Mavic Pro or Mavic Air

[Monica]

I know this is a Spark forum, but I'm thinking of buying a new drone. I love my Spark, buy the flight time and 2 axis gimble really have me wanting another drone. I'd live to get a Mavic Pro 2 but can't afford one right now.. so I'm looking at the Mavic Pro and the Air, which one would you guys purchase and why? Oh I'm also using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8 and my Galaxy 9+.

 

[SaigonDude]

I would buy a Mavic Air. I have several DJI drones, and find myself flying the Air more than the others. The Air has good range, and its obstacle avoidance is better than the Mavic Pro. It is also at a good price point. My Spark is having GPS problems, so it is grounded at moment. The Spark2 is due out soon.

 

[Andre Levite]

I love my Mavic Pro. It's nearly silent with the Pro Platinum blades and the signal connection with OcuSync is rock solid

Spark + MP1 = Awesome

 

[webvan]

Range and battery life are great on the MP but what nobody tells you is that the horizon tilts on yawing and turning (and no, calibration of the IMU and/or gimbal will not fix that) . Once you've noticed it...well it's most irritating if you're slightly OCD especially when you never had to deal with that on the Spark. I understand the Air does not have that problem.

 

[Monica]

I'm leaning towards the Pro, the Ocusync is definitely a huge plus. Is the manual focus easy to get used to? I'm not an expert on editing.

I love my Mavic Pro. It's nearly silent with the Pro Platinum blades and the signal connection with OcuSync is rock solid

Spark + MP1 = Awesome

 

[msinger]

Since you're happy with the Spark, I'd recommend the Mavic Air. The max flight time is 5 minutes longer than the Spark. While the Mavic Pro's flight time is 6 minutes longer than the Mavic Air, the build quality is not great and the gimbal is far more fragile.

 

[Andre Levite]

I'm leaning towards the Pro, the Ocusync is definitely a huge plus. Is the manual focus easy to get used to? I'm not an expert on editing.

Manual focus with MP becomes instinct so it's not been an issue. You can't easily fix out of focus video with editing tools so that's a good thing.

I had a Mavic Air for just a few weeks. It was too loud -- even after installing some "low-noise" props. I had to return it. Much happier with the Mavic Pro...

 

[webvan]

Yeah but again, look at MP videos on YT and make sure you're OK with that tilting horizon on yawing and turning !

 

[Andre Levite]

Range and battery life are great on the MP but what nobody tells you is that the horizon tilts on yawing and turning (and no, calibration of the IMU and/or gimbal will not fix that) . Once you've noticed it...well it's most irritating if you're slightly OCD especially when you never had to deal with that on the Spark. I understand the Air does not have that problem.

You never had to deal with ruined footage when "yawing and turning" a Spark?!? The Sparks video during yaw is awful. Even in Tripod mode with a delicate touch it's pretty lame.

The stuttered footage from lack of 3-axis gimbal is my least favorite "feature" -- it's the main reason I upgraded to Mavic Pro.

 

[Monica]

You never had to deal with ruined footage when "yawing and turning" a Spark?!? The Sparks video during yaw is awful. Even in Tripod mode with a delicate touch it's pretty lame.

The stuttered footage from lack of 3-axis gimbal is my least favorite "feature" -- it's the main reason I upgraded to Mavic Pro.

The pic was tilted while in flight, so yeah I get the yaw tilt from time to time.

 

[Monica]

I'll definitely check out some videos

Yeah but again, look at MP videos on YT and make sure you're OK with that tilting horizon on yawing and turning !

 

[SaigonDude]

Manual focus with MP becomes instinct so it's not been an issue. You can't easily fix out of focus video with editing tools so that's a good thing.

I had a Mavic Air for just a few weeks. It was too loud -- even after installing some "low-noise" props. I had to return it. Much happier with the Mavic Pro...

View attachment 9899

An extremely good point-the Air sounds like an angry hornet's nest. I am in SE Asia, and have never noticed

 

[webvan]

You never had to deal with ruined footage when "yawing and turning" a Spark?!? The Sparks video during yaw is awful. Even in Tripod mode with a delicate touch it's pretty lame.

The stuttered footage from lack of 3-axis gimbal is my least favorite "feature" -- it's the main reason I upgraded to Mavic Pro.

There can be some stuttering, yes, but I find it much less distracting than the tilted horizon of the MP, and it's only a problem for videos of course.

 

[SaigonDude]

You never had to deal with ruined footage when "yawing and turning" a Spark?!? The Sparks video during yaw is awful. Even in Tripod mode with a delicate touch it's pretty lame.

The stuttered footage from lack of 3-axis gimbal is my least favorite "feature" -- it's the main reason I upgraded to Mavic Pro.

Other than the 'fix in post' statement, the Air does a fine job, depending on its intended objective. Ruined footage? I disagree, everyone is on a learning curve, regardless of level. Had the OP mentioned whether she (?) is on holiday, working commercially, or monetizing YTube, but just wants a more robust drone, the question could be more easily answered. A well maintained MP is a great alternative, but it is much more cumbersome to carry.

I like the Tello also

Best....

 

[webvan]

I'll definitely check out some videos

You'll find many examples on YT videos . Even on those that don't call it out specifically. You really have to work (hard) around it.
Oh and don't try to take 3x3 panos with an MP as they will always be centered on the horizon, not where you start it from like on the Spark, again something no one tells you!
There's also a problem with Spheres that are completely washed out by default but that's fixable by underexposing by 3/4 stops with the ISO wheel.

 

[Andre Levite]

Other than the 'fix in post' statement, the Air does a fine job, depending on its intended objective. Ruined footage? I disagree, everyone is on a learning curve, regardless of level. Had the OP mentioned whether she (?) is on holiday, working commercially, or monetizing YTube, but just wants a more robust drone, the question could be more easily answered. A well maintained MP is a great alternative, but it is much more cumbersome to carry.

I like the Tello also

Best....

You misread my post. I was not referring to "ruined footage with a Mavic Air". I have a Spark. The footage during yaw is usually worthless due to stutter from limits of 2 axis gimbal.

 

[Monica]

Not a professional pilot... just a hobby for right now. I really want better quality images and video and of course as I mentioned already better flight time, as I tend to lean towards nature when I'm out flying, but I do plan to get in some city shots. I'm still learning and playing around with editing.

Other than the 'fix in post' statement, the Air does a fine job, depending on its intended objective. Ruined footage? I disagree, everyone is on a learning curve, regardless of level. Had the OP mentioned whether she (?) is on holiday, working commercially, or monetizing YTube, but just wants a more robust drone, the question could be more easily answered. A well maintained MP is a great alternative, but it is much more cumbersome to carry.

I like the Tello also

Best....

 

[SaigonDude]

You misread my post. I was not referring to "ruined footage with a Mavic Air". I have a Spark. The footage during yaw is usually worthless due to stutter from limits of 2 axis gimbal.

 

[lmel2005]

Buy a MP, as it's a more "pro" drone, well built, and with some unique features built-in and a rock solid communication system.

But if portability is your main priority, buy a MA.
Note that MP fits in Spark's case though.

 

[monty.roman]

I've kinda had all of these drones (still having Spark and Mavic Air).

Did an upgrade from Spark to Mavic Pro at the first place but decided to return it after few weeks because of very bad case of horizon tilt issue that ruined like half of my shots. Coincidentally somebody offered me Mavic Air at the same time so I gave it a try and stayed with it until now. 3 kilometers solid range and 15-16 minutes of real flight time is good enough for me and slightly better video output than Mavic Pro is a bonus.