New Member Tips, Tricks and Do's/Dont's

[kingiewolf86]

Hello everybody.

I am new to all this. Totally. Flying filming the whole lot. I have spent a loy of time the past month since purchasing my MP browsing through the threads. Best yet was the guy flying with the toilet roll accident. Apart from the accident part it was a great story.

I bought my Mavic without being able to justify it financially but having seeing my mates videos the temptation got too much.

I am from the West Midlands in the UK. I vhose the MP as it's simple to transport and to take on holidays etc.

I have had a little practice and also taken it to one of the Greek Islands i hace recently returned from. I have some footage (very amateur) which i have been playing about with on PowerDirector. Really new to that too.

What would be great for me is if some of the more advanced regular posters & Pilots on here would be so kind as to dish out a few one liners of advice, Must Do's, Must Dont's and tips that i may find usefull. (And i imagine some comical) [emoji12] [emoji4].

Im after nothing in particular. As i say i really am an amatuer. Advice on material, gadgets, apps etc would be great. Aswell as what you most enjoy about your MP.

Thanks in advanced for everyone who chips in.

Jk

 

[Peregrine]

I'll kick off with - Resist the temptation to fly indoors

 

[Kestrel]

Don't fly into tight spaces without practicing a lot, don't fly near airports, When you fly, fly slow, it makes your videos much better and that goes for panning too. Fly as much as you can. Practice, practice and practice even if you're not getting exciting video just go out and fly but don't do anything stupid like bother people or crash, stay above the tallest trees. To get that point of view shot where you see the video circle around a subject, hover in front of it and then push both sticks to the left or the right and adjust them as you go around the building or person. I believe there is an intelligent flight mode to do the same thing but I never used it, once you practice doing it gets pretty easy.

Don't be afraid of wind. as long as its not above 25mph in my opinion. If its windy and your Mavic is having a hard time coming back there are two options you can do, you can turn off the front sensors to give you more speed, (that's what I usually do and it works 99% of the time.) or you can flip the sports mode button to get you out of trouble. If sport mode doesn't work you're S.O.L.

Buy some landing gear and a landing pad, I use the landing pad for gravel roads and the pad for grass. Buy a couple extra batteries you'll want to fly a lot. Stay away from that stupid sunshade, its worthless. ALSO BUY ND FILTERS. ND filters are a must to get smooth video. I use the Polar Pro Cinema Series filters, little expensive but worth it, there are other brands out there though. Also worth noting on the ND filters, some require you to have the ND filters off before start up, The Polar Pro Cinema Series filters can be left on the whole time, just check on the brand of filter you are looking at.

Thats it for now.

 

[scooot]

Best advice.
READ THE MANUAL SEVERAL TIMES.
Take it slow and steady in beginner mode until you learn the mavics behaviour and functions.
I would recommend-
Extra battery/batteries
Leg extensions for taking off/landing in rough areas (long grass).
A good case to keep everything in.
Did I mention READ THE MANUAL.
Last but not least fly safe and have fun.[emoji106]

 

[JCustoms]

Fly in an open area the first few times to get the hang of it.

 

[JCustoms]

Must purchase ND filters and shoot in manual to get best results

 

[kingiewolf86]

Thanks so far. I should have added that i have had a little practice. I took it to a greek island too but was still pretty much learning on the job. I will edit the original post but great so far thanks.

I definitely want some of the leg extensions and also ND Filters. Still don't fully understand the filters but everybody seems to be using them

 

[tmoerel]

Must purchase ND filters and shoot in manual to get best results

Hear hear! ND filters are essential to got smooth footage. Also set your camera sharpness to +1 if you want to get sharp video

 

[tmoerel]

Here are some more oneliners:

• Read the manual from a to z

• Make sure to set some safe settings - Obstacle detection on, RTH height set properly, etc.

• Set your maximum height

• Set camera sharpening to +1

• Set your exposure manually

• Set focus to AF not AF-C. This allows you to focus by tapping on the image on your phone

• Turn on focus peaking

• Make sure all your batteries (Flight batteries, remote control battery, phone battery) are fully charged before flying

• Make sure your flight battery is well connected to the craft and can not come loose

• Make sure your phone/tablet is well connected to the cable and secure it

• Get a decent size landing pad so you have a safe place to land on. A bath mat or other piece of carpet can be a good substitute for a commercial landing pad

• Find a wide open space with no obstacles to practice in. DO NOT FLY INDOORS!!

