Mavic air honest photographer's review and why I am getting rid of it

RobertJC · Jun 10, 2018

Donnie Frank said:
The Air is a toy. Not in a thousand years did I imagine a pro photographer would even consider such a toy for actual photography/videography. At least the Mavic Pro produces real-estate quality video and can fly in 15 mph winds. The Air is little more than a training tool for newbies. Touché. Next time I'll read further.

I wonder how many ads you have seen that (unknown to you) contain air footage....oh, yes and I did enjoy one Aussie guy flying his air in about 55 km/hour winds, eh that's about 35 miles/hour to you buddy

Trunner · Jun 10, 2018

neggy said:
so you cheaped out on the drone and complain it doesn't have the functions of the Pro.

You get what you pay for.

I don't complain that my 1000 dollar Pro doesn't do what a 4000 dollar drone does.

If you buy a Kia, don't complain that it isn't a Bugatti.

If you are not preparing for flights by checking the software before you leave the house/office then you are not serious about your flights, especially if you are using it professionally. Do you show up to shoot an event without checking your gear before hand?

Are you in the U S of A? If so and you are using the drone to take pictures to sell, have you taken the steps to be able to do so legally?

Don't be like that. Your last comment just shows you are trying to start an argument! This is a review of a drone. You have no reason to assume he is breaking the law.

Op said he bought a Kia and doesn't like it, and here is why... He never once said, he Bought a Kia and expected it to be a Bugatti. He even clarified what drone it was and that it wasn't a crazy expensive drone. What he does compare it to is another drone with features he likes. He also makes suggestions to DJI, if they wanted to improve things in the future. That's a lot better than some people who just complain to complain.

As for the updates, even if he does them at home, 3 sets of batteries to do the updates, and what if he runs out of battery?? That sucks! I think it would be better if DJI would give us the option to use a computer to download the updates to an SD card and have it install from there. This would reduce the amount of install time and battery waist. I was staying in a cabin and wanted my updates, so I had to do it over dialup/wifi. That was a HUGE PITA!

As for the other comments about the firmware not being forced, you are absolutely right, BUT! if you crash your drone, people on this forum are constantly saying "The log says you ignored your updates, That's the cause!"

Give the op a break! the points are valid, and the review is solid. Its additional information for people in the same situation who want to know what others have experienced.

(Sorry if my assumption about the Op being male. Hope I got that right).

-Jim
*Mavic Pro, Spark*

dannybgoode · Jun 10, 2018

The Air can’t handle wind?! Really? I’ve flown it in winds higher than 15mph with no issues at all and check out this video. Ray isn’t known for making stuff up...

shane8289 · Jun 10, 2018

Donnie Frank said:
The Air is a toy. Not in a thousand years did I imagine a pro photographer would even consider such a toy for actual photography/videography. At least the Mavic Pro produces real-estate quality video and can fly in 15 mph winds. The Air is little more than a training tool for newbies. Touché. Next time I'll read further.

Funny thing I bought AIR and not the pro because of photography/ videography after testing them both

dannybgoode · Jun 10, 2018

shane8289 said:
Funny thing I bought AIR and not the pro because of photography/ videography after testing them both

Yes. Interesting how a lot of Pros own and Air because it is a) so portable and b) still quite capable of respectable results. Most imagery is 90% the operator and 10% the equipment and even a pro can’t shoot if they’ve not brought any kit with them.

Reminds me of a fashion shoot I saw where the photographer only used an iPhone. The results were spectacular.

JDawg · Jun 10, 2018

https://dronedj.com/2018/02/05/flying-the-dji-mavic-air-in-high-winds-20-25-mph-gusting-to-30-mph/

The DJI Mavic Air did do a really good job in providing steady footage. As you can see in the video, the drone gets pushed around a lot by the wind but the actual drone video footage is pretty well stabilized.

It was tricky to fly the drone under these circumstances. I could fly around 10 mph into the wind. Returning home, however, was an instant speed flight. Once you get used to the wind effect, the drone is remarkably easy to fly still. In the past, I have flown the Mavic Pro in similar circumstances and I would say that both drones perform equally well.

P4MA · Jun 10, 2018

Squamer said:
You can’t simply ignore the updates as I have been doing since I the day I got it?

