I Swapped the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom Camers!

[7thstring]

I can't anywhere near as many people spending money for a downgrade they'll use occasionally than the other way around.
A few might for the occasional flight but not a big percentage.

That's because you see it as a downgrade. I see them as two different versions. Both with pros and cons.

 

[DanMan32]

If it comes to a firmware that is specific to Zoom or Pro, then there will be two firmware versions. The P3 was much like that. You could change out the gimbal/camera from Advanced to Pro, but then you needed to apply the appropriate firmware. You could even run the P3 without any gimbal installed.
I suppose it could be made that with a mismatched firmware/camera the M2 won't initialize far enough to allow firmware upgrade, and same without any camera. I doubt DJI will go that far.

 

[CarlStarke]

Perhaps a 3rd party company will develop a hot swappable mount to install?

 

[SkywalkerFeng]

Now that we know the camera modules can be swapped without any issue, the real question to ask here is:

Why DJI did not design the camera of Mavic 2 drone to be hot swappable? That would be ultimately convenient from user point of view, if they can hot swap different camera modules in the field, when out for a flight. There is really no need to purchase two different drones and carry both during travel. The Mavic drones are designed to be travel companion - and the ideal travel setup should be one drone body, and multiple hot-swappable camera modules.

As far as I can see,there is not technical obstacles preventing DJI from doing that, other than corporate greed - as doing this would very likely jeopardise the sales of their Phantom product line.

 

[hoggdoc]

OK ... I've gotta ask the obvious question.

Why?

You've got a Zoom and a Pro, so why would you need to swap the cameras vs. just flying like it was manufactured to fly, and without voiding the warranty.

I suppose if there was a way to procure the "other" camera as a stand-alone purchase, it might make sense in some unique un-warranted universe.

But aside from "raw curiosity", I just don't get it.

Exactly what I was thinking as well!

 

[hoggdoc]

Now that we know the camera modules can be swapped without any issue, the real question to ask here is:

Why DJI did not design the camera of Mavic 2 drone to be hot swappable? That would be ultimately convenient from user point of view, if they can hot swap different camera modules in the field, when out for a flight. There is really no need for them to purchase two different drones and carry both during travel. The ideal travel setup should be one drone body, and two hot-swappable camera modules.

As far as I can see,there is not technical obstacles preventing DJI from doing that, other than corporate greed - as doing this very likely jeopardise the sales of their Phantom product line.

I think you aren't considering why would DJI want to set things up so you don't have to buy two Mavics? That doesn't make and business sense to me.

 

[SkywalkerFeng]

I think you aren't considering why would DJI want to set things up so you don't have to buy two Mavics? That doesn't make and business sense to me.

It doesn't make business sense, only because DJI currently does not have any real competitors in consumer drone market. Otherwise they would have designed Mavic 2 the right way. Because if they don't, their competitors will do it (as it is a no brainer), and be one step ahead in the game. The lack of innovation becomes a real a problem when one company takes the majority of the market share, and consumers have very little choice, but accept whatever they designed and shipped.

 

[baddog]

This is also cross posted in the "pro" part of the forum.

I saw the video on how to swap the cameras in another video, but no one tried swapping a different camera. I have both the zoom and the pro, so I figured why not?

Check it out:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

This is also cross posted in the "pro" part of the forum.

I saw the video on how to swap the cameras in another video, but no one tried swapping a different camera. I have both the zoom and the pro, so I figured why not?

Check it out:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

So did you actually swap the cameras on your drone or are you making reference, that the person in the video you shared, did it successfully? I watched that same video and he never re-links the controller to the Mavic Zoom yet he states the controller still showed the Pic Mavic Pro 2 when DJI Go4 started up and that was because he last flew the drone with that controller prior to camera swap. It is my understanding that you have to re-link controllers when switching drones. Seemed odd to me....

 

[continuecrushing]

So did you actually swap the cameras on your drone or are you making reference, that the person in the video you shared, did it successfully? I watched that same video and he never re-links the controller to the Mavic Zoom yet he states the controller still showed the Pic Mavic Pro 2 when DJI Go4 started up and that was because he last flew the drone with that controller prior to camera swap. It is my understanding that you have to re-link controllers when switching drones. Seemed odd to me....

It was me that swapped the camera, the link/video is mine. I did not need to re-link anything as the controller and the drone stayed the same, only the camera swapped. The app still showed the Pro because the app last ran with the mavic 2 pro (the one that shipped to me as the Pro). When I swapped cameras (from the Pro to the zoom, so now the "zoom" will be a pro) and booted everything up, the ipad shows the Pro, because I did last use it with the pro. By the time the app updated, it would still show the pro because the drone/camera hooked up was the "new pro that was a zoom" lol. Man this is confusing.

I did actually swap cameras though. Watch my follow up video, I show the serial numbers.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[FMR]

Weird don't you guys who Purchased both feel a tad ripped off buying 2 Drones when essentially changeable gimbal cameras was all you needed .
DJI are laughing all the way to the Bank **

 

[bikencat]

youtube pays for views so that is why people make these videos. Its also interesting even it there is no practical use.

 

[mavicn00b]

The next FW release may cut that out altogether. Some will argue about not wanting to update FW just because of the ability to swap.

