Possible upgrade options for the future.

[gleavitt513]

I am in search of a possible upgrade (within the next few months to half-year or more) for my Mavic Air 2. She's served me well for around 2 years, but she's starting to show her age. What would some possible upgrade options be? I already have a mini 3 (non-pro) that I plan on keeping, and I'm not too keen on spending an arm and a leg for an upgrade (im only 15 so I don't make much money. I have thought about waiting a few months for the air3s to drop the price of the air 3, but not sure how that would go. Do I dare to pick up an old air2s? Do i wait for the air3 price to drop? Are phantom 4's still an option today? I'm certainly not a professional, flying is just my hobby.

 

[Cafguy]

What do you really want to do with the Drone FLY? FPV? Take Photos. ? you say Hobby. Drones are also my hobby I fly FPV I would tell you to look into an Avata 2 if that is what you are after. IF you are into Photography I say wait till around November sometime before I can tell you that one....

 

[Felix le Chat]

I am in search of a possible upgrade (within the next few months to half-year or more) for my Mavic Air 2. She's served me well for around 2 years, but she's starting to show her age. What would some possible upgrade options be? I already have a mini 3 (non-pro) that I plan on keeping, and I'm not too keen on spending an arm and a leg for an upgrade (im only 15 so I don't make much money. I have thought about waiting a few months for the air3s to drop the price of the air 3, but not sure how that would go. Do I dare to pick up an old air2s? Do i wait for the air3 price to drop? Are phantom 4's still an option today? I'm certainly not a professional, flying is just my hobby.

The Air2S is still an excellent drone for photography, a well rounded half-way-house between the mini's and the heavier Mavics. It has already gone through the cycle of upgrades and bug fixes, so the firmware is stable and well kitted out with features. It is also a lot cheaper than the Air3/3S.

Yes, the Phantom 4 is still knocking around and the camera is still one of the most superior, having a mechanical shutter, but they are still pricey.

The Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom are possibly the best two 'pro-sumer' drones produced by DJI with more features than you could ever find a use for, on top of that good examples are relatively cheap to buy. The only downside is finding good and reliable spare batteries... but this can still be done. On top of that: the flight app (GO4) is a fantastic piece of control software with more functions than a digestive system.

 

[gleavitt513]

What do you really want to do with the Drone FLY? FPV? Take Photos. ? you say Hobby. Drones are also my hobby I fly FPV I would tell you to look into an Avata 2 if that is what you are after. IF you are into Photography I say wait till around November sometime before I can tell you that one....

I mostly fly and take pics/vids but I have dipped my toes a bit into the fpv world with a tinyhawk freestyle 3, but i mainly fly camera drones to take pics and vids

 

[gleavitt513]

The only downside is finding good and reliable spare batteries...

Thats one thing holding me back from the mavic 2 lineup, no more batteries are being produced, (except maybe 3rd party batteries) which means the life expectancy is going down. Also, i would think parts are going to become harder and harder to find as time passes.

 

[MARK (LI)]

I am in search of a possible upgrade (within the next few months to half-year or more) for my Mavic Air 2. She's served me well for around 2 years, but she's starting to show her age. What would some possible upgrade options be? I already have a mini 3 (non-pro) that I plan on keeping, and I'm not too keen on spending an arm and a leg for an upgrade (im only 15 so I don't make much money. I have thought about waiting a few months for the air3s to drop the price of the air 3, but not sure how that would go. Do I dare to pick up an old air2s? Do i wait for the air3 price to drop? Are phantom 4's still an option today? I'm certainly not a professional, flying is just my hobby.

It looks like the Air 3 prices started dropping around here (used market) when the 3s was announced a few weeks ago....you are young, so don't get impatient..wait it out and keep your eye on FB market, and this forum's classifieds...good luck, I hope you score a good deal

 

[MARK (LI)]

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[gleavitt513]

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Thanks for the tips! Ill see how things work out.

 

[3rdof5]

Your mini 3 (non pro) is a great aircraft for hobby flying as you say you mainly focus on. I have one as well, and in my experience it compares almost exactly to a Phantom 3 in features and photography. It will serve you well.
Anything larger, particularly with better features, will be expensive. Don't waste your money on an Air2S, the Air3 and 3S are far superior and if you're gonna upgrade then get at least the Air 3.

 

[DARKSeifer]

Commercial electronics don't get much of a discount, stock just gets destroyed after a while to keep the demand high and the consumerism rolling.

Your only chance to pick a good drone is second hand. Drones are usually bought by everyone and flown by no one, so it's common that the second hand market is flooded with drones with just a few minutes of flight time.

I'd recommend you pick a M3 as it's the only one with a 4/3 + a diaphragm, the one with the two cameras and after you've learned enough you can put the hack firmware to remove the limits (you'll need to land on the hand from there on).

M4 will be released soon, but it will be expensive for sure.

 

[gleavitt513]

I'd recommend you pick a M3

Ive thought about that, but i couldnt seem to find very many. I was only looking on ebay, im sure there are some elsewhere. Where would be a good spot to look for that kind of thing?

 

[Droning on and on...]

Hard to give advice without knowing your budget.

That said, in your circumstance I'd strongly consider a lightly used A3 from ebay.