Is the mini 2 worth an extra £200 for a beginner?

[arrondor]

Hi

I’ve never owned a drone, live in the UK and wanted to dip my toe in the water. I’m nervous about how much use I will get from a drone (don’t know until I try) and about crashing/losing it!
I would love the Mini 2 but I can get the fly more combo mini for £200 less than the same combo for the Mini 2. Is it really worth so much more and would I be disappointed with the original mini?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hi

I’ve never owned a drone, live in the UK and wanted to dip my toe in the water. I’m nervous about how much use I will get from a drone (don’t know until I try) and about crashing/losing it!
I would love the Mini 2 but I can get the fly more combo mini for £200 less than the same combo for the Mini 2. Is it really worth so much more and would I be disappointed with the original mini?

There are to many issue with the Mini and very little resale value because of it . You are much better off to get the Min 2 and , you will know with in days if something you going to take to so buy from an easy Return Policy .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain and land on Water.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi arrondor Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
As I don’t have a Mini or Mini 2 so I can’t offer any real advice for the choice.
You mention crashing & losing, don’t bother yourself, they are easy to fly as long as you don’t get stupid and take things slow at first rather than zoom off into the distance in sport mode.

 

[slup]

Both of these will take you forward ... one of them will give you a much higher degree of comfort & minimize the risk of something bad happening ... with the same driving behavior.

I guess you can pinpoint which of the 2 that likely is the Mini 1 ... yeah, the Mini 2 is worth it.

 

[MA2 317]

Hi

I’ve never owned a drone, live in the UK and wanted to dip my toe in the water. I’m nervous about how much use I will get from a drone (don’t know until I try) and about crashing/losing it!
I would love the Mini 2 but I can get the fly more combo mini for £200 less than the same combo for the Mini 2. Is it really worth so much more and would I be disappointed with the original mini?

Hello from the Crossroads of America arrondor


I've flown a DJI Spark since 2017 and felt the need for an upgrade.

I chose the MA2 because it was the upgrade I was looking for.

And, of course, DJI released the MIni 2 after purchasing the MA2.

I don't own a Mini 2 but it may have been my next purchase because of the OcuSync system that provides a good video feed and data transmission when flying vs. the WiFi systems of the Spark and the other WiFi drones like the Mini 1 and MA1.


I think you'll enjoy your Mini2. Especially the fly more combo. After completing your first flight, you're going to want to a fly again and that's when the FMC comes in handy because of the extra batteries.

Good luck on your purchase and welcome to the Forum. ?

 

[Lastrexking]

Hiya. It’s absolutely worth the extra money. If for no other reason, it’s more future proof than the Mavic Mini.
get yourself to Argos and get one bought ?

 

[izometric]

The more I fly the Mini 2 the more I realize this drone is not beginner friendly.

It lacks collision avoidance systems of any sort (except for landing downwards sensors/vision), it is weak even at modest wind speed, you fly it by mistake with the wind, chances are it will barely make it back (if it makes it back at all).

It is a great drone, you can fly it without much hassle regarding registration and pilot training, it can fly over people, but that is not enough to make this drone beginner friendly.

 

[old man mavic]

@izometric .hi fellow flier ,the Mini 2 is very beginner friendly ,in many ways ,its affordable has a decent camera Occusync and best of all its GPS is really good ,i must totally disagree with you on the need for collision avoidance sensors ,apart from the downward facing ones ,the sensors, front, back, top, side ,etc do nothing to improve ones flying skills,and in fact can lull people into a false sense of security ,because they think that they will save their drone from disaster ,in fact the lack of sensors ,means that you need to hone your piloting skills ,which for me is the most important part of having a successful flight,i have nothing against the auto flight modes if thats what floats your boat ,but they aren't foolproof ,as many people have found out to their cost
these are just my views ,and are not meant to be disparaging to yourself ,just presenting another viewpoint thats all

 

[AVLJMA]

I agree with Old Man Mavic. The Occusyn 2 alone is worth the extra money. The range and signal are far superior to the Mini 1. The Mini 2 is so easy to fly. Just take your time at first and fly above the highest obstacle. It will take you about a month (probably a week) before you seriously consider the Mavic Air 2. Welcome to the drone addiction.
Happy flying.

