Should i sell my Pro and buy an Air?
- Thread starter JonnyBenson
- Start date
I was buying from scratch and budget-wise could have had anything I wanted but for a first drone, most important to me was portability so I could just chuck it in my car, suitcase, cycling pack or whatever so I’d get maximum use from it.
With this in mind I went with the Air and it’s been perfect. I did seriously consider the Pro but preferred the size of the Air as well as the gimbal design - much more sturdy when chucking it in a bag etc. Also the more advanced obstacle avoidance was a plus.
With the three batteries that the fly more bundle comes with I get plenty of air time and yes whilst the range is a little limited I can fly to beyond VLOS and that’s plenty.
If / when I get my CAA permissions to fly sorted and I start feeling the need for something more capable then I’ll be looking at the Phantom, or if I get a good bonus, the Inspire but for now I’m loving the Air. Does exactly what I expected - more so in fact - and it goes everywhere with me.
If I already had the Pro it would be a much more difficult call. If you take your Pro everywhere with you anyway and don’t find it cumbersome then stick with it. If you find you’re leaving it behind at times then the Air plus the 3 batteries, the controller and the charger all fit into the supplied carry pack which is smaller than a lot of lady’s clasp bags. It really is remarkable and I can’t think of any situation you would not be able to take it with you.
With this in mind I went with the Air and it’s been perfect. I did seriously consider the Pro but preferred the size of the Air as well as the gimbal design - much more sturdy when chucking it in a bag etc. Also the more advanced obstacle avoidance was a plus.
With the three batteries that the fly more bundle comes with I get plenty of air time and yes whilst the range is a little limited I can fly to beyond VLOS and that’s plenty.
If / when I get my CAA permissions to fly sorted and I start feeling the need for something more capable then I’ll be looking at the Phantom, or if I get a good bonus, the Inspire but for now I’m loving the Air. Does exactly what I expected - more so in fact - and it goes everywhere with me.
If I already had the Pro it would be a much more difficult call. If you take your Pro everywhere with you anyway and don’t find it cumbersome then stick with it. If you find you’re leaving it behind at times then the Air plus the 3 batteries, the controller and the charger all fit into the supplied carry pack which is smaller than a lot of lady’s clasp bags. It really is remarkable and I can’t think of any situation you would not be able to take it with you.
Just yesterday I flew 21 minutes with my MP with about 20% battery left. You don't really need more given the fact you can just swop a battery
I have both. When i got the Air and used it regularly since it was new, the Pro languished in the cupboard for a few months. In going back to it, i realized that it's camera is better - in that the ability to focus makes for sharper videos. As a hobbyist photographer, i can tell you that "fixed focus" cameras are rarely heard of for good reason.
I may still sell the Pro at some point, but only when i can replace it with a drone with a better camera. Still waiting to hear of the Mavic Pro 2, with the 1" sensor !
I may still sell the Pro at some point, but only when i can replace it with a drone with a better camera. Still waiting to hear of the Mavic Pro 2, with the 1" sensor !
James in the Desert
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Time in the air a big difference. I fly with a friend who has the Air and he gets totally frustrated as he has to keep on changing batteries.
I wouldnt do it. While it is smaller but imho it isn’t significant. Plus the wifi is a real issue. It is up to you
Schnauzergeek
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Never owned or flown the Mavic Pro but I’m very pleased with my Mavic Air coming from flying Phantom 4’s exclusively. I’m usually not trying to break distance records so I rarely have transmission problems even though I usually fly in close proximity to boats with radios & other electronic transmission devices.
I started flying at 5.8 ghz and haven’t had any issues. Occusync vs WiFi vs Lightbridge is all kinda confusing to me. For the type of flying I do (primarily over the ocean and usually no further than 3/4 miles away) the performance of the Mavic Air is great!
I started flying at 5.8 ghz and haven’t had any issues. Occusync vs WiFi vs Lightbridge is all kinda confusing to me. For the type of flying I do (primarily over the ocean and usually no further than 3/4 miles away) the performance of the Mavic Air is great!
Dan Lee
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The Air is the loudest most irritating sounding drone I’ve ever heard. Also you give up range of motion with that tough gimbal. Read the specs.
FlySafeUAS
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The Mavic Air has been a reliable aerial camera tool. I fly commercial real estate with it. Yesterday was a job in a heavily populated area. The only way to avoid flying over people was to pick open takeoff locations and fly straight up. Went up to 150-200 ft 4 times on one battery. The size is a plus because it doesn't attract much attention above 50 ft. The fixed focus gives reliable good quality images. Wind resistance is good enough for stills, pano and video in most cases. The 2.4 & 5.8 RC frequency options give good interference protection. In my opinion - price performance ratio is excellent.
