Mini 1 or Mini 2 For First Drone

[Hillbilly1236]

Newbie here looking to get my first drone.

I've done a ton of reading, watching YouTube videos and reading posts about drones and the various rules and regs regarding flying one. I don't want to bother getting a license, so I've narrowed it down to a Mini 1 or Mini 2. The M2 seems to have a lot of improvements over the M1 but the one thing that draws me to the Mini 1 is the potential to get a Follow Me function with the Litchi app. From my reading, this is not available yet for the M2. I've also discovered that the Litchi app is not available on the Canadian App store. Maybe something on my end though, since my electronics are very old and they have old OS's. Does anyone know of a way to get a Follow Me function on the M2 or do you think it will become available through Litchi or some other app in the near future. I really want the Follow Me function but don't want to get a larger Drone.

 

[Sean-McK]

If by electronics you mean your phone etc. then I would STRONGLY suggest the you check whether
a) your phone will run the DJI FLY app. It requires a 64bit phone. Try downloading the app and running it, you do not need a drone for a conclusive test.
b) Whether a 64bit phone is needed to run a Litchi that is usable with the Mavic Mini.
My not so old phone would not run the FLY app and I had to get another, pre owned, to use with the Mavic Mini.

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Thanks for the reply but I'm pretty sure I will need to get a phone that is suitable for the app. I live in the country and there is no cell service here, so my phone is an old flip phone that only gets used rarely when I'm away from home. My computer and tablet are also 8 or 9 yrs old. I may be in for a very expensive upgrade in the near future but for now I just want to get a drone up and running. My Daughter has an old IPhone 6 that I can have and I will try using that first but I am really wanting the Follow Me function which is not supported by the Fly App, so that may not be important for me.

 

[Saladshooter]

Mini 2 is worth the extra money.... range and wind stability are the two features that set it apart, I have owned both and there really is no comparison. If you buy the original Mavic Mini you will be shortly shopping for an upgrade.

 

[Repaid1]

Thanks for the reply but I'm pretty sure I will need to get a phone that is suitable for the app. I live in the country and there is no cell service here, so my phone is an old flip phone that only gets used rarely when I'm away from home. My computer and tablet are also 8 or 9 yrs old. I may be in for a very expensive upgrade in the near future but for now I just want to get a drone up and running. My Daughter has an old IPhone 6 that I can have and I will try using that first but I am really wanting the Follow Me function which is not supported by the Fly App, so that may not be important for me.

Well let's get things correct. Follow me isn't the term "we" want to use as that is done by GPS or was in DJI lingo. What you want is Object Tracking. All third party Apps that allow Object tracking (Such as Litchi) are using the Phones "power" to do computations. DJI's higher end drones do that computing in drone and have the power in there JFYI. Let's skip what Litchi supports for now as Object Tracking will be available on the Mini 2.

So in this instance not only does your phone have to be powerful enough to run a App (Down link Video), it has to have reserve to be able to do the tracking function as well.. A i6 is going to be borderline for "Good/acceptable" tracking due to age and processor. Depends on what you want to track..like yourself just taking a stroll, or faster like yourself riding a bike...all things to consider.

 

[Xvtownboy]

Go for the Mini 2 and If you can swing it get yourself a dedicated mini Ipad..I was using my S-9 phone which worked fine but the size of the ipad is so much Better..Matter of fact it is the perfect size IMO.I just leave it on the RC full time..

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Thanks for the replys.

I certainly prefer to get the M2 and will likely go that route, especially if there is a reasonable expectation that DJI or some other party will come up with an App that provides function I'm after, for the M2.

Maybe I'm confused but the videos I watched described 2 different functions (although they are similar) on the Litchi app. The Follow Me function followed the controller whereas the Tracking function followed a selected object. I'm fine with either one, for now anyways.

