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Is the Mavic Air good enough?

This isn't a frame by frame issue though. The drone is producing selectively gray footage from beginning to end.



Which surprises me a bit. I'm convinced that the form factor is amazing and I'm not trying to talk down the product but posts here claim that the issues are "biased anti Air reviews" and user error. Since I have no experience with it, I'm trying to figure out if that's really the case or if my expectations are just too high.

Are satisfied users not seeing the issues because they don't have them, are they not seeing them because they aren't looking or are they just finding it reasonable considering it's a fairly low-prized drone?
Just decide that for yourself..like everybody does.
 
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Just decide that for yourself..like everybody does.

$1,000 to me isn’t low priced. I have flown RC airplanes and still have several RC trucks so I have had my share of issues.

I don’t think every problem is user error but when people are inexperienced there tends to be a statistical slant to new user errors.

I would expect that if 80% of DJIs products were faulty this forum wouldn’t be where we find out. I assume there would be some real uproar from several consumer groups. Considering that DJI represented 36 percent of the market by units sold in North America in 2017 (that’s over 600,000 drones) in this price range and across all prices in North America, DJI represented 50 percent of the market I believe that if their products were not reliable another company would take business away from them.

DJI is running away with the drone market
 
This isn't a frame by frame issue though. The drone is producing selectively gray footage from beginning to end.



Which surprises me a bit. I'm convinced that the form factor is amazing and I'm not trying to talk down the product but posts here claim that the issues are "biased anti Air reviews" and user error. Since I have no experience with it, I'm trying to figure out if that's really the case or if my expectations are just too high.

Are satisfied users not seeing the issues because they don't have them, are they not seeing them because they aren't looking or are they just finding it reasonable considering it's a fairly low-prized drone?

I have an M2P as well don’t forget and others posting on here have MP’s, M2x’s, P4P’s, Inspires etc. And yet most of us just really love our Airs.

Sure the IQ is not as good as some of the more pricey drones but it is just a brilliant package overall.

Put it this way, if I am going travelling and can only take one drone it’s the Air I take. If I am going out for a bit of fun it’s the Air that gives me the most giggles. If I had to sell either the M2P or the Air it’d be the 2 that goes.

Both are brilliant and for pure IQ the 2P blows the Air away but £ for £ out and out enjoyment the Air has it.

If you spend ages looking for faults in your images then the Air isn’t going to cut it. But then the MP or either of the M2’s won’t either.

Note I am a ‘serious’ amateur photographer, I own a Canon 5D mkIII and a good selection of L glass so I know what a really good camera is capable of. I also know that the photographer is far more important to the overall impact an image has. I’d rather see I really interesting photo that has a bit of noise and may be a couple of artefacts than a technically perfect image of a mundane subject.

If you want an accessible drone that is very easy to live with and that you will take with you whenever you fancy then you’ll not beat the Air.
 
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Thanks Azex, it truly is an amazing video with gorgeous views but it also highlights one of my main concerns with Mavic Air. Look at the background at 1:00 and the trees in the foreground at 1:35. The shadows are just different shades of gray and the color information seems completely gone.

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I think your expectations of drone technology are too high.
If you want anything better than this, then you’re going to want an Inspire2 with m43 interchangeable lenses. But, as the none discounted Air is out of your price range, the Inspire2 isn’t going to be an option.

Realistically the Air is hands down the best drone available in this price range.
 
I think your expectations of drone technology are too high.
If you want anything better than this, then you’re going to want an Inspire2 with m43 interchangeable lenses. But, as the none discounted Air is out of your price range, the Inspire2 isn’t going to be an option.

Realistically the Air is hands down the best drone available in this price range.
Spot on... I haven't seen any issues with the MA so far, to be fair I haven't look for any issues with it. Every drone has faults.. MA is comparatively a very good drone, as anything else in general, it has its faults. I think sub $1000, this is the best I have seen in the market..
 
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>I would have is a bigger sensor for better low light capability.

That is true and the only complaint I have about my Mavic Air. My Phantom (and even my Spark) do better in low-light situations.
 
>I would have is a bigger sensor for better low light capability.

That is true and the only complaint I have about my Mavic Air. My Phantom (and even my Spark) do better in low-light situations.

Be great but then we’d lose portability and the cost would go up. The Air is extremely well balanced so to speak in terms of features, price etc.
 
I own an Air and use it for both hobby work and paid gigs. I won't admit to the Air being perfect but will echo other sentiments here - for the price, you cannot beat it. Couple things -

The gray color issue you're describing is definitely there and the H.264 codec, even with 100mbps, makes color grading quite a chore. I would argue though that it's one of those "once seen, it cannot be unseen" things and if you don't know to look for it, you simply won't see it. None of my clients have complained.

