Need some advice re Mavic Pro Platinum and Mavic 2

[Melor]

Am new to drone usage and have bought MPP with Goggles, shoulder bag, and propeller guard. Cost $1199 Costco. They have bullet proof return policy but being a third party seller I am not sure that I can by the DJI warranty. What has me second guessing my decision is the fact that what was to be delivered today will not be delivered until next week.

Last year's model.

Or do I buy the Mavic 2 pro from the DJI store that is here in southern California. I know I can get the warranty, due to my eyeglasses I am not sure I can even use the goggles and from what I read, the goggles are hit or miss with people, either loving them or not so much.

Being new to droning, actually pre-new as I don't have one yet, I am not sure if I will regret the small sensor size and fixed aperture. Those factors are the ones that concern me the most.

Advice?

Paul

 

[Fron2233]

Yes you can get dji care refresh you
Have 2 days from when you actually open
The box and activate it so technically
You can go on your first flight land
And still buy warranty I think you will
Be.very pleased with the Mavic Pro
As it’s on of the best drones on market
And a terrific 1st drone to learn with

 

[pjarvo18]

I debated the Costco bundle and ended up with a Mavic Pro Fly More (non platinum) directly from DJI on prime day. I would personally suggest not going the platinum based on the added $100 price for an extra minute or two of flight time and quieter props over the original pro, unless you can find a deal. That being said, I would also opt for the Fly More (extra batteries are a must) on the Mavic 2 Pro as well coming in at $1878 vs $1299 for a Mavic Pro Fly More. I love my original Mavic Pro. I am not a professional cinematographer by any means and the 4K@30FPS that the original offers is perfectly sufficient for my needs. I would rate the Mavic 2 Pro on par camera-wise with a Phantom 4 Pro V2 based off of current reviews. My father-in-law has the P4PV2 with the race edition goggles and video quality is definitely better the goggles are fun to use, but I personally don’t see them as practical for everyday use. My ultimate suggestion would be choose based on your needs, if you are looking for the best footage and plan to do post-production on what you film, I would say Mavic 2 Pro, but if you just want a bird to take with you wherever you go and grab some quick shots and fly for fun, the Mavic Pro will be a great choice too. You won’t go wrong with any one from the product line. That’s my long-winded two cents for what it’s worth.

 

[Melor]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like the mavic 2 Pro. Variable aperture and newer platform are stronger draws than the goggle deal on older model, especially with my eyeglass situation.

Paul

 

[Thealien]

Just for reference I just bought a 2 zoom with 2 batteries a bag and a few other items for $1299 shipped to my door. It was $1399 but the 15% E bay coupon up to $100 off brought it down to $1299. I have only flown a spark and was looking at the MPP for $999 at best buy. For $300 more I think I got a better craft and an extra battery that I would have had to buy for the MPP. I kind of wanted the pro 2 but it was another $300 and I have been watching videos and think the zoom is the better choice for me.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Melor]

Just for reference I just bought a 2 zoom with 2 batteries a bag and a few other items for $1299 shipped to my door. It was $1399 but the 15% E bay coupon up to $100 off brought it down to $1299. I have only flown a spark and was looking at the MPP for $999 at best buy. For $300 more I think I got a better craft and an extra battery that I would have had to buy for the MPP. I kind of wanted the pro 2 but it was another $300 and I have been watching videos and think the zoom is the better choice for me.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Sounds like you got a great deal!

I caved in and bought today, paid retail at DJI store. Bought M2P, flymore and 1 year crash and burn insurance.

Flew a drone for the first time today. Didn't have the right type of memory card but captured a handful of stills. So much to figure out.

Am at the stage where I am familiarizing myself with takeoff and landing procedure. I read somewhere on the web to take off straight up, pause for a short while and then when you return to home, "Precision landing" will take effect. In my case precision landing is not so precise. Off by a few feet on blacktop with painted basketball lines. Started at center court, landed 4 feet away. Not complaining, but those 20 inch collapsible helipads are certainly only for manual landing...

Enjoy the heck out of yours and I will try to do the same... Hey look we both listen to the same type of music. Am pleased to see that a lot ofpeople on this website are in my same age range.

Paul

 

[NyJosh]

I was in the exact same position as you. I actually bought the Costco MPP with goggles deal thinking I can live without having the latest and greatest but the more review should and videos and pictures I saw people posting as well as the number of minor improvements and especially the redesigned and hopefully more robust gimbal eventually turned me around. I returned the MPP bundle unopened to Costco and bought the Mavic 2 Pro instead.

The Costco bundle cost me $1,300 after tax so buying the M2P direct from DJI (who don’t charge tax) cost me $150 more.

Tip: If you’re going to buy it from DJI, buy DJI Select now (if you’re eligible) because you’ll get DJI Care insurance for half price.

In the end I ended up getting the Goggles anyway as I found someone selling an almost new pair on Craigslist for a very low price.

In the end, I’m very happy with my purchase because I know having the previous version would have always nagged me in the back of my mind wondering if I made a bad choice and am missing out.

