pro Platinum... it’s a great bird and I still fly it. These days due to the new Mavic 2s you can get the MPP new in the $800-$900 range and used start about $600 often with a lot of extras.

I do recommend some kind of insurance... product as well as liability. My DJICare paid for itself with a single drone replacement. Many like State Farm. I mention insurance only because you should figure the cost into what you’re wanting to spend. Best of luck!
 
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I love my air 15 mins is plenty of fly time and range well VLOS for me is about 1500 feet I've gone further with no problems. went out today 30mph winds and it was very easy to fly steady. It takes very good photos and videos. Plus I can pak it and 4 batteries and RC in the saddle bag of my bike and the car charger in my case bike charger LOL
 
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The air is fine if you do all remote flying . I have a mavic Pro and a little spark and its wifi. If I am near no power lines or any type of local wifi sparky does fine . I get it near any local wifi and it’s range is 1/3 . I have a buddy with a air and he says the same thing about wifi in the flying zone . Local wifi is like asma for the air . Mavic Pro 1 and the mavic2 just work great
 
So i'm looking at buying my first drone, either the Mavic Pro or Mavic Air, been watching a lot of review videos on YouTube. My concerns with the Mavic air is i've heard a lot of people say they've had issues the Wi-Fi connection and lagging video stream even as short as 500ft. Obviously the range isn't as long as the Mavic Pro but has anyone experienced connectivity issues with the Wi-Fi in the Air?

Also, the battery life of the Air scares me a little. 21 mins MAX so probably more like 15 mins. Has anyone bought a Mavic Air and regretted the purchase due to the connection and battery life or do the added photo modes outweigh these?



Don't do it! It's a trap!!!! Misery loves company so everyone is going to tell you to go ahead you'll love it. That is true but it's a jealous hobby and will eat every penny of discretionary funds you can muster. If it's not the drone and goodies for it it will be computers and software to edit and manipulate the footage you've shot. I'm telling you now to run! Run hard and fast and don't look back. As soon as spring breaks I'm going to be listing at least 4 motorcycles for sale and at least one street rod. If it gets any worse I may have to sell a grand child or three! GO! Go now while you still can!!!!
 
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I had to make a decision between a Mavic 2 Pro (which I bought, and then returned) and the Air (which I got when I returned the M2P). The M2P (and Zoom) is, in pretty much every respect, a better machine, and I am still not sure I made the right decision. But here’s why I got the Air:

1) Cost: I got the Mavic Air with the Fly More kit for $900. To get the Mavic 2 Pro with the same batteries, charger (don’t underestimate the value of the multi-battery charger) and case, and various other extras like extra props, would have cost me twice that. If cost is not an issue, ignore this.

2) Size: I travel a lot, sometimes by plane, and having something small is a big benefit. Despite what some people here will say, the Mavic 2 is a lot bigger. Again, it’s also better, but it’s a trade off.

3) Comparisons: M2P clearly has a better camera. M2Z has a similar camera (to the Air) but zoom has some serious benefits: the extremely high resolution pics I’ve seen are compelling. The M2 series also has side and overhead obstacle avoidance, which is a nice safety benefit you won’t get with the Air (I do a lot of circling panning shots; I haven’t ever been close to a collision, but when I do that sort of flying side sensors would give me more comfort).

I’m not sure I’d make the same decision to keep the Air today. I do love how small it is, and I don’t regret buying it at all, but when the Mavic 3 eventually comes out, I may have a well-taken-care-of Mavic Air for sale.
 
I have a Mavic Pro. Great drone and because of its age you can get a used or refurbed one at a better price than the Air. Distance and flight time are stellar too.
 
The two things that put me off the Air is the limited flight time and connection issues. I love how small it is, how the camera is more protected, internal storage and the rear sensor.
 
The two things that put me off the Air is the limited flight time and connection issues. I love how small it is, how the camera is more protected, internal storage and the rear sensor.
But for those on something like a bike or motorcycle, size might be more important. I could be wrong but most of the bike riders I know don't worry about long distance flights and key on their trips where they are in the cameras view.
 
I own the Air. The reason I got it last year over the Pro was for better obstical avoidance and a smaller drone for better travel capabilities. I was originally regretting the distance capabilities and flight times, but not any more. When I first got the Air, I was always trying to see how far I could fly it and for how long. After the "playing with my toy" novelty wore off, I realized I have a great flying camera that can easily be carried anywhere I go, and capture great photos and video from a different perspective. With this in mind, rarely do I say to myself, "I wish I could go 4 miles away to capture this photo" Before I take off, I'm thinking about my shots that I want to get and sort of plan things out. This allows for plenty of distance and battery life for most situations. Regardless of what drone you have, you're going to want more batteries. I have 4 batteries and that works perfect for me.
 
Mavic air uses Wi-Fi. This will SEVERELY limit range.
This is a concern if you’re looking to go out a mile or more. Otherwise not. In unpopulated areas I’ve pushed my Air well beyond a mile, to the limits of VLOS (at dusk, with lights).
 
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Tmartin89,

Your drone purchase should reflect the purpose you have in mind for it not how many people tell you to buy a certain model.

I currently fly a MA because one of my intended purposes is aerial photography of long distance and wilderness bike rides such as Dirty Kanza or RAGBRAI. The fact that it “only has 1000 m of range”, is of little consequence. On the other hand, packing a sophisticated camera drone into a very small, lightweight package is very important.
 
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When I got my P3 4k my biggest problem was the limited range. Despite the stated and reported range, I never got anywhere close to those. I had to get an Itelite DBS range extender kit for my controller. RANGE IS EVERYTHING, IMO. Even with the Itelite, I still was losing signal often and wasn't entirely happy. I eventually got the M2P. If you get the Air, you'll ultimately be disappointed in the range and will likely lose it because of that and you'll be spending money twice when you should have just bought the right one in the first place. I learn this lesson over and over when I try to save money.

Either way... get insurance.
 
When I got my P3 4k my biggest problem was the limited range. Despite the stated and reported range, I never got anywhere close to those. I had to get an Itelite DBS range extender kit for my controller. RANGE IS EVERYTHING, IMO. Even with the Itelite, I still was losing signal often and wasn't entirely happy. I eventually got the M2P. If you get the Air, you'll ultimately be disappointed in the range and will likely lose it because of that and you'll be spending money twice when you should have just bought the right one in the first place. I learn this lesson over and over when I try to save money.

Either way... get insurance.
I have to disagree with "range being everything" I respect that the range is the most important thing to you, but it is not for everyone. I thought that range was very important too, so much so that I went out and bought the Titan Drones Range extender. But after a while, I was flying less and less far away and still capturing the quality shots that I wanted. Range is so much not a factor for me now, I have reverted my controller back to stock antennas and got rid of the bulky range extender antennas. For me, the portability became the most important thing and adding bulk to my controller or a larger drone is just not the answer.
 
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I'm not a range hunter myself and fly VLOS per FAA rules. About the furthest I've been able to see my MP (with strobes) in daytime is about 4000 feet. But IMO having good range just makes for a more guaranteed chance of not losing contact at closer distances & might be something to think about. But when space is necessary range might not be as important size. So it really depends on what you need.
 
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