Would a beginnger be less prone to crash a Mavic Air2?

[Dbez1]

Thanks. I think you (and the others above) have confirmed my suspicion that I'm going with the right drone at the moment. I'm not sure where this will take me. I've been a commericial photographer for 20 years and a general portrait/wedding photographer for 15 prior to that... and actually started off in the profession shooting video for a few years. But I know to do anything commerically I'd have to get a part 107 commercial license before I could even think of doing anything for compensation. That would be a-ways off if ever. I've always been fascinated by flight. And while I've never actually flown a plane or a helo before, I've done simulator training on both. My S.O. actually offered to buy me a real helicopter lesson, but I told her that as much as I'd love it I would want to continue- something I couldn't afford to do. Drone seems to be the next best thing to get that out of my system.

I am hopeful that the drone reinvigorates my desire to take photos and videos from a different perspective. After so many years of "been there/done that" and seeing all the spectacular work that is now easily done digitally, I simply got bored with it and only recently hauled out my DLSR to start making short music videos, now that I'm locked up and no longer able to perform with my regular groups (I play guitar bass and trumpet). I know the drone will get me outside and won't be a problem being in the middle of somewhere alone, now having something to do.

Thanks again for the replies.

We just got back from ILLINOIS and I notice you live there. Since you are close to the Windy City, you might want to consider the Air 2. We got the MM for our grandson and there are more days that he can’t fly than he can. The Air will increase that ratio. I took my mini along and we were both getting high wind warnings at about 150’ altitude. Just something to consider ??‍

 

[bmwbob]

You can get insurance from DJI and if you crash your drone they will replace it the first time for somewhere around $60 but you must have a drone to send in. If you loose it and don't have a drone to return to them they will replace it at a "discount"

I lost my MA2 in a tree. I did not hear nor see the low battery warning so the drone reached critical battery level and automatically landed itself. Once the battery reaches critical level you have no control of the drone. Since it landed over 40 feet above the ground in the tree I could not retrieve it. To make a long story short, DJI sold me a new MA2 with battery and propellers for $581.40 I thought that was a little expensive since the new drone didn't come with the controller, a battery charger, extra joy sticks, or extra propellers that are included with the original purchase for just $217.60 more.

I'd take pictures of it in the tree and then get it down any way possible (shotgun). Warranty just says send it in

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

I agree with learning to fly without sensors. That’s why I selected my original drone. Unfortunately it rejected being controlled even at 5 or 10 FEET! Disaster out of the box. Hence I’ve decided to stop being cheap and decided to pay the DJI premium.

Well the mini ROCKS!

 

[Scottalmas]

Make no mistake, the Mini is NOT a beginner drone, despite DJI's marketing it as such. Its light weight and lack of obstacle avoidance technology make it ripe for loss or damage due to inexperienced piloting. I would never recommend a mini for someone new to the hobby. You're better off with a used Spark or Mavic Air to get your feet wet. I am hard pressed to find a use case where I need my Mini because my original Mavic Air can't get the job done, and the Air is more portable since it requires no RC. Having owned just about every cheapy out there before getting serious with DJI and Parrot drones, and recently selling my Anafi and Spark, I'm left with a Mini, Air, Air 2 and Mavic 2 Zoom. My MM is without a question my least used drone.

 

[Dbez1]

What is your most used drone?

 

[Dbez1]

My MM is my MOST used drone. Now that I think about it, it’s my ONLY drone. ?148 flights, 137 miles and never had a problem.

 

[vindibona1]

Make no mistake, the Mini is NOT a beginner drone, despite DJI's marketing it as such. Its light weight and lack of obstacle avoidance technology make it ripe for loss or damage due to inexperienced piloting. I would never recommend a mini for someone new to the hobby. You're better off with a used Spark or Mavic Air to get your feet wet. I am hard pressed to find a use case where I need my Mini because my original Mavic Air can't get the job done, and the Air is more portable since it requires no RC. Having owned just about every cheapy out there before getting serious with DJI and Parrot drones, and recently selling my Anafi and Spark, I'm left with a Mini, Air, Air 2 and Mavic 2 Zoom. My MM is without a question my least used drone.

While I can appreciate that any drone requires a level of piloting skills you have to learn on something. I'm not sure why you would recommend to a beginner spending more money for a more advanced drone? I appreciate that your MM is your "least used" drone... but would you use it if it were your sole drone? What didn't you like about your Anafi?

