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How much would a swappable gimbal be worth to you?

What would you pay for a Mavic 2 package that included quick change mount + both M2P and M2P lenses?


  • Total voters
    16
Lets think of it this way. If, in a dream, DJI were to offer a new Mavic 2 package, you would get a zoom and a pro lens. They would be quick changed bayonet style. No app or firmware changes required. Only worth $1800 to 90% of people who responded?

To me, there is no other DJI drone out there, short of a $4000 Inspire, that could offer this option.

Realistically speaking, I think it's worth more than $1800, but I can understand what you folks are thinking. You can get a Pro for $1450, add a zoom lens for $400, thats $1850. BUT, how about the value of the quick change mount?

If someone were to offer a retrofitting interchangeable mount, what would it be worth to you to not have to unscrew the old mount, and just twist on a new lens? Im thinking that out in the field, you bring both lenses to do a job, and swap them quickly without losing much daylight, and not have to bring a screwdriver with you.
 
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Sorry I don't understand.?
.
Rob can I ask a stupid question.?
.
are you able to say swap a P4P camera onto a MP1 or MP2.?
.
.
...cR
.

If you dont understand, there are probably many others who dont either. Sorry!

No, you arent able to take any other gimbal/camera off of any other drone and stick it into the M2 frame. The only ones you can do it with are the M2P and the M2Z.

Likewise you cant take a Mavic Pro gimbal and stick it on an M2 frame, and you cant take an M2Z or P gimbal and stick it on an MP. Different engineering, weights and balances.
 
That what I thought but want you to confirm it

trying to understand
Why would you want to be able to swap a MP2 pro with the MP2 zoom
When the MP2P is much superior
Because of the larger optics
I'm I missing something.?

So you buy the MP2Z less expensive and spend another $600 to swap to the MP2P
Or Visa versa...
Buy the MP2P spend $300 to swap in the MP2Z....doesn't make sense .?
I'm thinking like digital camera not quantity it's about quality you upgrade your camera
Not how far it can zoom you upgrade to the largest better
optic sensor
.
It about the optical
Not the digital
.
Again I don't mean to be a D**k
I just can't rap my mind around why the swap
 
Good thinking. How about a Zoom, Pro, and Wide angle????


Now that would stir my interest, Rob. Truth is, I have never wished I had zoom capabilities on the M2P. Obviously, it depends on what you like to film. But that wide angle notion is intriguing.
 
That what I thought but want you to confirm it

trying to understand
Why would you want to be able to swap a MP2 pro with the MP2 zoom
When the MP2P is much superior
Because of the larger optics
I'm I missing something.?

So you buy the MP2Z less expensive and spend another $600 to swap to the MP2P
Or Visa versa...
Buy the MP2P spend $300 to swap in the MP2Z....doesn't make sense .?
I'm thinking like digital camera not quantity it's about quality you upgrade your camera
Not how far it can zoom you upgrade to the largest better
optic sensor
.
It about the optical
Not the digital
.
Again I don't mean to be a D**k
I just can't rap my mind around why the swap

The strange this is, I have had dozens of people wanting the zoom for its zoom-ability as a second gimbal. Nobody so far has asked me to swap their Zoom for a Pro, which is completely surprising to me. I thought people would buy the Zoom and then want to upgrade to the Pro gimbal, but that just didnt happen.

I think so many people are not interested in the superior camera on the Pro, but they like the Zoom function. I have to admit, I am one of them! Optical Zoom is such a great toy to play with!
 
Now that would stir my interest, Rob. Truth is, I have never wished I had zoom capabilities on the M2P. Obviously, it depends on what you like to film. But that wide angle notion is intriguing.

You must be a photographer, so the image quality matters. Most non-photographers prefer the Zoom because it's cool to play with, and allows you to get up close from a higher altitude. Plus it's cheaper to buy up front.
 
