Mavic Mini, Good/Bad???

m80116 · Jan 30, 2020

If the wind isn't calm you'll get the notice... and once I get the notice I bring it down and back to me. But I like it very much, despite the bugs at this point in time, I wouldn't change it with any other drone.

Hydrostan · Jan 30, 2020

Dbez1 said:
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.

I did almost exactly like you did, research. Again, it both bothered and puzzled me to watch so many positive YouTube vides on the MM only to come on here and see quite a few in my opinion, negative comments. I think this forum has invaluable information and a good cross section of opinions and ideas. Regarding the YouTube videos, I'd imagine a lot of these guys are "renowned" in the Drone world. I hear many of them say they got one for free to evaluate. So, they have to be pretty darn good pilots. I have now flown mine indoors a couple of times and got brave with the nice weather (rare in NW Oregon these days!) and did the "tutorial flight" outside today. All went well, and so far I'm pleased!

Paul51 · Jan 31, 2020

Hydrostan said:
I did almost exactly like you did, research. Again, it both bothered and puzzled me to watch so many positive YouTube vides on the MM only to come on here and see quite a few in my opinion, negative comments. I think this forum has invaluable information and a good cross section of opinions and ideas. Regarding the YouTube videos, I'd imagine a lot of these guys are "renowned" in the Drone world. I hear many of them say they got one for free to evaluate. So, they have to be pretty darn good pilots. I have now flown mine indoors a couple of times and got brave with the nice weather (rare in NW Oregon these days!) and did the "tutorial flight" outside today. All went well, and so far I'm pleased!

Well done, slow and steady. It's a fine drone, treat it well, and you will have some great fun.

Scottalmas · Jan 31, 2020

I don't think of the Mini being a "beginner" drone. I think it got it's name as much from its size as it is a Minimalist drone. I think it would be like calling a Beretta Nano a "Beginner Gun." Yup, it's small, but just as dangerous to the owner and the public as a full sized handgun if you don't know how to handle it safely.

For me, the Mini is a strong performer; its just got a scaled back set of bells and whistles making it less overwhelming and more user frieldly for folks new to the hobby. DJI Fly is a much simpler dashboard than Go4. Less clutter to confuse the newly initiated. Simpler camera controls. No Active Track modes to have to learn about. You get the point. Many of the more advanced features might even be available in the future with software and firmware updates.

Small and inexpensive isn't what makes it "beginner." It's the presenation of it's minimalist design that makes it a terrifec entry level, high quality and powerful drone. The Yuneec Breeze 4k to me is a "beginner" drone.

I never considered my Spark to be a "beginner" drone. I don't think DJI marketed it that way as much as they are the Mini. The size difference isn't that stark. Both have a 2.7k camera. Heck, the Spark has a 2 axis gimble. But show a brand new user the Fly interface and feature set and show them Go4 and you'll find out pretty quickly which one the beginner pilot is more comfortable with.

IMHO, the Mini is a "beginner" drone; not because of its capabilities, but because it's just controlled by "beginner" software and firmware.

simsurf · Feb 1, 2020

Gkinghrn said:
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...

The difference between 1080 and 4K is night and day. Bit of a ridiculous statement. You mean the difference between 1080 and 4K on a 1080 monitor.