Legit JUST bought Spark (9 Hours Flight Time)... my thoughts on Mavic Air

[Ophidia Snaketongue]

I went through the exact same thought process, OP. I could have saved up and got pretty much any drone I wished...ok, maybe not the Inspire, but the Spark is the best fit for my needs. It's my first drone, so I wanted something a little easier to fly (considering the wifi and OTG issues in the UK, I probably got this one wrong ), but two of my main wishes were for easy transport on aeroplanes since I fly a lot, and for a friendly-looking drone. I live in a pretty old-fashioned area full of Daily Mail readers and I knew that if I flew a Phantom I would get accused of delivering drugs to prisons, or spying on people. For the same reason, I went for the green model- more toy-like. A 3D gimbal would be nice, but I don't need 4k. I mostly upload videos to youtube and I really don't need that level of quality.

After some teething troubles with OTG etc, the Spark has most definitely delivered on everything I want. I'll happily admit to lusting after the Mavics and the Air, but I doubt they'd be as useful to me as my little Hoverbee is.

 

[MannyCAM2001]

IMO, the Spark is not just a “beginner’ drone. It’s a good drone period. I’ve been flying drones for many years and have several DJI drones including the MA. The Spark definitely has its place and will still be my “go to” drone when I need something very small and portable including all its accessories.

I don’t consider buying something else in the DJI line “upgrading” from the Spark either, its simply buying something else that better fits one’s needs. I bought the Spark after owning a Inspire, Phantom 4 and Mavic Pro. It wasn’t an upgrade or a down grade. It was buying a drone that fit a need i had.

The Spark is under-rated...

I like the way you think. Practicality. I feel the same. And it goes back to the ole’ cliche “What-ever-floats-your-boat”
How” is the key word. How am going to use it? How much will I be using it? And How much do I want to spend? I didn’t buy the spark as a beginner drone. I bought it because it fits my needs. It floats my boat. It had what I wanted in a drone.
If a Spark 2 were to come out and had more to offer, would I buy it based on my experiences with my current one? YES. I simply love this drone.

 

[rottie]

If the spark could fly for 30 minutes continuously for me it would be the perfect drone, wishful thinking.

 

[ulnar]

The only think I will upgrade from the spark is a secondary compass. The fly aways cases that my self suffered one time... Fortunately covered in warranty, well this and OTG support in android to not be stuck on 4.1.15.

 

[Boxer4K]

I love the Spark for what it is! It's a great little AP drone; not intimidating to public as other have mentioned. I use my iPad pro 10.5 OTG and the most current firmware, and I get great range and video as well. I also use it to introduce people to drones and teach them to fly. The farthest trip I've taken is just over a mile, with OTG. I fly it more than my Mavic PP, which is awesome as well.

 

[Daithi]

I love the spark. But CE mode .... What a joke, and an insult to DJIs customers. I bet they didn't even know about that when they were designing it.
I will never buy a drone that has a worse spec for Europe than the USA, again. In fact if I had known about it before I would never have bought the spark in the first place. It's also the reason the magic air does not even come into consideration for me for an upgrade.

 

[Ophidia Snaketongue]

Agreed. DJI really dropped the ball on their chosen wavelengths for wifi. I can only think it was some monumental error on their part. The fact that we, the customers, have had to correct their error by using non-warranty methods is insane. If they bring back OTG for the Spark, then I'll buy a mavic air, since they look cool. If they never do, they've lost a sale. I believe in hitting companies in the wallet.

 

[JJJJ]

I was between the Spark and the Air. My mission is to combine my passion of road biking with my passion for flight. I have loved flying since I was a boy. I have been working on avionics SW for 25 years. I ride my road bike 5k plus miles a year. So my plan is to take my drone with me on the bike and to do a little flying at the midpoint. An occasional picture or video of my days adventure would be great too.

My decision came down to size and cost. The Mavic Air FMC was $1000. The Spark FMC was $466. The most important requirement for me was size and portability. The air wins there too due to foldable arms. But the Spark meets this requirement (fits in a bike jersey pocket) and does not require the extra effort to unfold the arms.

