MA2 vs AE2P

[cgmaxed]

There are pros and cons to having a drone that has no limitations. Sure, you can fly anywhere you want, and then when the completely ignorant or those that don't care get into big trouble, whose fault is it? Does Autel have any liability for people flying their drones where they should not?

Sure, people don't like having to get authorization to fly where things are restricted, wonder why they are restricted? Could it be if you fly a drone there you may cause a problem? What if something happens, something goes wrong?

One can be annoyed all they want, but controlled airspace is that way for a reason. Sure, some places may not make any sense, and perhaps databases for places where limitations make little sense should be updated.. Perhaps that should be the focus of some attention.

What about software glitches or lack of internet access? Any glitch or malfunction in the chain and you own an expensive brick. No Thanks. There are plenty of ways to obtain LAANC permissions before flight if and when needed. I like the online 3 day permission validation the most. Could you imagine having to have to login and get your ID verified to start your car. It certainly would cut down on stolen vehicles or people driving without insurance and suspended licenses. But what if that same car validation system broke down and you couldn't get to work. Drones are much less harmless than vehicles. It's paranoia by the populace and politicians that is causing this pre-authorization phenomena. Wait until the government steps in and takes over the authorization system. The software is ready and waiting for a simple change in the law and a new agency to be created. I can't wait to see what happens when the FAAs ID and Pilot location system goes into effect. I think i better buy some more evo's before that. I don't want a paranoid, psychotic, violent drone hater knowing where I am. I can understand the commercial side of UAVs being regulated. But, hobbyists? This regulatory stuff caused me to buy TWO EVO 2 drones out of fear. I've had a few instances where my DJI drones couldn't fly because I went somewhere with no internet access or cell service. I drove ten miles, but had to drive home. It's supposed to be a simple hobby for many of us. They are making owning a drone, more complicated than owning a gun or car. DJI doesn't legally need to put restrictions on their drones. I have to admit, DJI has trained me well, but I don't need their motherly advice anymore. I'm a big boy now. Mommy and Daddy did their job. Now I can obtain the proper permissions on my own. Thanks mom and dad, but I found a new roll model. Mr Autel.

 

[cgmaxed]

I agree with much of what you've said. I think it's none of DJI's business where you fly and how you fly and geofencing is nanny state BS. I just might end up with an Autel Drone before everything will have RID required.

I'm curious what you do to draw so much attention to yourself that you get harassed so much? I recognize that can happen and I do carry the FAA, state laws and local ordinances with me to fend off that. I suspect I'll get harassed at some point too, but it hasn't happened yet.

I recently saw a video of a guy in Florida shooting a project for a company and some jerk came up and told him to "get the F out of there", then called the cops. I was glad to see him stand his ground. What's up with Florida people???

The harassment i'm talking about is when I am standing where a lot of people are, especially the beaches or parks. Mind you, I do not fly over the people. I usually tether a fishing line and drop it in the ocean, or just fly over the ocean looking for fish, dolphins, sharks or birds. If some people see you, they call 911. My neighbors finally stopped calling, when the police started telling them, my flying was out of their jurisdiction. Most of the people on the beach love the drone and talk to me about them and then want to buy one. But there is always that one paranoid schizophrenic in the bunch. I usually recommend the DJI mav 2 air for a starter drone. The geofencing is a good teaching element. But, I think once someone gets used to it, they should be allowed to choose to have it on or off.

 

[vindibona1]

The harassment i'm talking about is when I am standing where a lot of people are, especially the beaches or parks. Mind you, I do not fly over the people. I usually tether a fishing line and drop it in the ocean, or just fly over the ocean looking for fish, dolphins, sharks or birds. If some people see you, they call 911. My neighbors finally stopped calling, when the police started telling them, my flying was out of their jurisdiction. Most of the people on the beach love the drone and talk to me about them and then want to buy one. But there is always that one paranoid schizophrenic in the bunch. I usually recommend the DJI mav 2 air for a starter drone. The geofencing is a good teaching element. But, I think once someone gets used to it, they should be allowed to choose to have it on or off.

