Love the Mavic Pro 2!

[Gringorio]

Just wanted to post a thread about how good the MP2 is. I've owned and flown all the Phantom series and the MP1 and I have to say I really like how the MP2 flies and the camera's capabilities. For the last six weeks I've been flying from a conservation ship. Our Phantom 4 Pro has had a number of issues related to flying from a ship and can't be used (IMU, compass, gimbal issues). The MP2 however has had over 50 flights on this trip and has been rock solid. In calmer conditions I hand launch and catch, in rougher conditions, the robust body makes it easier for another crew to launch or catch for me. Plus, it just feels better in flight than the P4P or MP1, at least to me. We've been able to capture some pretty cool video with the better camera. Anyway, my two cents on the Mavic Pro 2...

 

[Treeofliberty]

I'll come at you from the opposite end of the spectrum. The M2P is my first UAS, and after 2 days of flying I am stunned at what I can do. Further, I'm in my 50's, with no gaming experience, so this really is a new set of fine motor skills. Yesterday, I was flying about a half mile from some TV antennas, and lost signal a few times, but never lost control of the vehicle. This really is an amazing hardware/software package. I have some high quality, almost cinematic footage on my second day of flying. That's unbelievable.

And imagine my surprise to shoot a panoramic photo and find the stitched final product was DNG. I've never had a camera create a mosaic in raw format. This platform is amazing for the money.

 

[GIUFED]

Good morning, I'm happy for you but personally I think the video quality of the M2P is poor at least for the sensor supplied and compared to the PH4PRO. Not to mention the obvious moiré effect present in 4K HQ DLOG M which makes the images unusable.
And still the quality in 4KFOV identical to 2.7, in short, at the moment I'm not satisfied.
I hope for an update by DJi that solves the problem
.

 

[jodi2]

We've been able to capture some pretty cool video with the better camera. Anyway, my two cents on the Mavic Pro 2...

I dont believe you without seeing the videos... ;-)

 

[Gringorio]

I dont believe you without seeing the videos... ;-)

All the aerial video in this clip was taken with my Mavic Pro 2, Dlog, 2.7k 60fps:

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[fozzzy]

All the aerial video in this clip was taken with my Mavic Pro 2, Dlog, 2.7k 60fps:

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That’s awesome! I agree whole heartedly, m2p is an exceptional bit of kit

 

[Levitate]

Good morning, I'm happy for you but personally I think the video quality of the M2P is poor at least for the sensor supplied and compared to the PH4PRO. Not to mention the obvious moiré effect present in 4K HQ DLOG M which makes the images unusable.
And still the quality in 4KFOV identical to 2.7, in short, at the moment I'm not satisfied.
I hope for an update by DJi that solves the problem
.

I can't agree with you more. The M2P does not use the full sensor in video. It "raw subsamples" which is essentially pixel binning/line skipping. Yes, for those who are coming from the regular MP, it is a big upgrade. But for those who have experienced the P4Pro - it is definitely a step down in video quality. The sharpness decrease is definitely noticeable. Skip to 11:20 in this video to see how much dramatically worse the M2P is than the P4P:
For photos, the M2P uses the whole sensor. That is why photographs with it are so much better than video. And that is why daytime video on the M2P is pretty much indistinguishable from the "smaller" sensor on the M2Z.

Further, this will not be able to be "fixed" in an update. The M2P uses some crappy SOC from a no-name company called "Allwinner" as opposed to Ambarella. It frankly doesn't have the processing power to use the whole sensor, notwithstanding the heat issues involved in doing something like that. It doesn't even have the processing power to correct for barrel distortion in Dlog on the bird itself like the P4Pro.

I hope in a year or so, there will be a Mavic platform that will truly be able to take advantage of the whole sensor. Claiming a 1" sensor is kind of a bait and switch when video doesn't allow its whole use...

Lastly, the latest P4Pv2 update upgraded the transmission system to Occusync 2.0 with the same range, 1080P, etc as the M2 series.

 

[GIUFED]

I can't agree with you more. The M2P does not use the full sensor in video. It "raw subsamples" which is essentially pixel binning/line skipping. Yes, for those who are coming from the regular MP, it is a big upgrade. But for those who have experienced the P4Pro - it is definitely a step down in video quality. The sharpness decrease is definitely noticeable. Skip to 11:20 in this video to see how much dramatically worse the M2P is than the P4P:
For photos, the M2P uses the whole sensor. That is why photographs with it are so much better than video. And that is why daytime video on the M2P is pretty much indistinguishable from the "smaller" sensor on the M2Z.

Further, this will not be able to be "fixed" in an update. The M2P uses some crappy SOC from a no-name company called "Allwinner" as opposed to Ambarella. It frankly doesn't have the processing power to use the whole sensor, notwithstanding the heat issues involved in doing something like that. It doesn't even have the processing power to correct for barrel distortion in Dlog on the bird itself like the P4Pro.

