Mavic Air or wait for Mavic Pro 2....

[Just_nick]

With all these people doing RTH tree gymnastics, they need to implement topside sensors.

 

[DCDronePilot]

Only 3min and no rear sensors? If they keep the same size and that is true I am not interested....

It should be smaller, not larger

 

[DCDronePilot]

That source has been right on the money about his info on the Mavic Air, and the Spark, and I believe several other DJI drones. Probably the best source out there. I assume he works for DJI or has a close source within DJI.

It will have it. That was typo on his Twitter

 

[zvisegal]

If this is your first drone, buy the Air.
Why wait ? There will always be the next on line...

If you already have the Pro, I see no reason why replace it. It does the job.

 

[izzy]

I agree, but thinking about it - 1" sensor? It'd be great, but it's simply not going to happen.

Why do you say no 1" sensor?

 

[kent dindy]

I Will Wait On The MP2

 

[Dannyg64506]

Well, if I were to base this on my own experiences when buying from China, I would say anywhere between 5-7 weeks.

Although I am buying tonnes of aluminium extrusions lol

I read this also. I also read that they are already in place, in storage in places across the globe! Waiting for DJI big wigs to give the go! Who knows for sure?))

 

[Whack]

I was all ready to pull the trigger on Mavic air until wifi controller put me off. There seems to be huge variations in the range people are getting and for me I want to know that if I buy a drone for €1000+ I can get decent range from it and not something like 300-400mtrs.
I agree that if you wait for the latest & greatest you'll never be satisfied but if the mp2 has better camera/gimbal & rear obstacle avoidance for a similar price to the mpp launch I'm in, if not then I'll go for a deal on the mpp . Hopefully we'll see sooner than later.

 

[flylice]

Don’t get the air if you want range... which means you want to fly far. I have both and really air feels like a toy. Controller lack the right scroll wheel for ev control, due to its size and weight and smaller propellers it’s susceptible to fly away on strong wind (not be able to control), let alone RTH if you want to fly autonomous. I have range extender on my pro controller so I don’t know how the air is compared on signal, but first try visual gets cut off around 250m so I am not impressed. The Pro feels and works like a real drone than air.

 

[AlgarveDroning]

For me the Air is more what I want from a drone than the MP 2 based upon the predictions.

The only part of the MP 2 I would envy is the 1" sensor. That would be awesome. However, since I only use my drone for casual "fun" photography and reserve "serious" photography for far better cameras, I am happy with the quality I can get with the Air.
After all, if I had really wanted a better camera for a drone, I would've gone Phantom 4 Pro instead of the MP.

Portability is key for me and where I use the drone; it gets maybe one flight a week or so. I'm not interested in range greater than 250m. I don't need anything fast. A 120m ceiling is more than I need.

I was already considering replacing my Mavic Pro with a Spark! So the Air is just much better for my needs.

Now, if the MP 2 had all the mooted new features AND was the same size and weight as the Air...then I would get it. Otherwise, no.

 

[tracer bullet]

Why do you say no 1" sensor?

Cost to them, price point to us, where that slots in the rest of the products i.e. an Inspire with a Zenmuse attached.

Who knows, maybe they will. I simply don't see it. It's an opinion.

 

[Deadpool]

Just catching up on OsitaLV's tweets from the past day. Now saying that a launch date is estimated between later March and June.

I always felt a launch of late March was a bit soon. Especially so close to the Air launch.

Anyhoo, he is claiming that the prototype is almost complete...

 

[Frosty314]

I'm currently leaning toward getting the Mavic Air. Reasons:

1) First drone, so not replacing a Mavic Pro or anything
2) Not sure about my usage habits but I think I'm unlikely to be pushing range limits. If I am it's because I have gone full drone in which case buying the MP2 will probably follow anyway.
3) Trusting that extra batteries will make up for lower flight times (see #2, don't think I'll be doing marathon video shots).
4) Better video, better sensors
5) Smaller means more likely to take it with me
6) I'm impatient
Forgot 7) Sounds like the MP2 will be a step up in price (like Air was a step down); I'm more comfortable at the lower price point.

Certainly these reasons don't apply to everyone, fortunately we live in a world with many options! The WiFi does seem like the largest point of concern - it seems to work better for some people than others. If it doesn't work out that will probably be why.

...who am I kidding, if it doesn't work out it will be because I didn't read the manual and crashed it on the first flight.

(I've been flying a mavic basically every other day the last 6 months.) I certainly understand your reasons. However, for only $100 more, you can have much longer battery life with a mavic and much much better range. A drone is one of those things that once you start flying and get into; you will want to do more and fly more. While it is just a little larger, it is still so easy to carry around. Not having rear obstacle avoidance is no big deal. Feel free to message back if you'd like to hear why I think forward facing sensors are plenty enough.

 

[Splats]

(I've been flying a mavic basically every other day the last 6 months.) I certainly understand your reasons. However, for only $100 more, you can have much longer battery life with a mavic and much much better range. A drone is one of those things that once you start flying and get into; you will want to do more and fly more. While it is just a little larger, it is still so easy to carry around. Not having rear obstacle avoidance is no big deal. Feel free to message back if you'd like to hear why I think forward facing sensors are plenty enough.

I disagree. Until it was picked up by its new owner yesterday I had a Spark and the battery life never really bothered me. I'd like a little more (20 mins of air should be good) but when it ran low I'd simply land and change batteries - takes 30s. As for range, 1,000-1500m reliable is really all I would ever need or want. Don't get me wrong, if the law changed and you were allowed to go on FPV jollies exploring your surroundings then battery life and range would rocket to the top of my wish list. However, in most countries you can't/shouldn't go flying around miles away from you with only an iphone for spatial awareness so it's not that important. In fact, crazy range would, to me, just be a temptation to fly way out with the law.