What I didn't want to do was spend a lot of money initially until I knew that it would "take". I was debating about the MA2, but hence my question- would a MA2 be as vulnerable in the hands of a new pilot as the MM. Would my $800-$1000 drone sit in the closet most of the time or would this be another hobby that comes and goes after a season... Or would it propell me to bigger things? Would spending 2x the money to get started give me a greater appreciation of what this all is?

I suspect that if I really like this hobby (for now) it won't be long before I invest in a much better drone. Time will tell.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Re crap toy drones, I started out with a toy drone, no gps etc. and to be honest it was a nightmare, maybe 1 flight in 20 was controllable. Then I found that the floor I calibrated it on was slightly off the level, from memory calibration is mandatory at switch on. After calibrating it on a piece of level floor its a different drone and actually quite fun.

 

[vindibona1]

Re crap toy drones, I started out with a toy drone, no gps etc. and to be honest it was a nightmare, maybe 1 flight in 20 was controllable. Then I found that the floor I calibrated it on was slightly off the level, from memory calibration is mandatory at switch on. After calibrating it on a piece of level floor its a different drone and actually quite fun.

I wish I had any luck with my first drone, an Eachine X4 which is the same a JJRC x12 or C-Fly Faith. No control at all most of the time for the one or two flights I tried it with, even when trying to move it slowly and deliberately when 10 or 15 ft away. I calibrated each time I flew, and usually had 12 satellites locked. Even as a newbie who understood how all the controls worked I couldn't do anything with it and had a couple emergency landings, luckly I always kept it close by and low to the ground. An awful experience and still trying 2 weeks+ to get Banggood to send me return lable so I can get a refund. I've had about 10 cycles of correspondence with them and just started a PayPal dispute because they aren't responsive and seem to be trying to duck their warranty obligation. Will never buy from them again. YMMV Hopefully my MM will provide a much better experience. Due to arrive some time tomorrow. Should be prepped for first flight Saturday.

 

[Dbez1]

Best wishes on your first flight!

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

Why not get a Mavic Mini first, see if you really enjoy drones. If you decide that you enjoy it a lot, upgrade then.

 

[vindibona1]

Why not get a Mavic Mini first, see if you really enjoy drones. If you decide that you enjoy it a lot, upgrade then.

That was really my mindset but I thought I wanted something more "substantial". Hence my first shot was to order the EX4 from Banggood. It came defective and it's been a 2.5 week ordeal to get it returned/refunded. I even started a dispute with PayPal last week but still hanging. Today I called my bank because the charge was on my bank card through PayPal. They seemed more helpful in getting this straightened out. I digress...

That's what I did for the first drone from Banggood. FWIW they've stalled on a refund for 2.5 weeks and got fed up and disputed charges with my bank and PayPal this morning.

So the Mini came this afternoon and I'm charging batteries and prepping for initiation and hopefully first flight tomorrow, weather permitting. I have no idea what to expect when I fire up the drone and the app for the first time. Do you recommend that I do the initial power-up at home, inside?

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

That was really my mindset but I thought I wanted something more "substantial". Hence my first shot was to order the EX4 from Banggood. It came defective and it's been a 2.5 week ordeal to get it returned/refunded. I even started a dispute with PayPal last week but still hanging. Today I called my bank because the charge was on my bank card through PayPal. They seemed more helpful in getting this straightened out. I digress...

That's what I did for the first drone from Banggood. FWIW they've stalled on a refund for 2.5 weeks and got fed up and disputed charges with my bank and PayPal this morning.

So the Mini came this afternoon and I'm charging batteries and prepping for initiation and hopefully first flight tomorrow, weather permitting. I have no idea what to expect when I fire up the drone and the app for the first time. Do you recommend that I do the initial power-up at home, inside?

Outside, so it can lock onto the gps satellites.

If it asks you for a compass and/or imu calibration do that before you fly to.

Double check under the safety menu, then under advanced, that you have it set to RTH if you lose signal.
Also under safety, set your RTH altitude higher than trees, hills etc around you so it doesn't fly into one.

 

[Dbez1]

Outside, so it can lock onto the gps satellites.

If it asks you for a compass and/or imu calibration do that before you fly to.

Double check under the safety menu, then under advanced, that you have it set to RTH if you lose signal.
Also under safety, set your RTH altitude higher than trees, hills etc around you so it doesn't fly into one.

+1. Additionally, there was an excellent thread a couple weeks ago on the MM gate where experienced pilots gave advice to a newbie. If you can find it, it’s pretty much everything you should know to make your first flights successful and without incident. Best wishes!

 

[vindibona1]

Outside, so it can lock onto the gps satellites.

