Mavic pro vs mavic air

[Chapperz]

Hi all
I'm new here and I did have a look but couldn't find what I wanted.

Ok so I'm on a tight budget so I'm going to buy a used drone... At the moment it's between the mavic pro and mavic air (mk1).

I am mostly going to be using it for holiday shots and videos of scenery, which is probably what most people use them for lol. When it comes to image and video quality, which is better according to you experts?

I've had a look at some videos etc and everyone seems to say that the air is better. Is it possible to tweak the pro settings for better results than the air?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice

Regards

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Truth be told I would look at one of the Mini series, probably a Mini 2, it has some improvements over the original Mavic Mini but the latter is still a reasonable drone providing you will not be flying in gales.


BTW welcome.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

If its really between the Mavic Pro and the Air , its the Mavic Pro hands down.
its the closest to the attributes of Mini 3 with the vertical camera an there are some good accessories made for this drone.

Gear to fly your Mavic Pro in the Rain. Land on the Water.
Phantomrain.org

 

[msinger]

When it comes to image and video quality, which is better according to you experts?

You can compare the camera specs here.

Is it possible to tweak the pro settings for better results than the air?

Doubtful. The specs are fairly close though, so you might not notice much a difference depending on what you're doing.

Both of those drones have been discontinued, so buying things like batteries and spare parts is going to be even more challenging as time goes on. The Mini 2 or Mini 3 would be the closest camera-wise/price-wise if you'd rather purchase a drone that DJI still supports.

 

[Chapperz]

Thanks everyone for your help.... I was leaning towards the pro but now that it's been mentioned that I would find it difficult to get spares etc I'm starting to wonder if the mini would indeed be a better choice.

Decisions decisions lol

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

..
M1P Mavic Pro, or MPP platinum version, is FAR better than the Air in many ways.
Connection, wind ability, mostly.

But for travel etc, you are going to have far more opportunities sub 250g to get by in many countries, not sure bout internally UK if it makes much difference to registrations etc.

I also suggest a good 2nd hand Mini 2 might be worth a few extra GBP.

I'm starting to wonder if the mini would indeed be a better choice.

The Mini 2 is far better in numerous ways than the Mini, as with the M1P / Air, the better ocusync protocol) so again the few extra bob will go far to a better drone experience.

 

[Chapperz]

..
M1P Mavic Pro, or MPP platinum version, is FAR better than the Air in many ways.
Connection, wind ability, mostly.

But for travel etc, you are going to have far more opportunities sub 250g to get by in many countries, not sure bout internally UK if it makes much difference to registrations etc.

I also suggest a good 2nd hand Mini 2 might be worth a few extra GBP.



The Mini 2 is far better in numerous ways than the Mini, as with the M1P / Air, the better ocusync protocol) so again the few extra bob will go far to a better drone experience.

I've actually been looking at a 2nd hand mavic 2 pro or mavic air 2 now... The only thing putting me off the mavic 2 pro is that a reviewer mentioned it's a pain in the neck to edit the footage unless you have a properly powerful computer... My pc is old although it is an old i7 with 16gb ddr3

Apparently it's due to the footage etc being 10bit

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I've actually been looking at a 2nd hand mavic 2 pro or mavic air 2 now... The only thing putting me off the mavic 2 pro is that a reviewer mentioned it's a pain in the neck to edit the footage unless you have a properly powerful computer... My pc is old although it is an old i7 with 16gb ddr3

Apparently it's due to the footage etc being 10bit

That's relatively true, though even some of the good editing apps for ipads or tablets are powerful enough to run fine on those devices.
Very often though, a new computer is needed when you get into editing more.

Before buying any reasonably old drone, google the model and battery, see if they are still available.
Spark, M1P, M2P/Z, Air, all are known to have issues with getting batteries, either n/a or priced extremely.

DJI have a habit of creating new models, with new battery design, partly because of new tech I'm sure . . . but in a way that also enforces drone upgrades by stopping production / supply of the older model batteries.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I've actually been looking at a 2nd hand mavic 2 pro or mavic air 2 now... The only thing putting me off the mavic 2 pro is that a reviewer mentioned it's a pain in the neck to edit the footage unless you have a properly powerful computer... My pc is old although it is an old i7 with 16gb ddr3

Apparently it's due to the footage etc being 10bit

Consider limiting the resolution of your video footage, that's what I do.

 

[NorbertG59]

I can see you are in London and with a Mavic Pro you will not be able to fly around most places if any?, were a 250gr mini 2 or 3 you would be a lot less restricted around built up areas

I have a Mavic Pro Platinum and hardly fly it because of it's restrictions in UK and throughout EU. Were my Mini3 Pro I can take anywhere within reason and just take-off
If buying second hand the prices between say a Mini2 or 3 and a MavicPro would be similar





Hope this helps

 

[howardK]

I fly an M1P and have for some time. I also purchased it used. my words of advice for you with this model is if you see DJI batteries on line (ebay etc.), buy them. also if you install the software from NLD it gives you a lot more "leeway".

 

[Chapperz]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice... I'm almost settled on the mini 3 pro. To my eye there's not much difference in picture and video quality. The 250g rule isn't that much of a issue I don't think as most of, if not all of the footage and the photos will be taken in the country when we're camping and visiting places. That said we are partial to vising castles and historic placess.

That said, after talking to the better half (she's a bit of of a photographer) we've decided that we might have a go at selling some of the footage and photos, so I'm wondering if, in a professional context the mini would 3 pro would cut the muustard?

Would the extra effort in getting the a2 or whatever certificate I need to be using the m2p be worth it...?

One of the things putting me off the m2p was being able to edit the files because of the 10bit files but turns out that for less than 200 quid I can upgrade my pc to a level that'll bring me up to par for 4k editing and playback.

So really it's just a case of is the extra stuff I get in post worth the effort to get the necessary certifications etc?


Thanks again everyone your help is much appreciated

 

[hiflyer201]

I'm almost settled on the mini 3 pro.

I think you're on the right tract. For sure you don't want the Mavic Air. I like mine but it's not up to speed with later drones.
I'm interested in you're PC upgrade. I'm using a gaming laptop and it's not doing the job. I need to invest in new equipt.!

 

[Chapperz]

I think you're on the right tract. For sure you don't want the Mavic Air. I like mine but it's not up to speed with later drones.
I'm interested in you're PC upgrade. I'm using a gaming laptop and it's not doing the job. I need to invest in new equipt.!

My pc is nearly 10 years old..
Specs are
I7-4770
GForce 640
16gb ddr3

I can buy used for around / under 200 quid

asus gtx 1060 6gb dual fan
I7-4790k

That should nail the requirements for editing and playback... I'm not interested in games.

As far as between the mini 3 pro and mavic 2 pro.... I'm still on the fence but I'm leaning towards the former.

 

[tribar]

One of the things putting me off the m2p was being able to edit the files because of the 10bit files

10 bits only if you record in Dlog-M or HDR mode, not in normal mode.
The Mini 3 Pro also records 10 bit video in D-Cinelike mode but not in normal mode.

 

[Chapperz]

10 bits only if you record in Dlog-M or HDR mode, not in normal mode.
The Mini 3 Pro also records 10 bit video in D-Cinelike mode but not in normal mode.

I don't see the point in using normal if you can use something else that has more colours and more range etc in post. It kind of defeats the purpose of having them in the 1st place. Any hoo it turns out I can upgrade my pc at minimal cost and effort to be able to edit and play back 4k... To be fair, my pc isn't that bad as it is...