Pro vs Air

[OldBlueHeron]

I own both, and I don't favor one over the other. They both fly extremely well. The Pro has a bit more range, whilst the Air has the better camera. Both fly extremely well with Litchi. Either quad will honestly serve you well.

 

[caspian]

has anyone been able to compare the range of a Spark and an Air? both control and video stability?

 

[lokinhei]

i once have both (MA & MP), and I kept comparing the two drones while I got hold of both of them.

many reasons are discussed above, but as some members questioned why people say MP is just slightly bigger than MA, as one of those who think alike I think it would be good to say a few words in this area. The main point for me is that the MP is already small enough to fit in any of my backpacks / camera bags with me to go anywhere together with my other gears. MA is really smaller, but that is not a big difference to me, after all you still need to carry the batteries and/or car chargers and/or your IPad/phone. I have the MP Fly More Combo, which gives me more than an hour of flight time. If MA needs the same flight time, you may need 5 batteries, which required more space in return. I don't aim at trashing the MA, I am just saying the MP is really not bulky even compared to the MA.

For video quality, I doubted whether MA really has a better MP in practice. MA got 4K 100mbps for sure, but practically I really can't see much difference for layman eyes (and especially if you aim at putting on YouTube only). And I experience myself, as well as watching from YouTube that MA infinity-focus lens is softer than MP when MP focus well.
My video quality comparison between the 2 drones can be seen here -

The most important reason for me to choose MP over MA is the reliability of Ocusync - this is the BEST SAFETY MEASURE to me, plus personally I don't have much chance using the front/back sensors (my total flight distance is about 200km) myself.

This is my case, but I do believe everyone got different needs and preference, you will find joy flying any of them.

 

[Macabre]

I had the same problem. For months I couldn't decide. Air or Pro, or wait for Pro 2 or Autel EVO.
Then I decided to get what is available now because I could essentially end up waiting the whole summer and still get nothing.
But the question remained, Air or Pro? I opted for Pro Platinum. The reason is while Air has a camera with better quality on auto shoot, Pro seem to have a lot more camera options, making it a more serious drone.
Also, while Air is smaller and the size can be appealing to some, to me it looks like a toy. An upgraded Spark. Pro 2 is not that big anyway and it looks so much better in my opinion. I prefer the design on Pro.
The abovementioned two things are the two qualities that people say put Air over Pro, but in my situation, they don't. I want more camera options and I don't care about the small size difference.
There's also back collision detection which is nice to have, but I don't need that either. Nor I need those hand gestures.
The rest is simply vastly better on Pro.
Once I thought what I needed on my drone, the decision was a no brainer. Air is just not good enough for my needs.

 

[bonzo]

Air=loud, bad range, short batt, no firmware mods
Mavic=FTW

 

[AMRE2ME2]

PRO, horribly weak gimbal, larger, More range but useless argument because 90% never use it anyway. Terrible in a headwind.
AIR, better camera, easier to pack, range of over 2.5 miles.

 

[caspian]

sorry dude, your assertions are simply untrue. the MP handles fine in wind, Occusync is far superior at anything other than short distances (so max range considerations are a moot point), and the packability is negligable by the time you include everything else you need to fly.

I grant the Air has a tidier gimbal design, but the MP's is not weak - it's designed to be a precision instrument.

I'm very glad I went with the MP.

 

[AMRE2ME2]

sorry dude, your assertions are simply untrue. the MP handles fine in wind, Occusync is far superior at anything other than short distances (so max range considerations are a moot point), and the packability is negligable by the time you include everything else you need to fly.

I grant the Air has a tidier gimbal design, but the MP's is not weak - it's designed to be a precision instrument.

I'm very glad I went with the MP.

 

[AMRE2ME2]

The only assertion being made is by you. Post up your side by side test showing the Air and Pro in a wind test. I flew with my buddy who has a Pro and he was completely embarrassed. If he didn't have sport mode, he never would have gotten back.

Here's a good video Ian posted.