The range issue is a little over blown IMHO. At least here in the states, you're supposed to keep the aircraft within line of sight. I have only had one full-on disconnect in 6 months of flying on a weekly basis and given the Air was less than 100ft away when it occurred, I have to chalk it up to a fluke occurrence. I have flown it nearly 1600ft away with no disconnect but of course, your mileage will vary.

I know I'm about to take your $850 drone and make it more expensive but the device you use to interface with the drone matters. I found a great deal on a used 7.85" CrystalSky and I have had an amazing experience flying and shooting video with the Air. When using my iPhone 8 I did have trouble gauging exposure and occasional video lag when flying in wifi congested areas. Of course, a CrystalSky can make the drone not so portable but it's a compromise I'm willing to make.
 
Mike_Flys-

wow, what a great shot.
 
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I have mavic air and mavic 2zoom. they both are working perfect for me. Ther is big difference between them but my air get some wonderful pictures and videos too.
 
I love my MA, I have not had one single issue or problem with it. I use mine for personal use and also for my job on roof inspections. I'm not a professional photographer but if you follow some of the other users suggestions for camera settings you can get some amazing videos and pictures. Range has not been a issue to me as I fly LOS as we have to by law in the U.S.
 
I sold my P4A and picked up a MA to replace it along with a new M2Z. I really like the M2 as the zoom and picture quality is great. the MA is every bit as good except no zoom. I can't say there is anything I don't like about the MA even the sound is fine, in fact I like the fact I can hear it when it's close to home so I can hone in on it. It's a great addition and I actually use it for paid gigs. If you wish to save some money and get a perfect unit go get one off of the DJI refurb site - I got 4 different phantoms and mavic as refurb and never a single issue with any and normally it's 30% discount as standard.
 
I've considered getting a drone for a year and this weekend they are selling MA Fly More Combo for $843 which is basically 20% off its regular price here. That's about my threshold to get a drone for hobby and family videos so I was about to buy it immediately.

Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of problems. Weird saturation issues in the shadows, stuttering videos, wobbly lines when panning, low resolution, purple discoloring, soft images (lens issue?), out of focus images, shadows from propellers, loud noise, really short range in Europe, dying batteries, drones that are running away, etc. Overall my first DSLR I had back in 2005 and my current $220 phone delivers better results. Video reviews seem to love it but I'm starting to question how much time they actually spent looking for these issues or if their main task was to get a cool looking video for YouTube while getting affiliate commission.

So.. Is the Mavic Air mature enough for usable videos and photos or would it be better to just wait 1-2 years for MA 2 or even MA3? I would love a drone but it would be wasteful of me to get a beta drone that delivers underwhelming results and runs off after a week. I've genuinely tried to study other peoples results but they love the saturation slider which (in my view) ruins the photos and I never know if poor videos are down to user error or poor hardware. I would hate to repeat my mistake of buying an early EVF camera which was just unusable due to the lag.

Reading your post, I think you have unrealistic expectations. If you would like to fulfill all of your expectations, I would wait ~5 years for the ~MA6. It is not sarcasm, but sounds to me an experienced photographer comes in with no experience with drones and looking for a drone to produces an untouched quality definetely under budget, <$1.000. The commercial drone industry is simple not at the level yet, to meets with your price and quality expectation at the same time, so you may want to spend more money toward for example inspire series and forget compact size or expect limited quality (against your expectation), get the portable size and budget filled. I definetely think that you should rethink your expectations otherwise you will be unsatified with your under $1.000 drone....
 
If you read it on the internet then it must be true.....not. I also got the Fly More Convo and the MA has far exceeded my expectations. You'll find that jargon for every drone model out there. These forums provide great opinions from honest pilots. I would absolutely recommend the Air to anyone, awesome video, beautiful picture and outstanding flying capabilities. Get it!!!
 
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If you read it on the internet then it must be true.....not. I also got the Fly More Convo and the MA has far exceeded my expectations. You'll find that jargon for every drone model out there. These forums provide great opinions from honest pilots. I would absolutely recommend the Air to anyone, awesome video, beautiful picture and outstanding flying capabilities. Get it!!!
Agree with everything you said except if the OP can afford the M2P he should get it. I want it for the night hyperlapses alone.
 
Agree with everything you said except if the OP can afford the M2P he should get it. I want it for the night hyperlapses alone.

It wasn't the one who said get the MP2 and can't offer an opinion on night flying as I've only flown in daylight. Get what you need that works for you! Good luck!
 
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