DJI and their low-quality drones (Spark, Mavic Air, Tello)

[Tinmania]

I......the pro is a good drone but it's crap in high wind .... proven

That is not “proven.” MP simply chooses to hold pitch for obstacle avoidance in wind where the Air turns off OA for greater pitch in wind. Turn off OA on MP or, even easier, flip to sports more and voila no issue with wind.

It’s a design decision, and I happen to prefer how it is implemented on the MP better (I’d rather be the one who decides to forgo OA for better speed in wind, or not). But I can see why dji did that for the Air, and its intended market.



Mike

 

[Ian in London]

That is not “proven.” MP simply chooses to hold pitch for obstacle avoidance in wind where the Air turns off OA for greater pitch in wind. Turn off OA on MP or, even easier, flip to sports more and voila no issue with wind.

It’s a design decision, and I happen to prefer how it is implemented on the MP better (I’d rather be the one who decides to forgo OA for better speed in wind, or not). But I can see why dji did that for the Air, and its intended market.



Mike

This is spot on.
AIR switches off OA so it can increase it's pitch and maintain speed; the PRO ,limits the pitch (and speed) to ensure the OA continues to work. Video on this very suibject below.

There seems to be a surprising level of argument about which is best. They're different drones. WIth pro and cons. Thanks to forums and YouTUbe, it's easy to work out precisely what's what and decide what's important to you.
Ian

 

[MiniPalourde]

That is not “proven.” MP simply chooses to hold pitch for obstacle avoidance in wind where the Air turns off OA for greater pitch in wind. Turn off OA on MP or, even easier, flip to sports more and voila no issue with wind.

It’s a design decision, and I happen to prefer how it is implemented on the MP better (I’d rather be the one who decides to forgo OA for better speed in wind, or not). But I can see why dji did that for the Air, and its intended market.



Mike

Yep, this is correct. The Mavic Pro tries to remain fairly stable and not pitch too much when the OA is activated. With sport mode on however, it doesn't care about pitching a lot and it's able to remain at the same spot even in high winds.

 

[dragonmuzz]

Ah, explains everything. Enough said.

BTW, the Mavic Pro is pretty good in high winds. You can watch comparison videos or even try for yourself, it is pretty clear that anyone with any experience will know that the MP is pretty good in high winds.

It still does 5+km without the parabolic reflectors......I just use then cos I like the extra signal.....I've used them on all my drones and it beat my lightbridge phantom 3 in range last week and the phantom 3 was using reflectors also......what's your next excuse...

 

[MiniPalourde]

It still does 5+km without the parabolic reflectors......I just use then cos I like the extra signal.....I've used them on all my drones and it beat my lightbridge phantom 3 in range last week and the phantom 3 was using reflectors also......what's your next excuse...

I never got 5 km with my Mavic Pro so you probably have a very good unit.

What you get, "5km+", is not representative of what the average MA user gets with their aircraft.

 

[Aerial West]

Hello,

From what we've seen, DJI is the best RTF photography drone manufacturer there is at the moment. The Inspire, Phantom and Mavic Pro/Platinum series have been a HUGE success because they are so well built and quite simply surpass other drones specs.

However, I have remarked that DJI started releasing 'low-quality' drones in the last months.

First, we've had the Spark. A 400 US+ drone with a 10 minutes flight time, 1080p camera and horrible range. Anyone could buy a Phantom 3 standard, a very old and 'outdated' drone, for much cheaper. At first I thought that it was just a mistake, like all companies do.

However, they then released the Mavic Air, at almost the same cost than the Mavic Pro. It uses WIFI connection and users have been complaining all over the forums about range problems. On top of that, it has a much lower battery life. The camera is not good because it can't focus on the background and often makes up blurry edges, so you get a camera that does not even compete with the Spark's. At least it's very portable which is a very good thing, but it is clear that the Mavic Air does not compete in any way with the Mavic Pro.

Then, they released the Tello. A toy drone with no remote for 160 USD. Seriously? I could buy a Syma x5c-1 for 6 times less and have a RC with it. Tello is not cheap, it's not good, and it cannot go outside because it cannot handle wind.


Why are they doing this? They used to do 1000-4000 USD quality drones that surpassed every other aircraft and now they release low quality toys? Are they aiming for a different market?

This makes me think that the Mavic Pro 2 is not coming soon.

Price points. This is for marketing to different levels of consumers with varying levels of buying power.

 

[dronerdave]

Price points. This is for marketing to different levels of consumers with varying levels of buying power.

I agree.

First, we've had the Spark. A 400 US+ drone

they then released the Mavic Air, at almost the same cost than the Mavic Pro.

Then, they released the Tello. A toy drone with no remote for 160 USD. Seriously? I could buy a Syma x5c-1 for 6 times less and have a RC with it. Tello is not cheap, it's not good, and it cannot go outside because it cannot handle wind.

Why are they doing this? They used to do 1000-4000 USD quality drones that surpassed every other aircraft and now they release low quality toys? Are they aiming for a different market?.

I wonder what the marketing/sales for DJI products would be in other countries. Very congested areas seem to have more who drive smaller vehicles, motorbike, pedal, or walk. A compact drone easy to carry might be a big seller in that case and probably why the Mavic has been such a success. I do hope the next release will be sized similar to the Mavic Pro that has a better camera.

As far as the Tello goes, yeah it is basically a well-built 99 dollar toy that doesn't come with a controller, but comparing it to a Syma X5C isn't even close. A better comparison might be the Yuneec Breeze they're selling for 149.00 but even that one is a bit large for flying indoors. Small drones like the Tello are inside drones that fly well outside in zero to light wind. It is priced for the younger generation and has features more suited for them but I still bought one. The 5 mega pixel camera does a good job for what it is.

Right now I would have a tendency to purchase a second MP rather than jump on the Air but I see where the MA would fit folks who have limited space.