• Practice in mild wind conditions so wind is not an issue

• Turn on your controller before turning on your Mavic. Once the controller has connected wait until you have a good number of GPS satellites acquired (12+) and the remote controller says you are in GPS mode

• Wait until you hear it acquired the RTH point

• Take off to about 20 feet and wait until the system says the RTH point has been updated. It now is ready for precision landing.

• Start in Beginner mode where the drone will limit your disstance and height so you get a good feel for the way it handles without going too far away

• Fly at about 15-20 meters of altitude as this will give you enough space to correct navigation if needed. Stay away from the ground until you feel you are easily controlling your aircraft

• Trust the system to land the craft for you at first. Only correct if needed.

• Stay away from Sport mode until you have a good mastery of your craft

• Avoid water and other surfaces were you cannot retrieve your aircraft if needed

• Get used to looking at your aircraft instead of looking at your screen. Do not make photos or videos until you feel confident you can handle the Mavic.

• Fly, fly, fly. Only practice makes perfect. Practice your take-offs and landings so you have a good feel for it

• When the battery of the Mavic hits 30% and the low battery alarm comes on return to base and land. Do not push your luck!

• Always keep an eye on your battery levels!

• And above all have fun!

 

[scooot]

These are the leg extensions I got.Uk based and good quality.Work excellent.

Quantum DJI Mavic Pro Landing Legs V2 Red Q-Q-0232 | eBay

 

[tmoerel]

...and if by chance you have access to a 3d printer....there are many nice extras available to make for free.

 

[scooot]

...and if by chance you have access to a 3d printer....there are many nice extras available to make for free.

Great point.[emoji106]

 

[Kestrel]

Buy an apple ipad mini 2 or 4 for the best viewing experience. I know you just started but if you are using an android device, some times they have hiccups. I know ipads are expensive but its worth it.

 

[kingiewolf86]

I am using android. Had issues with the S7 edge but my work phone is the S5 and seems fine so far.

I never even knew 3D printers existed untill you just mentioned it and i looked on Youtube. Wow!

 

[Top Hat]

If your MP is performing as it should and happy w/ it and do not need those fancy modes etc.,if you can avoid the temptation of updating to the latest greatest App/FW, avoid it.
But if you do want to jump in to the latest and greatest App/FW, watch and observe what other users are saying and ***** it it's worth it.

 

[Kestrel]

I am using android. Had issues with the S7 edge but my work phone is the S5 and seems fine so far.

I never even knew 3D printers existed untill you just mentioned it and i looked on Youtube. Wow!

3d printers are work though, a lot of people think that you just print and be done, no there is work involved, study up on it, there is a really decent affordable 3d printer out there though, its called the monoprice select mini, pretty much in my opinion the best starter 3d printer available any where from $199 to $220 on amazon.

 

[tmoerel]

3d printers are work though, a lot of people think that you just print and be done, no there is work involved, study up on it, there is a really decent affordable 3d printer out there though, its called the monoprice select mini, pretty much in my opinion the best starter 3d printer available any where from $199 to $220 on amazon.

I agree..but once it is set up and tuned is very satisfying to make your own parts!

 

[kingiewolf86]

I've seen some pretty fancy mavic pro 'skins' too. Are these easy or advisable to add on?

 

[Kestrel]

I've seen some pretty fancy mavic pro 'skins' too. Are these easy or advisable to add on?

It adds no function just visual, so its up to you. I don't have one because I don't see the need, but that's up to you. I guess the only down side is if you mess up and screw up the skin, I guess you would be out of the skin you bought.

 

[tmoerel]

It adds no function just visual, so its up to you. I don't have one because I don't see the need, but that's up to you. I guess the only down side is if you mess up and screw up the skin, I guess you would be out of the skin you bought.

Not totally true. The Mavic is quite dark. Dressing it for example in an orange skin makes it a lot more visible against darker background like forests, mountains, etc....