Guess i’ll Chime in. I bought the Air because of it’s capabilities for Its the size and weight.
I do a lot of travel both domestic and international, in fact going to Australia and New Zealand this coming October. I typically carry the the following devices with their associated accessories:
- Mavic Air with 3 batteries;
- Sony HX400 camera for high quality stills;
- GoPro for underwater shooting;
- DJI Osmo Mobile for use with phone and GoPro;
- iPad Pro for video editing with Pinnacle Studio while traveling;
- iPhobe X;
All this (and other stuff) in an Incase Pro Backpack. WEIGHT matters much more to me than a few minutes of air time.
I do a lot of travel both domestic and international, in fact going to Australia and New Zealand this coming October. I typically carry the the following devices with their associated accessories:
- Mavic Air with 3 batteries;
- Sony HX400 camera for high quality stills;
- GoPro for underwater shooting;
- DJI Osmo Mobile for use with phone and GoPro;
- iPad Pro for video editing with Pinnacle Studio while traveling;
- iPhobe X;
All this (and other stuff) in an Incase Pro Backpack. WEIGHT matters much more to me than a few minutes of air time.
I currently have a Pro and a Spark. I went through the same deliberation on buying the air.
Focusing the comparison between the Pro and Air (and not consider the Air as a Spark replacement), I decided to keep the Pro and not buy the Air at this time for the following reasons:
1) Noise: Using the Pro with the Platinum props is great in crowded/touristy areas. Once in the air, the Pro is relatively quiet. The Air would attract more unwanted attention and/or issues.
2) Occusync, range, and battery: In a recent trip to the East Coast, I flew the Pro to a lighthouse on an island. I could not have made it, got the shots I wanted (which took time), and made it back without the range and longer battery life.
3) Battery life: The additional ~5 min battery life can make all the difference. Also, on day trips with multiple stops where I don't want to worry about charging the batteries while in transit, it's nice to have the capacity of the Pro. Additional batteries can make up for it with the Air, but they cannot make up for the range and, at times, you want to stay in the air longer to get the right shots.
The longer battery life also allows you to "look around" more.
I wanted the Air for the size. It is better for travel to be sure. With my recent experiences related to crowds, distance/transmission reliability, and range/battery life, Pro is still better for me.
Focusing the comparison between the Pro and Air (and not consider the Air as a Spark replacement), I decided to keep the Pro and not buy the Air at this time for the following reasons:
1) Noise: Using the Pro with the Platinum props is great in crowded/touristy areas. Once in the air, the Pro is relatively quiet. The Air would attract more unwanted attention and/or issues.
2) Occusync, range, and battery: In a recent trip to the East Coast, I flew the Pro to a lighthouse on an island. I could not have made it, got the shots I wanted (which took time), and made it back without the range and longer battery life.
3) Battery life: The additional ~5 min battery life can make all the difference. Also, on day trips with multiple stops where I don't want to worry about charging the batteries while in transit, it's nice to have the capacity of the Pro. Additional batteries can make up for it with the Air, but they cannot make up for the range and, at times, you want to stay in the air longer to get the right shots.
The longer battery life also allows you to "look around" more.
I wanted the Air for the size. It is better for travel to be sure. With my recent experiences related to crowds, distance/transmission reliability, and range/battery life, Pro is still better for me.
Hi, I'm a dji pilot and a a fan of DJI in general. I fly a Phantom 3 se and a Mavic Air with goggles. I fly the Air from it's beginning and I am still enthousiastic about this bird. I bought from Alixprs a range extender for the Air (€ 6,50). I'ts amazing the distance he is going now. I can follow him true my goggles and flew 3.8 km far. Still with gps connection and was able to fly any further. But.....I was angious to los him and direct him to go at his home position. Maybe if you have your toughts... It was a try to help you to made your dicission. Good luck.Doesn’t seem to be that big of a difference to warrant the $$ hit if the reason is just size
Skyspy
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I have all of them, and I fly the mavic pro far more because of the superior connectivity over picture, especially if the project is for the web. If you are in the market now, id wait for the mavic pro 2 which seems (hopefully) imminent.
kyle mavic
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Have to agree,Like the look of the air and its size,but dont like the idea of wifi,enhanced or otherwise,or the flight time,Which,is not bad for the size.However,once you have had occusync,and the flight time of the pro,,plus.inI MHO the better pro controller,i would not change my MPP for an air,but may add P4P PRO V2 at a later date.
Well, no one of course. Officially she will be announced through normal channels.
I had read that in a comparison between the two, the Mavic Pro did much better flying in the wind. If that’s a consideration, stick with the M. Pro.
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