Suggested accessories for my first drone?

[Cheaptoad]

I'm buying a Mavic Pro 2 within a very short time and was wondering what accessories you guys would recommend?

I'll be buying the Mavis Pro 2 with a fly more kit.

Mostly I'll be using the drone for still photos.

This is my first drone ever, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Links would also be great.

If it helps, I live in Northern NJ.

One thing I'm finding a tad difficult is the proper size sunshade for my Galaxy Note 8.

I see tons of shades for 4.7 or 5" phones, not the 6.5" phone I have.

Someone suggested building my own. I wouldn't even know how to do that.

TIA

Steve

 

[ZX14-R]

ND and or ND/P filters, Watch plenty of YT Videos, Practice Practice Practice....
Good editing software/PC for 4K video and photos....
It never ends...
Onward and Upwards.

 

[Meta4]

I'm buying a Mavic Pro 2 within a very short time and was wondering what accessories you guys would recommend?
I'll be buying the Mavis Pro 2 with a fly more kit.

Save your money until you've done some flying and get a feel for what would be genuinely useful to you.
The Fly more kit gives you additional batteries which are the most useful accessory.

Mostly I'll be using the drone for still photos.

Don't waste any money on filters if you are doing still photography.

One thing I'm finding a tad difficult is the proper size sunshade for my Galaxy Note 8.

The best sunshade is a handy tree or wall to stand under or beside.

 

[Cheaptoad]

Save your money until you've done some flying and get a feel for what would be genuinely useful to you.
The Fly more kit gives you additional batteries which are the most useful accessory.

Don't waste any money on filters if you are doing still photography.

The best sunshade is a handy tree or wall to stand under or beside.

Thanx for the advice

 

[Van Shteffy]

Ebay strobe lights about $36. Can be seen in daylight. I bought red and blue in front and blue on the bottom and back. Rechargeable

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Save your money until you've done some flying and get a feel for what would be genuinely useful to you.
The Fly more kit gives you additional batteries which are the most useful accessory.

Don't waste any money on filters if you are doing still photography.

The best sunshade is a handy tree or wall to stand under or beside.

Yep, all points good advice.

If you decide to get into some videography, then you can look at some ND filters.
You might already be into photography (?), and the M2P is an extension of this . . . if so you will likely have a suitable photo editor, but again if getting into videos later, you can look at other apps etc further then.

Other than that, the Flymore has all (and more than) you will need to do what you want.
All you have to do now is glean as much as you can about your M2P here on this forum, what mistakes people make, and YouTube tutorials etc.
Plus of course read your pdf manual thoroughly and have it saved to your device to refer to in the field as needed.

Learn to fly first, don't worry too much about photography until you can fly fairly automatically.
With still photos this isn't quite as important, but learning to use camera in manual and adjust when up in the air can be sticky sometimes.
You can always practice that on the ground using your M2P as a hand held camera too.

Enjoy.

 

[rainystateguy]

State Farm insurance. They even replace your drone if it flies off never to be seen again or if it gets stolen. I just bought a policy for my Mavic Air. The basic policy for that machine is $30 a year. I bought a bunch of extras, batteries and chargers, a used Apple Mini 4, a mount for the Mini to attach it to the controller,, carry bags, etc. All told I've got about $2K invested. Coverage for it all is $42 a year. It sure takes a big worry away as I learn to fly now.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

State Farm insurance. They even replace your drone if it flies off never to be seen again or if it gets stolen. I just bought a policy for my Mavic Air. The basic policy for that machine is $30 a year. I bought a bunch of extras, batteries and chargers, a used Apple Mini 4, a mount for the Mini to attach it to the controller,, carry bags, etc. All told I've got about $2K invested. Coverage for it all is $42 a year. It sure takes a big worry away as I learn to fly now.

State Farms obligation in the case of a bad crash or fly away would be a basic aircraft with battery I guess, but for theft from a vehicle etc, it probably is good to have the whole package covered.

Good you US based owners have SF available, not many options for that sort of cover unless under a drone business cover here.

 

[Cheaptoad]

Think progressive has a program like that?

 

[Rattydude77]

First off welcome to the forum. Like said above get to know the drone it has beginner mode it gives you the feel for the drone but with restrictions start with that then progress.If you have any questions there's a lot of smart and friendly people on here and if you have any questions b4 asking use the search bar above top right other than that baby steps.

 

[Brockrock]

I agree with Meta above. Don't worry about a sun shade. I bought one for my original system (Phantom 4) and used it maybe twice. I found it actually made everything a lot more awkward, and unless you get one with a full hood, it will be of little use anyway. I rarely fly when the sun is directly overhead anyway, and shade can always be found, even if its that from your own body.

