What major things should I do or steer clear of either flying or buying for my MavicAir?

[Dougcjohn]

Grest Adds @mjbok !! I forget the MA was offered without a RC, great points to add radio if not already. ND filters are great addition, especially with fixed aperture... slow that shutter down for both photo & video.

Freewell brand... Standard set ND8, 16, 32, 64

DJI Mavic Air Filter Bright Day 4 Pack

The Bright Day 4 Pack filter for DJI Mavic Air contains four hybrid filters. Made by integrating the properties of ND filters and PL (Polarized Lens) filters.

www.freewellgear.com

PolarPro brand... Nice set... ND32, 64 and ND PL 32, 64

Limited Collection - Cinema Series | Mavic Air

PolarPro's DJI Mavic Air Filter Limited collection includes an ND32, ND32/PL, ND64, and ND64/PL filters for filming in extremely bright conditions.

www.polarprofilters.com

For bright sky above darker foliage & darker water... new gradient look very interesting. Great on DSLR, haven't tried them on sUAV but can easily see a benifit in some situations.

Gradient Collection | Cinema Series

Gradient filters for aerial cinematography to balance exposure between the sky and the ground. Included in the Cinema Series Gradient Collection are: ND8/GR, ND16/4, and ND32/8 filters. Graduated filters help reduce the exposure of the sky when it is brighter than the ground. Capture Perfection...

www.polarprofilters.com

Another cinematic enhancement if you're wanting a slight blur / movement effect in video or even photos if low enough shutter... is the ND2000.

DJI MAVIC AIR FILTER - ND2000 - LONG EXPOSURE

High-end optical glass with CNC ring makes it perfect to capture stunning and clear images Double-sided having multiple coating lets you take sharper and better quality pictures Lightweight design to prevent any negative effects on drone gimbal at all times Crafted for use with – DJI Mavic Air...

www.freewellgear.com

ND128, 256, 1000

Exposure Collection - Cinema Series | Mavic Air/Mavic Pro/Platinum

The Cinema Series Exposure Collection includes large-stop neutral density filters for reducing camera shutter speed in broad daylight, making cinematic long exposures possible with your Mavic Air and Mavic Pro/Platinum. Includes ND128 (7-stop), ND256 (8-stop) and ND1000 (10-stop) filters...

www.polarprofilters.com

Landing Pads, unless good model, are more pain than worth. Personally don't use with smaller Mavic unless snow or mud.
Tried a lower cost one, light weight model with silly hold down sticks... don't help on gravel, or harder surface... wind & prop wash lifted it up into craft.

Hands Down Best ones made are Hoodmans... thick & heavy.
I use a large one with M600Pro, M210 or Inspires and even on windy days or M600Pro's heavy prop wash... stays down flat.

3 Ft Drone Landing Pad for Mavic / Phantom - HDLP3

3 Ft Drone Landing Pad for Mavic / Phantom - HDLP3

www.hoodmanusa.com

 

[Mavic Mac]

Thanks again! Based on your recommendation (and a bit of research) i'm getting a set of these in the post!

I have the Master Screw props and really did notice a sound difference - as stated previously read the card included and follow the recommended settings

 

[Moose1967]

Landing on a boat...? Haha I doubt i'll ever need to do that (i'm landlocked) but if I did, what can I expect?

I have hand caught mine on my boat at anchor or not moving - not an issue - if moving its tricky as you need to turn quad away from you - lelft it left and right is right and so on - easer to maneuver - if not stationary have someone else hand catch it low to the boat.

 

[Dougcjohn]

Boat Launch... racing sail boats don't have time for ideal weather or stopping to launch or catch.... when you figure the speed, high winds, the deck rise, water spray... pretty impressive.

 

[Dakarenduro]

Hi.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how nice the Air is. For me I bought ND filters, slim hardcase for the fly more combo and the quiet props. I'm very happy with the setup so far. Links in case you need them-

HARD CASE

6 PACK ND POLARIZED FILTERS

QUIET PROPS

 

[Spinny McSpinster the 3rd]

LOL!!!

Whats funny? Im being serious!

 

[Spinny McSpinster the 3rd]

Hi.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how nice the Air is. For me I bought ND filters, slim hardcase for the fly more combo and the quiet props. I'm very happy with the setup so far. Links in case you need them-

HARD CASE

6 PACK ND POLARIZED FILTERS

QUIET PROPS

Thanks!! ND filters are on the buy list

 

[Spinny McSpinster the 3rd]

Boat Launch... racing sail boats don't have time for ideal weather or stopping to launch or catch.... when you figure the speed, high winds, the deck rise, water spray... pretty impressive.

