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Spark destroyed. Get another one or a Mavic Mini?

cameraz

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Aug 4, 2018
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19
My beloved Spark decided to disobey me tonight, took off on its own and promptly crashed into the side of a building. When I launched it, there was no GPS signal. But I have flown in this spot before, and once in the air for a few minutes the GPS signals lock on. I was only about 100 feet up, and 150 feet away from me, when I got a message that I was now in Atti mode. I just needed a quick video clip of the name on the building, so I proceeded as normal. The next thing I know, I get a message saying Signal Lost and I hear a loud crunch, but I can't say for certain in which order those occurred. I just know that I no longer had a picture on my screen.

To make a long story short, I walked over to the building and there was my Spark on the ground, gimbal hanging by one wire, two front propellers gone, battery gone, and collision-avoidance sensors smashed. I'm going to take partial blame for this because I inadvertently had the remote in Sport mode, which turns off collision avoidance.

Not one to cry over spilled milk, I'm trying to decide what to do next: Buy a new Spark (I still have my remote and several batteries for it), or buy a Mavic Mini instead. While I prefer the controls of the Spark, I like the better camera gimbal and longer flying time of the Mini. I would not buy a used Spark because there is no guarantee what condition it is in. And people who are selling the new ones are asking more than the original price.

What would you do?
 
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Sorry for your loss. I've forgotten and been in sports mode filming in the city, but my quick reflexes saved me, lol.
 
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Sorry to hear of your Sparks demise cameraz. With so many people going to the MA2 there has been plenty of used Sparks in the classified ads. You might consider going for a pre owned Spark.
 
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Sorry to hear of your Sparks demise cameraz. With so many people going to the MA2 there has been plenty of used Sparks in the classified ads. You might consider going for a pre owned Spark.

Thanks, Joe. No, I don't want to get a used Spark because you don't know what condition they're actually in. They might work fine for a month, and then fail.

I'm thinking about getting a Mavic Mini, but the one thing that worries me about it is the feature I inadvertently had turned off on my Spark -- Collision Avoidance! The Mini lacks this feature. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that it is just as important to keep your eye on your drone as well as what is on your screen. But these tiny drones have a bad habit of disappearing in bright sunlight. Maybe I should paint my next one dayglow orange!
 
Thanks, Joe. No, I don't want to get a used Spark because you don't know what condition they're actually in. They might work fine for a month, and then fail.

I'm thinking about getting a Mavic Mini, but the one thing that worries me about it is the feature I inadvertently had turned off on my Spark -- Collision Avoidance! The Mini lacks this feature. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that it is just as important to keep your eye on your drone as well as what is on your screen. But these tiny drones have a bad habit of disappearing in bright sunlight. Maybe I should paint my next one dayglow orange!


I did a quick search on the net and I don't think you'll find any new Sparks.

Even the refurbished Sparks are out of stock on DJI's site.
 
I did a quick search on the net and I don't think you'll find any new Sparks.

Even the refurbished Sparks are out of stock on DJI's site.

Yeah, I'm checking out the reviews of the Mini on YouTube. Seems pretty good. And I can get one tax-free from B&H Photo.
 
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sorry for the loss of your Spark. There may be a solution if you are good with your hands, you can find broken parts at Ali and fix it. Economical solution and you keep your toy. ?
 
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sorry for the loss of your Spark. There may be a solution if you are good with your hands, you can find broken parts at Ali and fix it. Economical solution and you keep your toy. ?

Thanks. I wasn't able to find all the parts, but even if I did I don't think I could totally fix it. All the wires from the gimbal were detached, and the front collision sensors were smashed up pretty good. The body of the drone, however, stood up very well to the 100-foot drop. I bet a Mini would have been smashed to smithereens!

Since my remote control and two batteries are in perfect condition, I will sell them ... and probably throw in the drone body and parts as well.
 
Sorry about your Spark. If I was in your shoes, I would probably buy the Mini. Since the SDK has been released there are now some third party apps like Litchi and Dronelink that give the Mini more functionality so it can do more of the things the Spark can do. Also, Spark batteries are getting more difficult to find and there are no third party solutions available.

Chris
 
I have the spark and the mini and I love flying them both the same but the mini is more compact, nice being able to fit in my pocket and go but I still brink out the spark cause its so enjoyable to fly, not sure where your located but I might be interested in your sparks gear at a good price RIP sparky
 
My beloved Spark decided to disobey me tonight, took off on its own and promptly crashed into the side of a building. When I launched it, there was no GPS signal. But I have flown in this spot before, and once in the air for a few minutes the GPS signals lock on. I was only about 100 feet up, and 150 feet away from me, when I got a message that I was now in Atti mode. I just needed a quick video clip of the name on the building, so I proceeded as normal. The next thing I know, I get a message saying Signal Lost and I hear a loud crunch, but I can't say for certain in which order those occurred. I just know that I no longer had a picture on my screen.

