Spark as a complement/travel drone

[Chrislaf]

Here's the upgraded version, with special slots for the 3 bay charger and props for a mere $22.55

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B073M2KH1B/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have the P3S and a Spark... I'd personally give up the phantom way faster than my spark. It's simply a hoot to fly, especially in sport mode. To me, the camera isn't too shabby, considering the overall package, features, abilities, etc. Mainly, the spark is wayyyyy faster to get in the air than the P3S as well, easily 3x so. Shoulda went with the fly more pack bud!!! I did for $641 off amazon, then ordered 2 more batteries, a parabolic reflector, gimbal guard for storage and the case (linked to) above. Couldn't be happier, even with the $$$ i had to lay out.

I have a wheeled hard case for my P3S which allows me to keep my props on so getting it in the air is just a matter of waiting for the WiFi link between controller and AC. I don’t have a Spark yet but since it uses WiFi too, I would imagine the time to launch would be about the same. The only difference being that with the P3S I’d have to find a suitable launch site whereas with Spark I could launch from my hand.

 

[sdharris]

I use the Spark to complement a P3P and a Mavic Pro and for travel. I travelled last week to Mallorca and having previously travelled with the P3P to the same location I would say the Spark is far easier to transport. I have also travelled with the Mavic Pro to the US and Germany and in terms of portability and travel the Spark is marginally better, but not by much compared with the Mavic.

Where the Spark excels is on setup and launch. No need to use a landing pad, nor worry about switching from gesture mode to normal flight its pretty straightforward i.e. 1) take our RC and switch on 2) connect phone using OTG or WiFi 3) take out Spark 4) face toward you and power up 5) once DJI GO says its safe to fly do the two tap on the power button on the Spark and hand launch 6) once in hover use the RC to back it off and switch from gesture mode to normal flight using the option in DJI GO.

To land I either land with the RC on my out stretched hand or I switch to gesture mode on DJI GO, beckon it and then put my palm under it to land.

The only downside is the lack of RAW images is a pain and when you compare the output between the Spark and a Mavic or the Phantom you'll notice the quality is poor in comparison and you'll notice the gimbal and camera control is poor e.g. a Mavic Pro performing the quickshots is far better than the Spark, the Spark helix is pretty useless at times ;-)

Overall though, for the money the Spark is superb and yes, get the fly more package.

 

[Chrislaf]

I use the Spark to complement a P3P and a Mavic Pro and for travel. I travelled last week to Mallorca and having previously travelled with the P3P to the same location I would say the Spark is far easier to transport. I have also travelled with the Mavic Pro to the US and Germany and in terms of portability and travel the Spark is marginally better, but not by much compared with the Mavic.

Where the Spark excels is on setup and launch. No need to use a landing pad, nor worry about switching from gesture mode to normal flight its pretty straightforward i.e. 1) take our RC and switch on 2) connect phone using OTG or WiFi 3) take out Spark 4) face toward you and power up 5) once DJI GO says its safe to fly do the two tap on the power button on the Spark and hand launch 6) once in hover use the RC to back it off and switch from gesture mode to normal flight using the option in DJI GO.

To land I either land with the RC on my out stretched hand or I switch to gesture mode on DJI GO, beckon it and then put my palm under it to land.

The only downside is the lack of RAW images is a pain and when you compare the output between the Spark and a Mavic or the Phantom you'll notice the quality is poor in comparison and you'll notice the gimbal and camera control is poor e.g. a Mavic Pro performing the quickshots is far better than the Spark, the Spark helix is pretty useless at times ;-)

Overall though, for the money the Spark is superb and yes, get the fly more package.

Thanks for the great info about the Spark, I appreciate it. From all the responses and what I have been reading the Flymore package is the best route.

Didn’t realize there was no RAW support. I always shoot my P3S in RAW unless I’m doing a timelpse. I have read that Spark image quality is on par with the P3S. I mostly shoot photos and very little video.

Regardless, the Spark seems like a better fit for me than the Mavic at this time. I don’t fly beyond LOS and putting a >$1000CAN drone in the air would be a costly wallup if I lost it or crashed it. I have been flying my P3S since March and feel I still have lots to learn before I get a much more expensive drone. The Spark is similar on features and cost to my P3S.

 

[Texas Gonzo]

Yall need to get some insurance! Its a great deal imho to cover $750 in value for only $30/year through State Farm (only ones offering fly-away/whatever coverage i can find). I insured both my Spark and P3S for $750 each... best $60 I've spent this year by far. Its basically a personal items policy, just like one would have for a regular camera or whatever. Sure makes for way less adrenaline when "connection lost" pops up on the screen!

 

[Chrislaf]

Yall need to get some insurance! Its a great deal imho to cover $750 in value for only $30/year through State Farm (only ones offering fly-away/whatever coverage i can find). I insured both my Spark and P3S for $750 each... best $60 I've spent this year by far. Its basically a personal items policy, just like one would have for a regular camera or whatever. Sure makes for way less adrenaline when "connection lost" pops up on the screen!

That kind of insurance is not available here (Canada).