Thats actually amazing ? Just HOW is that Phantom operating in those conditions?!?! Im pretty sure theres no IP rating ?

 

[Spinny McSpinster the 3rd]

Grest Adds @mjbok !! I forget the MA was offered without a RC, great points to add radio if not already. ND filters are great addition, especially with fixed aperture... slow that shutter down for both photo & video.

Freewell brand... Standard set ND8, 16, 32, 64

DJI Mavic Air Filter Bright Day 4 Pack

The Bright Day 4 Pack filter for DJI Mavic Air contains four hybrid filters. Made by integrating the properties of ND filters and PL (Polarized Lens) filters.

www.freewellgear.com

PolarPro brand... Nice set... ND32, 64 and ND PL 32, 64

Limited Collection - Cinema Series | Mavic Air

PolarPro's DJI Mavic Air Filter Limited collection includes an ND32, ND32/PL, ND64, and ND64/PL filters for filming in extremely bright conditions.

www.polarprofilters.com

For bright sky above darker foliage & darker water... new gradient look very interesting. Great on DSLR, haven't tried them on sUAV but can easily see a benifit in some situations.

Gradient Collection | Cinema Series

Gradient filters for aerial cinematography to balance exposure between the sky and the ground. Included in the Cinema Series Gradient Collection are: ND8/GR, ND16/4, and ND32/8 filters. Graduated filters help reduce the exposure of the sky when it is brighter than the ground. Capture Perfection...

www.polarprofilters.com

Another cinematic enhancement if you're wanting a slight blur / movement effect in video or even photos if low enough shutter... is the ND2000.

DJI MAVIC AIR FILTER - ND2000 - LONG EXPOSURE

High-end optical glass with CNC ring makes it perfect to capture stunning and clear images Double-sided having multiple coating lets you take sharper and better quality pictures Lightweight design to prevent any negative effects on drone gimbal at all times Crafted for use with – DJI Mavic Air...

www.freewellgear.com

ND128, 256, 1000

Exposure Collection - Cinema Series | Mavic Air/Mavic Pro/Platinum

The Cinema Series Exposure Collection includes large-stop neutral density filters for reducing camera shutter speed in broad daylight, making cinematic long exposures possible with your Mavic Air and Mavic Pro/Platinum. Includes ND128 (7-stop), ND256 (8-stop) and ND1000 (10-stop) filters...

www.polarprofilters.com

Landing Pads, unless good model, are more pain than worth. Personally don't use with smaller Mavic unless snow or mud.
Tried a lower cost one, light weight model with silly hold down sticks... don't help on gravel, or harder surface... wind & prop wash lifted it up into craft.

Hands Down Best ones made are Hoodmans... thick & heavy.
I use a large one with M600Pro, M210 or Inspires and even on windy days or M600Pro's heavy prop wash... stays down flat.

3 Ft Drone Landing Pad for Mavic / Phantom - HDLP3

3 Ft Drone Landing Pad for Mavic / Phantom - HDLP3

www.hoodmanusa.com

YOU SIR, ARE AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND! Looking at all those links now Also thanks for the side info on them too! Super helpful

 

[Skywalker]

Get a decent USB cable and use only the big USB port on the controller. Use a magnetic connector for the top one for charging.... Don't try and land it on a boat - even if the boat engine is off......

Sounds like the kind of advice I give. From experience.

 

[mjbok]

Thanks! I haven't looked at legs yet - Can you link me?

Height Extension Landing Gear Stabilizers Heightened Leg for DJI MAVIC AIR Drone | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Height Extension Landing Gear Stabilizers Heightened Leg for DJI MAVIC AIR Drone at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

These are the kind I have. They're good enough, plus they lock in place which I like.

 

[Thomas B]

Let your personal flying style and situation dictate which of the thousands of dollars worth of available accessories you actually need and will use.

 

[Spinny McSpinster the 3rd]

Oh nice, I was looking at the PolarPro legs but these look better, and cheaper, thanks!

Height Extension Landing Gear Stabilizers Heightened Leg for DJI MAVIC AIR Drone | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Height Extension Landing Gear Stabilizers Heightened Leg for DJI MAVIC AIR Drone at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

These are the kind I have. They're good enough, plus they lock in place which I like.