So far I've been lucky not to attract nutjobs. I stay away from people and even try to stand away from people. Those I've encountered are fairly entertained. I'm sure there will come a day when someone will harass me.

As far as DJI's geofencing and data collection, we have to remember that DJI has a Chinese corporate culture in everything connected to them. With geofencing they are not protecting you or those around you. They are protecting themselves. It's evident when you have to "agree" that you are responsible for flying when it cannot lock onto GPS that you have to click to agree to absolving them to unlock your drone. And with the flip of a switch they can shut down every DJI drone in the country if they wanted or were ordered to do so. I only wish Autel's controller strength was better and it was reported to handle better. If they can fix the small issues they currently have before RID I'd buy one of those.

 

[cgmaxed]

So far I've been lucky not to attract nutjobs. I stay away from people and even try to stand away from people. Those I've encountered are fairly entertained. I'm sure there will come a day when someone will harass me.

As far as DJI's geofencing and data collection, we have to remember that DJI has a Chinese corporate culture in everything connected to them. With geofencing they are not protecting you or those around you. They are protecting themselves. It's evident when you have to "agree" that you are responsible for flying when it cannot lock onto GPS that you have to click to agree to absolving them to unlock your drone. And with the flip of a switch they can shut down every DJI drone in the country if they wanted or were ordered to do so. I only wish Autel's controller strength was better and it was reported to handle better. If they can fix the small issues they currently have before RID I'd buy one of those.

Regarding Autel. I bought an electric amplified booster for the controller. It responds much better, has better range and penetration through interference. It now performs as well as a DJI, but i still have to admit DJI is more agile.

 

[Mike Mas]

I agree with much of what you've said. I think it's none of DJI's business where you fly and how you fly and geofencing is nanny state BS. I just might end up with an Autel Drone before everything will have RID required.

I'm curious what you do to draw so much attention to yourself that you get harassed so much? I recognize that can happen and I do carry the FAA, state laws and local ordinances with me to fend off that. I suspect I'll get harassed at some point too, but it hasn't happened yet.

I recently saw a video of a guy in Florida shooting a project for a company and some jerk came up and told him to "get the F out of there", then called the cops. I was glad to see him stand his ground. What's up with Florida people???

Dude, Do what I do get yourself a Mini-2 stick it in your trunk and have a blast! The images and video is as good as a Mavic! full hour and a half of flying with the 3 battery combo pack. Pure fun at 259 Grams and hassle Free!

Mike

 

[vindibona1]

Dude, Do what I do get yourself a Mini-2 stick it in your trunk and have a blast! The images and video is as good as a Mavic! full hour and a half of flying with the 3 battery combo pack. Pure fun at 259 Grams and hassle Free!

Mike

I already have a Mini 2 and a Mavic 2 Pro. My issue is big brother looking over my shoulder, able to brick my drone any time, for any reason right or wrong. It's a pain- an uncessary one IMO. I have a project I'm assigned to do in a few weeks. I know it's a few miles off of a local CLASS D runway. I know it's required and I'm happy to get ATC authorization (which I already have). But then I have to write to DJI and beg "Please Daddy, let me play with my drone. I promise to be good and obey all the rules". So yeah, I took the ATC authorization, spent time with an unlock application and got it unlocked. But then I need to go test it to make sure that when I'm on the clock shooting this job I can actually fly in the air space. Who is paying me for all this time beyond the ATC requirement to fly??? And when I did go and test my drone while ATC gave me 1km clearance in a circumference, my drones hit the fence a few hundred feet to the west in the direction of the airport, which was still 2 miles away. Fortunately I don't need the extra range in that direction, but ATC was ok authorizing clearance with a 3000 ft off launch point as long as I flew under 200 ft AGL. I don't really need the extra space to fly, but that's not the point. DJI unlocked 300 ft on 3000 ft ATC clearance.

