Sold my Mavic Air and buying another Pro

PeteS2017 · Jun 6, 2018

A couple of months ago, I decided to sell my Mavic Pro and put the money to a Mavic Air. The main reason was image quality, and in particular, the 'Watercolour Effect' that plagued so many MP owners. I'd learned that you could fix this problem by setting sharpness at +1, but this just didn't seem to be a satisfactory way of dealing with an image problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place. The Air, with its increased video processing speed of 100MBps, seemed to offer better image quality all round.

I was also attracted by the APAS system: if I did a Litchi waypoint mission, I thought, and the craft met a tree, it would fly over it or around it and thus complete the mission, rather than just hovering until the battery ran down.

So I got the Mavic Air, did lots of flights, and I just wasn't happy. My main problem was the WiFi constantly either cutting out for a few seconds, or else losing transmission completely and triggering RTH. When you find yourself hoping and praying that RTH will work, that isn't good.

The other problem was the noise. The Air is supposed to be one decibel quieter than the Pro, but subjectively, it's ten times louder. Drone-hating is only ever going to increase, and I can tell you, nearly every time I started the craft up anywhere where there were people - even hundreds of yards away - I'd cringe, and wonder if I was going to get a lecture on how inconsiderate we droners are.

So I've sold up, and will soon be buying another Pro, since I can't afford to wait for the Pro 2. I only hope the Watercolour Effect has been well and truly dealt with by now.

Are there any other 'Air-back-to Pro' people out there?

Robert Mitchell · Jun 6, 2018

No, on your question, but I still think +1 is the best solution for watercolor, unfortunately.

There are lots of factors involverd but one can still get fantastic footage out of the Mavic. You just have to work a bit harder to make it happen.

WayneMHK · Jun 6, 2018

You lost me at " it's ten times louder".

fiatdale · Jun 6, 2018

I flew my MPP alongside an Air and I do agree, the air was significantly louder than my MPP. I do like the camera capabilities on the Air, but Im with you - Ill stick with the Mavic Pro.

PeteS2017 · Jun 7, 2018

WayneMHK said:
You lost me at " it's ten times louder".

OK, that was an exaggeration. But it definitely is embarrassingly loud - more than enough noise to annoy the 'haters'.

Maineiac · Jun 7, 2018

I went from an Air to the MPP because of flight time and connection stability. The Air gets great range out over flat land with no obstructions (like at the beach) but that’s not where I live or fly so occusync is the way to go for me.

Squamer · Jun 7, 2018

I don’t think it’s “louder” but I think it appears to sound louder because it’s a higher pitched sound. But I did notice that also when I first got it.

JimPickett · Jun 9, 2018

I'm not close enough to people that they hear my MA.

dewster · Jun 9, 2018

I think the WiFi kills the powerful features of the Mavic Air. I still like my Mavic Pro. There are a lot of videos on YouTube on how to achieve good video results. You almost need a checklist and some experimentation to get intended results. ND filters will help.