Buying a Drone

Hi Michelle

I looked into it for a very long time and went with the DJI Mavic Air.

It does everything that the bigger drones will do, but with a price tag of $1000 cheaper than the Phantoms.

It is ultra small and compact and does not take up half the car like the bigger drones and I carry everything in a very small backpack. I went for the Fly more Combo, 2 extra batteries, charging hub and great bag.

Depending on what reviews you read, many of the drone nerds in the USA say that the Air is one of the best valued drones on the market. One review said he sold off his Phantoms and went solely with the Air.

Yes it does not have over four kilometre range, but here in Australia that is not an issue, as by law you must have the drone in sight at all times.

The Air is very stable in strong winds, the GPS system is unreal, as most times it will land within 20cm of its launch site after 20 minutes in the air.

You will get many varied reports, with each person going for something different to suit their own needs.

If on the other hand you want to go professional with it and have a drone licence, then you can expect to pay over $10,000


As I said, I love my Air and it will do everything that the bigger drones do, but at a far cheaper price.


Now to see what others have to say. It will also be interesting to hear from the experts that will give all the advise, but actually do not own a drone.


Cheers


Stephen

It's a minefield Michelle, as you say there are MANY new models now.
DJI are the #1 drone maker in the World for a reason.
There are other brands like GoPro, Parrot, Yuneec that all have pretty good consumer drones, but DJI seems to be at the top of the pack.

I really stopped following them all a while ago, and since then (Mavic Pro / Mavic Pro Platinum, Spark era) DJI have brought out a lot more.

Some of the new ones have sensors at the sides and rear, used to be just front and lower sensors, which can save a nasty collision (but not in all cases), but there are pros and cons to that too.
Eg. If flying into the sun, my front sensors can pick that up as an obstacle, and stop, want to go around it, so I'm not sure if side and rear could cause issues there.
I would have to adjust return flight to avoid sun straight on, or fly 'crab' style back.

Now, my suggestion is get a Spark.
Having flown a borrowed one the other day for the first time (Rupanyup), I found it to be great, not as much range as a Mavic, but then you are supposed to keep VLOS (visual line of sight) of your drone by CASA rules anyway.

It's still about 400m to 500m *safe, in most cases*, but you should always fly safely with RTH (return to home) settings to ensure it has safe height / passage to return if signal lost, or in some cases best to set to hover if wifi signal is lost to controller, that way you can move closer and get control back.

The Spark takes excellent 1080 videos, and I think it's 12mp photos, and I have been aware that they are supposed to produce better images / video straight out of the machine, with no editing.

It has track functions, and most of the special flight modes that the more costly DJI drones have.

I would look for the best value flymore combo, 3 batteries and charger station, bag and some other stuff, and start with this.
They are getting very cheap now all the new model Mavic Air, Zoom, etc are out, and fantastic to learn on.

You need to gain experience in the right order, first fly and get back, every time, all the flight functions so you understand this and don't lose it.
Then start taking pics, video.
Finally editing clips and putting little productions together is a whole new learning curve.

My Mavic Pro (with Platinum model props) is surprisingly quieter than the Spark, and the Mavic Pro / Mavic Pro Platinum models are a good step up from a Spark, and quite well priced now too in the flymore combo.
Same to fly, but slightly larger / more stable in wind, faster, more range and safer connectivity between controller and drone at distance.

Phantoms are good, but large to transport.
I've flown a P4 and basically the same to control etc.

Good luck, it's a great hobby that goes so well with 4WDn, bushwalking etc.

Michelle - Before you contemplate buying and using a drone, there is one important website you must study - the CASA webpage, which contains all the relevant drone usage regulations and restrictions.

Note that there are different regulations for drones under 2kg, and for those over 2kgs, and differing regulations whether you are flying just for personal fun, or whether your drone flying is regarded as "commercial", and earns you income.

CASA - Flying drones in Australia

Cheers, Ron.

Hi Michelle,

I have a Mavic Pro.

If I were you I'd wait until the next new model comes out - it's about due.