In short the Mavic Air is better in all areas, but the Spark meets all of my needs. I am very fortunate to be able to afford either drone. In the end I could not justify paying twice as much for the Air. So I am the owner of a new Alpine White Spark.

If my focus was videography the Air would have easily won. My only worry about the Spark is the WiFi performance. The Air seems to be superior in that regard. That being said I am not going to push the range and I am in the US, so I think the Spark will be fine. Alos interference where I bike should be minimal.

 

[Lastrexking]

Agreed. DJI really dropped the ball on their chosen wavelengths for wifi. I can only think it was some monumental error on their part. The fact that we, the customers, have had to correct their error by using non-warranty methods is insane. If they bring back OTG for the Spark, then I'll buy a mavic air, since they look cool. If they never do, they've lost a sale. I believe in hitting companies in the wallet.

DJI don’t get to choose the WiFi wavelengths, so its not something they can avoid. They’re set by regulatory bodies in regional territories, then manufacturers have to make equipment that comply with the relevant laws otherwise they can’t legally sell them.

So, unless you get something that isn’t WiFi based like the Mavic Pro, you’re a bit stuck without circumventing the settings. That said, even the Mavic Pro has a more limited range in CE territories.

 

[Daithi]

DJI don’t get to choose the WiFi wavelengths, so its not something they can avoid. They’re set by regulatory bodies in regional territories, then manufacturers have to make equipment that comply with the relevant laws otherwise they can’t legally sell them.

So, unless you get something that isn’t WiFi based like the Mavic Pro, you’re a bit stuck without circumventing the settings. That said, even the Mavic Pro has a more limited range in CE territories.

They should have thought of something a bit better than what they did. CE range on the spark is pathetic.

 

[Lastrexking]

They should have thought of something a bit better than what they did. CE range on the spark is pathetic.

I’m CE and have had a 900 feet from my Spark. More than far enough for a drone that small. I do this for a living and don’t fly my Inspire as far as that. It’s just not necessary.

The technology is currently very limited for something as small as the Spark. Anything else is bigger and it consumes more power. So, you may as well get a Mavic.

 

[thecommodore]

Reading all of this is really not helping me with my decision lol. Still really torn between a Spark & MA. I've never owned a drone before but always wanted one I plan on taking it travelling with me and taking some videos & pictures to share with friends & family. But when i watch some of the spark videos on youtube they just seem kind of blurry, although the pictures come out great. I'm just not sure whether the extra £400-500 is worth the MA it has great flight times compared but I don't know how many better features it has.

 

[JoostGT3]

Reading all of this is really not helping me with my decision lol. Still really torn between a Spark & MA. I've never owned a drone before but always wanted one I plan on taking it travelling with me and taking some videos & pictures to share with friends & family. But when i watch some of the spark videos on youtube they just seem kind of blurry, although the pictures come out great. I'm just not sure whether the extra £400-500 is worth the MA it has great flight times compared but I don't know how many better features it has.

What kind of photographer are you? Do you take your holiday pictures with a phone or with an advanced camera like a system camera or even a DSLR?
Do you like post processing of your pictures?

If you are a casual photographer, then by all means go for the spark. It is a capable drone that turns out decent photos and videos, if you are used to phone quality pictures. If you like to post-process your images and are a bit of a pixel-peeper, always on the hunt for the sharpest picture.... then God have mercy on your soul... j/k, but in case of the latter, go for the best that you can afford.

 

[thecommodore]

What kind of photographer are you? Do you take your holiday pictures with a phone or with an advanced camera like a system camera or even a DSLR?
Do you like post processing of your pictures?

If you are a casual photographer, then by all means go for the spark. It is a capable drone that turns out decent photos and videos, if you are used to phone quality pictures. If you like to post-process your images and are a bit of a pixel-peeper, always on the hunt for the sharpest picture.... then God have mercy on your soul... j/k, but in case of the latter, go for the best that you can afford.

