Mavic Pro still worth it now that Mavic 2 is available?

[Phoenix Drone]

I saw this subject title on the Mavic Pro forum where the author is asking the question, and don't want to cross-post, so would like to get your thoughts here.

I am an electrical engineer that designs, develops, and sources ICs for DJI and choose to purchase the Mavic Pro Platinum yesterday. The M2P is a good product and that 1" sensor and other features are welcomed technology advancement from DJI.

My decision to buy a new MPP and not a M2P yesterday was not based on cost (I must have missed one of those great deals because I paid full price from the DJI website). It was based on how long the MP/MPP platform been on the market. I did not buy the M2P for the same reason I never buy a first year model car. I am not too concerned about having to wait on accessories compatible with the M2P, they will come fast as vendors scramble to get their products out there first. Companies (especially consumer electronics) are under huge stress to meet release schedules (and sometimes miss them as you can see). This squeezes the development cycle (missing features and other issues). It also reduces the company beta-testing time and moves this to the consumer to find more bugs. This also has financial implications which companies benefit from; reduced development cycle gets the product to market faster and starts revenue generation sooner. The problems the consumer sees are reported here and other sites, DJI evaluates those issues, prioritizes if and when they want to fix them (always balancing cost vs. profit), and make quiet running changes. Running changes are almost never made public, then consumers want the 'upgrade'. Take the example of the mechanics, the M2P has a new body which has new hinges and other wear components. They get field returns and make a tweak to the hinge, but we don't know that. Or perhaps they changed their ESC or brushless motor vendor, problems are reported by us, and they make a running change to improve that. F/W upgrades are great, and I am not as concerned about that- our product is fully upgradable in that respect, but your H/W is not.

In the competitive world of consumer products, 'early adopters' of the newest products are an extension of the company R&D. The original Mavics are no exception. There were many running changes both mechanical, electrical (ICs included), and firmware. Just check the Original Mavic Pro, 17 firmware updates since Oct 2016. First they were about every month, then got further apart as the bugs were worked out, up to many months. Keep in mind that F/W updates are not just to provide tweaks to performance and add features, but are often required when a company upgrades electronics you don't know about, it's part of that running change I am talking about here.

I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new M2P yesterday but choose a stable platform with a lot of accessories already available. This was a tradeoff for the larger sensor and other features the new bird has which look great. As a guy that sells the semiconductors, we need early adopter consumers, and it's a personal decision if you want to be one. There is not right or wrong answer. Your thoughts?

 

[CyberNate]

I saw this subject title on the Mavic Pro forum where the author is asking the question, and don't want to cross-post, so would like to get your thoughts here.

I am an electrical engineer that designs, develops, and sources ICs for DJI and choose to purchase the Mavic Pro Platinum yesterday. The M2P is a good product and that 1" sensor and other features are welcomed technology advancement from DJI.

My decision to buy a new MPP and not a M2P yesterday was not based on cost (I must have missed one of those great deals because I paid full price from the DJI website). It was based on how long the MP/MPP platform been on the market. I did not buy the M2P for the same reason I never buy a first year model car. I am not too concerned about having to wait on accessories compatible with the M2P, they will come fast as vendors scramble to get their products out there first. Companies (especially consumer electronics) are under huge stress to meet release schedules (and sometimes miss them as you can see). This squeezes the development cycle (missing features and other issues). It also reduces the company beta-testing time and moves this to the consumer to find more bugs. This also has financial implications which companies benefit from; reduced development cycle gets the product to market faster and starts revenue generation sooner. The problems the consumer sees are reported here and other sites, DJI evaluates those issues, prioritizes if and when they want to fix them (always balancing cost vs. profit), and make quiet running changes. Running changes are almost never made public, then consumers want the 'upgrade'. Take the example of the mechanics, the M2P has a new body which has new hinges and other wear components. They get field returns and make a tweak to the hinge, but we don't know that. Or perhaps they changed their ESC or brushless motor vendor, problems are reported by us, and they make a running change to improve that. F/W upgrades are great, and I am not as concerned about that- our product is fully upgradable in that respect, but your H/W is not.

In the competitive world of consumer products, 'early adopters' of the newest products are an extension of the company R&D. The original Mavics are no exception. There were many running changes both mechanical, electrical (ICs included), and firmware. Just check the Original Mavic Pro, 17 firmware updates since Oct 2016. First they were about every month, then got further apart as the bugs were worked out, up to many months. Keep in mind that F/W updates are not just to provide tweaks to performance and add features, but are often required when a company upgrades electronics you don't know about, it's part of that running change I am talking about here.