 

[AVLJMA]

@izometric .hi fellow flier ,the Mini 2 is very beginner friendly ,in many ways ,its affordable has a decent camera Occusync and best of all its GPS is really good ,i must totally disagree with you on the need for collision avoidance sensors ,apart from the downward facing ones ,the sensors, front, back, top, side ,etc do nothing to improve ones flying skills,and in fact can lull people into a false sense of security ,because they think that they will save their drone from disaster ,in fact the lack of sensors ,means that you need to hone your piloting skills ,which for me is the most important part of having a successful flight,i have nothing against the auto flight modes if thats what floats your boat ,but they aren't foolproof ,as many people have found out to their cost
these are just my views ,and are not meant to be disparaging to yourself ,just presenting another viewpoint thats all

One more thing. I have sensors on my Mavic Air 2. Never use them. I fly like they are not there. The sensors miss twigs that can take you down as sure as a branch. Again, Old Man Mavic is right on that point.

 

[izometric]

@izometric .hi fellow flier ,the Mini 2 is very beginner friendly ,in many ways ,its affordable has a decent camera Occusync and best of all its GPS is really good ,i must totally disagree with you on the need for collision avoidance sensors ,apart from the downward facing ones ,the sensors, front, back, top, side ,etc do nothing to improve ones flying skills,and in fact can lull people into a false sense of security ,because they think that they will save their drone from disaster ,in fact the lack of sensors ,means that you need to hone your piloting skills ,which for me is the most important part of having a successful flight,i have nothing against the auto flight modes if thats what floats your boat ,but they aren't foolproof ,as many people have found out to their cost
these are just my views ,and are not meant to be disparaging to yourself ,just presenting another viewpoint thats all

You can disagree all you like. This doesn't make me wrong. Nor you

Or like Marcus Aurelius said about 1850 years ago:

"Everithing we hear is an opinion not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth"

Cheers.

 

[AVLJMA]

I know for a fact that Marcus Aurelius never used a drone with sensors and he never flew in high wind conditions.?

 

[orb]

I have the mavic mini and bought the mini2 and really pleased with it a great improvement over the mavic mini.Mavic mini rarely used now will probably give it to a family member .Go for it

 

[NG Wildman]

Hello and welcome from Liverpool, NY.
There are some differing opinions here.
I have flown both and still do, as well as the new FPV, M2Pro and many others.
Quite simply: Mini2 all the way. The radio connection is head and shoulders above the original Mini.
This is a little tank in the air. Very forgiving. And as your skills progress, you can turn sensors off and fly faster.
The motors are more powerful, weight is lighter and the radio has far less interference and can travel much farther without losing connection which comes in handy depending where you are allowed to launch from (as long as you have a visual spotter). If you are concerned with how much use you will get; that tends to make me think you will be better off with the Mini2 as it will be easier in windy conditions and (again) more forgiving. There are lots of good opinions here. Take your time and watch videos on both. In the long run, the Mini2 will offer you more room to grow...and in the short run you will be safer with it.
Good. Let us know what you decide and how you like it.

 

[Greekislandlover]

For me it's a no brainer because of occusync and the other improvements. It would be a much harder question if you had asked "Should I get a cheap one to play around with first"?

I had 2 cheap things (or was it 3) that either crashed or flew away before getting a Spark which really convinced me the hobby was for me. A mate of mine had a cheap one for Christmas and I don't think he's flown it more than once. I know it's lockdown,, but I suspect he probably won't fly it again.