 

[PoonDog]

I also , always use the landing gear extentions.Helps control unwanted dust and other ground clutter from damaging your paint job. Also, you should check in to the Master Airscrews. I just installed them and am highly impressed with the reduction in the "Scream of Angry Bees". also picked up quite a bit of air time. If you are into cool pictures a set of PolarPro cinima series
Exposure collection. Do some research on them. Kind of spendy but excelent quality.. Range extender';s suck.
Fly safe
PoonDog.

 

[chillroy]

Accessories I bought for my M.A.

-love the stealth propellers that others have commented on, very effective and works as advertised.

-extra battery so have 3 in total.
-ND Filters 3 pack
-decent Back pack
-landing pad (accessory I use the least)

...and my favorite accessory are my FPV smart glasses. The ones that allow you to see through the image and maintain VLOS. It definitly enhances flying experience.

 

[Endeavor]

All I will say is the MA does not do well in sport mode so I only use that when the battery is low and I need to get it home fast. Image quality is better than my MP2z and the MA is much easier to fly and much smoother than the MP2 or MP2z. The old MP was horrible in low light and I am glad I upgraded to the MP2z however I still prefer the MA for quality smooth video. I take the MA along for trips and general filming but us the MP2z for commercial work as much of the time I need the zoom aspect for road and tower inspections where clarity is not as important as close up shots. Everyone complains about noise of the MA but I am glad it makes noise as it's easier to spot and track, I did install Master Air Screws which help but again it's not a big deal. Out of all the phantoms, spark and MP's I have owned the MA is my favorite and go to unit.

 

[RoosArt]

I have the leg extensions for the MA but I never use them. I prefer to use a landing pad instead which prevents blowing up dirt and debris.

 

[Amarand]

Watch this video - the air doesn't like sport mode

To be more precise, the Mavic Air’s gimbal has a hard time stabilizing in high-speed shots. I fly the MA 95% of the time in Sport Mode. I don’t have any problems flying it in Sport Mode, nor do I have any problems hovering in Sport, or taking video or images while flying sub-20 mph (or hovering).

But yeah, it’s a “known” issue that the MA can’t fly at high speeds and still keep up with recording straight ahead.

If you need that feature, check out the Mavic 2 Pro or one of the Pro-series Phantoms.

The Mavic Air is -not- a Pro-level product, so it can’t do waypoints and autonomous flying like the Pro models can. (At least not with stock app.)

But the MA is a great starter craft!

 

[Dan C]

I got the fly-more package, then bought a 4th battery, and a hard case with shaped foam cutouts. Holds all four batteries, the drone, the controller (with joysticks still mounted), the charging gear, plus a zippered mesh part where I carry spare props, cables...

I've got ND and ND/PL filters on the way. Not essential, but the ND filters will help you towards better looking film if that is important to you. The ND/PL will enhance your saturation (eg give you bluer skies) and can help you get shots into water, through glass, etcetera.

I don't understand why anyone buys the leg extensions. Especially if you have a pad. I don't have my pad yet, so if the area doesn't have a suitable launching area -- because of tall grass, dirt, not level -- I set my hard case on the ground and launch off that. I land it in my hand -- easy to do. You can launch that way too.

You'll want a decent SD card. I got a 64 GB. Actually, I bought two, but I haven't filled one during a session of flying. I don't remove it either, choosing instead to plug into the USB-C port in the back and download direct to my laptop. The second 64 GB card is resting undisturbed in my hard case.

You might want to consider buying an external SSD USB drive to store the collection of media you are about to start generating. I've got four batteries, giving me about an hour of "safe" flight time. I don't have the camera rolling all the time, of course, but even on planned shoots at 4K, 30fps, I haven't exceeded about 38GB. But I'm sure I could generate a lot more if I really ran the camera.

The point is, you are going to generate a lot of GB worth of media, so you're going to need somewhere to put it.

-----

Then you'll want to think about post processing. Do you just want to grab photos and video for friends and family without too much care about squeezing the best quality out of it, or do you intend to get serious.

Those answers will determine whether or not you'll want to invest in serious software (there are plenty of free options will do you just fine if you aren't after perfection), and they'll also dictate how much study you are going to need to do.

Average quality okay? Then a few "how to" videos on YouTube will probably do you.

Want to pursue perfection? Then you are going to begin a journey (if you haven't already) that may last over years of learning about photography and videography.

Enjoy!

 

[Joe Boudreault]

Watch this video - the air doesn't like sport mode

In Sports Mode, keep in mind these two things: 1. All the protective sensors are deactivated, so don't fly it low. 2. It is designed to get you to a spot very quickly. THEN use normal modes...