I hope in a year or so, there will be a Mavic platform that will truly be able to take advantage of the whole sensor. Claiming a 1" sensor is kind of a bait and switch when video doesn't allow its whole use...

Lastly, the latest P4Pv2 update upgraded the transmission system to Occusync 2.0 with the same range, 1080P, etc as the M2 series.

So it was enough to be clearer with the customer to allow a weighted choice!
I did not buy the PH4PRO for the size and I thought that with the M2P I would have solved it. It was not so much! Thanks DJI!

 

[SteveCA]

the mavic 2 pro will not satisfy pixel peepers. And it does have pretty bad moire issues. But, for its size and portability, its an amazing drone, especially if you shoot stills or hyperlapse.

 

[Levitate]

the mavic 2 pro will not satisfy pixel peepers. And it does have pretty bad moire issues. But, for its size and portability, its an amazing drone, especially if you shoot stills or hyperlapse.

You are right about stills/hyperlapse. But the lack of sharpness in video, especially coming from a P4P is noticeable and definitely not a pixel peeper issue.

 

[NorthGADronePilot]

You are right about stills/hyperlapse. But the lack of sharpness in video, especially coming from a P4P is noticeable and definitely not a pixel peeper issue.

Oh, good grief. If I had a nickel for every poster touting the superiority of the P4P camera I could buy another M2. Bottom line, it doesn't matter how good (or purportedly good) that camera is, it's strapped to an outdated, bloated albatross of a bird that simply needs to go away.

 

[FatherXmas]

I'm not a videographer by any stretch of the imagination. I do not believe I've ever shot a video before I got into drones and very few of those. I take stills, since the early 1970s and the M2P may not be as good as a full frame DSLR, but it takes awesome photos. I do have a P4P and seldom use it any more.

 

[Levitate]

Oh, good grief. If I had a nickel for every poster touting the superiority of the P4P camera I could buy another M2. Bottom line, it doesn't matter how good (or purportedly good) that camera is, it's strapped to an outdated, bloated albatross of a bird that simply needs to go away.

The M2P is still is lot worse for video. Period. See here- go to 11:20 to see how much worse than the P4P:

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I quote “The differences are brutal”
Compared to the P4P, the M2P video looks totally washed out.

 

[Gringorio]

Thanks for all the comments. I too have a Phantom 4 Pro, but choose the Mavic Pro 2 because it still has amazing video quality and portability, especially on ships where space is a premium. For most videos my clips are used in the viewers will never know, or care to know, if they were taken by a Phantom or Mavic, though it's personally good to know the gritty differences.

 

[NorthGADronePilot]

I quote “The differences are brutal”
Compared to the P4P, the M2P video looks totally washed out.

You miss the point completely. The video capabilities of the P4P are better in some ways (watch the rest of that video and you'll see that the M2P outperforms it in other areas), but the form factor of the Phantom line disqualifies it from serious consideration. Unless, of course, you enjoy lugging around a massive, bulbous, old-school looking bird simply because you "may" get a slightly better video quality in certain situations. No thanks.

 

[Levitate]

You miss the point completely. The video capabilities of the P4P are better in some ways (watch the rest of that video and you'll see that the M2P outperforms it in other areas), but the form factor of the Phantom line disqualifies it from serious consideration. Unless, of course, you enjoy lugging around a massive, bulbous, old-school looking bird simply because you "may" get a slightly better video quality in certain situations. No thanks.

No. You miss the point completely. You “will” get better video quality on the P4P. Always. As sure as you get 4K60 and as sure as you use the full sensor. Obviously if you don’t use the full sensor and have line skipping and pixel binning, you will have crappier video.

So, you can have a smaller nicer form factor, or you can have an “ok” form factor with way better results.

 

[JDawg]

No. You miss the point completely. You “will” get better video quality on the P4P. Always. As sure as you get 4K60 and as sure as you use the full sensor. Obviously if you don’t use the full sensor and have line skipping and pixel binning, you will have crappier video.

So, you can have a smaller nicer form factor, or you can have an “ok” form factor with way better results.

Thread is about a guy loving his new MP2. What does your love with the P4P have to do with this?

 

[NorthGADronePilot]

Thread is about a guy loving his new MP2. What does your love with the P4P have to do with this?

Exactly. Some people, Levitate being just one example of many, will never miss an opportunity to tout the camera of the P4P -- regardless of the fact that it's dangling from a blimp.

 

[Levitate]

Exactly. Some people, Levitate being just one example of many, will never miss an opportunity to tout the camera of the P4P -- regardless of the fact that it's dangling from a blimp.

Sorry if you internally disappointed with the soft line-skipped pixel binned non 1” video sensor. Video is about on par with the Mavic Air.

 

[JDawg]

Sorry if you internally disappointed with the soft line-skipped pixel binned non 1” video sensor. Video is about on par with the Mavic Air.

Go here next - I LOVE my Zoom - Better than ANY other flown Drone !
And mine is bigger than yours