Repaid1, you sound pretty confident that Tracking will be available for the M2. Have you found something that leads you to believe this or have some other information regarding this future improvement? Thanks for the heads up on the phone requirements. I may have to bite the bullet and get a newer refurbished phone, just for the drone. The more information I gather, the more the expenses for this hobby increase, lol.

The main reason for my desire to have Tracking is to video my exploration on my Side by Side in the summer. My wife and I do a lot of quading, camping and fishing in the summer.

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Go for the Mini 2 and If you can swing it get yourself a dedicated mini Ipad..I was using my S-9 phone which worked fine but the size of the ipad is so much Better..Matter of fact it is the perfect size IMO.I just leave it on the RC full time..

I'm slow at typing and you responded before I finished.

I see you are in Abbotsford. I lived there for 27 years before moving to the Interior. What are you flying?

I have a 2012 Ipad Air that I thought might work but after some reading I don't think it will and I'm already looking at almost $1,000 for a hobby I may not really get into. So spending another $500 to $700 for a controller is not something I want to do. But I might be able to justify getting a new phone that I could use for the drone and occasionally, as a phone, when we are away from home.

 

[Repaid1]

Thanks for the replys.

I certainly prefer to get the M2 and will likely go that route, especially if there is a reasonable expectation that DJI or some other party will come up with an App that provides function I'm after, for the M2.

Maybe I'm confused but the videos I watched described 2 different functions (although they are similar) on the Litchi app. The Follow Me function followed the controller whereas the Tracking function followed a selected object. I'm fine with either one, for now anyways.

Repaid1, you sound pretty confident that Tracking will be available for the M2. Have you found something that leads you to believe this or have some other information regarding this future improvement? Thanks for the heads up on the phone requirements. I may have to bite the bullet and get a newer refurbished phone, just for the drone. The more information I gather, the more the expenses for this hobby increase, lol.

The main reason for my desire to have Tracking is to video my exploration on my Side by Side in the summer. My wife and I do a lot of quading, camping and fishing in the summer.

Okay...let me break apart all this. For the first part, Yes I know that DJI will be releasing a SDK (Software Development Kit) for the Mini 2 (Just trust me on this). This is used by third parties to integrate into DJI's system and develop software to be used with it's drone. The Mini 2 is recent, so a SDK for it I will suspect will be in first quarter (Which we are in now) or First of Second Quarter (April..ish) From there about 1-2 months max for third parties to intergrate feature set.

Just so you know, the SDK for Mini 1 and Mavic Air 2 was released and some companies had software out the next day Litchi is the largest seller and as such they like a bit more Beta time usually, this may or may not be the case..so not holding anything on that system..but I fly Litchi and have done so for 5 years.

Okay...... Follow Me Mode. This is done by your Drone AND the device GPS systems....so with that it had to be in the Drone Firmware from the start. This was in all DJI Drones in the past but function was...ehhhhh... as far as framing and it kinda lagged behind and sped up..kind like a slinky or spring type thing. So DJI discontinued that with the advent of Optical Tracking.

Optical Tracking uses the main camera and normally the power they added for computers in the Drone to do such way back in the end of 2016. It was built into the drone software and available out of the box, no third party required. Third party developers then added it in for the older aircraft that just had the old "Follow me" mode. So that is how that got started.

It didn't work all that great either back then and would routinely lose the tracking object (DJI factory one as well as 3rd party) Improvements to systems and tracking algorithms have advanced with different models and through the years with the Mavic Air 2 having DJI's latest improvements. Sadly Mini 1 and Mini 2 do not have those systems in place due to weight issues for such. So that brings us back to the Device and third Party route of doing it. So not going to be as robust as a factory system in aircraft like I fly, but it will get you though some basic tracking and such. There is one (non DJI) that is king of object tracking and object avoidance had that be your thing, but it lacks in other areas...so yeah...there are options depending on how bad you want to track, do you need it to avoid and move and climb perfect ( or reasonable so for today's tech)or just give it a good college try

So depending on your level of "want" on the tracking combined with Object Avoidance capabilities while doing so is going to 1. influence what drone you buy and how much you spend on that end. And 2. Which Device you may need and money you spend on that end to control the whole thing.