We'll most of my holiday pics are on a phone, I do take some on my go pro (underwater etc...) and record some videos that I stitch together. But i've never been a "photographer" per say. I've never used picture editing software to change anything about a photo unless it was an instagram picture lol. I'm thinking I'll just go for the mavic air i like the look and everything about it more, I'm just waiting for a decent price drop / deal, £949 for the FMC is a bit to pricey for me right now

 

[mimixtz]

I will never buy a drone that has a worse spec for Europe than the USA, again.

Is there anything like that on the market?
I don't mean RC aircrafts which has max. 300m (app. 1000 feet) range no matter where you fly / buy it.
As much as I know, all DJI drones (at least Spark, Mavic pro, Mavic Air, Phantom 4,... I'm not sure for Inspire) has less range in EU than in USA.
My colleague from work is struggling to force his P4 to FCC. It's tricky (until you don't know how) to force Spark to FCC, but it is much more tricky for Phantom.
To buy certain software, to downgrade firmware and then force FCC and then upgrade to latest firmware... Or something like that.

 

[JoostGT3]

We'll most of my holiday pics are on a phone, I do take some on my go pro (underwater etc...) and record some videos that I stitch together. But i've never been a "photographer" per say. I've never used picture editing software to change anything about a photo unless it was an instagram picture lol. I'm thinking I'll just go for the mavic air i like the look and everything about it more, I'm just waiting for a decent price drop / deal, £949 for the FMC is a bit to pricey for me right now

Haha I know how you feel. I am quite happy with my Mavic Pro, but find myself lusting over the Spark and the Air. I am quite a photo editor and pixelpeeper though, and shoot mainly landscapes, so the Spark really isnt for me, due to image quality, battery life and range limitations. I can see myself buying it just for fun though (but then I would want the mobile charger and the pack for it as well, so again €800,- or so :-( ). An alternative would be the Mavic Air, because it has better image quality, but the range limitation in CE is putting me off it, together with the fact that there is not such a near mobile charger station and that it is €1000,- ++ here in the Netherlands...

So all in all, I am watching reviews and unboxing videos every night, but so far I have been able to keep my money in my pocket, waiting for the Mavic Pro 2... but it takes a lot of effort!

 

[thecommodore]

Haha I know how you feel. I am quite happy with my Mavic Pro, but find myself lusting over the Spark and the Air. I am quite a photo editor and pixelpeeper though, and shoot mainly landscapes, so the Spark really isnt for me, due to image quality, battery life and range limitations. I can see myself buying it just for fun though (but then I would want the mobile charger and the pack for it as well, so again €800,- or so :-( ). An alternative would be the Mavic Air, because it has better image quality, but the range limitation in CE is putting me off it, together with the fact that there is not such a near mobile charger station and that it is €1000,- ++ here in the Netherlands...

So all in all, I am watching reviews and unboxing videos every night, but so far I have been able to keep my money in my pocket, waiting for the Mavic Pro 2... but it takes a lot of effort!

I know exactly how you feel all i keep doing is watching videos and its making me want one more and more but so far i've been able to resist just holding out for some sort of special offer here in the UK

 

[netfolks2000]

I'm so glad you all are having this discussion about how relevant the Spark still is. I've had the Phantom 3 Standard which I really found easy to use and very dependable. I wanted more range and portability so I got the Mavic Pro Platinum. Then I wanted even more portability and something to just throw up at a whim anywhere so I got a Tello. It's cute and fun but not so good outside and may not last long with those brushed motors. Now it looks like the Spark may be just the thing. It's easy to fly, not complicated, quick to launch, small and portable even if it doesn't fold. And now the price includes the controller. I'm on the verge. Anyone want to second the "notion motion"? My logic make sense? (I'm not a photographer. I just like to fly, take good photos.)

 

[Chilliez]

I love the spark. But CE mode .... What a joke, and an insult to DJIs customers. I bet they didn't even know about that when they were designing it.
I will never buy a drone that has a worse spec for Europe than the USA, again. In fact if I had known about it before I would never have bought the spark in the first place. It's also the reason the magic air does not even come into consideration for me for an upgrade.

Just use NLD and you have no issues...

 

[JoostGT3]

Just use NLD and you have no issues...

NLD?