Mini 5 Pro--getting tired of waiting

[ryguy80]

The Mini 4 Pro is a solid drone. There isn’t much more you could ask it to do. Maybe a 1” sensor would be nice, but it’s a pretty mature piece of equipment.

 

[mavic3usa]

The Mini 4 Pro is a solid drone. There isn’t much more you could ask it to do. Maybe a 1” sensor would be nice, but it’s a pretty mature piece of equipment.

There's no professional grade smart phone for it. Maybe one will come at the same time as the much anticipated Mavic 4 Pro.

 

[Rchawks]

I noticed that the views on these release date videos are very very low, everyone's beginning to catch on.

 

[Lastrexking]

The 4 has just been out a year. Isn’t a bit too soon for a 5?

 

[Droning on and on...]

I vote get the Mini 4 Pro now. It has become 'tried and tested' and pretty much all the early bugs are already gone.
It works really nicely, and it's difficult to see what the 5 might add that would make it significantly better.

While I agree not to wait and get an M4P now, you're limiting you're imagination in what could significantly improve on a M5P. Here are some things that would trigger me to upgrade from the M4P to a 5:

• 1", 20/80 MP quad-bayer sensor
• Variable aperture
• Dual camera
• Optical zoom
• More OA cameras with demonstrably more reliable OA... OA needs to get a little better and I'll start using Active Track for much more stuff
• Downward lidar with 30m usable range

All of this is possible, it's just engineering. Cost, on the other hand, may rule out a lot of this, but the tech necessary is getting cheaper all the time.

A CF design of the gimbal might buy the grams to shoe that larger sensor in there.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I think it will be the Air 3S this year and the Mini 5 Pro sometime in 2025. Mavic's are due for a refresh too (even if I just picked up a M3 Cine).

Naaahhh, you don't need an Air 3S, Chris. You'd be more than happy with an Air 3 for your needs.

I just so happen to have one, lightly used, that will be for sale starting when the Air 3S is released

 

[RickP]

<250g DJI drones tend to be released yearly, but they reached the point of diminishing returns with the Mini 3 Pro.

Whenever the Mini 5 comes out it won't do anything that the 3 or the 4 can't.

When tech reaches the point of diminishing returns, there's no point in waiting anymore. I changed my Canon 6D for a Canon R6 (10 years appart or so) and you can't see any difference even pixel peeping. You need to force the shadows up on the DNGs to see anything different and even then the differences are negligible if you want to print 20x25 or even worst, if you want to publish it online.

R5 vs the recent R5Mk II... two drops of water, it's completely impossible to tell the difference.

What has improved in the later years in hand held photography is the autofocus; the AF to the eye is God.

Drones are on the same league now, The Mavic 4 won't be much of a change compared to the current M3.

I'm "waiting" for the M4 because I already have an M3 that I fly every day, but if you don't have a drone just pick the Mini 4, the Mini 3, the Mini 2 4K or however it is called now, or even the Neo, there are plenty of drones to choose.

I agree with much of what you say. As a stills photographer, knowing that the Canon R5 Mark II's release was imminent, I purchased the R5 two months before the release of the Mark II. As a scape and portrait photographer, the improvements in the MII would be negligible in my use. The AF system is said to be better, but I never had focus problems with my 5D3 or my earlier 40D for that matter.

On the other hand, I am waiting for the Mini 5 as my first drone. One reason for that is the rumored larger sensor and the IQ improvement, albeit probably small that it will bring. The second reason is that I don't have an investment in an older model drone so this isn't an upgrade from something really good to something slightly better. My only price is patience.

 

[Meta4]

I am waiting for the Mini 5 as my first drone. One reason for that is the rumored larger sensor and the IQ improvement, albeit probably small that it will bring.

This far out, what passes for rumours are nothing more than wish lists.

 

[ryguy80]

It should get some of the Air 3S tech like the 1" sensor and Lidar. I'd be surprised at this point if the Mini 5 Pro ships without those two features.

 

[MS Coast]

A suggestion. I've used this rationale to justify buying several drones rather than waiting for a phantom. (lower case p)

Estimate the cost of owning a Mavic 4 Pro while waiting for a possible Mavic 5 Pro. Subtract the estimated future sale amount from the current price and consider that the rental on the 4. The resale value for a well cared for DJI drone is very good.

Is the loss on the current model worth being grounded without a drone until the new model is released?

 

[RickP]

This far out, what passes for rumours are nothing more than wish lists.

I know... Then there is the "how long to hold off to see if the rumor is reality" thing right? I'm new to this...never flown before and am excited about learning to fly. And, as a long time stills photographer with very little video experience I have everything to learn about creating video. Exciting but daunting for an old man. But, I have a lot of experience with various sensor sizes in the 1/1.X category, 1" variety as well as APS-C and full frame. Waiting for the possibility of the small improvement in DR and noise floor of a 1" sensor isn't difficult. There's a good chance that the Mini 5 will be released for holiday distribution, that's probably next month in November. If it goes too long, I can change my mind.

