Mavic Mini Lens Hood - Worth it?

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Have you flown much around your building (and other buildings) ?
I’m thinking it could be wifi hell for mini signal.
Also wind problems for the mini at 4th floor level or higher clearing local buildings might be worth keeping in mind.
Hope you can fly around like you say, keeping in mind local regulations etc, though I think Bulgaria is fairly lax in their drone regulations.

We do have regulations hey.

here they are...... note it says nothing about weight - so I think Mini is counted as a drone hey!

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Bulgaria
Based on our research and interpretation of the laws, Bulgaria does not yet have a system of regulations in place for drone operations. For the moment, the only way to fly a drone in Bulgaria is to obtain permission directly from the Civil Aviation Administration (DG CAA).

Here is the process:

• Applicants must request permission to fly their drone by submitting a letter to the Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” (DG CAA) at least eight days in advance of drone operations. Here is an example letterprovided by BULATSA.
• The letter must describe the activity, the necessary zone/zones, date of the activity, beginning and end hour, responsible person during the activity, and mobile telephone number for contact with him / her.
• A scanned copy of the obtained permission by the DG CAA along with the original letter sent to the DG CAA (the letter is also referred to as the “Application for Use of Airspace” on the BULATSA website) must then be emailed here: [email protected], or faxed here: +359 2 945 91 80 at least 8 calendar days before the planned use of airspace.
• If the application is approved, the Airspace Management Cell produces a NOTAM message. After its publication the message is sent to the applicant along with other pertinent information about their approved flight.

For more information on Bulgaria’s drone laws, see this page on the BULATSA website.

I have to clear one parking and one street and I'll basically be over the stadium, its at night that I was wanting to fly over there, so no people in the parking that I'll be flying over and then when at the stadium I'll watch out and not fly near people at all. I'm too scared and I'm pretty sure that I won't do it. If I do I'll make a video of me doing it just in case!

On this page you can get the necessary forms to fill in to apply for the registration and what not: Drones

There is also this....................

If:

• Not used for commercial purposes

You must:

• Abide by the "Ordinance No. 2 of the Ministry of Transport of 10 March 1999 on flight rules”
• Must request through a letter to the Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” (DG CAA) permission to fly
• Obtain the permission by DG CAA and inform the Air Navigation Service Provider at least 8 calendar days before your flight

We recommended having private insurance covering recreational drone activities

You must not:

• Interfere with manned aircraft
• Fly in clouds or restricted areas

and lastly there is...................

UAV Laws
Under Article 61 of the Bulgarian 2007 Civil Aviation Act, unmanned aircraft are sanctioned by the authority specified in Article 50, Paragraph 4 of the same document, which states: “The right to carry domestic state traffic by aircraft shall be granted by the Head of the Civil Aviation Administration.” No more specific regulations pertaining to civilian UAV usage are known to exist at this time.


So there really is not much rules but there is the fact you should let the CAA (DG Civil Aviation Administration) know over a week prior, so plan 8 days ahead at least!

 

[Shinotama]

hi all

I'm confused now...Do I go with what Lastrexking said or with what Shinotama said

Id say the same thing, it’s confusing, but I’ve kept that email log from DJI directly.
Clearly this person has had a bad experience but if they’re saying that to me, just contact them via web chat and see what they say.

 

[old man mavic]

hi i think you are getting confused about the box bit what he meant was that DJI will not replace any part affixed to the drone ,that did not come with the drone when you first purchased it,i have a skin on mine use landing gear and a sun cover for the camera and if i was to have to send it back to DJI for a care refresh case then i would just have to remove the skin and other accessories before i sent it off the only time you will encounter problems is if you modify any part that came with the drone such as the firmware or a component that fits inside and requires the drone to be opened i have flown mine with the sun shield and legs on and it did not activate payload mode

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

We do have regulations hey.

here they are...... note it says nothing about weight - so I think Mini is counted as a drone hey!

General Rules for Flying a Drone in Bulgaria
Based on our research and interpretation of the laws, Bulgaria does not yet have a system of regulations in place for drone operations. For the moment, the only way to fly a drone in Bulgaria is to obtain permission directly from the Civil Aviation Administration (DG CAA).