Your in a special blend of people that "want their cake" kinda crowd. You want advanced feature set, but really don't want to spend major money to get it situation. You really need object detection when using tracking, unless your out in the middle of a open field with nothing but grass, or are extremely mindfull of any object around you. Even the Mavic Air 2 isn't the best as it has limited O/A (Object Avoidance) even though it has the best (At present) tracking system known as APAS (Advanced Pilot Assistance System) that DJI has. Which tracks by subject (it knows people, cars and some stuff and tells you that) when you lock on. Interesting enough it doesn't know sail boats...and can't track them accurately...but I digress.

We are now awaiting the Mavic 3 series (top of the line..more or less) that will tie all into one drone for DJI....but that will be around $2000 with all bells and whistles (I am assuming). I hope I have you up to speed and thanks for reading....class dismissed.

Finally...your gonna be hard pressed to get a system that I "think" you want with a device to do it at the price your hoping...your gonna have to go up a bit for a reliable middle IMHO. So I am saying MA2 with a really nice used apple...ehhh around i8 or used Mini 5 tablet. Again just my years of doing these things...Your mileage may vary and you might be happy with a mini 2 and your used i6 phone. Not trying to burst your bubble BTW...just offering some sound advice from a seasoned DJI flyer

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Th

Okay...let me break apart all this. For the first part, Yes I know that DJI will be releasing a SDK (Software Development Kit) for the Mini 2 (Just trust me on this). This is used by third parties to integrate into DJI's system and develop software to be used with it's drone. The Mini 2 is recent, so a SDK for it I will suspect will be in first quarter (Which we are in now) or First of Second Quarter (April..ish) From there about 1-2 months max for third parties to intergrate feature set.

Just so you know, the SDK for Mini 1 and Mavic Air 2 was released and some companies had software out the next day Litchi is the largest seller and as such they like a bit more Beta time usually, this may or may not be the case..so not holding anything on that system..but I fly Litchi and have done so for 5 years.

Okay...... Follow me. This is done by your Drone AND the device GPS systems....so with that it had to be in the Drone Firmware from the start. This was in all DJI Drones in the past but function was...ehhhhh... as far as framing and it kinda lagged behind and sped up..kind like a slinky or spring type thing. So DJI discontinued that with the advent of Optical Tracking.

Optical Tracking uses the main camera and normally the power they added for computers in the Drone to do such way back in the end of 2016. It was built into the drone software and available out of the box, no third party required. Third party developers then added it in for the older aircraft that just had the old "Follow me" mode. So that is how that got started.

It didn't work all that great either back then and would routinely lose the tracking object (DJI factory one as well as 3rd party) Improvements to systems and tracking algorithms have advanced with different models and through the years with the Mavic Air 2 having DJI's latest improvements. Sadly Mini 1 and Mini 2 do not have those systems in place due to weight issues for such. So that brings us back to the Device and third Party route of doing it. So not going to be as robust as a factory system in aircraft like I fly, but it will get you though some basic tracking and such. There is one (non DJI) that is king of object tracking and object avoidance had that be your thing, but it lacks in other areas...so yeah...there are options depending on how bad you want to track, do you need it to avoid and move and climb perfect ( or reasonable so for today's tech)or just give it a good college try

So depending on your level of "want" on the tracking combined with Object Avoidance capabilities while doing so is going to 1. influence what drone you buy and how much you spend on that end. And 2. Which Device you may need and money you spend on that end to control the whole thing.

Your in a special blend of people that "want their cake" kinda crowd. You want advanced feature set, but really don't want to spend major money to get it situation. You really need object detection when using tracking, unless your out in the middle of a open field with nothing but grass, or are extremely mindfull of any object around you. Even the Mavic Air 2 isn't the best as it has limited O/A (Object Avoidance) even though it has the best (At present) tracking system known as APAS (Advanced Pilot Assistance System) that DJI has. Which tracks by subject (it knows people, cars and some stuff and tells you that) when you lock on. Interesting enough it doesn't know sail boats...and can't track them accurately...but I digress.