With my luck though, the 5 will have a 1" sensor with increased pixel density which will defeat my entire purpose!!! The best laid plans, eh?

 

[RickP]

A suggestion. I've used this rationale to justify buying several drones rather than waiting for a phantom. (lower case p)

Estimate the cost of owning a Mavic 4 Pro while waiting for a possible Mavic 5 Pro. Subtract the estimated future sale amount from the current price and consider that the rental on the 4. The resale value for a well cared for DJI drone is very good.

Is the loss on the current model worth being grounded without a drone until the new model is released?

Good point. The talk "on the street" was that DJI was going to release the Mini 5 Pro last month. That didn't happen, but it probably won't be much longer. If DJI's engineering and marketing departments have each others phone numbers one might think that the new drone would be available for Christmas purchases...probably next month in November or early December. As I said to Meta4, if this stretches out too long for my patience, I can always change my mind. Thanks for the suggestion MS Coast!

 

[rwilliam99]

As another thing to consider, while you may have the photography aspect well covered, I don't think you appreciate how much there is to learn about flying and the drone itself. It takes a quite a while before you are able to fly confidently to get good video and to understand how your drone works. I'm at well over 200 flights and I'm still learning and getting better.

 

[RickP]

As another thing to consider, while you may have the photography aspect well covered, I don't think you appreciate how much there is to learn about flying and the drone itself. It takes a quite a while before you are able to fly confidently to get good video and to understand how your drone works. I'm at well over 200 flights and I'm still learning and getting better.

When one is brand new to something as complicated as flying an aircraft safely, I think you are right about not knowing or in your words "appreciating" how much there is to learn about the task at hand. In my case though, while I can't yet grasp all of the nuances, I do understand that there is a lot to learn and that the more I learn, the more complex the next steps in learning are going to be.

This brings me to why I'm able to be patient as I wait to see if the next mini from DJI will better meet my needs for higher image quality. I don't see myself as immediately producing content from an aircraft when I get my first drone. When that first drone arrives at my doorstep, a process that began a couple of months ago as I have considered how to address the continuing limitations of my mobility on my land and city scapes will take shape. I have a plan. Being a new member of this forum is part of it and it also includes enlisting the mentorship of other pilots, videographers and drone photographers both online and in person. "A Little Help From My Friends"!

Having over 200 flights is a milestone. Congratulations. I would hope that if you and I got to know each other and that each of us had over 500 or 1000's of flights, that we would both agree with your final statement: "...I'm still learning and getting better".

Thanks rwilliam99!

 

[MS Coast]

Good point. The talk "on the street" was that DJI was going to release the Mini 5 Pro last month. That didn't happen, but it probably won't be much longer. If DJI's engineering and marketing departments have each others phone numbers one might think that the new drone would be available for Christmas purchases...probably next month in November or early December. As I said to Meta4, if this stretches out too long for my patience, I can always change my mind. Thanks for the suggestion MS Coast!

While you're waiting, consider picking up a simple mini drone to learn the basic flight controls, which are common to the DJI series. They're a hoot to fly and they take a lot of abuse. This one is longer available, but I'm sure something similar is out there. If you can fly circles and box patterns in your living room with one of these things with no GPS or sensor stabilization, you'll be miles ahead when you start flying a DJI drone.

Amazon.com

 

[ryguy80]

While you're waiting, consider picking up a simple mini drone to learn the basic flight controls, which are common to the DJI series. They're a hoot to fly and they take a lot of abuse. This one is longer available, but I'm sure something similar is out there. If you can fly circles and box patterns in your living room with one of these things with no GPS or sensor stabilization, you'll be miles ahead when you start flying a DJI drone.

Amazon.com

In this situation, I think the Neo would be a good starter mini drone to learn the basics of maneuvering, can take some abuse, and doesn’t move super fast. It’s $200 U.S., so you can’t beat the price and you can use the DJI Fly smartphone app to control it.

If you get another DJI drone that has a controller, you can use it to operate the Neo.

 

[msinger]

I think the Neo would be a good starter mini drone to learn the basics of maneuvering

Agreed. The best way to learn how to fly a DJI drone is by flying a DJI drone.

 

[4 inch pistons]

So the mini 4 is a great drone in itself. Why is it so much better than the Mini 3?

 

[mavic3usa]

So the mini 4 is a great drone in itself. Why is it so much better than the Mini 3?

If I had to choose between the two it would be O3 vs O4.

 

[DARKSeifer]

As another thing to consider, while you may have the photography aspect well covered, I don't think you appreciate how much there is to learn about flying and the drone itself. It takes a quite a while before you are able to fly confidently to get good video and to understand how your drone works. I'm at well over 200 flights and I'm still learning and getting better.

If you've played videogames, specially first person shooters with controllers, just use controller mode 3, where you control the movement with the left stick (forwards/backwards, strafe left/rigth) and the orientation and altitude with the right stick (look left/right go up/down). You'll be flying like a pro in minutes.

The other controller modes create a dissonance as quads in GPS mode don't need to roll like a plane to maneuver, but it may come in handy for people that have a RC plane/copter background or in FPV manual mode.