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Can the Mavic Air camera be used handheld?

SimonD

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Joined
Jul 10, 2019
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My Air is arriving tomorrow but the forecast is poor so unlikely going to be able to fly, though I would like to set up and test the camera & gimbal, film a little footage to see what it's like in post, is this possible?
 
Yes, it's possible. Power on your Mavic Air, start recording, and carry it around.
 
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I went one step further. Instead of walking I put the drone (minus the props for safety) on the dashboard of the car. Turned the drone on etc and started filming as I drove down the motorway.
 
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And then for something completely different...there’s the pocket Osmo by DJI. Use mine fairly often.
 
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I almost got the Osmo but plunged all my cash into the Mavic.

I doubt I will buy a rig for it, I have my DSLR & Stedicam (with vest) for those shots, especially if I want aperture DOF control.

Interesting about mounting it on the dashboard, how did it come out?

My Air arrived earlier, unboxing was a pleasure, now I'm patiently waiting for my batteries to charge so I can update the firmware and set it all up.
 
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Just done some test footage, I am gobsmacked! 4k handheld is amazing, 1080p at 120 fps is also impressive, I had it all on manual and haven't colour graded it but I can already see it's potential.

I have a Canon 1Ds Mk IV and a 5D Mk IV with L series lenses so it takes a lot to impress me - consider me impressed!

I can see I am going to have a LOT of joy from this drone :)
 
A couple of weeks ago, I shot a pool party in Beverly Hills and I was too lazy to walk back to the van for my Osmo, so I walked the Mavic Pro (folded) around hand-held. I think it worked pretty well:

 
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A couple of weeks ago, I shot a pool party in Beverly Hills and I was too lazy to walk back to the van for my Osmo, so I walked the Mavic Pro (folded) around hand-held. I think it worked pretty well:

That came out great with the mix of aerial shots.
Just setting up for my first flight, nothing exciting as I'm just going to a local hill to learn how to fly.
 
Make sure you're flying in a safe area:
https://app.airmap.io/geo?32.816087,-117.164394,10.920102z Zoom and scroll to your area then zoom in for the specifics
and if you have time, watch this before you go out:
Take it slow and close. Speed and distance is the cause of most crashes when starting out.
Have fun - safely.
Thanks for that, popped my location in and I'm confused at the light blue areas:
https://app.airmap.io/geo?52.708060,-2.754440,8.891830z
"Special Use Airspace" AIAA Shawbury which is an RAF base about 15 miles away from me but the area is huge and blocks most of my area.
Does it mean that whole area is out of bounds?
 
Video was very useful thanks, I have to admit I had planned beyond these basic steps so brought me backdown to earth (pun intended)
 
Installed the NATS app for UK and found a few places to try, off to self taught drone school now for some basic flying.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

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