Mavic Mini, Good/Bad???

[Hydrostan]

I read some of the posts on this forum about the Mavic Mini; “…Afraid to Fly” …”…Mini crashed” etc. Then I go on YouTube and watch many videos that constantly praise this new drone. Yes, I hear on these videos that there are some shortcomings, mostly about only a 2.7k camera, no obstacle avoidance, can’t fly in high winds. Then I read posts on here that many times complain about problems flying over water. Yet I haven’t heard or viewed one complaint about this on YouTube videos. For instance, Billy Kyle flew his MM for over 1/2 mile over the Delaware River with moderate windy condtions had had no problems

So I must ask the questions:

• Are these guys on YouTube just a bunch of shills? Or,
• Could we say that most of these problems that are brought up may be the result on new or inexperienced drone pilots?
• I don’t intend to ruffle any feathers, just want some honest opinions on this matter.

 

[OldBlueHeron]

Just be mindful of high winds and don't fly it low over water. It's a great drone for people just getting into this.

 

[Gkinghrn]

A lot of what is said is factual. Most of the problems i see are related to , IMHO , pilot error albeit there may be 1 or 2 where there has been a technical glitch of some sort (very rare).

Whats wrong with a 2.7k camera???? I cant process 4k video and i dont host it as 4k so 1080 is just fine - human eye cant really see much beyond 1080 anyway.

Fly it within its capabilities and its a great bit of kit ..abuse it and you'll regret it...

 

[FoxhallGH]

There are a lot of questions asked that could be answered by just reading the manual, but it seems like DJI don't do a big enough and bold enough font when they print the website address where the manual can be downloaded from. Most new drone pilots just want to get out and fly it, and the advertising done by all the drone manufacturers does not help ... It implies that you just need to take it out of the box, charge the batteries and go to the park! For a lot of Mavic Mini owners, it seems that the education only starts with the crash/fly away/ loss of their Mavic ...

 

[Gkinghrn]

You mean "for some mini owners" . I read a lot here about folks who have done their research before taking it out.

There will always be some who don't RTM !

 

[FoxhallGH]

You mean "for some mini owners" . I read a lot here about folks who have done their research before taking it out.

There will always be some who don't RTM !

Sorry - perhaps I'm being a bit harsh, as we do mostly see those in trouble in this Forum ...

 

[slup]

I'm turning against that the Mini is the perfect beginner drone ... perhaps price wise but not when it comes to flight performance for uneducated.

When you're new into this & even though you have read the manual & looked at all those glorifying YT clips with some smaller remarks about wind resistance, power & how light it is ... it will anyway be that 4000 meter distance or 500 meter altitude record that will stick.

New into this you don't grasp the difference between 8m/s or 12m/s winds, you're willing to test it out, I mean you have seen it already on YT. You don't think about the greater wind speeds in higher altitudes, you believe that 4000 meter distance usually is possible connection wise as the manual state that & you know little about WiFi interference. And the risks attached to the RTH function will not be obvious until something happens.

Been there, done that, but ...

I started with the Mavic Air which had a lot more headroom power & performance wise to let me get away with just a funny feeling in the stomach & a promise to myself not ever try to do that again ... The problem with the Mini in this equation is that it's not forgiving at all, underestimate something ... the conditions, the altitude, the distance & what thing's can lead to and you're nailed... "notEnoughForce". It's not only hotheads we are dealing with over at the "Mavic Crash & Flyaway Assistance".

The Mini require skills & thoughtfulness but it's served in a wrapping making newbies think they can compete with the larger drones ... dangerous!


I'm deliberately don't mixing in camera performance or other functionalities as that is up to each to decide...

 

[Hydrostan]

A lot of what is said is factual. Most of the problems i see are related to , IMHO , pilot error albeit there may be 1 or 2 where there has been a technical glitch of some sort (very rare).

Whats wrong with a 2.7k camera???? I cant process 4k video and i dont host it as 4k so 1080 is just fine - human eye cant really see much beyond 1080 anyway.

Fly it within its capabilities and its a great bit of kit ..abuse it and you'll regret it...

You are spot on. I'm moving up from a Tello, so I still consider myself a newbie. And that is a BIG upgrade from the Tello camera

 

[Hydrostan]

You mean "for some mini owners" . I read a lot here about folks who have done their research before taking it out.

There will always be some who don't RTM !

A lot of people are anxious to use their new purchases ASAP. I admit I have fallen into that category at times. Now i know there are much more expensive drones then the MM, but when I shell out $499 for something that I know little about, you better believe I will RTM! I have had it now for 4 days, and I'm still not ready to fly.

 

[slup]

A lot of people are anxious to use their new purchases ASAP. I admit I have fallen into that category at times. Now i know there are much more expensive drones then the MM, but when I shell out $499 for something that I know little about, you better believe I will RTM! I have had it now for 4 days, and I'm still not ready to fly.

That's good ... give it 4 days more of rest & then wait for the perfect weather. Start on a open soccer field, go low, slow& keep VLOS and test out everything one at a time until you fully understand.