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I would like to see a gimbal which could accommodate a GoPro for the Mavic 2. Something that could somehow integrate the technology so you could control the Gopro with the mavic's controller, not just the gimbal. Seeing as GoPro has canned the Karma Drone, I don't see why they don't partner up with DJI to make a super drone! (GoPro, let DJI handle the flying aspects. We dont need a bunch of Mavics falling out of the sky like your Karma Drone.) As for the topic, 1800 seems fair. I'm absolutely going to be purchasing the Hasselblad anyway, as i'm bored of the zoom camera, so an easier option would have been nice. From what ive read though, swapping the cameras is not all that difficult. Just have to be careful of the ribbon.
 
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I would like to see a gimbal which could accommodate a GoPro for the Mavic 2. Something that could somehow integrate the technology so you could control the Gopro with the mavic's controller, not just the gimbal. Seeing as GoPro has canned the Karma Drone, I don't see why they don't partner up with DJI to make a super drone! (GoPro, let DJI handle the flying aspects. We dont need a bunch of Mavics falling out of the sky like your Karma Drone.) As for the topic, 1800 seems fair. I'm absolutely going to be purchasing the Hasselblad anyway, as i'm bored of the zoom camera, so an easier option would have been nice. From what ive read though, swapping the cameras is not all that difficult. Just have to be careful of the ribbon.

A gimbal for the Gopro on the Mavic 2 would probably not be FPV unless its Bluetooth, and then range would be substantially shorter than the M2's Occusync 2.0. I dont think DJI would devolve and integrate a Gopro camera into their stealthy drone design and controller firmware. What would be nice is for DJI to offer a dual camera Mavic 2, one for flight and the other for FLIR, but that can be used at the same time instead of one or the other.

DJI and Gopro have some history together. The Phantom 1 did not come with a DJI gimbal, people used Gopros on it, and were happy, but it wasnt FPV. Then DJI got the bright idea to make their own integrated gimbals and thus the Phantom 2 was born. DJI parted ways with Gopro from then on, and the 2 became business rivals. In DJIs eyes, they dont need Gopro any more, in fact they beat Gorpo to the finish line by releasing their Mavic one week before the Karma was set to be announced, and then the Karma was unstable in flight, further sealing Gopros entrance into the drone market. Some of Gopros great designs have still not made it to the Mavic design, such as the gimbal on a stick, sadly for us Mavic owners who would love to have a removable gimbal.
 
Last edited:
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I would like to see a gimbal which could accommodate a GoPro for the Mavic 2. Something that could somehow integrate the technology so you could control the Gopro with the mavic's controller, not just the gimbal. Seeing as GoPro has canned the Karma Drone, I don't see why they don't partner up with DJI to make a super drone!
Too late for that. It's thought that the whole reason DJI went their own way is precisely becasue GoPro didn't want to give them access to camera controls and a video feed. Probably becasue they had the Karma in development, and wanted to keep that exclusivity for themselves.

So now DJI's got their own lineup of purpose made cameras that are way better integrated than anything 3rd party could ever be, and it makes zero sense doing something for a GoPro again.
 
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That what I thought but want you to confirm it

...
Why would you want to be able to swap a MP2 pro with the MP2 zoom
When the MP2P is much superior
Because of the larger optics
I'm I missing something.?
...
I just can't rap my mind around why the swap

For a nonpro photo enthusiast the zoom offers great photos and the zoom function during the day 4x zoom video in 1080P- this is huge! But at failing light dusk and night, the M2 pro's camera shines!
Swapping lens only takes 3-4 min. The drone recognizes the lens and all functions become available in the firmware/software.
The question is with the swap, how much abuse the ribbon cable connector can handle.
 
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Gimbal alone or a bird with a swappable gimbal. Two different situations. Add 300 to the cost of the bird or 400 to purchase as an addon.
 
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The strange this is, I have had dozens of people wanting the zoom for its zoom-ability as a second gimbal. Nobody so far has asked me to swap their Zoom for a Pro, which is completely surprising to me. I thought people would buy the Zoom and then want to upgrade to the Pro gimbal, but that just didnt happen.