Here is the process:

• Applicants must request permission to fly their drone by submitting a letter to the Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” (DG CAA) at least eight days in advance of drone operations. Here is an example letterprovided by BULATSA.
• The letter must describe the activity, the necessary zone/zones, date of the activity, beginning and end hour, responsible person during the activity, and mobile telephone number for contact with him / her.
• A scanned copy of the obtained permission by the DG CAA along with the original letter sent to the DG CAA (the letter is also referred to as the “Application for Use of Airspace” on the BULATSA website) must then be emailed here: [email protected], or faxed here: +359 2 945 91 80 at least 8 calendar days before the planned use of airspace.
• If the application is approved, the Airspace Management Cell produces a NOTAM message. After its publication the message is sent to the applicant along with other pertinent information about their approved flight.

For more information on Bulgaria’s drone laws, see this page on the BULATSA website.

I have to clear one parking and one street and I'll basically be over the stadium, its at night that I was wanting to fly over there, so no people in the parking that I'll be flying over and then when at the stadium I'll watch out and not fly near people at all. I'm too scared and I'm pretty sure that I won't do it. If I do I'll make a video of me doing it just in case!

On this page you can get the necessary forms to fill in to apply for the registration and what not: Drones

There is also this....................

If:

• Not used for commercial purposes

You must:

• Abide by the "Ordinance No. 2 of the Ministry of Transport of 10 March 1999 on flight rules”
• Must request through a letter to the Directorate General “Civil Aviation Administration” (DG CAA) permission to fly
• Obtain the permission by DG CAA and inform the Air Navigation Service Provider at least 8 calendar days before your flight

We recommended having private insurance covering recreational drone activities

You must not:

• Interfere with manned aircraft
• Fly in clouds or restricted areas

and lastly there is...................

UAV Laws
Under Article 61 of the Bulgarian 2007 Civil Aviation Act, unmanned aircraft are sanctioned by the authority specified in Article 50, Paragraph 4 of the same document, which states: “The right to carry domestic state traffic by aircraft shall be granted by the Head of the Civil Aviation Administration.” No more specific regulations pertaining to civilian UAV usage are known to exist at this time.


So there really is not much rules but there is the fact you should let the CAA (DG Civil Aviation Administration) know over a week prior, so plan 8 days ahead at least!

Wow, a letter. Lol.
Do you do that when you wish to fly ?
It seems very much that countries with some basic rules / airspace NFZs etc have a lot more flexibility to fly to suit weather and their impromptu flight around busy lives.
If you fly around your building from the ground, and haven’t had any wifi issues, you should be able to do the balcony thing.
Probably the other dangers to aircraft are GPS signal when on the balcony and near the building (recording home point etc), and particular wind behaviour around the building at take off and landing.
Post a video either way, the successful flight will be good to see.
I know you said you probably won’t do it, maybe try from the ground first, and see how that goes.
Sounds like you will have good LOS to the stadium.
Good luck with the flight if you do it.

 

[Thanev]

Id say the same thing, it’s confusing, but I’ve kept that email log from DJI directly.
Clearly this person has had a bad experience but if they’re saying that to me, just contact them via web chat and see what they say.

I "chatted " with one of their reps who told me painting the Mini will void warranty ...No mods for me until after the refresh wears off.

 

[Shinotama]

I "chatted " with one of their reps who told me painting the Mini will void warranty ...No mods for me until after the refresh wears off.

But they offer a sticker kit which customizes the drone, I'm sure they mean in anyway that would modify the drone in a way that would make it malfunction, the fact that they sell the covers on the Accessories website means that you shouldn't have an issue.

 

[Thanev]

But they offer a sticker kit which customizes the drone, I'm sure they mean in anyway that would modify the drone in a way that would make it malfunction, the fact that they sell the covers on the Accessories website means that you shouldn't have an issue.

As long as it is THEIR label...

"in regards to that, it not recommeded to paint or wrap your Mavic Mini as it is considered modification for your Aircraft.
We only allow the Mavic Mini DIY kit for your Mavic Mini."

 

[Shinotama]

As long as it is THEIR label...