 

[Deleted member 109934]

I read some of the posts on this forum about the Mavic Mini; “…Afraid to Fly” …”…Mini crashed” etc. Then I go on YouTube and watch many videos that constantly praise this new drone. Yes, I hear on these videos that there are some shortcomings, mostly about only a 2.7k camera, no obstacle avoidance, can’t fly in high winds. Then I read posts on here that many times complain about problems flying over water. Yet I haven’t heard or viewed one complaint about this on YouTube videos. For instance, Billy Kyle flew his MM for over 1/2 mile over the Delaware River with moderate windy condtions had had no problems

So I must ask the questions:

• Are these guys on YouTube just a bunch of shills? Or,
• Could we say that most of these problems that are brought up may be the result on new or inexperienced drone pilots?
• I don’t intend to ruffle any feathers, just want some honest opinions on this matter.

By far the best 249g drone out there if used properly in the right context. I fly over water all the time without issues, if you want to fly very low over moving water cover the sensors, but research and learn how to fly in those situations first as the drone will be affected and will behave accordingly. Check the weather and wind strength and direction before each flight plan and possible site selection for some good flying. Don't believe internet, try it yourself.

 

[Hydrostan]

I'm turning against that the Mini is the perfect beginner drone ... perhaps price wise but not when it comes to flight performance for uneducated.

When you're new into this & even though you have read the manual & looked at all those glorifying YT clips with some smaller remarks about wind resistance, power & how light it is ... it will anyway be that 4000 meter distance or 500 meter altitude record that will stick.

New into this you don't grasp the difference between 8m/s or 12m/s winds, you're willing to test it out, I mean you have seen it already on YT. You don't think about the greater wind speeds in higher altitudes, you believe that 4000 meter distance usually is possible connection wise as the manual state that & you know little about WiFi interference. And the risks attached to the RTH function will not be obvious until something happens.

Been there, done that, but ...

I started with the Mavic Air which had a lot more headroom power & performance wise to let me get away with just a funny feeling in the stomach & a promise to myself not ever try to do that again ... The problem with the Mini in this equation is that it's not forgiving at all, underestimate something ... the conditions, the altitude, the distance & what thing's can lead to and you're nailed... "notEnoughForce". It's not only hotheads we are dealing with over at the "Mavic Crash & Flyaway Assistance".

The Mini require skills & thoughtfulness but it's served in a wrapping making newbies think they can compete with the larger drones ... dangerous!


I'm deliberately don't mixing in camera performance or other functionalities as that is up to each to decide...

Excellent reply. I'm too old to be "daring" and I seriously doubt I'll try for record heights and distances. I want to see the drone at all times. When I got my Tello I flew it indoors for almost 2 weeks before I got the nerve to try it outside. Thanks again.

 

[Dbez1]

I’ve had my MM since before Christmas and have a great time with it. I’m a reader and a researcher so I started out watching all the uTube videos on the MM and saw some good ones and some very dangerous ones. The problem was that I didn’t have enough experience to know the difference. One day I found this forum and it brought great balance to the uTube stuff. I learned what real life expectancies I should have and what’s risky. There’s a lot of great information on uTube but one has to learn to filter out the bad stuff.

 

[Paul51]

Just back from a flight "literally". Breezy, to say the least. Been fly for a few weeks, getting braver and braver. If you don't go too mad, this is a great little drone (note the "little") very please with how it handles, had a few issues (mainly upgrades) but now things have settled down, starting to get more confident every time I fly, however, I hope I don't get overconfident. Only time will tell ?

 

[Robert Carney]

I was one of the noobs that completely lost my MM for sure. The answers I got when I asked for help were spot on and hard to take but fair and accurate! I lost the drone, but not the desire to fly! This forum is great to even out the YT videos and temper them with some real life fact. I will be looking into how to get a drone only, since I have all the batteries and etc. from the 499 dollar purchase option sitting on a shelf now. I read all I could and watched interminable videos before I flew but on my third flight it was destroyed because I failed to set up completely before takeoff. I will be so much more thorough in the future before take off!

 

[xspwhite]

When I bought my first drone I was fooled by the youtube videos too. Exsperiance will teach you. One thing about youtube is how they always try to con you into buying the latest model.

 

[Paul51]

Most of the youtube reviewers are skilled pilots. Have you ever watched snooker on TV ? Those players make it looks so easy. I've tried it. It's very very hard.

 

[Thomas B]

Like any aircraft you need to have/develop a preflight check routine. This includes software. Check all the boxes and the fly... safely.
Practice and routine are the keys.

 

[Dbez1]

I was one of the noobs that completely lost my MM for sure. The answers I got when I asked for help were spot on and hard to take but fair and accurate! I lost the drone, but not the desire to fly! This forum is great to even out the YT videos and temper them with some real life fact. I will be looking into how to get a drone only, since I have all the batteries and etc. from the 499 dollar purchase option sitting on a shelf now. I read all I could and watched interminable videos before I flew but on my third flight it was destroyed because I failed to set up completely before takeoff. I will be so much more thorough in the future before take off!.

A friend researched it and if I remember correctly, a replacement drone is $313 from DJI.

 

[Deleted member 109934]

Like any aircraft you need to have/develop a preflight check routine. This includes software. Check all the boxes and the fly... safely.
Practice and routine are the keys.

Every day I always check the weather wind strength and direction at different elevations, only then I will charge the batteries and go flying in the best site for particular wind direction. That's the problem with MM, you fly where you can not where you want.