We are now awaiting the Mavic 3 series (top of the line..more or less) that will tie all into one drone for DJI....but that will be around $2000 with all bells and whistles (I am assuming). I hope I have you up to speed and thanks for reading....class dismissed.

Finally...your gonna be hard pressed to get a system that I "think" you want with a device to do it at the price your hoping...your gonna have to go up a bit for a reliable middle IMHO. So I am saying MA2 with a really nice used apple...ehhh around i8 or used Mini 5 tablet. Again just my years of doing these things...Your mileage may vary and you might be happy with a mini 2 and your used i6 phone.

Thank you for that lengthy and informative response. I totally understand that it takes more money to get more features but there are 2 things stopping me from doing that; 1) I'm not going to spend a bunch of money for a great setup and then find out it's not something I'm going to pursue or use very much and 2) I don't want a larger drone because I don't want to go through the hassle of getting a license for something I may not pursue.

Maybe I should just get a really cheap drone and see if this hobby is something I will pursue. At least that way I'm only out a small amount of money if I decide to drop this hobby. If it turns out it is something I will really want to get into then I would spend what it takes to get the features I want. Some of my other hobbies have cost a LOT more than what I can see this hobby costing.

My thinking with the M2 is that it seems to get really great reviews and would be a good starter drone plus if I can get a tracking feature that works OK (it doesn't have to be perfect) then I will have a much better understanding of what I really want and it might turn out to be the M2. I understand what you are saying about the tracking not being great but it would still be better than nothing and give me the experience I need to decide if I want to spend more to get a better system or not.

 

[vindibona1]

If I may chime in with a few (hopefully) different thoughts...

Your FIRST drone? I wouldn't base the purchase on Litchi's current availability. IMO that is short term thinking. Litchi should become available shortly. IMO you should spend the first month or two just learning to become proficient flying manually. Litchi aside, if starting from scratch (again in my opinion) the Mini 2 is a drone you can grow into while the Mini 1 is a drone you can grow out of, especially if in Canada where you a Mini is much less hassle a than larger drones.

In addition to the Mavic 2 pro, I have owned a Mini 1 and now have a Mini 2. I sold my 1 to buy the two as many other pilots have. There are a lot of reasons, but there are two main ones:
1) Better film resolution.
2) Zoom capability
3) Resale value of the Mini 2 will be higher should you ever want to upgrade.
4) Flying in windy conditions
5) OCUSYNC 2!


Even if the first two reasons don't mean anything to you, the last two should be reason enough to buy the Mini 2. When I had the Mini 1 I did not fly 50% of the time I would have liked to because of high winds that would be risky for the Mini 1 that would be no issue for the Mini 2. At the time that issue caused me to by the Mavic 2 pro (and I'm happy I did). Had I the Mini 2 I'm not so sure would have had the immediate urge to upgrade. As I said, the Mini 2 is something you can grow into.

Ocusync 2 will give you a rock solid connection that wifi with the Mini 1 cannot provide. The Mini 1's connection is good, but in some situations you will lose signal especially if you're flying around solid edifices without direct line of sight.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[Repaid1]

If I may chime in with a few (hopefully) different thoughts...

Your FIRST drone? I wouldn't base the purchase on Litchi's current availability. IMO that is short term thinking. Litchi should become available shortly. IMO you should spend the first month or two just learning to become proficient flying manually. Litchi aside, if starting from scratch (again in my opinion) the Mini 2 is a drone you can grow into while the Mini 1 is a drone you can grow out of, especially if in Canada where you a Mini is much less hassle a than larger drones.

<SNIP> As I said, the Mini 2 is something you can grow into.