 

[Macinfo]

What about software glitches or lack of internet access? Any glitch or malfunction in the chain and you own an expensive brick. No Thanks. There are plenty of ways to obtain LAANC permissions before flight if and when needed. I like the online 3 day permission validation the most. Could you imagine having to have to login and get your ID verified to start your car. It certainly would cut down on stolen vehicles or people driving without insurance and suspended licenses. But what if that same car validation system broke down and you couldn't get to work. Drones are much less harmless than vehicles. It's paranoia by the populace and politicians that is causing this pre-authorization phenomena. Wait until the government steps in and takes over the authorization system. The software is ready and waiting for a simple change in the law and a new agency to be created. I can't wait to see what happens when the FAAs ID and Pilot location system goes into effect. I think i better buy some more evo's before that. I don't want a paranoid, psychotic, violent drone hater knowing where I am. I can understand the commercial side of UAVs being regulated. But, hobbyists? This regulatory stuff caused me to buy TWO EVO 2 drones out of fear. I've had a few instances where my DJI drones couldn't fly because I went somewhere with no internet access or cell service. I drove ten miles, but had to drive home. It's supposed to be a simple hobby for many of us. They are making owning a drone, more complicated than owning a gun or car. DJI doesn't legally need to put restrictions on their drones. I have to admit, DJI has trained me well, but I don't need their motherly advice anymore. I'm a big boy now. Mommy and Daddy did their job. Now I can obtain the proper permissions on my own. Thanks mom and dad, but I found a new roll model. Mr Autel.

As far as I am aware, you do not require internet access to fly a DJI Drone, however if you elected to fly somewhere that perhaps was restricted and could not fly because you could not request access, how tough would it have been to consult various apps to be aware that your potentially flying in restricted air space before going there... sounds like a lack of planning in some pilots part...

So you go out, spend $3000 or more dollars to flaunt that you can now fly anywhere irregardless of whether you should... There is just something wrong with that, and if you don't see it or don't care... perhaps one of these days you'll figure out why they have these rules in the first place.

 

[vindibona1]

As far as I am aware, you do not require internet access to fly a DJI Drone, however if you elected to fly somewhere that perhaps was restricted and could not fly because you could not request access, how tough would it have been to consult various apps to be aware that your potentially flying in restricted air space before going there... sounds like a lack of planning in some pilots part...

Sounds simple and straight forward, but it's not. I was visting a buddy who lives not far from a Class D airport just OUTSIDE of a restricted zone, as noted in the Airmap and Kittyhawk apps. I tried to fly in his front yard but was bricked by DJI. I tried to get unlocked on the spot but was unsuccessful. So no flying that day. I got home and found that I had to go on the computer, write to Big Brother DJI Flysafe and get it unlocked for future visits... where the unlock is only good for a year and I would have to go through the whole nonsense again when the location should not have been locked in the first place. You will also note my reply above, where I did get ATC authorization and used that for a DJI unlock, but they did not unlock me according to the waiver. Luckily I don't need to fly past the edge of where I am geofenced, but imagine if I did and job day came and I couldn't fulfill my obligation. And yes, it's the responsibility of the pilot to check things out before flying- or even before accepting a job. But even if you jump through all the hoops it doesn't mean that DJI won't mess up the unlock as they sort of did in my case.... One of the reasons why I checked my resources, did my applications and testing weeks in advance. None of this should have been necessary beyond simply getting ATC authorization.

 

[cgmaxed]

As far as I am aware, you do not require internet access to fly a DJI Drone, however if you elected to fly somewhere that perhaps was restricted and could not fly because you could not request access, how tough would it have been to consult various apps to be aware that your potentially flying in restricted air space before going there... sounds like a lack of planning in some pilots part...

So you go out, spend $3000 or more dollars to flaunt that you can now fly anywhere irregardless of whether you should... There is just something wrong with that, and if you don't see it or don't care... perhaps one of these days you'll figure out why they have these rules in the first place.