I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new M2P yesterday but choose a stable platform with a lot of accessories already available. This was a tradeoff for the larger sensor and other features the new bird has which look great. As a guy that sells the semiconductors, we need early adopter consumers, and it's a personal decision if you want to be one. There is not right or wrong answer. Your thoughts?

You should only buy the Platinum or original Mavic Pro if you got a REALLY good deal like $700. The Mavic 2 is better is every way and even at 50% more cost, you get much more than that in value. It's faster, more crash resilient, better signal, longer flight time, 4S vs 3S so it runs with less heat and more efficiency. Mavic 2 is also better for modding due to 4s system which handles more weight and gets more out of the externals. The camera quality it WAY better even with Zoom model. You'll especially notice the focusing improved which was a weak point on the Mavic 1. Mavic 2 is a tank that you can crash and most likely it will survive. Mavic 1, you'll likely see your camera/gimbal assembly fly off on your first crash, so be ready to fix it or send in the unit and pay. There are many additional points like the improved obstacle avoidance, active track 2.0, APAS, Occusync 2.0, etc.

Saying that, I absolutely love my Mavics. I've had around 6 or 7 that I've hacked apart to modify. I'll still fly them, but the Mavic 2 is a much more polished product and it is apparent that DJI learned from the Mavic 1 shortcomings.

 

[nod]

Sorry but buying the Mavic 1 just makes no sense right now.

 

[dirkclod]

Well I preordered my MP and am on my second one now ...not it's fault... and just ordered the MP2P last nite .
Me it was about just getting the extra funds to spend . Got em and did and now to start with all the rest like 4 more batteries and another GPC case and will be set with both.I don't feel like an adopter as much as you seem to be trying to justify why you didn't get one . Welcome to the forum .
GRHS

 

[Kingram]

I can't see buying 2 year old tech at full price $1,099 and for $150 more you could of had a Mavic 2 Zoom.

 

[Just_nick]

I saw this subject title on the Mavic Pro forum where the author is asking the question, and don't want to cross-post, so would like to get your thoughts here.

I am an electrical engineer that designs, develops, and sources ICs for DJI and choose to purchase the Mavic Pro Platinum yesterday. The M2P is a good product and that 1" sensor and other features are welcomed technology advancement from DJI.

My decision to buy a new MPP and not a M2P yesterday was not based on cost (I must have missed one of those great deals because I paid full price from the DJI website). It was based on how long the MP/MPP platform been on the market. I did not buy the M2P for the same reason I never buy a first year model car. I am not too concerned about having to wait on accessories compatible with the M2P, they will come fast as vendors scramble to get their products out there first. Companies (especially consumer electronics) are under huge stress to meet release schedules (and sometimes miss them as you can see). This squeezes the development cycle (missing features and other issues). It also reduces the company beta-testing time and moves this to the consumer to find more bugs. This also has financial implications which companies benefit from; reduced development cycle gets the product to market faster and starts revenue generation sooner. The problems the consumer sees are reported here and other sites, DJI evaluates those issues, prioritizes if and when they want to fix them (always balancing cost vs. profit), and make quiet running changes. Running changes are almost never made public, then consumers want the 'upgrade'. Take the example of the mechanics, the M2P has a new body which has new hinges and other wear components. They get field returns and make a tweak to the hinge, but we don't know that. Or perhaps they changed their ESC or brushless motor vendor, problems are reported by us, and they make a running change to improve that. F/W upgrades are great, and I am not as concerned about that- our product is fully upgradable in that respect, but your H/W is not.

In the competitive world of consumer products, 'early adopters' of the newest products are an extension of the company R&D. The original Mavics are no exception. There were many running changes both mechanical, electrical (ICs included), and firmware. Just check the Original Mavic Pro, 17 firmware updates since Oct 2016. First they were about every month, then got further apart as the bugs were worked out, up to many months. Keep in mind that F/W updates are not just to provide tweaks to performance and add features, but are often required when a company upgrades electronics you don't know about, it's part of that running change I am talking about here.

I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new M2P yesterday but choose a stable platform with a lot of accessories already available. This was a tradeoff for the larger sensor and other features the new bird has which look great. As a guy that sells the semiconductors, we need early adopter consumers, and it's a personal decision if you want to be one. There is not right or wrong answer. Your thoughts?

There is a right answer: do you want a vastly superior sensor because it's important to your footage quality? If the answer is yes, the MP2 is what you want. If no, there is the MP. This has nothing to do with platform stability, because the whole point of these is quality footage. Otherwise, you'd be buying a Parrot for $100

 

[dbyantis]

I saw this subject title on the Mavic Pro forum where the author is asking the question, and don't want to cross-post, so would like to get your thoughts here.