To make a long story short, I walked over to the building and there was my Spark on the ground, gimbal hanging by one wire, two front propellers gone, battery gone, and collision-avoidance sensors smashed. I'm going to take partial blame for this because I inadvertently had the remote in Sport mode, which turns off collision avoidance.

Not one to cry over spilled milk, I'm trying to decide what to do next: Buy a new Spark (I still have my remote and several batteries for it), or buy a Mavic Mini instead. While I prefer the controls of the Spark, I like the better camera gimbal and longer flying time of the Mini. I would not buy a used Spark because there is no guarantee what condition it is in. And people who are selling the new ones are asking more than the original price.

What would you do?
I still will buy a Spark. Its a wonderful flying marvel ,smooth as silk
 
I have the spark and the mini and I love flying them both the same but the mini is more compact, nice being able to fit in my pocket and go but I still brink out the spark cause its so enjoyable to fly, not sure where your located but I might be interested in your sparks gear at a good price RIP sparky

I doubt if you live near me since this is a worldwide forum. I live in Massachusetts, USA. I would only sell locally, so the buyer could inspect the parts before he buys. I would not ship.

Thanks.
 
Great response from all your buddies on this brilliant Forum. Although I have been around here for quite a while I am not the most experienced pilot but from what I have read the MA2 is an awesome craft that exceeds considerably Spark’s capabilities and seems to be a rock solid piece of equipment. For me, and I don’t know your age, the Mini would be too small for LOS for me, I would lose it in the sky after a few seconds. Good luck with your choice and so sorry your Spark is no more.
 
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Personally I wouldn't go for a Mini. I really love the Spark's automated 46-image sphere panoramas, which I stitch together on my PC. I can then take slices to get the views I want to keep and share. You can't take panos with the Mini, other than manually which would be a pain (unless Litchi does it). So, for the photography I'd stick with a Spark or go for an Air 2.
 
Personally I wouldn't go for a Mini. I really love the Spark's automated 46-image sphere panoramas, which I stitch together on my PC. I can then take slices to get the views I want to keep and share. You can't take panos with the Mini, other than manually which would be a pain (unless Litchi does it). So, for the photography I'd stick with a Spark or go for an Air 2.
I too love the pano functions on the Spark. With the release of the Mini SDK, both Dronelink and Litchi support the Mini and both have 360 panosphere function.

Before the release of the SDK, I would not have considered the Mini as a replacement for the Spark, but now I would consider it.

Like the Spark, the mini is small and light and easy and fast to get up in the air and can be taken anywhere. Also at half the cost of the MA2, losing or damaging it would not feel as bad as losing a drone that is much more expensive. For this reason, I would likely use it more. For example, I went canoeing this past week and I was so glad I had my Spark - easy to hand launch and land in tight spaces. If I had the MA2 or a M2P, I would not have considered bringing them due to their size, weight and risks of losing such an expensive drone.

Chris
 
My beloved Spark decided to disobey me tonight, took off on its own and promptly crashed into the side of a building. When I launched it, there was no GPS signal. But I have flown in this spot before, and once in the air for a few minutes the GPS signals lock on. I was only about 100 feet up, and 150 feet away from me, when I got a message that I was now in Atti mode. I just needed a quick video clip of the name on the building, so I proceeded as normal. The next thing I know, I get a message saying Signal Lost and I hear a loud crunch, but I can't say for certain in which order those occurred. I just know that I no longer had a picture on my screen.

To make a long story short, I walked over to the building and there was my Spark on the ground, gimbal hanging by one wire, two front propellers gone, battery gone, and collision-avoidance sensors smashed. I'm going to take partial blame for this because I inadvertently had the remote in Sport mode, which turns off collision avoidance.

Not one to cry over spilled milk, I'm trying to decide what to do next: Buy a new Spark (I still have my remote and several batteries for it), or buy a Mavic Mini instead. While I prefer the controls of the Spark, I like the better camera gimbal and longer flying time of the Mini. I would not buy a used Spark because there is no guarantee what condition it is in. And people who are selling the new ones are asking more than the original price.

What would you do?
I have a Spark as a back up but a Mini is far superior in many ways.
 

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