The M2P Fly More Kit comes with a small case, but I found it to be a bit tight for my liking. I really prefer a hard case that is water and moisture proof. This is the one I bought: Amazon.com : Go Professional Cases Compatible/Replacement for Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom Case (GPC-DJI-MAV-2) : Gateway

There are a lot of cases available, but steer clear of the cheaper ones. They are often poorly built, and the foam used inside quickly breaks down and becomes this dusty material that you would not want getting into your UAV.

 

[dannybgoode]

For stills photography the only ND filter I use is an ND1000 big stopper as the allows for really slow shutter speeds in bright sunlight thus allowing you to achieve movement in water and the clouds etc. If you’re new to photograph don’t bother even with one of these but if you’re experienced then it may be worth it.

The dynamic range is otherwise very good and I haven’t found the need for other ND’s. A polarising filter is of limited value as it will only work well in one orientation so you’d need to plan your shot, set the filter then return and re-set if you wanted to photograph something else. Too much of a faff for me.

As someone else has said; for photograph the drone is essentially and extension of your current skills. I look at mine as just another camera. All the things that make a good photograph - light, composition, subject etc are equally as important - the drone just allows you to get shots you could get at ground level but a boring photo is still a boring photo and an excellent on just that.

If you are an experienced photographer I wouldn’t buy any further accessories. Learn to fly and learn how the camera behaves and start practicing your already learned skills in the air.

If you are new to photography, as well as learning to fly I’d spend a bit of money on a couple of good beginners photography books and also spend time looking at photographs on here and on websites like 500px.com and try to work out what in your mind makes a photo good. Then try and replicate this.

Photography is the far harder skill to learn than the flying. I may post a more detailed thread on in the photos forums on my thoughts around photography in general.

The fly more combo is definitely the way to go but I’d also perhaps buy a fourth battery. I was out for the day on Tuesday on holiday and ate through three batteries pretty quick and wished I’d had another.

 

[RickinWaST]

As a new drone owner of a few weeks here's my two cents: (1) Take to the classroom before flying and resist the urge dash and fly your M2Pro. Throughly learn what every icon displayed on the controller does/impacts how the drone handles. Do you know you can adjust the EXP and Sensitivity settings which impact the joysticks, which will impact your video/camera shooting? It is overwhelming! (2) Utilize YouTube tutorials as they related to item #1. (3) Fly smart during your first few test flights.

Good luck!

 

[Dakarenduro]

Agree with everyone's suggestion to fly in open areas and practice practice practice.

Hard case, i have this make for my MA and love it. The price is $50 and it's waterproof and compact. Can see it HERE.

Sunshade- I had the same issue size wise and ended up with this $7 for my 6" phone and it works great. Find it HERE. Honestly I'm surprised by how much a difference this little $7 things in making my mobile phone screen viewable. Quite happy with it.

 

[RickJH]

Hi, you will love the Mavic!

I too am a relative newbie, but I've been caught up with GAS! (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) & have consequently spent a lot on gear, however for me, the most useful are A. a set of landing leg extenders (long grass), B. A good case, C (as mentioned here) the Flymore kit), D. a set of filters (as I do not like using auto & want to maintain correct exposure in manual mode) but so far the most costly is...& this is a genuine reason, was, E. A DJI Smart Controller as I really struggle seeing the telemetry on a small phone screen as I have to use reading glasses.
I have used the smart controller a couple of times & although, a lot, lot better, I am now after a second monitor:

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which clamps to the controller giving an even clearer secondary image which can either mirror the telemetry info, or just a live camera shot which really appeals (& it looks great!). F. Insurance!

Oh I forgot, G. lots of money!! it's addictive! ouch!

Good luck!

 

[Cheaptoad]

Is it worth getting a charger that can charge all the batteries at once? If so, which one?

 

[RickJH]

Is it worth getting a charger that can charge all the batteries at once? If so, which one?

I have the multi DJI Mavic 2 Battery Charging Hub which comes with the DJI Flymore combo (it works out a lot cheaper getting this than buying the parts separately).
I must add though, I would highly recommend a battery discharger as if you're not using the drone for a while, it's always recommended to have them around a 60% charge (There are loads of posts on here about battery maintenance). I bought mine from Amazon Yangers 17.6V 1.5A Lipo Battery Discharger Battery Maintenance Protection Care Accessory for DJI Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom Drone (Not for Mavic Pro Model): Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games.

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

Can't have too many batteries...

 

[Brockrock]

Yes. That charger that’s included in the Fly More Kit has four slots. It was genius on the part of DJI considering the high probability that a customer may have OCD. It caused me to order a forth battery...

 

[Cheaptoad]

Can you guys recommend a discharger from the US?