I am an electrical engineer that designs, develops, and sources ICs for DJI and choose to purchase the Mavic Pro Platinum yesterday. The M2P is a good product and that 1" sensor and other features are welcomed technology advancement from DJI.

My decision to buy a new MPP and not a M2P yesterday was not based on cost (I must have missed one of those great deals because I paid full price from the DJI website). It was based on how long the MP/MPP platform been on the market. I did not buy the M2P for the same reason I never buy a first year model car. I am not too concerned about having to wait on accessories compatible with the M2P, they will come fast as vendors scramble to get their products out there first. Companies (especially consumer electronics) are under huge stress to meet release schedules (and sometimes miss them as you can see). This squeezes the development cycle (missing features and other issues). It also reduces the company beta-testing time and moves this to the consumer to find more bugs. This also has financial implications which companies benefit from; reduced development cycle gets the product to market faster and starts revenue generation sooner. The problems the consumer sees are reported here and other sites, DJI evaluates those issues, prioritizes if and when they want to fix them (always balancing cost vs. profit), and make quiet running changes. Running changes are almost never made public, then consumers want the 'upgrade'. Take the example of the mechanics, the M2P has a new body which has new hinges and other wear components. They get field returns and make a tweak to the hinge, but we don't know that. Or perhaps they changed their ESC or brushless motor vendor, problems are reported by us, and they make a running change to improve that. F/W upgrades are great, and I am not as concerned about that- our product is fully upgradable in that respect, but your H/W is not.

In the competitive world of consumer products, 'early adopters' of the newest products are an extension of the company R&D. The original Mavics are no exception. There were many running changes both mechanical, electrical (ICs included), and firmware. Just check the Original Mavic Pro, 17 firmware updates since Oct 2016. First they were about every month, then got further apart as the bugs were worked out, up to many months. Keep in mind that F/W updates are not just to provide tweaks to performance and add features, but are often required when a company upgrades electronics you don't know about, it's part of that running change I am talking about here.

I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new M2P yesterday but choose a stable platform with a lot of accessories already available. This was a tradeoff for the larger sensor and other features the new bird has which look great. As a guy that sells the semiconductors, we need early adopter consumers, and it's a personal decision if you want to be one. There is not right or wrong answer. Your thoughts?

Plus you get a craft that has been made able to free-up most of the DJI constraints(nods). I imagine the engineers studied how that was done and made provisions to prevent it in their newest product.

 

[Phoenix Drone]

I saw this subject title on the Mavic Pro forum where the author is asking the question, and don't want to cross-post, so would like to get your thoughts here.

I am an electrical engineer that designs, develops, and sources ICs for DJI and choose to purchase the Mavic Pro Platinum yesterday. The M2P is a good product and that 1" sensor and other features are welcomed technology advancement from DJI.

My decision to buy a new MPP and not a M2P yesterday was not based on cost (I must have missed one of those great deals because I paid full price from the DJI website). It was based on how long the MP/MPP platform been on the market. I did not buy the M2P for the same reason I never buy a first year model car. I am not too concerned about having to wait on accessories compatible with the M2P, they will come fast as vendors scramble to get their products out there first. Companies (especially consumer electronics) are under huge stress to meet release schedules (and sometimes miss them as you can see). This squeezes the development cycle (missing features and other issues). It also reduces the company beta-testing time and moves this to the consumer to find more bugs. This also has financial implications which companies benefit from; reduced development cycle gets the product to market faster and starts revenue generation sooner. The problems the consumer sees are reported here and other sites, DJI evaluates those issues, prioritizes if and when they want to fix them (always balancing cost vs. profit), and make quiet running changes. Running changes are almost never made public, then consumers want the 'upgrade'. Take the example of the mechanics, the M2P has a new body which has new hinges and other wear components. They get field returns and make a tweak to the hinge, but we don't know that. Or perhaps they changed their ESC or brushless motor vendor, problems are reported by us, and they make a running change to improve that. F/W upgrades are great, and I am not as concerned about that- our product is fully upgradable in that respect, but your H/W is not.

In the competitive world of consumer products, 'early adopters' of the newest products are an extension of the company R&D. The original Mavics are no exception. There were many running changes both mechanical, electrical (ICs included), and firmware. Just check the Original Mavic Pro, 17 firmware updates since Oct 2016. First they were about every month, then got further apart as the bugs were worked out, up to many months. Keep in mind that F/W updates are not just to provide tweaks to performance and add features, but are often required when a company upgrades electronics you don't know about, it's part of that running change I am talking about here.