I think so many people are not interested in the superior camera on the Pro, but they like the Zoom function. I have to admit, I am one of them! Optical Zoom is such a great toy to play with!

I'm not that surprised from what I've read around here and my experience in general photography, the problem with the Pro 2 is that although it does have a better sensor you won't see the full benefits of the sensor unless you post process the raw files. The zoom on the other hand has a very obvious benefit which can be seen by anyone straight out of the box. I see the same with DSLRs and other large sensor devices particularly now smartphones produce such great shots straight off with no processing while larger sensor devices are usually pretty flat out of camera and need processing to extract the immense image quality they are capable of.

I was a big fan of the concept of the Karma and planned to buy one over the Mavic because I liked the modular design, I wanted a gimbal and new camera for the bike which the Karma would give me and I also liked the idea that I could upgrade the camera on its own or if I crashed the drone I could easily replace one part of it. Then they were falling out of sky and the re-released ones weren't great so I ended up with a Mavic and a separate gimbal and camera for the bike. Even if the Karma had worked well it was far bigger than the Mavic partially to accommodate that and the gimbal design was poor for mounting to anything else. The gimbal I bought was much better for connecting to a test strap to use on a bike and also had replaceable batteries which the Karma grip lacked.

In terms of what I'd pay for a swappable gimbal on the Mavic I think it's a good idea both to give more flexibility and also for repairs since the gimbal seems the most likely part to take damage in a crash but it's not something I'd pay more or would attract me to a drone on its own.
 
I wouldn't buy it. The difference between both is just to small. I'm happy with the Zoom and I'm not allowed to fly in the dark in my country. With the super resolution I get high resolution pictures (I stitch the RAWs in Photoshop) and there are only a few photos I took which could not be Super Resolutions (because of motion). I'd prefer, DJI try to combine the features of the pro and the Zoom into one camera.

But to be honest, the image quality of the current Mavics is really superb. If you want to step up, you have to pay for an Inspire and that's okay. Maybe I'll think about this when I'm done with the M2Z (in some years), maybe I'll be happy with the than current Mavic-like drones.

Greetings
Jürgen
 
I wouldn't buy it. The difference between both is just to small. I'm happy with the Zoom and I'm not allowed to fly in the dark in my country. With the super resolution I get high resolution pictures (I stitch the RAWs in Photoshop) and there are only a few photos I took which could not be Super Resolutions (because of motion). I'd prefer, DJI try to combine the features of the pro and the Zoom into one camera.

You're always going to make a compromise one way or another, if DJI could offer larger than a 1in sensor (or something larger than 1/2.3in) with a zoom then they could also offer a larger than 1in sensor without a zoom. Similarly with the Mavic 2 DJI could offer a zoom with a small sensor or no zoom and a larger sensor so they made the decision to offer separate cameras. You see the same in cameras as those that use a 1/2.3in sensor can offer incredible zoom range (125x for the Nikon P1000) but if you go up to a 1in sensor then it drops to just 25x in the same size.

One of the main misconceptions of the Mavic Pro 2 is that its sensor is only an advantage at night (I'm assuming that's why you mean by flying at night, sorry if not) but the main advantage for me with the 1in sensor is the much wider dynamic range. Many drone shots will have a bright sky and a dark ground which means you lose detail in both areas but with the Mavic 2 pro it's possible to extract a lot more detail than in a 1/2.3in sensor. Although low light is an advantage of a larger sensor, I don't find it's so big an advantage on the Mavic because the super stable gimbal means you can get away with much lower shutter speeds than when shooting handheld.

I'm not saying everyone should buy the Mavic 2 Pro, just explaining its advantages which are not as clear as the zoom and certainly for those that don't work with raw files they're not going to be able to get most of the benefit of the Mavic 2 Pro.

Perhaps it should be a different poll but the feeling I get from reading this topic is people have changed camera from the pro to the zoom because they weren't happy with the pro rather than switching back and forth.
 
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