Still intrigued by the Smart Capture feature without remote or app, I decided to test an entire flight on a walk down by the river. I took along my Sony action camera so I could record some footage of the drone itself and how it works in this mode. (My apologies in advance for some wind noise and bad camera angles... this video isn't art).
After using this mode a few times now, I have some definitive comments and a few outlining questions.
1) The mode is VERY cool and works remarkable well, all things considered. The tracking is excellent, at least when walking. My next project may be to try it when riding a bike.
2) As pointed out before, the video recording is only in 1080p for whatever reason (probably technical). Although I'd rather it be higher, 1080p is fine for this and looks good. Just remember to switch back to 2k or 4k if you wish after you use this mode, because it will stay on 1080p otherwise. NOTE: My Youtube video is in 4k because I shot the Sony action cam footage in 4k, so the intermixed Mavic Air footage is just upscaled.
3) Tracking backwards does work, though sometimes with mixed results. The last test I did, it kept wanting to go around me and follow instead of backing up. This time, however, it actually did pretty well tracking backwards, though you still have to adjust your approach angle to keep it from going around you. Still, it's pretty nifty to have those rear-facing sensors so that it can track backwards with relative safety.
4) That said, you still have to remember that it doesn't have side sensors. As you'll see in the video, I nicked a post under the bridge that (thankfully) didn't do any damage, but it could have caused a crash. I was rotating the Air around me with my palm and just failed to judge clearance properly.
5) But, rotating the Air around you is a pretty cool feature as well. You can bring it in a bit closer or push it a bit father out before doing it, then just hold your palm while you walk in a circle in one place. The Air will go in a complete circle around you, revealing everything for shooting.
6) The gesture for beginning or ending video is a bit flaky. You have to use both hands to form a frame (with at least one hand above your nose). Sometimes I have to do this a couple of times for it to recognize. Could be I just need more practice, but I think the gesture itself is a bit cumbersome to make.
7) The gesture for taking a photo is much easier to make - it's just two fingers in a V. However, you cannot take a photo while recording video, so first you have to make the video gesture to turn off recording. Then, once you use the photo gesture, there is a countdown and you'll see the red lights blink. I am still having trouble determining the exact time it takes the photo, but more often than not, I move my body before it actually takes it (resulting in closed eyes or movement). Again, practice. If it's very bright out, it's also hard to see the LED's to know when the countdown is working. Still, it's a lot of fun taking photos in this mode, and I imagine it'll be a lot of fun with groups of people too.
8) I'm still not sure if there's an indication of battery life when shooting in this mode. I *think* the LED's blink red to warn you the battery is getting low, but I have not confirmed this for sure. The manual doesn't say anything specific about battery life indication in this mode, but the general LED reference guide says that low battery will be displayed by blinking red lights. During my last test, the Air just landed all of a sudden without any warning that I noticed (but I may not have seen the LED warning if there was one).
9) At the end of this flight, I had something unexpected happen. I knew my battery had to be getting low, but I wanted to see when it was going to land on its own. After lasting much longer than I thought, the LED's turned solid red and it stopped tracking me altogether for the last couple minutes of the flight. It just hovered in place and would not respond to anything. I couldn't use the land gesture or anything. Now as I said in the video, I could have just grabbed the Air and turned it upside-down, but that's not a good practice and I really wanted to see what was going to happen. Eventually, it auto-landed and I caught it in my palm on the way down. However, I'm thinking that the solid red LED's indicated a critical error, as described in the manual. Not sure if it was just a software glitch or perhaps something to do with that large metal building behind me. Anyone have any ideas what could have happened?
10) I got noticed several times during my walk, with one guy on a bike stopping to ask me some questions. Using the Air in this mode is definitely an attention-getter, for better or worse. I am glad to talk about it with people though. And I'm eager to go back out and try it with my bike or in a different location.
Thoughts? Comments?
After using this mode a few times now, I have some definitive comments and a few outlining questions.
1) The mode is VERY cool and works remarkable well, all things considered. The tracking is excellent, at least when walking. My next project may be to try it when riding a bike.
2) As pointed out before, the video recording is only in 1080p for whatever reason (probably technical). Although I'd rather it be higher, 1080p is fine for this and looks good. Just remember to switch back to 2k or 4k if you wish after you use this mode, because it will stay on 1080p otherwise. NOTE: My Youtube video is in 4k because I shot the Sony action cam footage in 4k, so the intermixed Mavic Air footage is just upscaled.
3) Tracking backwards does work, though sometimes with mixed results. The last test I did, it kept wanting to go around me and follow instead of backing up. This time, however, it actually did pretty well tracking backwards, though you still have to adjust your approach angle to keep it from going around you. Still, it's pretty nifty to have those rear-facing sensors so that it can track backwards with relative safety.
4) That said, you still have to remember that it doesn't have side sensors. As you'll see in the video, I nicked a post under the bridge that (thankfully) didn't do any damage, but it could have caused a crash. I was rotating the Air around me with my palm and just failed to judge clearance properly.
5) But, rotating the Air around you is a pretty cool feature as well. You can bring it in a bit closer or push it a bit father out before doing it, then just hold your palm while you walk in a circle in one place. The Air will go in a complete circle around you, revealing everything for shooting.
6) The gesture for beginning or ending video is a bit flaky. You have to use both hands to form a frame (with at least one hand above your nose). Sometimes I have to do this a couple of times for it to recognize. Could be I just need more practice, but I think the gesture itself is a bit cumbersome to make.
7) The gesture for taking a photo is much easier to make - it's just two fingers in a V. However, you cannot take a photo while recording video, so first you have to make the video gesture to turn off recording. Then, once you use the photo gesture, there is a countdown and you'll see the red lights blink. I am still having trouble determining the exact time it takes the photo, but more often than not, I move my body before it actually takes it (resulting in closed eyes or movement). Again, practice. If it's very bright out, it's also hard to see the LED's to know when the countdown is working. Still, it's a lot of fun taking photos in this mode, and I imagine it'll be a lot of fun with groups of people too.
8) I'm still not sure if there's an indication of battery life when shooting in this mode. I *think* the LED's blink red to warn you the battery is getting low, but I have not confirmed this for sure. The manual doesn't say anything specific about battery life indication in this mode, but the general LED reference guide says that low battery will be displayed by blinking red lights. During my last test, the Air just landed all of a sudden without any warning that I noticed (but I may not have seen the LED warning if there was one).
9) At the end of this flight, I had something unexpected happen. I knew my battery had to be getting low, but I wanted to see when it was going to land on its own. After lasting much longer than I thought, the LED's turned solid red and it stopped tracking me altogether for the last couple minutes of the flight. It just hovered in place and would not respond to anything. I couldn't use the land gesture or anything. Now as I said in the video, I could have just grabbed the Air and turned it upside-down, but that's not a good practice and I really wanted to see what was going to happen. Eventually, it auto-landed and I caught it in my palm on the way down. However, I'm thinking that the solid red LED's indicated a critical error, as described in the manual. Not sure if it was just a software glitch or perhaps something to do with that large metal building behind me. Anyone have any ideas what could have happened?
10) I got noticed several times during my walk, with one guy on a bike stopping to ask me some questions. Using the Air in this mode is definitely an attention-getter, for better or worse. I am glad to talk about it with people though. And I'm eager to go back out and try it with my bike or in a different location.
Thoughts? Comments?
Last edited:
