So when it was still during rumor mill phases, lots of folks were almost certain that the Spark contained a 4k camera, or at the very least a 2.7k-ish camera. No one seriously thought that it would end up being only a 1080p and only at 30fps at that.
In fact during the speculation stage, the stage were people voiced their ideal expectations, the YouTube video of that "Billy here..." guy he speculated that although it appeared to be a two axis gimbal that in fact it very well could end up being a true 3 axis gimbal with the third axis actually housed inside of it all.
Turns out that wasn't true and didn't pan out either, Spark is only a two axis gimbal, a 1080p 30fps 2-axis gimbal at that.
Here is the problem though, by default it doesn't come with the remote controller. Without the remote controller, the range is effectively just only about 100m, or about the length of a football field. So remember those videos of Copter dude chasing cruise ships out in the open seas? Well that ain't gonna happen with the Spark, esp given that the Allure and Harmony of the Seas themselves are many many times longer than Spark's max range. In fact Spark could barely fly the length of one end of even a Boeing 777X to the other end without hitting that max. How did we go from 4.7 miles in the Mavic to less than the Wright brothers 12 seconds at the Kitty Hawk?
Seriously though unless you are planning on ONLY using it as a basic selfie-drone, the Spark without a controller is all but useless. The average consumer on the lookout for a selfie drone is not gonna spend $500+ when they could spend far less and get a 4k selfie drone these days, that isn't GEO locked.
The controller itself is gimped compared to the Mavic's version with no LED screen whatsoever. If vital stats cannot be read, what is the point of the controller you are still going to need to hook it up to a tablet or phone and use the app?!
And after you tack on the controller, the price skyrockets up to $699. This thing is slower than the Mavic, infact more than 25% slower, it's flight time is a measly 16 minutes theoretical max, but realistically it probably more like 13 minutes. The camera is a lot worse. There is no RAW option. Who in their right mind if they already have a Mavic is going to pay another $699 for a Spark? Those who are new to droning might as well pay a little more and get a Mavic, and those that only want selfie capabilities and complete ease of use, should go for a much cheaper drone, plenty of those on the market and a lot of those have 4k cameras already.
To top it off, you really have to essentially use a controller if you are going to use the Goggles with the Spark. And while I believe the Googles are interchangeable and compatible with the Spark/Mavic/etc it is come out that the controller isn't.
All in overall, I can't help but feel that DJI really shot themselves in the foot with this one.
Going from the Mavic to the Spark is like flying a Cessna after you've flow the F-22
In fact during the speculation stage, the stage were people voiced their ideal expectations, the YouTube video of that "Billy here..." guy he speculated that although it appeared to be a two axis gimbal that in fact it very well could end up being a true 3 axis gimbal with the third axis actually housed inside of it all.
Turns out that wasn't true and didn't pan out either, Spark is only a two axis gimbal, a 1080p 30fps 2-axis gimbal at that.
Here is the problem though, by default it doesn't come with the remote controller. Without the remote controller, the range is effectively just only about 100m, or about the length of a football field. So remember those videos of Copter dude chasing cruise ships out in the open seas? Well that ain't gonna happen with the Spark, esp given that the Allure and Harmony of the Seas themselves are many many times longer than Spark's max range. In fact Spark could barely fly the length of one end of even a Boeing 777X to the other end without hitting that max. How did we go from 4.7 miles in the Mavic to less than the Wright brothers 12 seconds at the Kitty Hawk?
Seriously though unless you are planning on ONLY using it as a basic selfie-drone, the Spark without a controller is all but useless. The average consumer on the lookout for a selfie drone is not gonna spend $500+ when they could spend far less and get a 4k selfie drone these days, that isn't GEO locked.
The controller itself is gimped compared to the Mavic's version with no LED screen whatsoever. If vital stats cannot be read, what is the point of the controller you are still going to need to hook it up to a tablet or phone and use the app?!
And after you tack on the controller, the price skyrockets up to $699. This thing is slower than the Mavic, infact more than 25% slower, it's flight time is a measly 16 minutes theoretical max, but realistically it probably more like 13 minutes. The camera is a lot worse. There is no RAW option. Who in their right mind if they already have a Mavic is going to pay another $699 for a Spark? Those who are new to droning might as well pay a little more and get a Mavic, and those that only want selfie capabilities and complete ease of use, should go for a much cheaper drone, plenty of those on the market and a lot of those have 4k cameras already.
To top it off, you really have to essentially use a controller if you are going to use the Goggles with the Spark. And while I believe the Googles are interchangeable and compatible with the Spark/Mavic/etc it is come out that the controller isn't.
All in overall, I can't help but feel that DJI really shot themselves in the foot with this one.
Going from the Mavic to the Spark is like flying a Cessna after you've flow the F-22