 

[Dave A]

Mavic Air pros
-marginally better camera performance
-can shoot 60 fps
-more available quickshots
-camera recessed more within the front fuselage so more durable
-a little smaller and lighter (really only a pros if you plan on pocketing it)
Mavic Air cons
-uses wifi (susceptible to interference in built up areas)
-uses wifi (much less distance)
-uses wifi (can be prone to disconnects especially in suburban/city settings)
-a little smaller so harder to keep VLOS if that is how you want to fly
-shorter flight time
-louder
-no back-up telemetry screen on controller

Mavic Pro pros
-uses Ocusync (much less susceptible to interference in built up areas)
-uses Ocusync (almost twice the distance)
-uses Ocusync (fly with confidence in suburban/city settings)
-more and easier access to camera settings
-a little larger size so easier to keep VLOS if that is how you want to fly
-longer flight time
-quieter
-shows telemetry on controller screen (great back-up)
-more buttons on controller so less going into Go 4 while trying to fly
-has second wheel on controller (easy to adjust exposure on the fly)
-did I mention it uses Ocusync, not wifi

Mavic Pro Cons
-can't shoot 60 fps
-camera/gimbal has not much protection surrounding it
-no hand gestures
-costs a little more
-won't fit in your pocket

 

[bonzo]

The only reason you say the PRO is bad in a headwind, is because you flew one without modded firmware in sport mode.
Once you increase max tilt, it's REALLY good.

 

[AMRE2ME2]

The only reason you say the PRO is bad in a headwind, is because you flew one without modded firmware in sport mode.
Once you increase max tilt, it's REALLY good.

Yea, that's sounds like a good mod.

 

[AMRE2ME2]

Mavic Air pros
-marginally better camera performance
-can shoot 60 fps
-more available quickshots
-camera recessed more within the front fuselage so more durable
-a little smaller and lighter (really only a pros if you plan on pocketing it)
Mavic Air cons
-uses wifi (susceptible to interference in built up areas)
-uses wifi (much less distance)
-uses wifi (can be prone to disconnects especially in suburban/city settings)
-a little smaller so harder to keep VLOS if that is how you want to fly
-shorter flight time
-louder
-no back-up telemetry screen on controller

Mavic Pro pros
-uses Ocusync (much less susceptible to interference in built up areas)
-uses Ocusync (almost twice the distance)
-uses Ocusync (fly with confidence in suburban/city settings)
-more and easier access to camera settings
-a little larger size so easier to keep VLOS if that is how you want to fly
-longer flight time
-quieter
-shows telemetry on controller screen (great back-up)
-more buttons on controller so less going into Go 4 while trying to fly
-has second wheel on controller (easy to adjust exposure on the fly)
-did I mention it uses Ocusync, not wifi

Mavic Pro Cons
-can't shoot 60 fps
-camera/gimbal has not much protection surrounding it
-no hand gestures
-costs a little more
-won't fit in your pocket

Best comparison I've seen. My only crip is that too many guys are using the distance argument but it's not much of a factor if youre never going to use it.

 

[macoman]

sorry dude, your assertions are simply untrue. the MP handles fine in wind, Occusync is far superior at anything other than short distances (so max range considerations are a moot point), and the packability is negligable by the time you include everything else you need to fly.

I grant the Air has a tidier gimbal design, but the MP's is not weak - it's designed to be a precision instrument.

I'm very glad I went with the MP.

Agreed, the only thing that sucks on the Mavic Pro is the weak gimbal... That thing broke easily if you are not careful.

 

[DTC709]

The only assertion being made is by you. Post up your side by side test showing the Air and Pro in a wind test. I flew with my buddy who has a Pro and he was completely embarrassed. If he didn't have sport mode, he never would have gotten back.

Here's a good video Ian posted.

Watch his next video, he points out that the MA flies at a more aggressive angle and you’ll get the message saying that Forward & rearward detection is disabled. So if you go into settings and kick out the MP’s forward detection, you won’t have the high speed and finicky controls of sport mode. But it’ll handle wind basically identical to the MA. And then you still have Sport mode for more get up and go.