"in regards to that, it not recommeded to paint or wrap your Mavic Mini as it is considered modification for your Aircraft.
We only allow the Mavic Mini DIY kit for your Mavic Mini."

Fair, I'm looking into my home / contents insurance policies instead right now tbh.

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Wow, a letter. Lol.
Do you do that when you wish to fly ?
It seems very much that countries with some basic rules / airspace NFZs etc have a lot more flexibility to fly to suit weather and their impromptu flight around busy lives.
If you fly around your building from the ground, and haven’t had any wifi issues, you should be able to do the balcony thing.
Probably the other dangers to aircraft are GPS signal when on the balcony and near the building (recording home point etc), and particular wind behaviour around the building at take off and landing.
Post a video either way, the successful flight will be good to see.
I know you said you probably won’t do it, maybe try from the ground first, and see how that goes.
Sounds like you will have good LOS to the stadium.
Good luck with the flight if you do it.

Hello,

I'll be absolutely honest here now. I got my Mavic Mini for Christmas, was under the tree! I got it for myself because its expensive kinda and didn't want my family to use so much just for my present - yet I really wanted the Mini! So I got the normal version(not Fly More Combo - cz I didn't wanna wait till after Christmas). Anyway, since Christmas the weather here in Bulgaria has been "Not Good to Fly" - as my UAV Forecast app would say, really high winds and temperatures colder than -5C`! I watched a video on YouTube - this guy proved that if you fly when its very cold then that is when altitude problems occur, the drone either falls slowly but surely or it can also rise slowly! This scared & barred me from flying outside, at all! There was one day, during the weekend, when I decided to show my parents and dog how my drone flies outside. It was just after the 1.0.4 GEO Zones update which I so desperately need, as I live in a blue authorization zone and also near 2 Military compounds! I do 3 unlocks to be able to fly downstairs outside - and inside also because I live on the last floor so I pick up satellites!

So I decided then to show my parents and dog how stable and quiet and awesome my new drone is, and also the to show off that incredible 2.7k, crystal clear video. I went downstairs outside my building, on the side where my sitting room balconies are, and fired up my Mini. I took off and started flying around the parking lot, maximum height about 5m and immediately came down to 3m and 4m and such height even lower. Was flying around for a bit more and then they came out on their balcony(3rd floor), my mom, dad & Rikardo(my Pekingese dogie) and so I flew like 2m away from the building and then up up and away all the way to their level, hovered there for some time made a short video to show them and then flew my battery to the end, 20% power and landed!

That is the only time I've ever flown my drone outside since I got it, all other times I've been flying it indoors, in my apartment! Its a double story apartment and so I have this one are where the drone can fly in a big and high open area - where the stairs are which go to the second level. I fly in that space, its about 5m(w) X 4m(l) 6m(h), I sit on my couch/sofa and I relax and just fly around every single night after work. That's why I can't wait for the weather to get better, warmer, with little or no wind at all, lots of sunlight. Spring will be really really beautiful, I really can;t wait to take my Mavic Mini out then and make some extremely beautiful videos and pictures!

About the flying over to the stadium, I most definitely will make a video - in case something goes wrong I'm sure it will be extremely hilarious for everyone - maybe even for me after I use my Care Refresh. lol. I'll make a video of everything, my phone's screen(the app during the flight), the actual 2.7K footage from the drone & myself from the side stressing while I'm attempting my very first "Fly to the Stadium Mission"! I have really good eye sight(I wear glasses - but they enable really perfect vision for me) - I really can't imagine that this lil drone can be flown so far away that I won't be able to see it at all!

Cool, me gonna go get some work done now, its Friday and so I'll be really happy starting to fly this whole weekend, me and my RC toys! I realize now that I haven't fired up my RC Airplane in like over a year or something! I have to maintain its lipo battery and I forgot about it! I last left it at 3.8v a year ago, it was a brand new battery as I've not flown my brand new XK Innovations Edge A430! I will cycle through its lipos today to see if they're still alive.

 

[Louis08]

Sorry guys, you lost me - what exactly is the connection between flight laws in Bulgaria and the original topic of this thread?
Might be just me, but I don't see any.......

