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Mavic Pro or Mavic air for my situation, just can't decide!!

Thanks, yeah the signal did worry me, but I cant find anything conclusive about it as its all so dependant on conditions. I've read many people saying they had no problems at all, and many saying it was a nightmare with the Air.

Did you not consider the Platinum?

Where did you find a Fly more combo new for £800? Also, what do you mean by unactivated?

Thanks
Did consider Platinum, but not worth the extra few hundred... I just bought genuine Platinum props for £20, perfect (3 mins extra flight time = almost irrelevant)

Got mine off eBay from a dealer.. he even delivered by hand same day :) Brand new devices are unactivated, so you can tell they have never been flown.... it kicks off your warranty start.... when Drones (DJI) are new they must be activated and linked to you (registered) to fly
 
OK thanks, thats good to know. As I will be away in foreign countries, mostly Asia, I wonder if my warranty or if I got DJI care would cover me whilst away. Thats one other thing about the Air, it seems with the new design it is less prone to damage with small accidents or knocks.

I havent looked into the exact differences between the Pro and Pro Platinum yet, but I need to.
 
@lecomputer , to help you evaluate size & weight: My MPP, RC, two extra batteries, and spare props are packed in this small padded camera bag, total weight 1.75 kg (3.9 lb), or 1.5kg (3.3 lb) with just one extra battery.
 

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Thanks everyone, great advice

Firstly on price...in the UK it seems the Air is about £700, the Mavic Pro is about £800, and the Pro Platinum is about £1100.

So not much difference between the Air and Pro, but a big jump to the platinum. I dont think I can stretch to £1100.

I travel a lot, and the restrictions on hand luggage are a nightmare on the flights I have to take. I normally am going away to live for 6 to 9 months, and need to take laptop, some music equipment and all my camera stuff. I dont mind sticking my tripod and some bits in my hold luggage, but I dont think I'd want to put a drone in there! I think I could buy a bigger bag, but I'm normally over 20kg already, so weight is a problem.

This is what keeps me thinking about the Air. But the swarm of bees sound peopel speak of sounds horrendous and I'm very sensitive to sound!

As for the question, where will I be flying, probably in a variety of places. I will not just be in the middle of nowhere, Im more likely to be closer to people. But it seems you need the MPP to get the much quieter sound, due to the motors being different and the props

Its really a tough decision! I appreciate the help. I would love to see both in real life :)

You do know that you can stick the MPP props on the MP, right? Best of both worlds, price and sound wise...
 
Thanks, that looks like a decent size and weight you have there in that bag. Does it not come with a custom bag to fit it all? Or is that only with teh fly more combo?

But still, with carry on luggage size and weight restrictions, trying to take laptopl, audio interface, sound recorders, camera, lenses, many other little bits. It just always ends up with a packed fulll bag way over the weight limit! I may have to look around a bit more at how professionals travel with gear.

The mavic Air weighs close to half as much as the MP, and is nearly half the size. But really if it wasnt for these things, Id go with the MP, as I heard some sound samples earlier, and the MA really does sound like a swarm of bees!
 
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The USA Costco MPP+Goggles bundle I bought includes a DJI "sling bag" customized to precisely fit the aircraft, remote, batteries, and goggles, but naturally that's a significantly larger size and weight than the (non-DJI) bag I pictured here.

If scenic photography/videos at airline destinations is your only interest, I'd go with MA for its portability. With OcuSync, MP/MPP is optimal for longer distance, multi-person FPV cruising, with less noise intrusion.
 
Thanks. Yeah normally once I get to a destination I stay put for some time, but its more the practicalities of getting equipment there!

I do think possibly the Air will be a good first drone, and if it just doesnt cut it after a while, then the Mavic Pro 2 will be out I imagine. The noise is my main concern, but theres nothing you can do about that with a smaller drone, its going to be higher pitched!
 
Safe flying! Two other points I'll add:

1) A DJI Fly More combo may or may not be the best deal for you, since there's ample choice of comparable, highly reviewed accessories on Amazon, incl. batteries (at least for MP)

2) I regret purchasing US$129 DJI Care Refresh, after learning my home/auto insurance company State Farm offers a $27 annual premium / $100 deductible policy that covers loss, damage, and "mysterious disappearance". (And, this is completely separate from my homeowners, claims will not affect my homeowner rates, or so they say).
 
Thanks for the tips. Would you say stick with official batteries, or you think there are some worthy third party ones? I'm always wary with batteries, especially when flight time is so limited anyway.

