Why am I reading about lots of people having lots of problems with Mavic drones?

[Wade Gizzy]

I had a parrot Bebop 2 and lost connection with it and watched it drift off into the lake. Fortunately I had replacement insurance on it, I was able to retrieve it, and got a refurbished one.
Flying it seemed like a crapshoot. There were lots of issues with it and I was actually happy when somebody stole it out of my car.
So it seems like the mavic 2 zoom corrects all the issues I didn't like about the parrot Bebop 2. However reading this forum people are having all sorts of problems with them.
I am very reluctant to spend $1,300 and continue to endure frustration. Sometimes I think it's a Chinese Communist plot to drive Western capitalists crazy!
I would really like to own a drone, but is anybody actually working to making these things simple and reliable, or are they just more interested in adding moree bells and whistles?

 

[Hmvink]

I think new pilots, like myself, have trouble going through all the menus and all "moree bells and whistles" but this forum, and YouTube, answered all my questions. And the more I am feeling at home with my Mavic Pro, the more I feel that it is a very reliable and well thought out product. Hopefully you will feel the same after using it.

 

[Meta4]

However reading this forum people are having all sorts of problems with them.

If you only observed people in doctor's waiting rooms, you'd be asking: Why are they all sick?
The forum is a drone doctor's waiting room.
I could come here and write a post about how I flew three batteries, took some nice pix and went home with my drone, just like every other time.
But it wouldn't be a very interesting post.

 

[Congoblue]

You've got to remember this is a forum where people post for help with problems.... the other 99% of people are out there having fun with their DJI drones. My Mavic Pro has indeed been simple and reliable and yours probably will be too.

 

[InvisibleName]

If you only observed people in doctor's waiting rooms, you'd be asking: Why are they all sick?
The forum is a drone doctor's waiting room.
I could come here and write a post about how I flew three batteries, took some nice pix and went home with my drone, just like every other time.
But it wouldn't be a very interesting post.

I'm with you on this one!

 

[zocalo]

Keep in mind that people who lose their drones are going to complain so there's a "vocal minority" factor (not to downplay those who have actually lost drones through no fault of their own), and DJI supplies a *LOT* more drones than anyone else so all things being equal in terms of fly-aways more people will be complaining about DJI than anyone else. Especially so on a forum where people discuss issues and seek solutions to them...

I have an M2P and the only issue I have had so far is a single drop-out between DJI Go and the controller which was fixed by restarting the app. Other than that it's been a dream to fly, I think I logged a total of less than 10 minutes flight with it before disabling beginner mode, and was sending it out in winds strong enough to have the alarm going off, skimming along just above the ground, going up to the legally permitted ceiling (400ft), out over open water, within a week. FWIW, I think DJI have absolutely nailed the ratio of size, features, and image quality given what's currently possible. Yes, there's a lot to learn at first, but you can focus on the important bits (flight and basic photo/video) first and explore the rest later which makes it a lot more manageable.

 

[Duke846]

Because they skipped the tello and the spark!
I am also the guy that slows down at a car accident. So in here I am kinda slowing down.

 

[Wade Gizzy]

part of my frustration with the parrot Bebop 2 was that the instructions provided with the Drone were very inadequate. I am a 64 year old guy who likes using 4 by 5 view cameras and processing my own film and making my own prints with enlargers in my own dark room. So yeah I'm an analog guy.
However the capabilities that a drone will give me is very seductive, and just as there are many upsides with a beautiful woman, sometimes the frustration just may not be worth it.
Since I have a year or so playing with the parrot Bebop 2 and enduring those frustrations maybe I am beginning to understand the thought processes of drone Developers.
Are the DJI instructions detailed enough and explanatory so as they cover everything and don't assume you know all about drone technology. believe it or not when I was dealing with my parrot Bebop 2 I was confused about the difference of rebooting and downloading upgrades. They never explained it in their instructions. It wasn't made clear until I found out about it on YouTube.

 

[Dave A]

If you only observed people in doctor's waiting rooms, you'd be asking: Why are they all sick?
The forum is a drone doctor's waiting room.
I could come here and write a post about how I flew three batteries, took some nice pix and went home with my drone, just like every other time.
But it wouldn't be a very interesting post.

Totally agree.......