I'm happy with the choice I made though.
It has a 3 axis gimbal.
4K video resolution

I went for the pack with the extra batteries.
You can charge on the run with the supplied DC car adapter.

As Massie can't read the instructions, when I am alone with her I utilise the auto flying features, such as Active Track.

Check out this video I took the other week:

Video driving across Nullabor utilising Active Track technology

I am able to integrate into other drone software packages such as Dronedeploy - this software can take control of the drone and use it to take create Orthomosaics.

You can purchase different filters that snap on the camera - such as Neutral Density filters.

You can fly the drone without the supplied remote - using the wifi on your mobile phone.

Here's a picture of a rockhole on the Nullabor:



Enjoy the selection process

Cheers
Alan

Before you buy a drone please read Drone rules because I have not seen one person yet adhere to them. They can be limiting and may rule out some of your intended uses.
Been following these guys page for a few years. May be helpful.
Mavik
Phantom

I have the phantom 4 and love it only complaint is its a bit big compared to the mavics. It has a great camera and you use your phone or tablet etc on the controller as the screen. Battery life is about half an hour so that's alright. I had it over the ocean a couple of months ago 1500m away no issues at all. I feel its a bit more sturdy in heavy winds than the mavics but not to sure on that

Hello

Without knowing your budget or intended use but having a guess (including the fact that you stated "DJI Mavic" which excludes DJI Spark, Phantom and other models ...as they are not "Mavic" series..)

Four "current" Mavic models to choose from - as you probably know..
Mavic 2 Pro
Mavic 2 Zoom
Mavi Pro Platinum
Mavic Air
+ Recent discontinued model is Mavic Pro (available second hand easy enough)

I have Mavic Pro and Mavic Air. In a recent thread I stated I would go the Air if I was somehow required to limit myself to one (which I probably should have - comment based on work requirements only) ...but here and now would suggest you look at getting a Mavic 2 Zoom.

If you have a limited budget or would like to save a few hundred dollars look at second hand Mavic Pro or Platinum - these may even be a better choice as a tad smaller/lighter than Pro 2 series.

Pros have nearly twice the flight time of Air and better range so probably a bit better when out and about. I dont think other specs are of significance to average person. I think they all do the active track thing.

Also take into account the fact you will need extra batteries (standard pack only has one) and would recommend a car charger as well. You get extra batteries (and other things) with the "fly more combo" packs...car charger may or may not be inlcuded depending on model.

I use Ipad mini attached to the controller when flying...another cost consideration. You can use a phone (screen a bit small) or a bigger tablet/ipad (requires adapter)...but if you dont have something suitable - more cost.

Lots of YouTube comparisons have a look at their comments/reasonings.

Cheers
Greg

Many thanks to all for your feedback - most helpful. I'll come back if I have further queries but you've helped steer me.

I think you'll be happy with any of the DJI products, it just depends on what you want to do with it. The Spark is at the cheaper end of the range and doesnt have a lot of the bells and whistles but it still packs a lot of punch.

Heres a short video of a recent trip to the Kennedy Ranges. I'm still working on smooth panning, but very happy with the results and its all I need at the moment.

I had a Phantom 4 and it was awesome, I even used it to drop some baits in the ocean to get behind the big waves :) But after a while the size of the drone started to become a problem and sometimes I had to leave it at home. I now use a Mavic Air and can't fault it. Easy to fly and compact enough to put into your back pack when you go on a hike. Only thing I can say is know the rules and have fun with it.

Bought the Magic Air Fly More Combo today. Thanks for all your help.

Ok so here is our first panorama photo taken at 120m from our local park using the Mavic Air. The finished image was created in photoshop by combining each of the images taken by the drone in the 180 degree panorama mode to achieve a smoother result - the DJI editting software will do it too, but it doesn't stitch perfectly. We haven't been game enough yet to move beyond the park - and this was our highest flight yet (first time at the max. height allowed).

Photoshop credit to our 18yr old son: Leon's Photography Facebook Page, Leon's Photography Website