Can a Mavic Pro still get the job done? (real estate)

[JoshC]

I'm an an experienced photographer who's looking to get into drone photography and videography, mainly for real estate and weddings (where I already have clients). I bought a Mavic Mini around Christmas in order to teach myself how to fly and learn some of the moves.

I feel like I'm ready now to start some basic professional work for real estate, and looking for the cheapest drone I can use to get the job done for 6-12 months, to make a bit of money before investing in a more serious drone (e.g. MP2 or 3).

One option is to sell my mavic mini + kit and buy the Mavic Air 2.

I've also got a friend who's offering to swap his Mavic Pro + batteries for my Mavic mini + kit. I'm wondering if this would still be a good option and can produce good enough footage for real estate work?

My main considerations are reliability, ability to withstand wind, and video + photo quality. Automated flying moves are not important as I don't wish to use them.

If I inspect this drone for a swap are there any tell tale signs that can indicate mechanical issues?

Thanks for any input

 

[old man mavic]

its all down to condition and how the batteries are doing, have a good look for any signs of damage to the airframe scuffs or cracks could be indicative of hard landings or misuse
just as an aside the MPP which is the same airframe as the MP1, but with small upgrades to the ESCs and props, which make it fly slightly quieter and a small increase in flight time
it is still available, and if Automated flight modes are not on your wish list, then a new flymore package would be a very good drone for what you have in mind,and there are some good deals about now

 

[Flycaster]

I would go with a Mavic platform, either variant.
More robust, handles the winds way better than the Mini.
Better signal transmission system (Occusync 1 or 2 on the Mavics, vs. wifi on the Mini), and still has the small form factor.
You won't need all the fancy flight patterns/modes, you will more likely be flying the shots manually yourself.

 

[JoshC]

its all down to condition and how the batteries are doing, have a good look for any signs of damage to the airframe scuffs or cracks could be indicative of hard landings or misuse

Thanks. The unit I'm looking to do a swap on was bought mid-2018 and by their account has not been used very often. Batteries have not been discharged fully. However quite some period of relatively little use. Is this something to worry about?

 

[Flycaster]

I wouldn't think so. Maybe the only issue staring at me would be if they "exercised" the batteries during the periods of non use. I cycle charge/discharge every 2 months during the winters when weather su***. If the batteries are fully charged when you/owners test flies ALL the batteries, and you get about 25/30 minutes easy flying/hovering, and the individual cells look happy on the batteries (including the battery "health" in general, you should be good to go...

 

[JoshC]

I wouldn't think so. Maybe the only issue staring at me would be if they "exercised" the batteries during the periods of non use. I cycle charge/discharge every 2 months during the winters when weather su***. If the batteries are fully charged when you/owners test flies ALL the batteries, and you get about 25/30 minutes easy flying/hovering, and the individual cells look happy on the batteries (including the battery "health" in general, you should be good to go...

Good tip. Looks like I won't get a big flight with it, just will get to hover it, so I'll see how long it can last on both bats. DJI's website suggests 21mins for a flight and then landing with 15% remaining.

 

[Flycaster]

Also, let the current owner demo the other functions too....
Video @ different settings, camera both jpeg and RAW.
Oh, also, have him show you thru the app all of the sensor states all should be healthy, all compasses, IMU, vision sensors et all.....
Should take about and hour and change....

 

[brett8883]

I'm an an experienced photographer who's looking to get into drone photography and videography, mainly for real estate and weddings (where I already have clients). I bought a Mavic Mini around Christmas in order to teach myself how to fly and learn some of the moves.

I feel like I'm ready now to start some basic professional work for real estate, and looking for the cheapest drone I can use to get the job done for 6-12 months, to make a bit of money before investing in a more serious drone (e.g. MP2 or 3).

One option is to sell my mavic mini + kit and buy the Mavic Air 2.

I've also got a friend who's offering to swap his Mavic Pro + batteries for my Mavic mini + kit. I'm wondering if this would still be a good option and can produce good enough footage for real estate work?

My main considerations are reliability, ability to withstand wind, and video + photo quality. Automated flying moves are not important as I don't wish to use them.

If I inspect this drone for a swap are there any tell tale signs that can indicate mechanical issues?

Thanks for any input

I would probably look at a Phantom 4 Pro for your needs. It has a far superior camera. Having said that the Mavic Pro will get the job done but the camera is its weakest aspect.