 

[Porky]

part of my frustration with the parrot Bebop 2 was that the instructions provided with the Drone were very inadequate. I am a 64 year old guy who likes using 4 by 5 view cameras and processing my own film and making my own prints with enlargers in my own dark room. So yeah I'm an analog guy.
However the capabilities that a drone will give me is very seductive, and just as there are many upsides with a beautiful woman, sometimes the frustration just may not be worth it.
Since I have a year or so playing with the parrot Bebop 2 and enduring those frustrations maybe I am beginning to understand the thought processes of drone Developers.
Are the DJI instructions detailed enough and explanatory so as they cover everything and don't assume you know all about drone technology. believe it or not when I was dealing with my parrot Bebop 2 I was confused about the difference of rebooting and downloading upgrades. They never explained it in their instructions. It wasn't made clear until I found out about it on YouTube.

Have a read of this, might help you out with some of your questions.

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_2/20180920/Mavic 2 Pro Zoom User Manual_v1.2.pdf

 

[Dave A]

Are the DJI instructions detailed enough and explanatory so as they cover everything and don't assume you know all about drone technology.

DJI's manual is pretty good but not perfect. They also have lots of their own instructional videos and if you do have problems or don't understand something you can usually get the answer here or on the DJI forum. I was new to drones 9 months ago when I bought my Mavic Pro Platinum and since then I have had zero problems.

 

[TrayBoz]

Are the DJI instructions detailed enough and explanatory so as they cover everything and don't assume you know all about drone technology

NO.
Like most high-tech devices, the manual does a pretty poor job of explaining everything you need to know in layman's terms. Not to mention the fact that most of it has to be translated/interpreted into your language, which is never ideal. Not to mention the fact that there are regular software and firmware updates that keep multiple aspects of your drone ownership in constant flux.

YouTube is your friend. In addition to the fact that videos are usually easier to swallow and understand than reading text in a size 4 font, there are enough videos on almost every aspect of all mavic versions to keep you busy for months. Some YouTubers are better than others, of course, but after watching a bunch, you'll begin to find a few video producers who do a pretty decent job most of the time, and learn to hone in on those first.

Read the manual, but if you really want to understand your mavic and keep it in one piece, watch YouTube videos and read all the crash stories and explanations in this forum. As others have said, keep in mind that most of what you read here is negative by default. Almost no one takes the time to post, "My Mavic is working perfectly".

There have been several polls in the past on this site to show that over 95% of the members are totally satisfied with their mavic, would buy one again, and have never had a crash that wasn't pilot error.

I've logged over 350+ flights over the past 2 years on 2 different mavics, and zero surprises from either one. The weakest link in my drone setup is the dummy holding the sticks.

Hope this helps. Happy flying!

P.S.
Both my mavics have always worked perfectly. Just don't forget to add oil to the RC regularly.

 

[Wade Gizzy]

NO.
Like most high-tech devices, the manual does a pretty poor job of explaining everything you need to know in layman's terms. Not to mention the fact that most of it has to be translated/interpreted into your language, which is never ideal. Not to mention the fact that there are regular software and firmware updates that keep multiple aspects of your drone ownership in constant flux.

YouTube is your friend. In addition to the fact that videos are usually easier to swallow and understand than reading text in a size 4 font, there are enough videos on almost every aspect of all mavic versions to keep you busy for months. Some YouTubers are better than others, of course, but after watching a bunch, you'll begin to find a few video producers who do a pretty decent job most of the time, and learn to hone in on those first.

Read the manual, but if you really want to understand your mavic and keep it in one piece, watch YouTube videos and read all the crash stories and explanations in this forum. As others have said, keep in mind that most of what you read here is negative by default. Almost no one takes the time to post, "My Mavic is working perfectly".

There have been several polls in the past on this site to show that over 95% of the members are totally satisfied with their mavic, would buy one again, and have never had a crash that wasn't pilot error.

I've logged over 350+ flights over the past 2 years on 2 different mavics, and zero surprises from either one. The weakest link in my drone setup is the dummy holding the sticks.

Hope this helps. Happy flying!

P.S.
Both my mavics have always worked perfectly. Just don't forget to add oil to the RC regularly.

NO.
Like most high-tech devices, the manual does a pretty poor job of explaining everything you need to know in layman's terms. Not to mention the fact that most of it has to be translated/interpreted into your language, which is never ideal. Not to mention the fact that there are regular software and firmware updates that keep multiple aspects of your drone ownership in constant flux.

YouTube is your friend. In addition to the fact that videos are usually easier to swallow and understand than reading text in a size 4 font, there are enough videos on almost every aspect of all mavic versions to keep you busy for months. Some YouTubers are better than others, of course, but after watching a bunch, you'll begin to find a few video producers who do a pretty decent job most of the time, and learn to hone in on those first.