I'd say they should just leave it in for the sake of simplicity. Anyone who wants to void their warranty to save a few dollars, then that's their prerogative, should anything go wrong with the drone, DJI get paid to repair it.

Weird don't you guys who Purchased both feel a tad ripped off buying 2 Drones when essentially changeable gimbal cameras was all you needed .
DJI are laughing all the way to the Bank **

Not really, you can perform the mod but should it go haywire, its on you, DJI will be laughing all the way to the bank regardless whether they sell you a new Camera/Gimbal assembly or any other part of the drone you may inadvertently screw up.

They will be offering a camera replacement service to swap between zoom/Pro for a fee. Only the die-hards will buy both.

Ultimately, They should have just made it more modular and user replaceable.

 

[Marv]

As long as DJI has given us this option to swap on the first FW release.
The next FW release may cut that out altogether. Some will argue about not wanting to update FW just because of the ability to swap.
Hopefully not!, but you never know. We will see.

First I hear of this??? Are you saying that if I want to swap my M2Z for a M2P before the first FW update I can pay the difference and swap it out?

 

[swoermck]

If it comes to a firmware that is specific to Zoom or Pro, then there will be two firmware versions.

Exactly my thoughts: if I am not mistaken, the M2 Zoom has only D-Cinelike, not D-Log. So after swapping from zoom to pro, will you end up with a pro without D-Log?

 

[Dougcjohn]

I fail to understand why there's a "Pro vs Con", or Bad/Good... it's not a justified why... it's a option that may appeal to one and not the other. Some like DSLR / MFT with various lenses and others like an all-in-one compact zoom digital camera. Don't know how many times I've heard the discussion "why do you need a DSLR".

I don't think it'll be problematic FW issue in future FW releases. The current FW version supports both gimbal assemblies and the 1st Gold FW version was many versions beyond Beta testing; DJI had ample time to separate the 2 gimbal versions if desired. The current FW displays the specific differences within the DJIGo4 app, clearly indicating the FW detects what's activated. The logs or app variables will require a restart to probably Re-initialize the new environment each time... won't be a hot swap. The cost to develop 2 FW file sets for 1 platform is much more problematic than having 1 FW file that detects the attached gimbal and turns on the various software features & screen controls. If there is any gimbal-camera requirements within FW, that can be detected or that also may be applied to the gimbal FW when detected... similar to all the Inspire 1&2 and Matrice gimbal updates.

The gimbal assemblies will clearly become available as a part # and available to Dealers or individuals to purchase. That may not be readily available so close to product release. Price will be higher than the platform price difference, but I don't think a large difference, more in line to any part as separate piece vs the package. The $700 listed on an eBay post is a vender taking advantage of the current market.

I've repaired many "Service Repair center only" items on I2 or Matrice since I didn't want the wait period, just ordered the part. DJI hasn't ever prevented this method, they just haven't advertised it openly as an option. I'm confident the same will apply to M2 Gimbal asmb.

Agree with above, not an upgrade or downgrade... just making use of different lens options. On DLSR, a high price wide f-stop tele isn't an upgrade to a lower cost wide angle prime... just a different toolset for the desired photo op outcome.

If you have a need for the dolly zoom feature, it's not on the 1" Prime lens; and if you desire aperture control for a scene, it's not on the 2x Zoom.

I use a lower cost Z3 / X3 in place of a X5Raw at times... different toolset. The I2 X4S is great for some purposes not suited for the X5S due to shutter design.

I would agree, would have been nice to have a more quick change setup, but the ability to change is a benefit. It's not risking the interior of camera to dust or moisture elements, it's an assembly that can be swapped on the hilltop if desired without risk of ruining the camera. in the long run... IF one has the need, it's an option. You can pack 2 birds in the backpack or 1 bird with a spare camera box.

 

[aPpYe]

I have always had the (unresearched) theory that the reason there are two mavics has to do with the failed launch back in July ... Perhaps the original idea was to have a zoom with a 1" sensor, it wasn't ready, so they went with plan B, to release two versions ...

Either that or there were software issues, and that is why we see a bunch of software features (precision landing, etc) missing from the initial firmware ...

 

[DanMan32]

Probably the latter. The gimbals and cameras are too different to have been developed and factory tooled in just a month.

 

[The pilot of all pilots]

As long as DJI has given us this option to swap on the first FW release.
The next FW release may cut that out altogether. Some will argue about not wanting to update FW just because of the ability to swap.
Hopefully not!, but you never know. We will see.

What would be the process if I would like to swap my zoom camera to the pro 2 camera? and how long do I have after activation to go ahead with the procedure ?how much will it cost if I’m from canada? And is it worth it to swap? Pls let me know thank you

 

[DanMan32]

It is technically possible to swap them any time you want.
Doing so and maintaining your warranty is another matter. It must be done by an authorized repair center. Also Care Refresh only covers the gimbal version it came with.

 

[jwt873]

I'm a Zoom owner.... On the notion of swapping cameras back and forth.

Does the controller that comes with the Mavic 2 Pro have the zoom control wheel on the top right corner? If so, what is its function? If it isn't there, it seems you'd need a new controller to make a Pro into a Zoom.

I looked up the controller info in the generic Mavic 2 PDF manual that I downloaded from DJI. They label the zoom adjustment wheel as for the "Mavic 2 Zoom only".