Yes I dont think DJI care will cover me on my travels, I'll have to look into it. There may be some form of travel insurance that does
 
I'm about to try two third party MP batteries purchased on Amazon for US$117, a substantial savings vs. DJI's $178 ($89x2). All the reviews on those are strong, and I've read no crash reports involving third party batteries in these forums.

I believe DJI Care Refresh doesn't care where your drone gets damaged, as long as you are able to send it back in its damaged condition. DJI does not replace for loss or "mysterious disappearance".
 
Thanks, yeah I'm always sceptical about 3rd party batteries, Ive never had ones for cameras or laptops which last as long as the official ones.

I hope if I get a drone, it doesnt mysteriously dissapear!
 
Hello, I'm chiming in as a traveler/photographer, who bought the Air. For me I didn't question the smallest package, since I am a pretty strict minimalist, and work hard to keep all my luggage weight as lie as possible.

You say your biggest concern is the noise, but I think it should be the WiFi signal issues. While the angry bee sound took me some time to get used to, I still am not over the stress caused when staring at the lost connection message. In Australia it wasn't much of a problem, but in Indonesia its 75% of my flights. You say you will be in Asia ... The WiFi space is dirty here. I flew at the top of a volcano and STILL was disconnecting, despite seeming to be far from dense population. Meanwhile, there was a pro owner right next to me ... And his range absolutely destroyed my Air, enabling him to get the big shot I couldn't get.

I'd concern over the size more than the weight. While carry on limits typically are 7kg on budget Asia airlines, I have yet to ever be checked in the last 5 years. But you can't look lime you have a huge bag. I don't know the answer, but I guess I'd look at how much more volume the Pro would take up.

Additionally, evaluate all your other gear. You are adding the drone, so maybe you need to trim in other areas. I'm curious what cameras/lenses you are packing?

I'm not really sure of the best answer for me at this point. I have the Air so that's what I have, but I'm wishing for more range and less disconnect headaches. Its always RTH successfully, although 1 time it never reconnected. So I have to be super careful about RTH altitude, having space to land if I can't regain control, etc. It seems that pixel peeping a slightly softer image is a small price to pay for a drone that you don't lose control of. The Pro controller also has some additional features helpful for photography.
 
Hello, I'm chiming in as a traveler/photographer, who bought the Air. For me I didn't question the smallest package, since I am a pretty strict minimalist, and work hard to keep all my luggage weight as lie as possible.

You say your biggest concern is the noise, but I think it should be the WiFi signal issues. While the angry bee sound took me some time to get used to, I still am not over the stress caused when staring at the lost connection message. In Australia it wasn't much of a problem, but in Indonesia its 75% of my flights. You say you will be in Asia ... The WiFi space is dirty here. I flew at the top of a volcano and STILL was disconnecting, despite seeming to be far from dense population. Meanwhile, there was a pro owner right next to me ... And his range absolutely destroyed my Air, enabling him to get the big shot I couldn't get.

I'd concern over the size more than the weight. While carry on limits typically are 7kg on budget Asia airlines, I have yet to ever be checked in the last 5 years. But you can't look lime you have a huge bag. I don't know the answer, but I guess I'd look at how much more volume the Pro would take up.

Additionally, evaluate all your other gear. You are adding the drone, so maybe you need to trim in other areas. I'm curious what cameras/lenses you are packing?

I'm not really sure of the best answer for me at this point. I have the Air so that's what I have, but I'm wishing for more range and less disconnect headaches. Its always RTH successfully, although 1 time it never reconnected. So I have to be super careful about RTH altitude, having space to land if I can't regain control, etc. It seems that pixel peeping a slightly softer image is a small price to pay for a drone that you don't lose control of. The Pro controller also has some additional features helpful for photography.

Thanks thats a very useful reply.

That is concerning. It's strange, as some people have had experiences similar to yours, yet many seem to be fine with it. It's a really hard decision to make, as I'm desperately trying to save space and weight.

I've had my rucksack checked on Air Asia flights, and my bag can get to nearly 15kg with lenses and everything. I am also a musician and take various audio devices, interfaces etc. It all adds up quickly. I currently work with Lumix MFT gear, but I have 3 or 4 lenses I travel with. I'm soon going to move to Sony full frame though, as I feel limited with the MFT gear. So thats more weight.

I was very close to ordering the Air, but now might have to think again. Amazon.co.uk have been great with returns for things in the past, but I wonder if they would do a return on a drone? Then I could test it at least and see how I feel about it. Although as you say, Asian wifi spaces might be worse.