Ocusync 2 will give you a rock solid connection that wifi with the Mini 1 cannot provide. The Mini 1's connection is good, but in some situations you will lose signal especially if you're flying around solid edifices without direct line of sight.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Given the OP's last paragraph and your post I concur...I think he should go with the Mini 2, now we just need to know if the iPhone 6 will get him flying with Litchi and Tracking I would assume so, even if a tad under powered? HE could then update that a bit. Truth be known I didn't know what a side by Side was, so googled...why didn't he just say golf cart on steroids?

BTW, Forrest, nice post

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Thanks again. I really appreciate the insight and think I will go with the M2, at least to start with that.

I am prepared to spend all of my initial efforts on learning to fly the drone and will not even look at the photography part until I feel confident in my abilities to fly it and respond to issues that arise.

I live in the country on 130 acres of heavily treed property and one of the things I want the drone for is to fly around the property to see what's going on. Lots of animals to see but there are a lot of high trees that will likely interfere with communications between the drone and the controller. I will have to slowly expand my flight distances to see what limitations I will have with the trees interference and how to respond to those situations. Then I can start playing with the photo part. I have a couple of areas where there are clearings that I can practice in, when the weather improves.

The side by side (SxS) is a lot of fun and offers my wife and myself a great recreation together. Where we camp there are lots of backroads and trails to ride on that lead to many different lakes. I think that aerial tracking would make great videos and thus the desire for tracking.

 

[Repaid1]

Thanks again. I really appreciate the insight and think I will go with the M2, at least to start with that.

I am prepared to spend all of my initial efforts on learning to fly the drone and will not even look at the photography part until I feel confident in my abilities to fly it and respond to issues that arise.

I live in the country on 130 acres of heavily treed property and one of the things I want the drone for is to fly around the property to see what's going on. Lots of animals to see but there are a lot of high trees that will likely interfere with communications between the drone and the controller. I will have to slowly expand my flight distances to see what limitations I will have with the trees interference and how to respond to those situations. Then I can start playing with the photo part. I have a couple of areas where there are clearings that I can practice in, when the weather improves.

The side by side (SxS) is a lot of fun and offers my wife and myself a great recreation together. Where we camp there are lots of backroads and trails to ride on that lead to many different lakes. I think that aerial tracking would make great videos and thus the desire for tracking.

Might want to look in classifieds here and see if anyone is selling one, might save you some coin and could put it too a phone/tablet update if needed. One thing about DJI is they hold their value as well as Apples devices do too, so even if you get in and flip, you won't be out much, best of luck...look forward to your new posts and the myriad of questions

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Looks like there aren't any M2's for sale in the classifieds (well there is one but only includes the drone) so I'm looking at new and the prices look to be fixed. All suppliers have the same prices which are as follows:
1) Std M2 package $569
2) Std M2 plus extra battery $644
2) M2 fly more $749
Question is, for a newbie is it worth getting the fly more package or should I just get the std package with the extra battery?
I think I will also get the prop guards since I will be learning and probably get the 1 year refresh too.

Thoughts please?

 

[vindibona1]

Given the OP's last paragraph and your post I concur...I think he should go with the Mini 2, now we just need to know if the iPhone 6 will get him flying with Litchi and Tracking I would assume so, even if a tad under powered? HE could then update that a bit. Truth be known I didn't know what a side by Side was, so googled...why didn't he just say golf cart on steroids?

BTW, Forrest, nice post

I can't speak to the iPhone 6 and LITCH and TRACKING per se, but my current phone is an iPhone 6s plus and I have even done indoor tests with my iPhone 5 and to my surprise the Fly App with the iPhone 5 Mini 2 seems to be basically functional though I haven't tested it outside the house and cannot speak to how fully functional it might be. But my iPhone 6sPlus has no issues whatsoever. I just checked my iPhone 5's iOS and it is currently at 12.4.9 if that's any help. iPhone 6s plus is running on iOS 14.3.