If you stay on the fence another alternative is to watch the resale markets like craigslist for a good deal on a used MP1. You’ll occasionally see someone put one up for a really good price because they just want to sell it fast (which is how I got my Goggles)

Good luck! They’re great machines, whichever you choose!

 

[NyJosh]

Sounds like you got a great deal!

I caved in and bought today, paid retail at DJI store. Bought M2P, flymore and 1 year crash and burn insurance.

Flew a drone for the first time today. Didn't have the right type of memory card but captured a handful of stills. So much to figure out.

Am at the stage where I am familiarizing myself with takeoff and landing procedure. I read somewhere on the web to take off straight up, pause for a short while and then when you return to home, "Precision landing" will take effect. In my case precision landing is not so precise. Off by a few feet on blacktop with painted basketball lines. Started at center court, landed 4 feet away. Not complaining, but those 20 inch collapsible helipads are certainly only for manual landing...

Enjoy the heck out of yours and I will try to do the same... Hey look we both listen to the same type of music. Am pleased to see that a lot ofpeople on this website are in my same age range.

Paul

Congrats on your new bird! Being a brand new pilot, hit YouTube and watch all the Ed Ricker Mavic videos. The Mavic Pro videos will still be relevant for you. He has several new M2 videos, walks through setting it up and getting started. The pace is slow and easy. He progresses to more advanced topics in later videos.

For precision landing, M2 doesn’t have that feature yet. DJI will be adding it via firmware update soon.

I highly suggest NOT using return to home or auto landing regularly. It generally works, but I wouldn’t rely on it every time. I prefer to fly back and land manually (it still does a soft semi auto landing in the last few feet anyway).

Lastly, the M2 has 8Gb of storage built in, so even without an SD card, you can still record videos and take pictures.

Watch TONS of YouTube videos, read the manual front to back and practice. You’re gonna love it!

P.S. the manual doesn’t ship with the drone. It’s here: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_2/20180920/Mavic+2+Pro+Zoom+User+Manual_v1.2.pdf

 

[Melor]

Congrats on your new bird! Being a brand new pilot, hit YouTube and watch all the Ed Ricker Mavic videos. The Mavic Pro videos will still be relevant for you. He has several new M2 videos, walks through setting it up and getting started. The pace is slow and easy. He progresses to more advanced topics in later videos.

For precision landing, M2 doesn’t have that feature yet. DJI will be adding it via firmware update soon.

I highly suggest NOT using return to home or auto landing regularly. It generally works, but I wouldn’t rely on it every time. I prefer to fly back and land manually (it still does a soft semi auto landing in the last few feet anyway).

Lastly, the M2 has 8Gb of storage built in, so even without an SD card, you can still record videos and take pictures.

Watch TONS of YouTube videos, read the manual front to back and practice. You’re gonna love it!

P.S. the manual doesn’t ship with the drone. It’s here: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_2/20180920/Mavic+2+Pro+Zoom+User+Manual_v1.2.pdf

GREAT info re the jprecision landing. So far I have mostly landed by flying overhead and rolling the camera to straight down and doinng my own "precistion landing"

Will look for Ed Ricker Mavic on youtube. Need the advice. I hate to say it, but I am not very bold with my new toy and each flight and landing has been a little frightening. I need a bigger patch of grass than the local grade school...

Paul

 

[NyJosh]

GREAT info re the jprecision landing. So far I have mostly landed by flying overhead and rolling the camera to straight down and doinng my own "precistion landing"

Will look for Ed Ricker Mavic on youtube. Need the advice. I hate to say it, but I am not very bold with my new toy and each flight and landing has been a little frightening. I need a bigger patch of grass than the local grade school...

Paul

We’re all in the same boat. I’m always terrified making my first several flights based on the price of these birds.

I laughed at your grade school comment, because the two places I fly most often is after school hour is at the local elementary and middle school fields.

Watch the instructional videos and learn relentlessly, read people’s crash posts but only to learn where they went wrong and what to avoid, don’t let them spook you though.

Just take your time, fly a little higher and further each time and once you get a feel for flying, start looking for cool things to shoot pics and vids of.

I look at it a lot like learning to drive a car. Early on it’s terrifying and you’re sure you’re going to have a horrible crash, but once you do it enough, you sto thinking about the driving and more about the adventures you can have thanks to the car.

Happy flights and tailwinds always!

 

[Melor]

If I could ask you a question. I know enough to stay away from the sport mode but in the P mode, I believe there is a setting for new users that limits altitude and distance. Do you know where that option can be toggled?

Paul

 

[NyJosh]

It’s in the settings menu. Tap the 3 dots, then the drone icon and it should be in that list.

Aside from beginner mode which limits your height and distance, you can use tripod mode by switching the TPS switch on the remote to T.

That’ll slow the drone down and make everything super slow and smooth without the height and distance limits. If you find that’s too slow, you can also try using cinematic mode which does something similar but allows a bit more speed than tripod mode.

 

[Melor]

Thanks so much.