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Buying my first drone...

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 no regrets for buying my mavric air , I'm not flying fantastic distances as I'm new to this but I'm averaging about 19to20min flying time. ps as im not flying out of line of site I have lowerd my rth to 20% as this is more than enough time to rth as I progress in flying ability I will of course put this back to 30% its a fantastic drone loving it .but a lot to learn yet

























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After a lot of research I decided to buy the M2 Pro. For me it was less about what I would use it for now and more about the possibilities of using it for things that I can’t yet imagine. The one with the most capabilities for a price I could talk my financial auditor (my wife) into accepting was the right choice for me.
 
I went for a MP1 and have absolutely no regrets. I absolutely love it to bits. This is my second drone (coming from a pretty unstable £200 Potensic T35) and I'm fairly new to the hobby so I didn't want to spend a fortune on the newest, most expensive model.

Despite the Mavic Pro being nearly 3 years old, it really is a fantastic drone. It's well made, incredibly stable, reliable and easy to fly and the older tech still blows my mind and doesn't seem outdated to me.

I love knowing that I can fly this thing a mile out if I want to (not that I ever would). The stability advantage occusync has over wifi means that even flying it at shorter distances, you will rarely ever get signal drop outs. Sure, it doesn't have side and rear obstacle avoidance sensors and the fancy camera of the 2 but it flies brilliantly and still takes great photos and videos.

I can only imagine the Mavic 2 Pro being absolutely amazing and obviously better than the already amazing MP1, but you have to ask whether you are prepared to invest another 500-600 £/€/$ in to one, and I for one wasn't as I initially had no intention of spending much money on a drone (as my first paragraph implies), but I did because I needed a bit more. I needed the stability, range and Battery, and to a lesser extent a better camera which the Potensic definitely did not have.

The Mavic Air is a bit less than the Pro I believe but the Pro is overall superior, even if it does have less sensors and is slightly larger. As much as I like the air's portability, the lack of occusync and battery life was a deal breaker for me. With that said, the MP1 is still very portable and is easy to travel with. Even something as small as the telemetry screen on the MP controller is just one of many things I like better about it and find very useful.

If you have the money to spend on the 2 or even the zoom, definitely go for it because they are vastly superior versions of the first Mavic Pro, but I can assure you and I'm sure many other forum members would agree, the MP1 will do most if not all of what you would ever need it to do and wont let you down. You will love it.
 
Thank for all of the input guys! Range isn’t everything for me but I feel like better range will have stronger connection even when flying closer. I do like how protected the camera is on the MA and the internal storage. I’m leaning towards the Pro Platinum right now. It’s on sale on DJI and I can get the educator discount.
 
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Thank for all of the input guys! Range isn’t everything for me but I feel like better range will have stronger connection even when flying closer. I do like how protected the camera is on the MA and the internal storage. I’m leaning towards the Pro Platinum right now. It’s on sale on DJI and I can get the educator discount.

Good luck. There are no wrong decisions.
 
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Thank for all of the input guys! Range isn’t everything for me but I feel like better range will have stronger connection even when flying closer. I do like how protected the camera is on the MA and the internal storage. I’m leaning towards the Pro Platinum right now. It’s on sale on DJI and I can get the educator discount.

How much is the educator discount?
 
I bought the Mavic 2 Zoom and it's incredible.
1. Long range connectivity
2. Zoom lens allows you lossless zoom
3. Dolly Zoom (Need to practice a little before achieving good results)
4. Long battery life time ( at least 20min flight time is possible)

I only miss the precision landing that is included in the first gen, but all in all I would recommend you Mavic 2 Zoom.
 
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.

Have a Mavic Air and Spark. I experienced video lag, latency and connection issues on both initially. A little research helped identify the culprit, my cell phone! Was using a Samsung S5 which was a bit outdated for the DJI drones.

I’m using the iPad Mini 4 now to get a bigger display, without any problems. The connection is stable and video feed just fine. I’ve also used the Huawei Mate 7 with no issues. In fact the video feed on the HM7 was better than the iPad. I’m not a distance junky and just fly for the fun of flying so cannot comment on your concerns on the MA range. There is however plenty of information on that on YouTube.