If it asks you for a compass and/or imu calibration do that before you fly to.

Double check under the safety menu, then under advanced, that you have it set to RTH if you lose signal.
Also under safety, set your RTH altitude higher than trees, hills etc around you so it doesn't fly into one.

Thanks. Batteries and controller were charged last night. Got it out for first setup. What I didn't expect was to have to pair the controller, but the app walked me through that. I did have to calibrate the compass. Done. Firmware update done. I wanted to change the preferences but it wouldn't let me get that far.

When I went to set up my preferences I got a "chip overheat" message, so at this moment it everthing is off and I'm topping off battery 1 and letting the chip cool down. SHOULD I BE CONCERNED? I am hoping that the firmware update got it worked up and there aren't any issues as I hope to get it out this afternoon for my first fly-around. I don't anticipate going out more than a few hundred feet in an open area just to get the feel under my fingers. I do have a small bit of experience with my other drone (that had control difficulties (other than new-pilot-syndrome ) that I tried flying for two days, so know what the left and right sticks are supposed to do. The DJI sticks are stiffer than on the Eachine X4, but I suspect the MM would to be more responsive.

One comparative question I have is that with the Eachine X4, the controller connects to the phone via wifi where the MM connects with a hardwire connector. I'm wondering how they differ in process getting information to and from the respective drones? I would have to think that the there would be less lagged response with the DJI controller, no? I'm curious how the signal chain works.

 

[old man mavic]

the RC and screen device are connected via the lead but the RC and AC are connected via WIFI, the screen device is just a means of giving a visual output of what the camera on the drone can see ,and also a means of setting parameters into the controller using it as a touch screen

 

[Fred Whitman]

I just bought a MM a few months ago and I love it. That being said, I am now looking into a MA2 or waiting for the M3. The MM takes great video and great photos for this beginner. I do get lost signal, aircraft interference and high wind warnings a lot which scares me. I don't like being worried about losing my drone the entire flight. Kind of takes the fun out of it. I will continue to take it on vacations to places I will not fly too far from the controller and in non windy conditions.

 

[vindibona1]

I just bought a MM a few months ago and I love it. That being said, I am now looking into a MA2 or waiting for the M3. The MM takes great video and great photos for this beginner. I do get lost signal, aircraft interference and high wind warnings a lot which scares me. I don't like being worried about losing my drone the entire flight. Kind of takes the fun out of it. I will continue to take it on vacations to places I will not fly too far from the controller and in non windy conditions.

I'm sure I'll have many of the same experiences. Once I get my feet wet and have enough confidence to fly it out beyond it being a mere speck in the sky I may want to get one of those range extenders. One of the things that none of the videos I watched covered one major advantage of the MA2 or even the MA, and that is the power of the motors to battle higher wind levels. So, while the MM seems to have adequate range from a connection standpoint, it appears that you have to be much more careful about taking longer flights out into the wind so any return trip will have a tail wind just in case.

 

[Alex 007]

Thank you guys. I think you've provided confidence at this moment with my MM purchase. It's due to be here on Thursday. Nominally with the Costco deal it was only a little more than $100 more with 2 batteries and the base. I can't see myself flying for more than 40 minutes right now, so $369 was the right price. Of course I'll order some DJI props that don't come with the bundle and have already received a case for the MM, though I'll throw that in a backpack with my landing pad and other stuff.

One other thing that I have on order that I thought could be helpful is a lens/gimbal hood.
Lens hood for MM
As a photographer I know how they minimize lens flare, but also it seems that if the drone takes a crash in foward motion it might help protect the gimbal. Any thoughts about tha?

I as also considering getting a lens hood to reduce flare but I watched a video review that showed quite clearly that the Mini's one is not very effective for this. Probably not quite long enough like a normal camera's lens hood. However I do agree that it might help protect the gimbal if you crash.

 

[vindibona1]

I as also considering getting a lens hood to reduce flare but I watched a video review that showed quite clearly that the Mini's one is not very effective for this. Probably not quite long enough like a normal camera's lens hood. However I do agree that it might help protect the gimbal if you crash.

Now that I have the drone in hand, I would have to say that it does look like the hood would protect the gimbal to an extent in a forward crash, at least to the extent that the hood would take some of the impact. In a way it looks like a black version of the gimbal protector with the front cut out. You have to remember that the camera has a wide angle lens, and if you look at any very wide angle lens on any SLR you will note that the lens hood is not very deep. I would photograph my Canon 17-40mm lens if it weren't packed away so well.