Mini 2 vs Spark?

[jess.888]

Hi All!

Looking to buy a last minute Christmas present for someone. Not wanting to spend a whole lot but wanting to make it worthwhile buying for a beginner!

My options are a second hand spark fly more combo for $350aud

Or

Brand new mavic mini 2 fly more combo for $900aud !
(can’t find a second hand mini 2 close by)

Would really appreciate the advice!

 

[BigAl07]

There is a LOT of price difference but also a lot of system differences as well there. They aren't really in the same "league" at all so I would go for whichever one fits your budget best. The Spark is fun but it's fairly old technology and I don't even know if you can still get batteries for it or not (haven't looked to be honest). Mini2 is a LOT newer technology.

 

[jess.888]

There is a LOT of price difference but also a lot of system differences as well there. They aren't really in the same "league" at all so I would go for whichever one fits your budget best. The Spark is fun but it's fairly old technology and I don't even know if you can still get batteries for it or not (haven't looked to be honest). Mini2 is a LOT newer technology.

Thank you!! That’s super helpful ! That’s a really good point about the batteries too! Probably worth spending the bit extra and getting something that parts are still available for.

 

[vindibona1]

There is a LOT of price difference but also a lot of system differences as well there. They aren't really in the same "league" at all so I would go for whichever one fits your budget best. The Spark is fun but it's fairly old technology and I don't even know if you can still get batteries for it or not (haven't looked to be honest). Mini2 is a LOT newer technology.

I think a key piece of your research must be to see if the OP can get NEW batteries for the Spark. If the answer is no then the Spark is a non-starter IMO. But if yes, then it changes the price equation because the cost is no longer $350AUD, but that plus the cost of batteries. I suspect that the age of any used Spark batteries has to make their continued service life questionable, and thus my opinion regarding the new batteries.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Some other things to consider
1) Can your phone handle the FLY app? It needs a 64bit device. The simplest test is to down load the App and see if it will run on what will be your screen.

2) What are the capabilities of your view equipment i.e. can your computer or TV handle in terms of video resolution?

I wouldn't ignore the second hand market for either a Mavic Mini or the Mini 2. Certainly the Mini 2 has advantages over the Mavic Mini but the Mavic Mini is not a bad drone and if you assume you are going to crash it's not going to be as big an ouch!

 

[MaviCam]

I still have my Spark and it's batteries that were purchased in May 2018. I have hundreds of flights on it and (so far) am still using all of the original batteries with no problems.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I still have my Spark and it's batteries that were purchased in May 2018. I have hundreds of flights on it and (so far) am still using all of the original batteries with no problems.

Me too, I have 5 and the 3 originals are stil las good as the later 2 I bought (before they disappeared from the market).

If batteries are good, the Spark is an incredible drone to fly, good photos and video not too shabby, just so nippy in sports mode.

 

[Sjassie]

If the spark would fold i wouldn't have bought my mini 2... But the mini is way beter to take on vacation. Other than that i found the spark easier to control

 

[BigAl07]

I still have my Spark and it's batteries that were purchased in May 2018. I have hundreds of flights on it and (so far) am still using all of the original batteries with no problems.

I'm also still flying on the original batteries and I have 2 Sparks but it's still inferior technology to the Mini2 platform. I still use my Spark for teaching and indoor flying but that's it these days.

 

[Chrislaf]

I too have a Spark and fly it all the time - it is a great drone. BUT as others have said it is a discontinued drone and there are no third party batteries available for it so batteries are very hard to find and way over priced. You may end up spending more than you bargained for!

Have you considered the Mini SE? It is has the same form factor as the Mini 2 and would be within your price range and would be comparable to the Spark.

Chris

 

[4006448]

My first drone (this year) was a slightly used Mavic Air 1 from FB Market Place. Fly more combo. Still have it, still love it, still learning - however, batteries really hard to find (not that I currently need any). Just be aware. MM2 also a good choice from those using.

 

[Bebopperoo]

If you can still buy a set of dji white goggles, or the RE ones, then buy the spark, even with one battery available. The joys of seeing from the aircraft are unrivaled, and it's a great way to see what fpv is about (truly the best way of flying, especially with the new dji fpv, which is the greatest drone ever built- not even open to discussion, so don't!). The spark connects to them via cable, but none of the minis, or even the airs, allow you the privilege of being onboard the drone. The spark also seems to produce wonderfully rich colours and tones, and the goggles provide some crop effect to compensate for the lack of zoom. The spark is also very tough, if you're planning on flying near drone-eating trees, but availability of props and batteries should definitely be looked into first.

 

[Bebopperoo]

Not sure if Australia is fully civilized yet, but we're certainly aren't, and have the worst bandwidth restrictions in the world. This means we can't fly fcc mode, which gives a range of about 300m with the spark, compared with the mini 2 which will get about 1.5km here. Although the spark is very easy to fool into thinking it's in the USA, and operating with fcc strength, it's range is still limited, even on 5.8, to about 500m, so if range is necessary beyond 500m, get the mini 2 (not the ce or 1)