So, first ensure you have a DJI compatible cell phone or tablet. It will help your decision on whichever bird you eventually opt for without having to invest again on a phone/tablet.
 
I went through much the same thing over the past 3 months, trying to decide between the Mavic Air or a Mavic Pro. I watched countless videos, read a bunch of reviews, I like the Air because it was newer, smaller etc. but I liked that the Pro would fly further and a little longer. I came really close to buying a Mavic Pro, but in the end decided to go with the Mavic Air. I have had it a week so far and not a single regret with it over the Pro.

Why did I decide on the Air.... other than the range and battery length, I could not see any real advantages the Mavic Pro had over the Air. Having flown the Air up to 400' away from me, I don't care about that shorter range, for me I don't yet see a time where I will need to fly it past what the range of the Air is. The pictures it takes are great, the compactness of it is awesome, I am looking forward to tossing it in my camelbak pocket and taking it while I head out on my bike, battery life has been fine and I have 2 batteries so just swap them when one gets flat. I still can't get over how much tech is jammed into something so small. If I had to make the decision again, at this point I would still choose the Air.

Now, if I had a Mavic Pro 2 budget, all bets would be off.
 
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I went through much the same thing over the past 3 months, trying to decide between the Mavic Air or a Mavic Pro. I watched countless videos, read a bunch of reviews, I like the Air because it was newer, smaller etc. but I liked that the Pro would fly further and a little longer. I came really close to buying a Mavic Pro, but in the end decided to go with the Mavic Air. I have had it a week so far and not a single regret with it over the Pro.

Why did I decide on the Air.... other than the range and battery length, I could not see any real advantages the Mavic Pro had over the Air. Having flown the Air up to 400' away from me, I don't care about that shorter range, for me I don't yet see a time where I will need to fly it past what the range of the Air is. The pictures it takes are great, the compactness of it is awesome, I am looking forward to tossing it in my camelbak pocket and taking it while I head out on my bike, battery life has been fine and I have 2 batteries so just swap them when one gets flat. I still can't get over how much tech is jammed into something so small. If I had to make the decision again, at this point I would still choose the Air.
Now, if I had a Mavic Pro 2 budget, all bets would be off.
Ahhh... the drone bug strikes again! Yes I will admit I have them all... you will too over time! I love the Spark, especially the follow me modes and take it in my belt clip case (Quik Draw Amor from Dirty J Designs) whenever I’m walking or biking since no controller is needed. I also love my MPP as a great all around drone for getting the big picture especially.... still use it a bunch, but flying in tighter quarters requires a lot of care... had it replaced once under DJICare after I put it in some small tree branches I couldn’t see and it fell 50”. So, to get more sensors and protection plus a better camera I splurged for an M2P which I also love. Be careful! This hobby can be a money pit! But most of all enjoy flying whatever you decide on.

BTW... do your shopping! I got the M2P controller, etc NIB and unopened/unregistered with a manufacture date of late Nov ‘18 for $1k including shipping. There are some exceptional deals for those who wait.
 
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BTW... do your shopping! I got the M2P controller, etc NIB and unopened/unregistered with a manufacture date of late Nov ‘18 for $1k including shipping. There are some exceptional deals for those who wait.

Have to agree with this, I spent most of my time looking on Craigslist and eBay. What I should have been doing was checking the classifieds here and at rcgroups.com

In a few days I have seen some really great deals on both Pro and Air drones, might have even ended up with a Pro if I'd been checking here. No regrets at all with the Air, but if I had seen one of the deals I've seen on the Pro, it's entirely possible I'd have that instead. But then, I'd see a better deal.... Oh man, I've fallen in the money pit.
 
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Have to agree with this, I spent most of my time looking on Craigslist and eBay. What I should have been doing was checking the classifieds here and at rcgroups.com

In a few days I have seen some really great deals on both Pro and Air drones, might have even ended up with a Pro if I'd been checking here. No regrets at all with the Air, but if I had seen one of the deals I've seen on the Pro, it's entirely possible I'd have that instead. But then, I'd see a better deal.... Oh man, I've fallen in the money pit.
Looks like you’ve got the drone bug... likely you’ll find a deal too good to pass up soon... that’s how I got the M2P... :p
 
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