I live next to a public small aircraft airport. I have to get permission via the internet every day before I fly. I'm lucky the airport is small. It has a five mile radius, thus I need authorization each and every day to take off. If my internet isn't working I can't get LAANC, my DJI drone won't take off. If I use a different phone or tablet, I have to go through the whole process of giving my phone number, email and password. Only then, I can use LAANC. If I don't, I am blocked from crossing the blue lines. I am not in them, i'm just outside of them. If I don't have internet, I can't fly to the east at all.

 

[Macinfo]

OK, some people are in perhaps unique flying situations where getting LAANC is easier said than done.. I still think though that the wild west of drones not having some controls to determine safe flying is not optimal.. Perhaps as I think I noted somewhere, perhaps determining ways to either improve the request process or find ways to change the designation of some sites that need requests that may not need them in reality are changed,

 

[LA 2020]

I am getting into Real Estate photography and I am in the process of getting my 107. I am still fairly new to the drone world (about 1 year) and I have been trying to decide on which drone to buy. I have had my sights set on the Autel Evo 2 Pro 6k for around $1700. But recently I have been watching videos and reading about the Magic Air 2 and how it's great for RE, basically I'm asking if I should get the Evo or grab the MA2 Flymore Combo for $999.

At least in the beginning it will be photo/video that I will do for realtors and eventually down the line inspection/survey and such but that will be with a different drone.

Any advice would be very helpful.

Thanks!

For real estate get the best camera, anything less than the Mavic 2 Pro with the 1" sensor Hasselblad camera is not going to give you great video. It may be just OK but if you want the best go with the M2Pro a little more expensive but well worth it for flying, programming and and video

 

[Auminer]

I am getting into Real Estate photography and I am in the process of getting my 107. I am still fairly new to the drone world (about 1 year) and I have been trying to decide on which drone to buy. I have had my sights set on the Autel Evo 2 Pro 6k for around $1700. But recently I have been watching videos and reading about the Magic Air 2 and how it's great for RE, basically I'm asking if I should get the Evo or grab the MA2 Flymore Combo for $999.

At least in the beginning it will be photo/video that I will do for realtors and eventually down the line inspection/survey and such but that will be with a different drone.

Any advice would be very helpful.

Thanks!

Does the Autel Evo 2 Pro do waypoints like Litchi? Might be important for real estate when it's more than just houses.

 

[walke121]

I use the MA2 for some freelance real estate photography. Never had a realtor complain at the least. I’ve learned that skill, setting up the shot correctly, and using the right lighting is more important what high end drone you use.

 

[Ron Caballero CAP]

I'm sure you already know that an investment in a Mavic Air 2 will be almost half of what the Autel Evo 2 will be. And as pointed out there are a lot more accessories available for DJI drones as they own 70% of the market.

In terms of image quality for real estate there is no advantage of one over the other as your real estate agents aren't going to be posting anything higher than 4k footage- if that. The images you shoot that go online will be 96dpi and any printed matter won't exceed 8.5x14 much if at all and only need to be at 300dpi at whatever printed size they make.

I don't know if it matters that much, but the Autel Evo II weighs twice what the MA2 weighs. However one advantage of the EVO II is it has a variable aperture of f2.8 to f11 just like the Mavic 2 Pro, while the MA2 has a fixed aperture of f2.8.

If you're considering the EVO II may I suggest you look at the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The one big feature I like about the Mavic 2 is the TRIPOD MODE. Top speed in tripod mode is 2.5mph. So much easier to control in tight spaces than a Mavic Air 2 where it's top speed is 11mph and so you have to be very light on the sticks. The M2P's tripod mode is super smooth. IMO there is nothing worse than trying to edit around accidentally jerky moves while in post. Not sure about the modes on the Autel. An interesting looking drone, for sure. JMO

Good advice about the M2P. Another advantage, for RE photography, is that it has the Hasselblad "full frame" camera.