That is what I do.I bought mine I think in February and did the initial update after the unboxing and none since.Fly's like a dream.It always tell's me to update and I ignore it.

Pilot25dmc · Jun 10, 2018

I was interviewed for a recent documentary on UK tv and the camerman told me that all their aerial shots where done with the Mavic Air.

Donnie Frank · Jun 10, 2018

JDawg said:
Here we go. Do you feel more manly now?

No. But based on other reviews, I feel validated.

VooDooZG · Jun 10, 2018

Donnie Frank said:
The Air is a toy. Not in a thousand years did I imagine a pro photographer would even consider such a toy for actual photography/videography. At least the Mavic Pro produces real-estate quality video and can fly in 15 mph winds. The Air is little more than a training tool for newbies. Touché. Next time I'll read further.

Actually goes far better in wind than Mavic PRO, have real 4k - because 4k with 60mbps is BS, it have 24mm FOV vs PROs 26mm FOV, have nice normal mount for ND/CPL filter not some BS "stick on" mount , PRO have like 3EV worse ISO noise than Air and have lower DR, Air is a loot faster than PRO in sport and it is almost 50% more portable than PRO, connection is only lost if you have it on CE and if someone do have it on CE than he is a retard ( CE have 26vs18db on 2.4 and 30vs14 on 5.8 ) - I have it on FCC and have absolutely 0 warning or signal lost after I put it in FCC what you can do in like 2 min ( it is a low brain IQ job to do )..

PRO have Occusync and you need it to set a world record how far you did go with it on some forum or your FB profile - you will never need 5 km range because for what will you need it every day - not to mention that you are breaking every law and doing very stupid and risky move .., only real advantage I see as advantage to PRO is more fly time and lower noise...

P4P is an absolutely different animal and P4P is really good and are at least 4x better than Mavic's for photo but it's big like DSLR - you can not have pocket size FF DSLR with all control and with 1.8 lens - physics is physics

MrRobville · Jun 11, 2018

Shall we all refrain from turning this topic into another one of those thousands of "Pro VS Air" topics? Some people will never get over it, so there's no point in trying to convince them otherwise. Think the Air sucks? it must be hard to deal with its existence. Think the Pro sucks? Likewise. Grow up please.

Thwyllo · Jun 11, 2018

dannybgoode said:
Yes. Interesting how a lot of Pros own and Air because it is a) so portable and b) still quite capable of respectable results. Most imagery is 90% the operator and 10% the equipment and even a pro can’t shoot if they’ve not brought any kit with them.

Reminds me of a fashion shoot I saw where the photographer only used an iPhone. The results were spectacular.

Exactly the point. As they always say, the best camera is the one you have with you at the time. And that's the point about the Air, or any drone for that matter; it gets you shots you can't otherwise get.

It's a bit silly for an alleged "serious amateur" to expect DSLR-quality results from something that, compared to the amount of glass in front of your average mid-range stills camera, is basically a pinhole camera on steroids. I agree with his complaints but puzzled he didn't expect all of it before be ever bought the thing.

droneflier · Jun 13, 2018

Wacker2611 said:
Apart from his issue with updates, surely the OP would have done his due diligence and known all this before dropping his cash ?

HOW LONG WINDED!!!!!!

ringolong · Dec 2, 2018

I fly professionally and I just joined this forum to read up on this drone. The guys that say you get what you pay for are 100% correct, and this flying camera is the best one it's size for the price hands down. The "non - pro film guys" are too green to know so this is really a dead thread.

Sav · Dec 2, 2018

Kilrah said:
Uh no. The Air's camera produces significantly better results than the Pro (yes, I have both, and from all the reasons I still use the Pro none are about the camera).

But whatever you want to think.

Other than pro stable connection why do you use the pro more ? If you want to keep it out of the thread please pm me your thoughts I’m moving from a p3 and trying to decide.
Thanks

Sav · Dec 2, 2018

VooDooZG said:
Actually goes far better in wind than Mavic PRO, have real 4k - because 4k with 60mbps is BS, it have 24mm FOV vs PROs 26mm FOV, have nice normal mount for ND/CPL filter not some BS "stick on" mount , PRO have like 3EV worse ISO noise than Air and have lower DR, Air is a loot faster than PRO in sport and it is almost 50% more portable than PRO, connection is only lost if you have it on CE and if someone do have it on CE than he is a retard ( CE have 26vs18db on 2.4 and 30vs14 on 5.8 ) - I have it on FCC and have absolutely 0 warning or signal lost after I put it in FCC what you can do in like 2 min ( it is a low brain IQ job to do )..