 

[Shinotama]

@Thanev - My email came back from DJI today, they consider any third party part, even one they sell on their own website as something that will mess with the refresh plan.

I don't think they quite get the wording of stuff because of the language barriers. I guess this is the problem with buying a chinese product.

 

[Louis08]

I'd see this whole accessory "problem" pretty plain and simple, very similar to sending your cellphone for repair: just remove every loose/removable part before sending it away.
Be it a clipped on lens hood or some fancy decals or some landing gear. Anything you don't send out cannot get lost during repair.

 

[Shinotama]

I'd see this whole accessory "problem" pretty plain and simple, very similar to sending your cellphone for repair: just remove every loose/removable part before sending it away.
Be it a clipped on lens hood or some fancy decals or some landing gear. Anything you don't send out cannot get lost during repair.

I kinda did think that tbh, you'd be dumb to send off the product with third party accessories on it, even if you where to send it off, you're not going to be sending the SD card (So no flight data or video proof) and you could always do the "Fast repair" which means you skip the damage assessment anyway.

 

[tc333]

Pgytech hood came today and glad I got it as does offer some protection to gimbal from impacts

 

[Brian_MavicPro]

Hi all,

I recently came across lens hood options for Mavic Mini and I managed to narrow down my choice down to two.

Has anyone used a lens hood for drones before? Does it actually work as advertised?

Also, if anyone has purchased these products, I'd greatly appreciate your input.

I flew just yesterday. Beautiful snow covered marshland with surrounding pines. I lost 90% of my video footage due the sun glare on the lense/ND filter. Is it worth a few bucks...I’m thinking, yes. I hope someone out there can give a product review on a good functioning hood.

 

[Andrewandron]

Rick at Drone Valley has a great lens hood for the mini. I got one and in addition to helping lens flare, it lifts the front of the drone up higher off the ground to give you better camera clearance. Go to the Drone Valley channel and click the link to his store in any description

 

[ajkm]

Hi all,

I recently came across lens hood options for Mavic Mini and I managed to narrow down my choice down to two.

Has anyone used a lens hood for drones before? Does it actually work as advertised?

Also, if anyone has purchased these products, I'd greatly appreciate your input.

I presume we’re all understanding that a MM with a lens hood will then fall within the regulations and have to be registered and flown accordingly?

 

[DanMan32]

They can't deny warranty just because of third party products.

Damage caused by reliability or compatibility issues when using unauthorized third-party parts.

Key words: caused by. They would have to claim the accessory caused the issue.
For refresh, there should be more leeway, as that's insurance for consequential damage. It would have to be strong evidence there that the accessory created excessive risk to crash.

The problem is fighting the battle. With the company not being domestic, who do you have the lawyer send the letter?

 

[Thanev]

They can't deny warranty just because of third party products.

Damage caused by reliability or compatibility issues when using unauthorized third-party parts.

Key words: caused by. They would have to claim the accessory caused the issue.
For refresh, there should be more leeway, as that's insurance for consequential damage. It would have to be strong evidence there that the accessory created excessive risk to crash.

The problem is fighting the battle. With the company not being domestic, who do you have the lawyer send the letter?

And their lawyer eats your lawyer like a snack.Their product,their rules!

 

[Rolocretaw]

I purchased option 1 from OP's post. I haven't noticed any 'eyelid' issues during flight. I do feel like it made a slight difference on acceleration and top speed, however I was flying in sport mode specifically to test the gimbals clearance limits with the protector. As far as gimbal protection, while it is open on the bottom, It also has the side pieces that go far enough down past it to provide some additional gimbal protection in the event of a crash. For something to hit the gimbal it would need to be pretty perfectly placed to fit into the 1.5in gap between the down pieces of the protector.

All in all I think Ill use it for every instance except high winds and fast moving sport mode shots. This combined with an nd8/pl lens has been given me some promising improvements in image quality, specifically in helping the color quality and reducing lens flare from the sun. Id love to hear from someone with option 2 as I expect it will do better with maintaining an aerodynamic shape. I just felt like that one would be more likely to give me that eyelid effect.