 

[sdharris]

Thanks for the great info about the Spark, I appreciate it. From all the responses and what I have been reading the Flymore package is the best route.

Didn’t realize there was no RAW support. I always shoot my P3S in RAW unless I’m doing a timelpse. I have read that Spark image quality is on par with the P3S. I mostly shoot photos and very little video.

Regardless, the Spark seems like a better fit for me than the Mavic at this time. I don’t fly beyond LOS and putting a >$1000CAN drone in the air would be a costly wallup if I lost it or crashed it. I have been flying my P3S since March and feel I still have lots to learn before I get a much more expensive drone. The Spark is similar on features and cost to my P3S.

If you shoot more still images I would look over example images as I would say your P3S is better than the Spark in terms of picture quality. I miss the RAW support, you can shoot 3 frame AEB to get a bit extra data to recover mistakes but its not the same as a good RAW file.

 

[Texas Gonzo]

Ya, unfortunately, its difficult to tell where a particular user is from without going into their profile. Perhaps they'll add country/region flags/gifs below our avatars on posts someday, as most forums I frequent do. At minimum, a text display of the poster's country would be great. Hopefully, my username is obvious enough for most of yall (not to mention my use of "yall" a lot) to figure out I'm in Texas.

No personal item coverage in Canada eh? I guess having true universal health care is better than being able to insure a fancy flying camera. In the good ol joo-esss, most of us here can't afford to insure our health... not at $750+ just for catastrophic events with limited payouts.

Anyway, time to wrangle this poor thread back to topic, lols!

 

[sassafras]

2 bucks cheaper, a shoulder strap, and a cutout for the charger? Good deal! Time to launch speed for the Spark is amazing. I am a total newb but can still get it in the air in under two minutes.

I originally placed my order with DJI directly, after two weeks of the runaround I cancelled and ordered through Amazon. Plus, if you are a Prime member and have a Prime CC they kick back 5% to you.

 

[Chrislaf]

Well, I placed an order for a white Spark fly more combo from Amazon.ca to complement my Phantom 3 Standard. They were out of stock but I got the Black Friday price. Was going to wait for Boxing day but I don’t think the price will go down any more from the BF prices. Looking forward to it.

 

[Al007]

In Canada also and jumped on the fly more. It’s great.

 

[Chrislaf]

In Canada also and jumped on the fly more. It’s great.

Congrats! What colour did you get?

 

[Al007]

Congrats! What colour did you get?

I got the white.... coming off a lost Yuneec Breeze... quite the quality difference.

 

[Chrislaf]

Cancelled my order for the flymore package and just ordered the drone only. With it being Christmas time and other gifts to buy (kids and wife) at over CAN$800 with taxes that is a large chunk to spend at this time even though it is on sale.

I plan on buying the controller on boxing day and the new Portable Power Pack which includes 2 batteries. This will be a better solution for me as we are often camping in places with no electricity and being able to charge the spark with battery plus 2 more and my iphone all from the power pack is the perfect solution. In addition, the power pack has everything in one unit instead of a bunch of pieces and I will use all of the items whereas in the combo package the prop guards and case I would not use. The whole purpose of me getting a Spark is to have a small compact camera system to use when it is not practical to use my P3S.

If DJI would not have come out with the power pack l likely would have stayed with the combo package.

 

[antnyp85]

I just purchased a blue Spark (fly more package) as a 2nd drone this past weekend. Trying to make sure I don't regret it lol. I really like it so far, but it was an impulsive decision cuz I was having a bad week. Anyway, I have a Phantom 4 (Black Best Buy edition) which I just had to send out to DJI due to it being bricked after their lovely firmware update. Hopefully I get it back, covered under warranty, and it works fine with no issues. I love being able to film in 4K with it and RAW photos. But I'm decently happy with the pictures I've been able to take so far with the Spark. I love how much more portable it is, and I'll most likely use it MORE because of that.. Carrying the P4 has to be planned because of how big it is. Plus, any trips I go on, I'll be taking the Spark due to its size.

 

[Chrislaf]

I just purchased a blue Spark (fly more package) as a 2nd drone this past weekend. Trying to make sure I don't regret it lol. I really like it so far, but it was an impulsive decision cuz I was having a bad week. Anyway, I have a Phantom 4 (Black Best Buy edition) which I just had to send out to DJI due to it being bricked after their lovely firmware update. Hopefully I get it back, covered under warranty, and it works fine with no issues. I love being able to film in 4K with it and RAW photos. But I'm decently happy with the pictures I've been able to take so far with the Spark. I love how much more portable it is, and I'll most likely use it MORE because of that.. Carrying the P4 has to be planned because of how big it is. Plus, any trips I go on, I'll be taking the Spark due to its size.

Hope you have a better week this week. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’m going to hike along a river in a nearby wetland area. We have just got a fresh blanket of snow so it should make for some nice pictures. I know what you mean by having to plan to carry a phantom. I usually have my P3S in its wheeled case with props on so I had to transfer my AC to my backpack and remove the props. I have a Capture clip to attach my DSLR to the backpack. With a Spark It will be so much easier and much less to carry. Looking forward to it.

Enjoy your new spark.