Maybe when people get into drones (as you say) they get into them in different ways. My Spark was my first drone and I got into it big time. What I sought was smoother, more cinematic and higher quality footage (i.e. 3-axis gimbal and 4K), hence the upgrade. I realise other people are different but it's pretty presumptuous to assume that everyone getting into drones wants more flight time and range. Case in point, the Air is faster than the Spark and I really couldn't care. I didn't buy a drone to go fast, I bought one to capture nice footage of me and my family and my surrounds - not surroundings that are 5 miles away.

 

[Talley]

I bought the air... I'll buy the MP2. I'll sell the air... take a small loss who cares. Sheesh. You guys act like this is a once in a lifetime purchase when you go out and replace it with the next thing anyway.

I've been flying the P3P for 2.5yrs now. I deserved an upgrade. Coming from the P3P the Air is one heck of an upgrade!!!

If the MP2 comes out with 1" sensor I'll upgrade. If it doesn't then I'll add a P4P for cheap once the P5P comes out. Nothing wrong with the P4P at all by any means.

Sheesh... arguing over a few minutes when honestly you can never have enough batteries anyway.

Honestly I fly hard core about one weekend a month. Sometimes I'll go two months without touching my drone. I'm probably a prime example of not buying the best. But it's a hobby to me and I get to take photos.

 

[bytebiz]

I disagree. Until it was picked up by its new owner yesterday I had a Spark and the battery life never really bothered me. I'd like a little more (20 mins of air should be good) but when it ran low I'd simply land and change batteries - takes 30s. As for range, 1,000-1500m reliable is really all I would ever need or want. Don't get me wrong, if the law changed and you were allowed to go on FPV jollies exploring your surroundings then battery life and range would rocket to the top of my wish list. However, in most countries you can't/shouldn't go flying around miles away from you with only an iphone for spatial awareness so it's not that important. In fact, crazy range would, to me, just be a temptation to fly way out with the law.

Maybe when people get into drones (as you say) they get into them in different ways. My Spark was my first drone and I got into it big time. What I sought was smoother, more cinematic and higher quality footage (i.e. 3-axis gimbal and 4K), hence the upgrade. I realise other people are different but it's pretty presumptuous to assume that everyone getting into drones wants more flight time and range. Case in point, the Air is faster than the Spark and I really couldn't care. I didn't buy a drone to go fast, I bought one to capture nice footage of me and my family and my surrounds - not surroundings that are 5 miles away.

Well said splats. I say wear the shoe that fits you and ignore the guy that’s saying ‘I wear a size 10 - you should too’.

 

[thongbong]

(I've been flying a mavic basically every other day the last 6 months.) I certainly understand your reasons. However, for only $100 more, you can have much longer battery life with a mavic and much much better range. A drone is one of those things that once you start flying and get into; you will want to do more and fly more. While it is just a little larger, it is still so easy to carry around. Not having rear obstacle avoidance is no big deal. Feel free to message back if you'd like to hear why I think forward facing sensors are plenty enough.

I would disagree, its really who flies and why. One of my best buddies is like you. He loves to fly just for flying. I advised him not to get the Air based on knowing his likes, for me on the other hand am more interested in flying close by to catch the moment with me and my family so having the most portable best camera is key. I occasionally fly for leisure too but the distance doesn't bother me. Also the rear obstacle avoidance with APAS is something I look forward to as I do alot of reverse shot.

 

[Talley]

I would disagree, its really who flies and why. One of my best buddies is like you. He loves to fly just for flying. I advised him not to get the Air based on knowing his likes, for me on the other hand am more interested in flying close by to catch the moment with me and my family so having the most portable best camera is key. I occasionally fly for leisure too but the distance doesn't bother me. Also the rear obstacle avoidance with APAS is something I look forward to as I do alot of reverse shot.

You sound like me. I still can't get over how portable this rig is.

 

[Fixaldo]

There seem to be, fundamental, two groups flying Mavic Pro (MP). Those who fly for sport/recreation/fun and those who primary use it as a tool for capturing images. The last group have always been a bit disappointed with the MP image quality. I for one is in that last group.

IMO (based on the rumours). DJI are prepping a drone for the image-capturing tool marked. For a professional marked. A drone that less compromise between size and quality. The MP was a “race to the moon” sort of drone, a direct hit against the GoPro Karma. A drone for the people so to speak, do it all kind. That race is over IMO. The Mavic Air is in that marked and suits it perfectly. No need to fuel that marked with a simple MP upgrade.

I for one believe that MP2 will target a purely professional group that don’t care about a rear sensor. A portable drone that give high image quality, period. Its great to have a inspire drone with a top notch zenmuse camera, but it sucks to carry it with you to a remote area. It also a let down to use a MP as a compromise, because the image quality is far from top notch and you risk that the client disapprove. If you want the client to approve, than you have to use a great tool. The Air is not supposed to fill that gap… Far from it, even though the image quality can be good enough. The MP2 on the other hand may.. and I guess it will cost $ doing so.

I would be surprised if the MP2 goes for anything less than 1500$ (standard pack). Maybe something in between 1500-2000$ (FMC). If you are in that “I like to fly” kind of group. Doing it for fun and recreation, I would think twice about selling my MP now for a possible MP2 upgrade down the road. Could so happen to be that the Mavic pro will keep its value quite good for what it is.

 

[Splats]

I would have thought taking photos and videos would be fairly high up on the agenda of anyone buying a DJI drone? I can't image buying one just for the thrill of flying? Surely there are far faster and cheaper racing style drones to fill the need to have something buzzing about the sky?