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Good to know someone who has both. So tell me, what handling/control differences are there with the MA2? Feel? The one thing I feel with the MM is that when I attempt dual-stick, complex maneuvers, the MM doesn't respond exactly as I would have expected. As an example, I might want to ascend/descend, yaw and go fore/aft and/or drift simultaneously, and it doesn't seem to be as predicatable as when I try giving it only two commands as opposed to three or four. Advanced stuff, I know. But I know what I want to do in a given moment, but not so good at achieving them yet. Two days ago I wanted to manually circle my car, not too far off the ground, keeping the lens pointed at it, which was basically just drift and yaw and some backpedal/forward motion... but I sucked. Would I have had an easier time with the MA2?I have both. I use the Mini for risky stuff...like flying inside of a shower of mortars.
I've actually despised the "drone" world for one simple reason. Many (nearly all) who do purchase these don't actually have the understanding of how rc aircraft operate.
Both are going to be amazing once you do.
That was a bit of a tangent, but the point is clear. If you're only interested in flying through the camera, you'll never get better at flying in general. Get out into an open field and push the sticks to its maxes. More importantly, work on very minimum input maneuvers. Work on a smooth transitions from pitch to roll with yaw.
Both drones are going to fly like crap if you don't know how they will react. Both are going to be amazing once you do. And when you do, you'll try sending it through gaps in treelines. That's essentially what race quads are. Except the left stick I'd throttle and not altitude.
I agree with your pointsThe Mavic air is more better than the mini .but both have excellent video quality.
And the Mavic air 2 is more stable in the wind and longer range ability.
I’m hoping soon they will have a much better update for the mini with more features like active track or something [emoji846]
Your so amazing...someday I’ll be like you.I've actually despised the "drone" world for one simple reason. Many (nearly all) who do purchase these don't actually have the understanding of how rc aircraft operate. My friends and I had many different types of planes and helis. Some for indoor only. Some for very smooth low energy. Some for aggressive flight. Some for high wind. Some for reckless behavior (not to be confused with dangerous). Some for contact. What I'm getting at is that many drone "pilots" don't actually factor in how the aircraft flies. You push the sticks while looking through a screen, but you have no clue what's actually happening. As long as you are flying through the camera, your senses are dulled. This cuts reactivity. That reaction is what teaches you how the aircraft moves.
To put it into perspective, I can bring the MA2 in at it's max 45mph and come to a full reverse stick dead stop in front of my face without concern. This is really only a two motion input, but it carries over to adding more inputs. If you are trying to fly smooth slaloms, but just can't get it, it's because the drone itself is making a bunch of tiny inputs that you just can't see. If you can't see it, you can't learn how to work along side those inputs. Not only do you have to factor in the drone inputs, but also situational factors. Is it carrying a payload? Is it windy? Is it a hot/cold day? Is foggy/rainy? All of that plays a factor.
That was a bit of a tangent, but the point is clear. If you're only interested in flying through the camera, you'll never get better at flying in general. Get out into an open field and push the sticks to its maxes. More importantly, work on very minimum input maneuvers. Work on a smooth transitions from pitch to roll with yaw.
Both drones are going to fly like crap if you don't know how they will react. Both are going to be amazing once you do. And when you do, you'll try sending it through gaps in treelines. That's essentially what race quads are. Except the left stick I'd throttle and not altitude.
Excellent points,That's a pretty comprehensive and IMO a fair comparison. Thanks for sharing.
Having owned the MM for (only) one week today, and having done a ton of research and soul searching I've come to this comparative conclusion:
The Mavic Mini is an SERIOUS and ENTRY LEVEL drone- not necessarily a "beginner" drone, though quite good for beginners like me. The Mavic Air2 is a compact professional level drone, probably at the entry level of the professional spectrum, noting that there are exponentially more expensive drones out there. IMO both the Mavic Mini and Mavic Air2 exceed their price points for quality of flight and image. I truly wrestled with the choice, having before made a mistake with an "off-brand" Chinese drone which was a disaster.
Speaking from the standpoint of a beginner, I don't think I'd fly either drone much differently for awhile, except the MA2, with more power, would provide more security in heavier winds which for some might, and possibly should be the deciding factor that pushes toward the MA2. I'm sure the MA2 is more responsive, but would a new pilot even know the difference unless he's flown both... or an off-brand model? The MM is pretty responsive, having come from that off-brand, surprisingly responsive.
The details are well outlined in the video and so having digested that...
...In retrospect, at least to me, comes down to a few simple questions:
Can I afford the Mavic Air 2?
Are there "must have" features or specifications on the Mavic Air 2 that I can't do without?
Do I see myself "outgrowing" the Mavic Mini in the short term?
Is the risk factor, and how I might feel in the event of a crash, better with the Mavic Air2 so that you feel less likely to crash the $800 drone rather than the $400 one?
My conclusion? i could "afford" the MA2, and yes, I could potentially see myself outgrowing the Mini. But there were enough features in the Mini to get me started at a reasonable cost. "Outgrowing" for me would be moving into the professional realm at some time, which would require a "backup" anyway. But after a week, I am so impressed with the Mini that for me the two real advantages of the MA2 would be; 1) better overall picture quality good enough for entry level professional use. 2) More security in higher winds; winds that I might not fly the MM in. Perhaps my next drone will be a more expensive one yet? Probably not the next one. But for now the MA2 is in my sights in for the medium term. We will see.
Same for me,I have both. I use the Mini for risky stuff...like flying inside of a shower of mortars.
In my experience the main issue handling the Mini is the very abrupt yaw (which sadly cannot be modified, as of now).Good to know someone who has both. So tell me, what handling/control differences are there with the MA2? Feel? The one thing I feel with the MM is that when I attempt dual-stick, complex maneuvers, the MM doesn't respond exactly as I would have expected. As an example, I might want to ascend/descend, yaw and go fore/aft and/or drift simultaneously, and it doesn't seem to be as predicatable as when I try giving it only two commands as opposed to three or four. Advanced stuff, I know. But I know what I want to do in a given moment, but not so good at achieving them yet. Two days ago I wanted to manually circle my car, not too far off the ground, keeping the lens pointed at it, which was basically just drift and yaw and some backpedal/forward motion... but I sucked. Would I have had an easier time with the MA2?
In my experience the main issue handling the Mini is the very abrupt yaw (which sadly cannot be modified, as of now).
Performing the complex moves that you describe is very hard for this reason, although flying in Cinesmooth mode helps
In my experience is all in the hands... Any complex combination, it may take a few seconds to get it started right, if you pick your fingers it debuggers some very predictable complex trajectories work short smooth video.
The manual circling of objects is definitely doable after some practice