I personally dont plan to fly that far away, not really out of sight, but still its terrible if you lose signal. I havent used a drone before, but I thought if it lost signal and was running out of batteries it will RTH like you said? Is there a risk of this not happening due to Wifi issues?

I'm surprised DJI are selling something that so many people have issues with. Thanks again
 
When the Air looses signal, you can have it automatically return to home or just land where it looses signal.

I've never flown out of the US but my signal has always been great for as far as I could see it and beyond. I wonder how many people who are having signal be issues have tried selecting another channel manually. The air offers 2.4 and 5g bands so there is a whole lot of options...
 
When the Air looses signal, you can have it automatically return to home or just land where it looses signal.

I've never flown out of the US but my signal has always been great for as far as I could see it and beyond. I wonder how many people who are having signal be issues have tried selecting another channel manually. The air offers 2.4 and 5g bands so there is a whole lot of options...

Yes you definitely want to be positive that the setting for what to do when connection is lost is set to RTH. Its hard to imagine when landing at a random location where signal is lost would be a good idea.

I was staying at this one place with crappy signal for 4 days , so had time to try a bunch if different things. Manually selecting different WiFi channels had no effect.

For me, I radically change locations more than typical users. As you say, some people have issues and some don't. But most people generally will fly within some hours of their home. I am always in a new place, and have had 2 different experiences in 2 different countries. Australia is quite sparsely populated, but even closer to Sydney I didn't experience the problems I am having in Indonesia. I will be in Taiwan next week so will see about that soon.
 
I'm new to drones, but I'm very experienced with photography and nomad travel life ;)

If I can offer random advice without knowing any details of your work, I would definitely not switch to FF! While Sony FF has impressive statistics to pixel peep at, how exactly will that enhance your creativity as an artist? You say MFT is limiting...how?

Switching to FF is a huge weight penalty, and really a Sony lens is no lighter than DSLR gear. Plus, do you really want to be processing giant MP files on the road? There is a storage and processing time/power cost ... And let's face is, most travelers are not printing big, we are listing to IG/FB/etc.

That being said, I've never been a fan of the M4/3 specs. I am a Fuji man. I think APS-C is the sweet spot for travel. Fuji has a very unique niche, in that they make excellent top quality lenses in APS-C size, with significant size, weight and cost benefits. They design for serious photographers, with all manual controls on the bodies. I travel with a VERY light camera kit, and do not feel any limitations creatively. You have better wide options than M4/3 and bokeh close to FF.

Back to the Air.

You say you don't plan to fly far or out if site. No way. This fly within sight is something people argue about on forums. That thing is so small up in the air, its impossible to see! I've talked to other real world pilots out there, and they laugh at always keeping it in sight. You are flying on the screen not by sight. Even when I know where it is and I'm looking for it, its super hard to see! Yes, you can choose to accept that your range will be limited as a trade off for the size and weight. That's what I am doing. But if I also may consider a Pro2 if it were to come out. I'd have to so the math and see how much larger a bag I would have to carry. And I still might choose the Air for the size. Its really quite small and convenient! Its a super super tough decision, I'm probably not helping lol.

There is another thing that I thought of. Its been written about in this forum, and that is the need to calibrate the Air all the time. Search for it. Again, some people are affected and some not. For me, whenever I move more than 20 or 50 miles, I MUST recalibrate before flying. This step is easy and takes 30 seconds. If there is no interference. But. There is almost always interference! So then I have to run around all over the place, burning battery time, looking for a place with no metal and no wires, doing this ridiculous twirling dance with a drone over my head. Believe me, the Balinese are looking at me like WTF is this while guy doing?! So, it appears that the Pro does not need to do this. I asked the Pro guy on the volcano about it and he said he doesn't have to do it...




Thanks thats a very useful reply.

That is concerning. It's strange, as some people have had experiences similar to yours, yet many seem to be fine with it. It's a really hard decision to make, as I'm desperately trying to save space and weight.

I've had my rucksack checked on Air Asia flights, and my bag can get to nearly 15kg with lenses and everything. I am also a musician and take various audio devices, interfaces etc. It all adds up quickly. I currently work with Lumix MFT gear, but I have 3 or 4 lenses I travel with. I'm soon going to move to Sony full frame though, as I feel limited with the MFT gear. So thats more weight.

I was very close to ordering the Air, but now might have to think again. Amazon.co.uk have been great with returns for things in the past, but I wonder if they would do a return on a drone? Then I could test it at least and see how I feel about it. Although as you say, Asian wifi spaces might be worse.