Read the manual, but if you really want to understand your mavic and keep it in one piece, watch YouTube videos and read all the crash stories and explanations in this forum. As others have said, keep in mind that most of what you read here is negative by default. Almost no one takes the time to post, "My Mavic is working perfectly".

There have been several polls in the past on this site to show that over 95% of the members are totally satisfied with their mavic, would buy one again, and have never had a crash that wasn't pilot error.

I've logged over 350+ flights over the past 2 years on 2 different mavics, and zero surprises from either one. The weakest link in my drone setup is the dummy holding the sticks.

Hope this helps. Happy flying!

P.S.
Both my mavics have always worked perfectly. Just don't forget to add oil to the RC regularly.

OK, so the experience I was having with my Parrot Bebop 2 is standard for the industry! Hmmmmmmm. I suppose now that I understand that, at least I will know what to expect. Kinda frustrating though. I mean, I don't get new updates for my Toyo 45AX view camera, and it's 20 years old, and no issues. The time I spend with it is all about creating the image, not trying to understand that it no longer works like it did last week. They made it right the first time! I have a busy life, I'm not sure I want to be scouring forums and you-tube every time a new update comes out!
I really don't get the concept! What a drag it is getting old! (That's from a 45 year old Rolling Stones Song, LOL!)

 

[FASTFJR]

Knock on wood, I'm approaching 300 flights on my Mavic Pro Alpine White. So far no issues. I've been up and down the east coast and to Aruba, St Martin, St Lucia, Great Stirrup Cay. Zero.....I mean zero issues at all. And that includes on and off a few times on two different cruise ships. My last video (below) was GSC. It did take me 3 attempts to do a compass calibration. I was standing on a sandy dirt road, very well could have been metal under and around me.

 

[sar104]

OK, so the experience I was having with my Parrot Bebop 2 is standard for the industry! Hmmmmmmm. I suppose now that I understand that, at least I will know what to expect. Kinda frustrating though. I mean, I don't get new updates for my Toyo 45AX view camera, and it's 20 years old, and no issues. The time I spend with it is all about creating the image, not trying to understand that it no longer works like it did last week. They made it right the first time! I have a busy life, I'm not sure I want to be scouring forums and you-tube every time a new update comes out!
I really don't get the concept! What a drag it is getting old! (That's from a 45 year old Rolling Stones Song, LOL!)

Just to avoid any misconceptions - there is no requirement to upgrade the firmware - you can keep any version that you like.

 

[ac0j]

Just to avoid any misconceptions - there is no requirement to upgrade the firmware - you can keep any version that you like.

If you do that, it is a good idea to stop updating the Go4 app at the same time. Even the OS/ IOS on your device should be left alone.
New firmware usually gets new software,
New IOS /OS usually gets new software.
If you update anything update everything, if you don't update one thing, don't update anything. That is a way to avoid unexpected events.

 

[sar104]

If you do that, it is a good idea to stop updating the Go4 app at the same time. Even the OS/ IOS on your device should be left alone.
New firmware usually gets new software,
New IOS /OS usually gets new software.
If you update anything update everything, if you don't update one thing, don't update anything. That is a way to avoid unexpected events.

That probably is the safest option, but I'm using very old firmware on one of my Mavics and a Phantom 4 with the latest DJI GO app. No problems at all - so far.

 

[Kilrah]

What a drag it is getting old!

I don't think age has much to do with it, it's more of a mindset. There are older people than you around here having a blast. Took them some time to get in but they were willing and seeing it as something new and interesting to do. You obviously see it the opposite way.

 

[Duke846]

Just YouTube it
That’s how you learn things nowadays!

 

[Wade Gizzy]

I don't think age has much to do with it, it's more of a mindset. There are older people than you around here having a blast. Took them some time to get in but they were willing and seeing it as something new and interesting to do. You obviously see it the opposite way.

OK, I like the concept of not updating things all the time. I have a busy dental practice, and don't have hours to "keep up to date" perusing forums and you tube videos.. I have technology in the office, and I deal with that. Same sort of thing with new software updates.
I am more interested in the creativity aspects, not the technical aspects. I know the two are somewhat connected, but way more interested in a "stable" starting point and operating within those parameters. If there are "fatal flaws" with my current "upgrade" and I now need the new upgrade, that does nothing but piss me off that that was not corrected before the existing software wasn't correct to begin with!