Commercial Work

[sitecre8r]

Hi,

I'd be really interested to hear what commercial (paid) work other members are using their Mavic Pros for?

My next question is, what determines the step up to an Inspire? Where does the performance of the Mavic, as a camera and a flight platform begin to deteriorate?

Two questions there!

Thanks a lot,

SC

 

[Lake_Flyer]

Hi,

I'd be really interested to hear what commercial (paid) work other members are using their Mavic Pros for?

My next question is, what determines the step up to an Inspire? Where does the performance of the Mavic, as a camera and a flight platform begin to deteriorate?

Two questions there!

Thanks a lot,

SC

In my county, the Netherlands, using a Mavic Pro commercially is only possible for jobs that don't involve camera operating by the pilot while flying. With other words, as soon as one would have to focus, change gimbal pitch, or change camera settings, a single person could not do it. That said, there is a possibility for a second controller for a cameraman.

An Inspire 1 or 2 is capable to carry different sensors and (zoom)camera's, 360 gimbal movement etc. I use the Inspire1 with second controller and a cameraman for more complex shoots or inspections with zoom camera. For mapping I usually only need an observer.
I got the Mavic for myself, for recreational flying and occasionally getting shots for my website or social media. Whenever I fly my Mavic I pretend to be a hobbyist, since the rules for commercial flying don't allow the things most amateurs normally can do.

 

[sitecre8r]

Thanks for that. I'm in the UK.

Yup, zoom & 360deg motion precludes the Mavic for sure - but not always necessary.

I have a second controller for the Mavic. Mainly for the client to help direct me, but it could be used for camera control.

Does anybody use teh Mavic commercially?

 

[Simmo]

Yeah I do, but only for photography (landscapes and such) and roof/gutter/antenna inspections etc.
It is difficult though when we have to comply with rules. There is very little money in it.
There are many other operators out there that dont have any accreditations, and fly anyway...
I have been told that the money is in the mapping etc, and to get the resolution, you need a P4 as a minimum.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I use my Mavic for commercial real estate, and web stock footage.
It is a challenge with such a small sensor and the conditions and settings must be correct to minimize noise.

I have two other inspire size drones which I never use. They are both capable of carrying DSLR size cameras, but due to size and complexity of operation. I never use them anymore. The Mavic is just too convenient.

The only reason I might go back to the larger platform is if a client needed a higher image quality or footage specification.

Until then I’ll keep using my Mavic and keep waiting for the Mavic II.

 

[Palliz]

Yep I use the Mavic pretty much exclusively for real estate - boundaries - infrastructure work - bridges culverts flying long distance along old roads needing resurfacing & following tracks to determine access to other roads etc ( in the back of a pick up mostly ). I have an Inspire 1 with X5 camera for more detailed work but hey I hardly use it at all since I have the Mavic - Portability Baby!

 

[KDog]

I’m in a similar position - I want to my work to the next level (in creative digital production) and I’ve come to the conclusion that the sensor on the Mavic just doesn’t cut the mustard; too much compression to make the footage usable in post production, poor dynamic range etc. etc. All things we all know - and it’s certainly not a sleight on the Mavic - it’s a great little drone - but I don’t think it’s capable enough to be taken seriously. I think for real-estate work that’s chained to HD web content it’s fine, but to film things that need to move through the creative workflow which needs CinemaDNG or ProRes 444 as a minimum, an Inspire with an X5 or even X7 is about entry level as far as I can tell. It’s very difficult to bootleg real estate work up to purchasing that kind of a setup though, so I’m in a very difficult position regarding investment decisions. I’m currently thinking I might have to stay commercially grounded for a year or two and buy a (cheaper but still expensive) Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro 4K full frame camera to make enough money to step up to the Inspire platform.

The whole problem with the Mavic is that’s it’s so cheap and accessible that it provides no barrier to entry so the low-level work is highly commoditised. Stepping up to a more capable platform gives an opportunity to differentiate through service and skill, however I’m currently on the wrong side of that barrier to entry into that space!