I personally dont plan to fly that far away, not really out of sight, but still its terrible if you lose signal. I havent used a drone before, but I thought if it lost signal and was running out of batteries it will RTH like you said? Is there a risk of this not happening due to Wifi issues?

I'm surprised DJI are selling something that so many people have issues with. Thanks again
 
I just went out and flew off the beach. Was 2200ft away, and didn't lose signal, because I was straight out over the sea.

Coming back in, I was 500ft away, but off to the side by ~300ft, and I lost signal. Had to return via automatic RTH. Connection reestablished, and I was able to land manually.

I am in a small village in a remote part of Bali at the very NW, so not a crowded area at all. But there are many resorts right in this area, all with WIFI.

You say you don't want to fly far ... But I'm sure you want to fly father than 300ft lol.
 
Hey

Thanks for all the advice. It does sound a bit dodgy the wifi signal, its making my decision much harder. Like you I need the portability and lightweight form, but at the cost of losing signal, Im not sure. I also dont feel like buying a Mavic Pro when a Pro 2 is on the horizon. Hmm, DJI havent made this an easy decision!

As for MFT, I've been using it for years for video and photo, but I mainly do video. I like all the features and the menus and layout on the Lumix cameras. But I just find the images don't compare to full frame cameras, mostly in low light, dynamic range and the ability to get nice shallow DOF. I struggle to get satisfying shalllow DOF on my MFT lenses. I have the Nocticron 42.5mm 1.2 and a Mitakon 25mm 0.95, and I can get it with these, but I have to shoot near wide open. I can get Sony full frame primes that are smaller and cheaper and get even shallower DOF.

But low light is possibly the biggest problem, the noise is terrible. I often end up in not very bright rooms using natural light, and I'm scared to go above 600 ISO on my Lumix. But the Sony A series cameras are incredible for low light. Not to mention the far superior dynamic range. And then there's higher video frame rates for slow motion etc.

Can I ask what bags you use when you are travelling? Your carry on luggage and extra carry on bag? I'm always looking around for the ideal travelling luggage but its hard to find!

Thanks :)
 
Yeah I'm a photo guy. Fuji just released a new body with in body image stabilization for video, but I'm not sure how it compares. In the past Fuji was lagging behind in the video arena.

For my main bag I am using the Osprey Porter 46. I LOVE this bag! Been using for 4 years its tough. The backpack straps store away when you check it. It can be legal carry on size if you don't stuff it full. It also can expand and compress a lot depending on how you pack it . Locking zippers, laptop pocket, etc. If that's the size you need I highly recommend, its pretty cheap too, I see them on sale for 80-90 sometimes.

My Lowepro photo bag is super small, no way it would work for what you are carrying :) I'm using the DJI bag included in the Fly More kit for the drone. Its small enough that it fits in the backpack part of NY photo bag, or I can carry it separate.


Hey

Thanks for all the advice. It does sound a bit dodgy the wifi signal, its making my decision much harder. Like you I need the portability and lightweight form, but at the cost of losing signal, Im not sure. I also dont feel like buying a Mavic Pro when a Pro 2 is on the horizon. Hmm, DJI havent made this an easy decision!

As for MFT, I've been using it for years for video and photo, but I mainly do video. I like all the features and the menus and layout on the Lumix cameras. But I just find the images don't compare to full frame cameras, mostly in low light, dynamic range and the ability to get nice shallow DOF. I struggle to get satisfying shalllow DOF on my MFT lenses. I have the Nocticron 42.5mm 1.2 and a Mitakon 25mm 0.95, and I can get it with these, but I have to shoot near wide open. I can get Sony full frame primes that are smaller and cheaper and get even shallower DOF.

But low light is possibly the biggest problem, the noise is terrible. I often end up in not very bright rooms using natural light, and I'm scared to go above 600 ISO on my Lumix. But the Sony A series cameras are incredible for low light. Not to mention the far superior dynamic range. And then there's higher video frame rates for slow motion etc.

Can I ask what bags you use when you are travelling? Your carry on luggage and extra carry on bag? I'm always looking around for the ideal travelling luggage but its hard to find!

Thanks :)
 
Thanks. I read that it wasnt just the propellors, but he motors were different too on the PP.

Yes you are right, I should just buy what I need. Unfortunately I'm still struggling like many others to know if thats the Air or the Pro!! I imagine when the Pro 2 comes out it will have enough benefits over the Air to make it an easier decision

You’re really overthinking this.
 
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