I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new M2P yesterday but choose a stable platform with a lot of accessories already available. This was a tradeoff for the larger sensor and other features the new bird has which look great. As a guy that sells the semiconductors, we need early adopter consumers, and it's a personal decision if you want to be one. There is not right or wrong answer. Your thoughts?

2 weeks ago this was posted, bugs were expected but the current concerns with the M2P are more than expected. It would be good to see a consolidated list of issues.

 

[3goldens]

Sorry but buying the Mavic 1 just makes no sense right now.

That is just so untrue!

 

[spence]

I don't see much improvement WRT the MP2 vs MP. We all expected great things with the 1" sensor. And in terms of an aircraft, it's probably vastly superior. But the video and images, not so much. More of the same. And well behind the P4P.

This goes back to that old saw--DJI is great at the flying stuff, and not so good at the photography. Unfortunately, most of us are buying drones to takes pictures and make videos.

 

[fstop.labs]

2 weeks ago this was posted, bugs were expected but the current concerns with the M2P are more than expected. There are a lot of “hope it will be fixed in software” comments, but now it seems some issues are H/W related? How will DJI handle this? Do you think they will implement running changes and start selling an “upgraded” M2P based on feedback from the expert users in this forum? That would leave the early adopters behind with a lesser drone. Some of the testing done here by the forum members has been really good and DJI did not expect that! What are your thoughts on this?

This is true of consumer electronics as well as cars and almost all products. I think it is down to personal preference. The Mavic 1 will most likely have less bugs and hardware issues. For the Mavic 2 you do get the latest released hw and sw. Most hw issues can be fixed in sw with minimal impact. I don’t think it is a “lesser” drone per say. Bugs are normal in the development process. Without the early adopters, products would not mature.

As products mature, they are also costed down - that expensive chip that they used before would be replaced with cheaper versions. Expensive hinge may also be replaced.

 

[Phoenix Drone]

I don't see much improvement WRT the MP2 vs MP. We all expected great things with the 1" sensor. And in terms of an aircraft, it's probably vastly superior. But the video and images, not so much. More of the same. And well behind the P4P.

This goes back to that old saw--DJI is great at the flying stuff, and not so good at the photography. Unfortunately, most of us are buying drones to takes pictures and make videos.

It would be good to see a list of the issues.

 

[DJI Ferrari]

well g thanks guys, lol. Now ui hate my mavic 1. It took me nearly 6 months to save to get my mavic because unlike other pilots I am extremely poor and i mean dirt poor. But i was told the mavic was good only to now be told its complete trash.

 

[dirkclod]

I have both and fly both and there is nothing wrong with the MP. They are just different .
You could have waited to get the M2 and won't be long before there is another come out and here we go again.
It's what you make it to be . Enjoy and learn with what you got .

 

[JDawg]

I don't see much improvement WRT the MP2 vs MP. We all expected great things with the 1" sensor. And in terms of an aircraft, it's probably vastly superior. But the video and images, not so much. More of the same. And well behind the P4P.

This goes back to that old saw--DJI is great at the flying stuff, and not so good at the photography. Unfortunately, most of us are buying drones to takes pictures and make videos.

Don't upgrade your eyeglass prescription or you will be embarrassed by that statement.

 

[DJI Ferrari]

Don't upgrade your eyeglass prescription or you will be embarrassed by that statement.

ha ha very funny, i was just playing around anyway i don't hate my mavic pro i love it but do wish i had the mavic 2. And i am too young to have to be able to use an eye glass.

 

[Phoenix Drone]

Limm

 

[CanadaDrone]

Honestly with the Mavic Air and Mavic 2 Zoom available, I personally can't think of any reason to buy an original Mavic Pro. The Mavic 2 Pro is the obvious choice if funds permit. Just my opinion after having spent lots of time with all of them.

 

[ChipDjipro]

The MP is a very nice Drone. In my opinion the Mavic pro 2 is not much different it has a few more sensors. Which personally I don’t use anyway. I still prefer my Inspire over all of them.

 

[DJI Ferrari]

The MP is a very nice Drone. In my opinion the Mavic pro 2 is not much different it has a few more sensors. Which personally I don’t use anyway. I still prefer my Inspire over all of them.

Um yea! lol i guess you do like the inspire more. Lol comparing the inspire to the mavic to me is like trying to compare a 98 honda accord to a Pagani Huayra lol.