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Swap the MP for the Mavic Air?

Hmm, I guess if you were torn between a spark and a mavic pro, then the Mavic Air would be a nice addition... Otherwise, from the information I have seen up till now, I would go for the Mavic Pro.
 
I like the additional obstacle avoidance sensors on the Mavic Air. It’s sleek and has the lines of a BMW. Improvements on portability are there. Certainly looks easier to transport vs. the Mavic.

Honestly...I would return the Mavic Pro and wait for reviews of Autel Evo before committing to the Mavic Pro or Air. They have a dedicated controller that’s not dependent on a phone.

I’ve had fun with my Mavic Pro. It’s been crazy reliable in flight. It just takes too much tweaking of the camera to get good shots.
 
I would return the Mavic Pro and wait for reviews of Autel Evo before committing to the Mavic Pro or Air.
OP, do yourself a favor and don't even put Autel in the equation. It isn't as if Autel is new to the drone industry, they offer a Phantom "clone" which never really lit the world on fire. And they like many other drone manufacturers are suffering from "lay-offs".

Autel Layoffs – Latest Victim Of The Drone Jobs Cuts
 
Hello, hope all is well with everyone. Coming up at one year of ownership of an MP. Would have to say if I ever crashed and burned , I wouldn't look at any other Drone other than the MP. I would have to go out and get another one. Best wishes to all.
 
A deal killer for me is no display on the Remote Controller. A must have for me is have the flight telemetry on the controller. Just this weekend I was high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains flying and my tablet shut down. While my MP was only ~600ft away it was behind some trees and could not see it and did not know it’s orientation relative to HP. What saved me was the distance counter displayed on the RC as I was able to yaw and move forward until the distance decreased and recovered my MP. Looks like you don’t have that capability with the MA and may not be important to you but something to thing about.
Yea, I wondered myself why did they do that? Big question tho is, does the MP remote work on the Air?
 
Mavic Air Pros over Mavic Pro
  • tiny size, better portability, lighter making the Mavic Pro feel bulkier (if I'm allowed to say so)
  • slightly better video (more fps in all other than 4K modes, more Mbps but sadly no option for 4K60fps)
  • Backward Sensors
  • Gimbal seems to be protected by aircraft's body, probably more robust as well.
  • Can withstand stronger winds (DJI's claim)
  • Slightly Faster
  • Better Panoramas, HDR Pictures
  • New Quickshot modes
  • Gesture Controls
  • Probably better active track
  • Better object avoidance mechanisms for avoiding objects when moving forward or backward (APAS) but sadly not sideways.
  • It can work at both 2.4G and 5.8G frequencies
  • 8GB onboard secondary storage
  • SD slot moved to the back, no need to unfold an arm for quick access.
  • The price

Mavic Air Cons over Mavic Pro

  • The range is not as extended as Mavic Pro (4km in US, 2Km in Europe)
  • The announced flight time is 21 minutes which in practice makes it somewhere between 15-18 minutes.
  • The controller lacks the supplementary screen with telemetry information.
  • Lack of some intelligent flight modes (like tripod, course lock, fixed-wing mode, point of interest, Home Lock)

I personally own a Mavic Pro, but I'm not planning on buying the new Mavic Air. For me priority is the video and so far I am not convinced that we will see any major improvement compared to Mavic Pro.

For anyone new buyer, I would suggest the Mavic Air though because of all the above in combination to its price point making it a value for money product.
 
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Tom has some pretty good images and video from his MA while on a shoot in Israel. Check those out to see if you are happy with their quality.

If I used my drones for commercially or in the least, for public consumption like on youtube, I would probably go with the latest tech since camera tech moves forward so fast. I do like how the presentation touted about how good the MA was in the wind, so that is a plus. The big negative for me on the MA is the lower flight time. I can only hope future ESCs, props or better batteries are in its future.

I'm happy with my P4 and MP for my Litchi waypoint missions, but again, if I used my birds for some type of public consumption, I'd probably have the latest tech which for now, is the Mavic Air.
 
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That review sounded like DJI ad. These guys got these preview models to make these promo reviews. Of course MA will sound better in these because DJI wants to sell this new model to MP owners in addition to new flyers.
 
Another question for me would be is if Litchi will be compatible with the MA. I love to program waypoint missions so, if they didn't work with one another it definitely would be a deal breaker.
 
Hello there,

So now that the MP arrived just last week and is still in its box, should I swap for the MA?

I'll be using it to start off a photo/video business (an Inspire down the road when I can afford it).

There is a 285 US dollar difference.

Thank you!
Just because you ask this question I would say the Maverick air is more suited to you.
 
A deal killer for me is no display on the Remote Controller. A must have for me is have the flight telemetry on the controller. Just this weekend I was high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains flying and my tablet shut down. While my MP was only ~600ft away it was behind some trees and could not see it and did not know it’s orientation relative to HP. What saved me was the distance counter displayed on the RC as I was able to yaw and move forward until the distance decreased and recovered my MP. Looks like you don’t have that capability with the MA and may not be important to you but something to thing about.

This!!

Was about to type the same!
 
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I like the additional obstacle avoidance sensors on the Mavic Air. It’s sleek and has the lines of a BMW. Improvements on portability are there. Certainly looks easier to transport vs. the Mavic.

Honestly...I would return the Mavic Pro and wait for reviews of Autel Evo before committing to the Mavic Pro or Air. They have a dedicated controller that’s not dependent on a phone.

I’ve had fun with my Mavic Pro. It’s been crazy reliable in flight. It just takes too much tweaking of the camera to get good shots.


Don't forget it Autel has a one inch sensor. The screen on the remote is on the very small size. When I've ready for new Mavic Autel might be worth looking at
 
And with the Aevo
Don't forget it Autel has a one inch sensor. The screen on the remote is on the very small size
in order to use all of the features you'll still need to connect a smartphone with IOS or Android


upload_2018-1-23_20-46-37.png
 
I would be concerned with the MA flight distance being 2.5 miles or so that you’d possibly begin losing signal at 1-1.5 miles, depending on the environment you were flying in. That would weigh heavily on my decision. I think one of the reviews made reference to this point.
 
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