Mavic Camera and P3A

[dport177]

Hi All,

Coming over from Phantom pilots. I recently lost my P3A and looking to get either a mavic or P4. I'm not overly impressed with the mavic camera/gimbal just yet from what I've seen online. Lots of comparison of the mavic to the P4/P4P, but can someone speak to the mavic camera vs the P3A? My advanced had a rock solid camera/gimbal in terms of stability during flight and video quality. Can I expect the same or better out of the mavic?

I'm fully aware of the others pros/cons, last concern is the camera.

Thanks!

 

[Foxtrot Uniform]

Having zoom changes the game IMO. I use mine to look for fish or waterfowl and it makes all the difference in the world!

 

[AlanTheBeast]

The gimbal on MP is solid and performs well.

The camera is not P4P quality and even when the MP's camera is at its best, it often has artifacts that are unpleasant (as you can read in many places).

I can't speak to the P3A's camera except by spec. It is a similar spec camera to the P3A - but the P3A holds video resolution down to 2.7K - this may actually render nicer looking video than the MP especially when both are downsampled to a reasonable size (1080).

Rumours of an upcoming firmware update for the MP camera have been floated around but there is no proof this is really in queue - less so when it will happen.

I'll likely get a P4P soon - or perhaps wait for the M2P. In which I believe DJI will have to upgrade things - beginning with the camera to hopefully a 1" as on the P4P.

Some opine that the MP form factor may even signal the end of the Phantom 'shell' design.

 

[dport177]

Great points. Perhaps I will wait and see what the new firmware has in store, otherwise, maybe I'll pick up a cheap/used P3A.

 

[Wacker2611]

I came from a P3A straight to the Mavic. To put in context, I don't regret swapping one bit, for all the reasons that everyone else bought a Mavic for.
However, you should be aware that the Mavic requires a bit more fiddling to get decent footage, and in my opinion needs to be flown a certain way too. With my Phantom, I never really bothered with filters etc. It just took great footage out of the box, whatever the weather. It also had an absolutely superb 1080p/60fps option, which allowed quicker pans etc without any noticeable degradation. On the other hand, I've had to mess about with the Mavic a bit so I can get footage comparable (but not better). The best option by far is 2.7k/30fps, but you have to be REALLY gentle on the pans or you'll either get excessive motion blur with a filter on, or excessive jerkiness without a filter. I've just moderated my flying, and adapted my style to suit - I've found that all the filters in the world are no substitute for super smooth control.
I can't see there being a formware update that will improve things massively, it is what it is.
Having said all that, I absolutely love mine and wouldn't go back to a Phantom.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

 

[dport177]

I came from a P3A straight to the Mavic. To put in context, I don't regret swapping one bit, for all the reasons that everyone else bought a Mavic for.
However, you should be aware that the Mavic requires a bit more fiddling to get decent footage, and in my opinion needs to be flown a certain way too. With my Phantom, I never really bothered with filters etc. It just took great footage out of the box, whatever the weather. It also had an absolutely superb 1080p/60fps option, which allowed quicker pans etc without any noticeable degradation. On the other hand, I've had to mess about with the Mavic a bit so I can get footage comparable (but not better). The best option by far is 2.7k/30fps, but you have to be REALLY gentle on the pans or you'll either get excessive motion blur with a filter on, or excessive jerkiness without a filter. I've just moderated my flying, and adapted my style to suit - I've found that all the filters in the world are no substitute for super smooth control.
I can't see there being a formware update that will improve things massively, it is what it is.
Having said all that, I absolutely love mine and wouldn't go back to a Phantom.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

This is the exact reason I'm hesitating. I absolutely LOVE the concept of taking my drone everywhere. I would probably be able to use the Mavic 500% more than my phantom just due to ease of transport, but dang, I also don't want to give up the smooth/excellent quality video I'm used to with my P3A. Many thanks for your comments!

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I came from a P3A straight to the Mavic. To put in context, I don't regret swapping one bit, for all the reasons that everyone else bought a Mavic for.
However, you should be aware that the Mavic requires a bit more fiddling to get decent footage, and in my opinion needs to be flown a certain way too. With my Phantom, I never really bothered with filters etc. It just took great footage out of the box, whatever the weather. It also had an absolutely superb 1080p/60fps option, which allowed quicker pans etc without any noticeable degradation. On the other hand, I've had to mess about with the Mavic a bit so I can get footage comparable (but not better). The best option by far is 2.7k/30fps, but you have to be REALLY gentle on the pans or you'll either get excessive motion blur with a filter on, or excessive jerkiness without a filter. I've just moderated my flying, and adapted my style to suit - I've found that all the filters in the world are no substitute for super smooth control.
I can't see there being a formware update that will improve things massively, it is what it is.
Having said all that, I absolutely love mine and wouldn't go back to a Phantom.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

I just watched a very good video on setting up yaw/gimbal for smooth filming on the MP.

Oh, and another very good video for video settings to get good footage for post processing by Casey Faris.

 

[Wacker2611]

The thing is, once you've got this thing set up to your liking, you'll never go back to a big bulky thing again. It really does make all the difference, and you can be up in the air inside a minute. It used to take forever for me to get the Phantom set up, and would often gain unwanted attention from interested onlookers, and dogs hated it. I probably sounded a touch negative earlier - if you're just a hobbyist the camera etc is more than adequate.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots