newbie question about mavic 2 pro controllers

[buckeye6]

sure, np.
review this

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and try to actually find and examine those goggles before buying. most of them are still, well, quite less than perfect. i personally cannot deal with 23deg FOV.
it really needs to be 40+ to be able to see well.

will do... thx!

 

[Bob001]

I, too, would recommend the MP2 Pro and DJI Smart Controller package. The Pro has excellent photo capabilities. I shoot a Pentax K-1 (ground based) and the Hasselblad camera on the Pro compares favorably, though it has lower pixel resolution (5472 x 3648 for the Pro) but it provides excellent photos with the ability to crop portions thereof without issues. Someone mentioned that the video is 2.7K but I believe they are referring to the Mavic-Mini (which has 2720 horizontal pixels - the Mavic Zoom has fewer also). The Pro is capable of UHD (sometimes erroneously referred to as 4K) video if video is your thing (I know you mentioned that stills are what you’re primarily interested in). It can shoot pixel for pixel UHD (discarding top and bottom, and left and right frame pixels) or it can downsample its 5472 horizonal resolution to UHD (3840 horizontal - still discarding some top and bottom pixels) when capturing video using a 16:9 aspect ratio. In either case, you end up with 3840x2160 UHD frames without upsizing from a "2.7K" sensor.

I’ve also had favorable experience with the DJI Smart Controller. It puts all the control and camera functions in one neat little box and has a bright, detailed display which shows the camera view while flying. An added plus for stills is that images captured by the Pro are transferred to the SC (HD Sync turned ON) when they are taken, so they are available right in the SC without the need to pull the Pro SD card or connect the aircraft to a computer. Files do need to be transferred from the SC to your computer for use (the SC will appear as a device and its memory is available as any device memory in your computer explorer). If your Pro should catastrophically crash (heaven forbid), photos previously taken are backed up in the SC (or its SD card), and you won’t lose anything other than your Pro. That, and if you want to show someone your photos, it can be done using the SC and its screen display (easy to pack around). Also, using the DJI SC means you don’t need another control/display device or to tie up a smartphone while using the drone.

Now the downsides - DJI isn’t the best at providing documentation. The drone/controller pair comes with basic quickstart instructions leaving one to spend some time on the web to fill in a lot of holes. There is some good info on the web, but you have to search for it, and you have to sit through some YouTube videos which takes time but can be useful. Customer service is good but often they don’t exactly get the answers back to you which you’re looking for, so it’s a toss-up. There are a few quirks like turning on the histogram (tap - don’t slide), and finding files within the DJI memory structure. Once you get past those, the drone/controller combo is a great choice in my opinion, particularly for still photos which you expressed interest in.

 

[buckeye6]

I, too, would recommend the MP2 Pro and DJI Smart Controller package. The Pro has excellent photo capabilities. I shoot a Pentax K-1 (ground based) and the Hasselblad camera on the Pro compares favorably, though it has lower pixel resolution (5472 x 3648 for the Pro) but it provides excellent photos with the ability to crop portions thereof without issues. Someone mentioned that the video is 2.7K but I believe they are referring to the Mavic-Mini (which has 2720 horizontal pixels - the Mavic Zoom has fewer also). The Pro is capable of UHD (sometimes erroneously referred to as 4K) video if video is your thing (I know you mentioned that stills are what you’re primarily interested in). It can shoot pixel for pixel UHD (discarding top and bottom, and left and right frame pixels) or it can downsample its 5472 horizonal resolution to UHD (3840 horizontal - still discarding some top and bottom pixels) when capturing video using a 16:9 aspect ratio.

I’ve also had favorable experience with the DJI Smart Controller. It puts all the control and camera functions in one neat little box and has a bright, detailed display which shows the camera view while flying. An added plus for stills is that images captured by the Pro are transferred to the SC (HD Sync turned ON) when they are taken, so they are available right in the SC without the need to pull the Pro SD card or connect the aircraft to a computer. Files do need to be transferred from the SC to your computer for use (the SC will appear as a device and its memory is available as any device memory in your computer explorer). If your Pro should catastrophically crash (heaven forbid), photos previously taken are backed up in the SC (or its SD card), and you won’t lose anything other than your Pro. That, and if you want to show someone your photos, it can be done using the SC and its screen display (easy to pack around). Also, using the DJI SC means you don’t need another control/display device or to tie up a smartphone while using the drone.

Now the downsides - DJI isn’t the best at providing documentation. The drone/controller pair comes with basic quickstart instructions leaving one to spend some time on the web to fill in a lot of holes. There is some good info on the web, but you have to search for it, and you have to sit through some YouTube videos which takes time but can be useful. Customer service is good but often they don’t exactly get the answers back to you which you’re looking for, so it’s a toss-up. There are a few quirks like turning on the histogram (tap - don’t slide), and finding files within the DJI memory structure. Once you get past those, the drone/controller combo is a great choice in my opinion, particularly for still photos which you expressed interest in.

what a great response... thanks so much. the responses i've received today, like yours and those from paulatkin73 have given me pause to reconsider my approach. i'm really attracted to the BT-300 but there seems to be so much uncertainty and qualification about what controller and what model and "they used to work but now they don't"... couple that with a not insignificant price tag and maybe i need to think about this differently. maybe the BT-300 just isn't quite ready for what i'm looking for.

i've seen a fair number of responses that indicate the SC is a pretty good choice and offers ease of setup and operation- very important when you're on the battery clock. if i recall correctly the SC features an HDMI port which opens up some different possibilities e.g. the BT-35E. it also seems to perform well in bright conditions. i use a samsung galaxy s2 tablet with my P3S and on bright days i have to turn the brightness all the way up which makes it overheat and quit, so there's that. i've tried hats and sunshades and nothing is really that great of a solution and it's all just more stuff to lug around from gig to gig.

so, what i'm thinking now is to acquire the M2P with the SC and get to learn it while waiting for the AR smartglasses offerings to stabilize. i think stabilize is a good word choice here.

i appreciate the advice i've been offered on this forum. i'm glad i joined. i think i'll grab a beer and ruminate on this for a bit.

thanks again!

 

[Deleted member 114292]

what a great response... thanks so much. the responses i've received today, like yours and those from paulatkin73 have given me pause to reconsider my approach. i'm really attracted to the BT-300 but there seems to be so much uncertainty and qualification about what controller and what model and "they used to work but now they don't"... couple that with a not insignificant price tag and maybe i need to think about this differently. maybe the BT-300 just isn't quite ready for what i'm looking for.

i've seen a fair number of responses that indicate the SC is a pretty good choice and offers ease of setup and operation- very important when you're on the battery clock. if i recall correctly the SC features an HDMI port which opens up some different possibilities e.g. the BT-35E. it also seems to perform well in bright conditions. i use a samsung galaxy s2 tablet with my P3S and on bright days i have to turn the brightness all the way up which makes it overheat and quit, so there's that. i've tried hats and sunshades and nothing is really that great of a solution and it's all just more stuff to lug around from gig to gig.

so, what i'm thinking now is to acquire the M2P with the SC and get to learn it while waiting for the AR smartglasses offerings to stabilize. i think stabilize is a good word choice here.

i appreciate the advice i've been offered on this forum. i'm glad i joined. i think i'll grab a beer and ruminate on this for a bit.

thanks again!

I gave up the P4 for the M2 + SC just because of the transport ease and quick set up.
I just set the M2P on the seat next to me unfolded and grab and go. Put a few batteries in my pocket and do the job quickly.
Never had a customer complaint over the M2P video either.

 

[buckeye6]

I gave up the P4 for the M2 + SC just because of the transport ease and quick set up.
I just set the M2P on the seat next to me unfolded and grab and go. Put a few batteries in my pocket and do the job quickly.
Never had a customer complaint over the M2P video either.

sorry for the late reply... the times we live in. anyway, i did get an M2P with SC in april. i agree with you 100%... the setup and tear-down process is SO MUCH QUICKER than with our P3S plus there's a lot less 'stuff' to cart around. the photos/videos from the camera are significantly better in quality; it's just a matter of learning how to exploit all of the additional controls it offers. ND filters are a must.