 

[lokinhei]

The only assertion being made is by you. Post up your side by side test showing the Air and Pro in a wind test. I flew with my buddy who has a Pro and he was completely embarrassed. If he didn't have sport mode, he never would have gotten back.

Here's a good video Ian posted.

i noticed that you posted this video for not only once, but what is the point of it? I really can't get it. I watched this clip way before you posted it here, but back then I was wondering what's the point of that clip as well.

IF there is a case you really fly right into the strong headwinds with MP, you can certainly switch to SportsMode to encounter the problem. The MA has a "better" headwind ability because it tilts more than the MP, and in my experience, that is the point where your front propellers were seen in your pictures/videos.

 

[Youser]

I find it funny that the Pro guys all say how much better the range is. Two different posts here said "I've flown over a MILE with my Pro."

I've flown over 3 miles with my Air, and fly 2 miles every week with my Air. One mile is nothing for the Air. So unless you've ever actually gone farther then the Air can go, your argument that the Pro can go further is a mute point, since you've never actually done it anyway.
Here's the biggest problem with buying a Pro right now. The day the Pro 2 comes out, the Pro 1 will be worth half what it is today. I already see Pros selling for $600 this week. If your planning on getting the P2 when it comes out, you'd better sell your Pro now while you can still recover something from it because the day the P2 is released, you won't be able to give them away.

Flying from a congested area?

The distance argument comes into play for those who fly from/over congested areas. The Occusync gives way better video feed and range in those situations.

And for the headwind argument, the MP has extra juice in it's battery to make it through at a slower speed

 

[caspian]

My only crip is that too many guys are using the distance argument but it's not much of a factor if youre never going to use it.

you don't need to go very far for Occusync to be better than wifi is ever going to be. if they had put Occusync on the Air it would be a genuine alternative, but without it the Air is crippled.

maybe DJI didn't want to have the Air intrude too far into the MP's marketing space, maybe fitting Occusync would have made the Air too large physically and pretty much turned it into a MP, maybe the price difference of the additional tech would have done the same thing.

the more I think about the Air though, the more I don't know why it's in the DJI product lineup. it doesn't do anything much the MP does not, it's crippled by the toy-grade wifi link, but it still costs serious money that would be better spent on an MP and getting a full solution. they would have been better off holding the improved gimbal and rear sensors off for the MP2 when it comes.

 

[mtnstream]

Many suspect MAir did not receive Occusync due to its’ small thermal mass -
heat sink would not of kept electronics cooled.

 

[swoermck]

Hi,

I am a Mavic Pro owner and think of getting a Mavic Air as a 2nd drone (I am commuting to work by plane each week - having a drone at each location would be quite convenient).

Most important for me is the camera quality. Although on paper the camera of the MA seems to be better, in real life situation it seems to be different:

1) Distortion: was this ever solved with recent firmware upgrades?
Mavic Air - Lens distortion (creating awareness!)

2) Sharpness: lot's of threads already in this forum, for example here (with a link to the DJI forum):
Mavic Air image out of focus/soft?

3) Noise: here the MA really seems to be better: comparing the MP and MA video on a 13" Retina Screen IN ACTUAL SIZE, artefacts of the MP are clearly visible. Nevertheless most of the time I watch my videos NOT in actual size, but in a size fitting my screen, and then the sharpness of the MP with lots of details is the clear winner for me (again the sharpness issue: the blurry parts of the MA footage destroy the otherwise good noise handling capabilities). Even watching both videos on a 4K screen for me the MP footage is more appealing!

I also did a test flight with a Mavic Air from a colleague, and I was able to experience the issues mentioned above first hand.

WiFi and battery time is something I could accept, but not the distortion and sharpness issues. In fact the linked thread concerning the distortion issue mentioned that opening the RAW photo with photoshop produced a nice result without distortion (photoshop taking the lens distortion data into consideration), so the problems seem to be in the RAW to JPEG process from the firmware. Unfortunately (according to the thread) DJI didn't acknowledge this as a failure...

So to all of you owning a Mavic Air, or able to get their hands on a model with the latest firmware: are the sharpness and distortion issues finally solved?

Stefan