Mavic or Phantom 3 Professional

[Armour]

I have a question or need opinion from you guys. I have been looking at drones and I am all over the map as to which one I want to get due to how much I want to spend. I have several I guess I will call toy drones. I am wanting one with a camera and that has some smart features so to speak. I want one that has some range so the standard is out for me.

I have looked at the refurbished phantom 4 and was comparing that to the mavic. Well the price on the refurb4 is around 800. I initially was going to get the phantom 3 pro but couldn't find a decent price for it and if I was going to spend that much I would get the 4

Well today I found that Newegg has p3 pro refurb for 549. What are your thoughts on getting this or springing for the mavic.

I don't know what I am going to do with the drone at this point other than just fly it around. I don't see me trying to make money from pics or videos or anything like that. It will be all personal use for video and pics. It will pretty much be an expensive toy for me. So I cant decide if the Mavic is worth the extra basically $450 for me.

Thoughts and help would be appreciated. The sale is today only for the pro so I have to decide soon. I will say the $1000 for the mavic was not even a thought in my mind until I watched the videos and such for it. Just cant decide if it is worth the money for me although it is awesome.

Thanks for your help.

 

[YngveN]

As I see it, it is the portability of the Mavic which is it's greatest advantage. If that is not important to you go for the P3 (I guess the camera is about the same)

 

[DroneTone]

I have both the Phantom 3 Pro and a Mavic. In practice, I hardly ever fly the Phantom 3 anymore, just the Mavic a few times a week.

Flying the Phantom 3 Pro I would travel with a large hardshell knapsack to carry what is needed and maybe some Headplay goggles in an extra bag.
However, flying with the Mavic I only carry a small camera bag over my shoulder for everything, (except eventually the DJI goggles).
The portability factor is a considerable one because being so small the Mavic is convenient to take along.
I agree with the adage: "The best [drone or any device/tool] is the one you actually use the most often".
If the drone is more hassle to lug around or is too annoying (noisy) to others, you'll stop using it eventually, no matter how great the other features it has are.
While the camera is slightly better on the Phantom, I think the Mavic makes up for it in being more portable and quieter.
It has a longer range, a more reliable connection and has more advanced features, being a later model.
In general I find it less conspicuous to operate in public. Plus it will work well with the new DJI goggles.
The Mavic firmware has matured enough now that most of the software annoyances have been ironed out.
On the other hand, the Phantom 3 Pro firmware is very mature, but is no longer being updated nor is the Phantom 3 Pro officially sold by DJI anymore.

 

[Kestrel]

I don't fly my P3 anymore, the Mavic is awesome, the portability of it and ease of set up trumps the P3 in my opinion, you don't have to spin on the props or anything, just unfold it and fly. The P3 its big to carry around, and you gotta screw on the props, all takes time, if you are on a time constraint trying to get up in the air to capture something then the Mavic is definitely the winner.

 

[4wd]

I'll echo the posts above.
Phantom 3 now feels outdated and bumbling, the video is OK but not as good as Mavic most of the time - stills are similar.
Control of Mavic is much better and you have rather nice advanced modes.
Above all else P3 require a small suitcase to carry it with the controller and couple of batteries.
It's much heavier too.

 

[SeaComms]

I there is a reverberating echo in here for the Mavic. I have the Mavic and a mate has the Phantom 4. I take mine everywhere I go, he only takes his on a planned flying trip due to the size. He is jealous.....

 

[Denny Crane]

3 months the P3 will only be worth 100 where the MP will still be worth 900 or more


d

 

[Kestrel]

3 months the P3 will only be worth 100 where the MP will still be worth 900 or more


d

Nah DJI products will still be worth more than that. Even though its older and DJI don't make them any more they still have more tech packed into them than the original Phantom.

 

[Starfighter]

I have both, and am always amazed at quality of old stored video P3P. I've flown it into a power line, and even hit the peak of a condo roof on the beach. It is one determined gadget, surprisingly hard to break. Also the standard 1080p HD video is great, while I get alot of aliasing artifacts at 1080p at 60Hz with the mavic. I've heard similar reports posted here.

But I always fly the mavic now. The portability is huge. The ease of the self locking props is good. Sport Mode is fun, and 4K video at 30Hz is pretty good. Focusing, or forgetting to, is a potential problem. But I love mine. But remember the P3P took some stunning HD footage.