 

[rehkram]

Question is, for a newbie is it worth getting the fly more package or should I just get the std package with the extra battery?

Always the Flymore package, up to this point. If anything changes in the future you'll no doubt read about it here first.

And yes, definitely get the Mini 2, mainly because it's got more power to combat unexpected higher wind speeds at altitude.

 

[Xvtownboy]

I'm slow at typing and you responded before I finished.

I see you are in Abbotsford. I lived there for 27 years before moving to the Interior. What are you flying?

I have a 2012 Ipad Air that I thought might work but after some reading I don't think it will and I'm already looking at almost $1,000 for a hobby I may not really get into. So spending another $500 to $700 for a controller is not something I want to do. But I might be able to justify getting a new phone that I could use for the drone and occasionally, as a phone, when we are away from home.

HI..I been here since 85...I am on 40 acres so i got lotsa room to fly..I had the mini 1 and flew that for almost a year.Once i heard the mini 2 was being released with Ocu and a bunch of other cool features i had to have it so i sold my 1 and bought the 2..

The mini Ipad 5 is definetly not cheap especially when all i wanted to use it for was the screen,but man does it work good.If later on you decide that you are not as in to the hobby as you thought,you were,you still have a nice little Ipad! Re-sale on these is very good as well so unloading it should be no problem.Win win!..

.I am new to this forum but not to RC.I have been into all types of RC for most of my adult life (i am 59) and these little Dji drones are really something else..I cant beleive how far the hobby has come in the past 10 years alone!

I can see myself grabbing the Mavic 2 in near future..

Also this forum is a weatlh of information..Lots to learn..Either way i hope you enjoy it as much as i do

 

[Yeunglings]

Looks like there aren't any M2's for sale in the classifieds (well there is one but only includes the drone) so I'm looking at new and the prices look to be fixed. All suppliers have the same prices which are as follows:
1) Std M2 package $569
2) Std M2 plus extra battery $644
2) M2 fly more $749
Question is, for a newbie is it worth getting the fly more package or should I just get the std package with the extra battery?
I think I will also get the prop guards since I will be learning and probably get the 1 year refresh too.

Thoughts please?

I dont have current Canadian prices laying around but based of what you posted above let's put it in to some context. A second battery is going to cost you roughly $75 canadian. Say down the road you want a third. That's another $75. So you've spent $150 on batteries alone. And trust me almost every pilot on here has at least 3 or 4 batteries per drone. I'm just a fun in the ( really cold at the moment) sun kinda flyer and will still go through at least 2 full batteries for myself each flight plus a third for my dog to have fun with.
So you bought the base+ 1 right away so you have about an hour, give or take, of flight for $644. You buy a second spare battery putting you at 719. Of course you can only charge 1 battery at a time since you don't have the hub (my meaning is that you can do 2 at once by having 1 charge in the Mini2 also) and now have to find some way to carry your drone, controller, a set of propellers and 2 spare batteries around with you. Even the cheapest bag that could sorta work is going to run you $20-30. So you're at about $750 ish and no wall charger. Add in another say $20 so you don't have a house fire with a cheap dollar store charger.
The FMC is almost always the best bet to go with vs piecemealing things out. 2 extra batteries is$150 Canadian, the hub is probably about $50, another half set of props is about 10 for you, the actual charger is about 15 to 20 and then the bag another 50 to 60( all my # are on the fly guesses based off US pricing and then adding the CA upcharge?). Mix and match my numbers around and you're looking at $800 minimum vs the $750 you posted. And the FMC bag is nice, padded and spacious. I liked the FMC case for the MM but it didn't allow room to grow for odds and ends like the bag for the Mini2 does.

 

[SteCee]

Definitely the Mini 2, lots of improvements including 4K video, most importantly it has Ocusync for better wifi stability. More power and if possible buy the combo with 3 batteries and other kit.

You must have the ability to install the app otherwise your wadting your time. If your new to drones take out the refresh package too.

Hope that helps