PRO have Occusync and you need it to set a world record how far you did go with it on some forum or your FB profile - you will never need 5 km range because for what will you need it every day - not to mention that you are breaking every law and doing very stupid and risky move .., only real advantage I see as advantage to PRO is more fly time and lower noise...

P4P is an absolutely different animal and P4P is really good and are at least 4x better than Mavic's for photo but it's big like DSLR - you can not have pocket size FF DSLR with all control and with 1.8 lens - physics is physics

Where can you change it from ce to fcc ?

JDawg · Dec 2, 2018

Sav said:
Where can you change it from ce to fcc ?

FCC mode

Donnie Frank · Dec 2, 2018

A lot of subjective opinions here. Here's my objective take...

* Both cameras have the same 1/2.3" CMOS.

* The Air has a wider FOV; 85° vs. 78.8°

* Video ISO range is the same; 0-3200

* Photo ISO range is better on the Air; 3200 vs. 1600.

* Both have a shutter range of 8s - 1/8000

* The Air has a slightly larger photo palette: 12.33MP vs. 12MP (but is a wider FOV, so you're not really gaining any photo resolution. You're simply getting a slightly wider photo).

* Mavic Pro wins in *video* resolution. The Pro shoot DCI vs. the Air's UHD. We ALWAYS shoot DCI in film, so this would be a deal-breaker for me...assuming that I would even use the Pro in a film setting, that is...which I wouldn't, unless there were some kind of weird situation that called for it. But....

* Ironically, the Air's Bitrate kicks *** over the Pro, which is a huge deal: 100Mbps vs. 60 Mbps (I would honestly grab the P4P for higher bitrates).

* The Air will shoot more FPS than the Pro @ 2.7K (which we never use): 60FPS vs. 30FPS. At 1080p, the Air will shoot 120FPS, vs. the Pro's 96FPS. I honestly never shoot 1080p...but for action?? Who knows....

* Both use the same H.264 compression.

* In video shootouts under daylight conditions, the Pro had less noise, which is a big deal.

* Camera aside, other driving factors would be air speed, flight time, etc. While the Air is SLIGHTLY faster, the Pro has significantly more flight time.

* The Air has 8GB built-in storage. Not a carrot for me. If you show up to any job without a bevy of SD cards, you're a d***.

* The Air weighs < 500g, so you legally carry it on to an airplane. Not true for the Pro, which would have to be checked.

Now the subjective part...

Conclusion: On paper, these cameras are just "different." IF I were using these for film (which I wouldn't, but IF), I would have both on hand. And it would just depend on the situation. If I were shooting stills in low light, the higher ISO would drive my decision. If production plans on utilizing VFX, the higher bitrate becomes a driving factor (though they would honestly insist in RAW). Not sure how well the Air does in the wind, but that might be a deciding factor, too. If the DP insisted on DCI, then I would have to grab the Pro. That said...

The P4P has the best of both worlds, so I would probably grab that instead of the Air. For me, the Mavic Pro is PLENTY "portable." The smaller size of the Air is no carrot for me.

And finally, I can hack the Pro (NFZ's, ceiling limits, etc.). I don't own an Air, so not sure how hackable it is.

Based on all this, I don't plan on purchasing an Air. I MIGHT consider a Mavic Pro 2, but honestly, my mind is set on a heavy lifter like M600 Pro. I can multipurpose this drone for film, LIDAR, and other payloads. But I digress...

D

Kilrah · Dec 2, 2018

Sav said:
Other than pro stable connection why do you use the pro more ? If you want to keep it out of the thread please pm me your thoughts I’m moving from a p3 and trying to decide.
Thanks

Mainly goggles use and longer flight time.

Lots of things have changed since that post, I got rid of the Mavic Air and replaced it with a Parrot Anafi for those <500gr needs since it has an even significantly better camera especially for photos, and also got a Mavic 2 Zoom.