 

[JoshC]

I would probably look at a Phantom 4 Pro for your needs. It has a far superior camera. Having said that the Mavic Pro will get the job done but the camera is its weakest aspect.

Like I said i"m looking for a drone that will get through 6-12 months of relatively undemanding real estate work. To my view it looks like the two main Mavic lines - MP2 and P4P are coming to the ends of their life cycle but are still being sold new for top dollar... I'd rather wait 6-12 month and save for whatever's coming next.

 

[Bill Dunnuck]

I have original Mavic with Crystal Sky. I compare photos to my Evo 1, Mavic Mini and Yuneec Typhoon H Plus. The Typhoon shoots the best, the other 3 are just about the same. The Mavic is still a great drone. I use the Master Airscrew props and it is pretty quiet. I have a ton of air time on the Mavic and have never had a problem.

 

[JoshC]

I have original Mavic with Crystal Sky. I compare photos to my Evo 1, Mavic Mini and Yuneec Typhoon H Plus. The Typhoon shoots the best, the other 3 are just about the same. The Mavic is still a great drone. I use the Master Airscrew props and it is pretty quiet. I have a ton of air time on the Mavic and have never had a problem.

So you're saying that the photo quality from the original Mavic is about as good as the Mavic Mini?

 

[Bill Dunnuck]

So you're saying that the photo quality from the original Mavic is about as good as the Mavic Mini?

Yep And no wind problems. Both good drones.

 

[Flycaster]

So you're saying that the photo quality from the original Mavic is about as good as the Mavic Mini?

Close enough. It's for Real Estate listings, Snot shooting the next Marvel Epic....

 

[JoshC]

Yep And no wind problems. Both good drones.

What is the video quality of the Mavic P? I find that the photo quality on the mini is okay but the video quality blows.

 

[brett8883]

So you're saying that the photo quality from the original Mavic is about as good as the Mavic Mini?

Yes. If you have a Mavic Mini you aren't going to get anything out of getting a Mavic Pro. It is NOT a better camera... Well it shoots 4K but that's it. I'd rather have a MP than a Mavic Mini but its not worth paying money to upgrade for YOUR needs.

You need to move up to a Mavic 2 or Phantom 4 Pro (not to be confused with the Phantom 4 Pro V2 which is more money) to get a realized upgrade in quality. Mavic Pro has a color recreation issue with video known as the "watercolor effect." Basically if you aren't in direct sunlight the colors get all mushed together and there's no way to fix it.

 

[brett8883]

The camera is the one black mark of the Mavic Pro which is otherwise a fantastic drone.

This video shows the watercolor issue in action starting at 1:07

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[old man mavic]

The camera is the one black mark of the Mavic Pro which is otherwise a fantastic drone.

This video shows the watercolor issue in action starting at 1:07

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well all i can say that the issue you have described,is not something i have ever encountered ,in over 80 hours of flight time with my MPP 325 photos plus 180 videos

 

[Flycaster]

I think it was a bad batch of optical chips, or it was a firmware upgrade issue way back when, I forget. It's back about 1.5? years ago?
But I never seen that on any of my vids.

 

[JoshC]

The sample video looks a lot better than what I get out of my Mavic Mini in terms of sharpness and noise, though obviously not when it's bugging out.

I"m contemplating swapping a Mavic mini for mavic pro. Mavic mini does not seem to be able to handle much wind, and I'd thought that with 4k the MP would be better video quality. (Downside of the swap is that I have 3 batteries that are new, the MP has 2 batteries that are old)

 

[brett8883]

For the record that was a “time lapse video” and he has sped it up to show how the watercolor persists even as he changes settings. It doesn’t actually bug out like that.

Don’t get me wrong I love my Mavic Pro and I’d much rather have a MP over a Mavic Mini. 4k does help a little and it’s much much studier and a trooper in the wind.

I read your OP again and I guess it didn’t realize it was an even swap, no money changing hands. If that’s the case then yea it’s a good deal. Just buy a third battery and get a car charger that charges two batteries at 4.2 amps or one battery at 8.4 amps and you can almost fly continuously if you are religious about putting the discharged batteries on the charger as soon as you bring in the drone.

PENIVO Mavic battery charger, 2 in1 battery Intelligent Car Charger for DJI Mavic Pro/Platinum Drone Accessories

Amazon.com