Just bought Mini 2 bundle for a trip to Costa Rica, what should I bring or consider adding on.

[AlaskaGuide]

I'm new to the Mavic Mini 2 and I don't have much time to school up on it before a trip south. I'm hoping I can get a few hot tips from this to save me some headaches. Specifically I'm thinking about ordering ND/ Polarizing filters. Any recommendations would be great.

 

[Saladshooter]

Definitely buy a set of ND filters.... and learn to use them before your trip. Shooting in manual mode is a must for the best footage and photos but it takes a couple of days to learn how to use the ND filters correctly and what ISO / Shutter combination to use. Youtube is your friend for this.

 

[African wildlife]

Yes, a set of good ND/PL filters is the important thing - but only if you're serious about filming and willing to switch from auto to manual mode (which isn't difficult to learn). Think about a landing pad - and the danger of sand. I started a thread on General Discussions with my best suggestion.

Definitely check out the country's drone laws before departure. And respect them. We work a lot in all kinds of countries and I've often seen tourists get into trouble with the authorities (and sometimes intervened to help get them off the hook). More and more people are getting very touchy about drones. Consider personal insurance if you'll be flying anywhere near property or people. "Be prepared" works. And watch out for tea leaves (= thieves) because your new toy is a good day's earner for some people after being nicked and cheaply sold on.

You don't need anything else - other than a great brain, which will enable you to use your drone to its very best. Unfortunately, BrainsRUs hasn't been started yet, so you'll have to work out what you can - but psychological attitude is everything and makes a massive difference.

 

[tibzee]

1) Well, if you are new to an advanced photography and ND filters then I would skip them right now (but buy them if you want). Learning and understanding them might be frustrating in a rush, especially when you never used them before and you have only a couple of days before holidays. I know a person who started to learn on vacation and results were disappointing (for him and his family). Most likely you won't make a Hollywood movie from your holiday's footage, so the most important part is to enjoy flying, not being angry at your settings and lack of experience.

2) On the other hand I think it's good to learn how to use CPL (polarizer), it's easier to understand and use, drone might fly in Auto mode (it's not a disaster). If you know how to work with RAW/DNG files, then use them. Mind you have to turn the settings on separately for PHOTO and PANORAMA modes. Same problem with video resolution settings of VIDEO and QUICKSHOTS modes, they are independent.

3) I definitely suggest a sun hood for your phone connected to a controller. Bright sun = hard to see phone's screen + your sunglasses = you see nothing. Sun cover helps a lot.

4) Record on the ground video (with the help of your family or on a tripod) or at least record your voice while you fly. It might be nice to add it to your final movie if you plan to make it.

 

[eaglesurfing]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy.

 

[Barry4]

Extra batteries!!! I never go out with less then 6 fully charged batteries. 30 minutes is the very most you will get out of each and that is on the slowest speed. Remember that you might need 5 - 7 minutes just to get it back and land it.

 

[Thomas B]

I'm new to the Mavic Mini 2 and I don't have much time to school up on it before a trip south. I'm hoping I can get a few hot tips from this to save me some headaches. Specifically I'm thinking about ordering ND/ Polarizing filters. Any recommendations would be great.

Be familiar and allow time to comply with Costa Rica’s drone laws and registration. Info and contact points in this document:

Drone Laws in Costa Rica | UAV Coach (2023)

Want to learn more about drone laws in Costa Rica? Check out our list of links and regulations for people flying drones in Costa Rica.

uavcoach.com

 

[raymairjr]

I would suggest some colorful skins or lights for visibility. I'm a newbie but I lost visual sight on my mini 200 ft away and 30 ft up, granted it was in northern winter conditions with ice, snow, white tree trunks.

 

[DanMan32]

As a newbie, I'd forget any filters right now, especially CPL. For CPL, you have to figure out how to adjust them before you fly for the most common shot you'll be making. What they do is filter out polarized reflections, but the polarization relative to the filter will change when you change angles.

Start with auto and have fun. Most of your shots will be quite good, especially for photos. The only issue you might have is the high contrast between brightess of the sky and the ground when you have the camera straight out horizontal. Just work your EV to get a good balance, or tilt down to get less of the sky.

 

[Gnarls]

I'm new to the Mavic Mini 2 and I don't have much time to school up on it before a trip south. I'm hoping I can get a few hot tips from this to save me some headaches. Specifically I'm thinking about ordering ND/ Polarizing filters. Any recommendations would be great.

Lithium battery case like Amazon.com: Battery Safe Bag Storage Sack Pouch Fireproof Explosion-Proof Charge Protective Guard for 3Pc Li-po Battery Protection Compatible with DJI Mavic Mini: Toys & Games

 

[Lister]

I agree about the ND and Pola filters for now. They're icing on an already rich cake. As others have said, the only thing you might want to buy is more batteries.

Best thing you can do before you go is practice, practice, practice, PRACTICE.

Learn to quickly change from video to stills mode in flight. Learn to adjust manual exposure in both video and stills mode. Learn to use autoexposure bracketing. Shoot RAW (DNG) for stills. No excuses! Don't rely on DJI's onboard panorama stitching. Shoot panos manually with the intention of stitching later. You'll get ten times the quality over the canned solution.

I posted this elsewhere, but here's my second attempt at a post-stitched pano. Nearly 10K pixels across and made from five DNG frames, this image would print three feet wide. Not so with the built-in panos.


Learning (and practicing) hand and launching and recovery will prove invaluable in many instances, not the least of which is sand. The last thing you want to do is land or take off on a beach.

 

[Nakita Mosquita]

Costa Rica is awesome and HOT. I agree with the earlier post re the necessity of filters. Learn to launch and hand catch safely to avoid the combo of salt and sand on the beaches and rocky / snady terrain in the hills. Become quickly familiar with manual settings of your ISO and shutter and you'll be happy with your captures and the use of HDR AEB.