The thing I'd say is that a huge part of the DJI range is the drones feel in a different class for quality and performance over the cheap ones, so I've never felt worried flying either the Spark or my Mavic 2 Zoom. I get the worry about crashing it or losing it but the key is to follow the tutorials about how to prepare it, and how to fly it that are on youtube. The biggest reason people crash or lose them is probably user error and a lot of that can be eliminated by not rushing in.

Find a nice quiet open space without trees (evil things) to practice in. Learning how to control it in that sort of environment will serve you well.

 

[hawkinsuk]

Lots of good stuff here. I am a Mini 1 user who moved from a Phantom 3 Advanced because we have an ageing motorhome and I LOVE the size! It always seems a good plan to buy the latest model of anything to future-proof it as much as possible. So the question here for me would be: Should I upgrade from the Mini 1 to the Mini 2? And the answer (at the moment) is 'No' for the following reasons:
1. The Mini 1 is a perfectly good piece of kit and worthy of the DJI label. Given how light it is, I am very surprised at how effective it is in wind gusts up to 20mph.
2. I don't seem to be so enthralled at flying long distances from where I am. Yes, I've done long distance over a farm to prove the point but in the end my video and stills are within my visibility and I've had no problem with radio signals.
3. I am an enthusiastic user of Dronelink software which, I understand, is not yet available for the Mini 2. I'm sure it will be soon but I wouldn't want to change hardware without Dronelink being available.
4. I am more enthusiastic than just being an occasional flyer but I still don't have the drone up as often as I would like (probably the weather and lockdown have something to do with it) so I feel I would need to be altogether busier with it to justify upgrading to the Mini 2.
5. There is dubious benefit to me in filming in 4K. It looks fantastic but you need to have computer equipment and software that will process video at this quality. So I live with 1080 25/30fps and I am content with this as post production isn't a probem; actually I'm surprised how very good it looks on a 50" television screen.
6. If £200 doesn't matter, consider the Mini 2. If you're uncertain, buy a mini 1 secondhand but don't sweat on it as the Mini 1 is a very good piece of kit. Oh, and get the combo; almost essential as you will use all the batteries with a serious bit of flying.

Good luck! Mike

 

[hawkinsuk]

Both of these will take you forward ... one of them will give you a much higher degree of comfort & minimize the risk of something bad happening ... with the same driving behavior.

I guess you can pinpoint which of the 2 that likely is the Mini 1 ... yeah, the Mini 2 is worth it.

View attachment 126313
View attachment 126314

Drones to one side, I would like the little yellow one, please ) And it's right hand drive. Perfect! Mike

 

[Welsh m4vic]

I am a total novice and had a mini2 in May for my birthday, really easy to fly (if i can then anyone can). I cannot comment on any others, but apart from stupid points on my part, the mini2 is a great unit. Still cant get used to using the screen to fly yet, but that's the learning curve.

 

[NG Wildman]

To me it's like buying a bike with permanent training wheels.
You can't grow into it only out of it (Mini). One battery is a lot of time for a beginner, even though the passion will probably set in soon. Better to have the Mini 2. It's soooo much better in many ways and also more forgiving for a beginner. I recommend the Mini 2 and then saving for the fly more or even a battery at a time.

 

[Chaosrider2]

The more I fly the Mini 2 the more I realize this drone is not beginner friendly.

It lacks collision avoidance systems of any sort (except for landing downwards sensors/vision), it is weak even at modest wind speed, you fly it by mistake with the wind, chances are it will barely make it back (if it makes it back at all).

It is a great drone, you can fly it without much hassle regarding registration and pilot training, it can fly over people, but that is not enough to make this drone beginner friendly.

Active collision avoidance is a serious step up in cost.

I've flown my Mini-2 in gusty winds at 20 mph, and it just hovers until I tell it to do something. It definitely justifies it's Level 5 wind resistance rating. And that's on the "Normal" setting, not even the "Sport" setting.

It's an excellent beginner drone. What would you suggest as an alternative, in the same cost category, under 250 g?

TCS