Spark vs Mavic Air
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Wanderer
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In most cases the question should not be "what can it do" or "what do I want" but just "what do I really need".
As I heard the Air is out my first impulse was to get one. But then I thought twice and realized that I just don't NEED the features that the Air provides. They are fine, sure. But I don't need them. It's as simple.
If it is about the pure tech specs (as most males are interested in - faster! bigger! better!), I'd buy a Mavic Air. But then I realize that all I need and use is 1080p@30 video, a drone that is as small as possible and shooting some panoramas. I don't care about sensors (use to turn them off with the Spark). 4K video sounds cool on paper but my PC and editing software do not handle 4K material well, so editing 4K is no fun and takes lots of time.
The Spark does everything I want: editing 1080p@30 is ultra smooth on my PC so I am fine with it, the panorama features are great (I use to stitch them on the PC using PTGui). Plus it is hackable / moddable (FCC mode, firmware parameters, adjusting speed settings), gives me a range of 1000m+ and I can use a customized app (offline mode) to keep my privacy.
Spark is **** small - the drone itself plus three batteries plus several spare props all fit in the little foam box that came with it.
For me, the Spark is more than enough. The only thing that is annoying with the Spark is the poor auto exposure - but I doubt DJI changed this with the Air.
As I heard the Air is out my first impulse was to get one. But then I thought twice and realized that I just don't NEED the features that the Air provides. They are fine, sure. But I don't need them. It's as simple.
If it is about the pure tech specs (as most males are interested in - faster! bigger! better!), I'd buy a Mavic Air. But then I realize that all I need and use is 1080p@30 video, a drone that is as small as possible and shooting some panoramas. I don't care about sensors (use to turn them off with the Spark). 4K video sounds cool on paper but my PC and editing software do not handle 4K material well, so editing 4K is no fun and takes lots of time.
The Spark does everything I want: editing 1080p@30 is ultra smooth on my PC so I am fine with it, the panorama features are great (I use to stitch them on the PC using PTGui). Plus it is hackable / moddable (FCC mode, firmware parameters, adjusting speed settings), gives me a range of 1000m+ and I can use a customized app (offline mode) to keep my privacy.
Spark is **** small - the drone itself plus three batteries plus several spare props all fit in the little foam box that came with it.
For me, the Spark is more than enough. The only thing that is annoying with the Spark is the poor auto exposure - but I doubt DJI changed this with the Air.
I bought a Spark in Jan, then a Phantom 4 Pro. My spark is on eBay and I'm replacing with MavicAir. Reasons:
- Longer flight time
- 3-axis gimble and much wider movement range (if you're shooting video, this is huge)
- Better form factor when folded
- Better stability in wind
- Rear sensors - if shooting video, a LOT of shots are easier to achieve when you start at end-point and fly backwards.
- HDR Photo's
- 100mbps vs 24mbps
- 4K video - because it allows reframing when outputting 1080P
- Advanced Auto-pilot. doesn't just stop at obstacles, can fly round/over them
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KNAVE
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Yeah, DJI was very clear in the launch...wifi connected. Never mentioned OccuSync once.
Better antenna placement on the Air gets better signal and range.
Better antenna placement on the Air gets better signal and range.
I have both. I like my Air just a tad more than my Spark. One reason is size - being a little bigger, the Air is easier for me to visually keep track off. The Air’s video is a little better, just a little. When I go flying, I exhaust my Spark’s 4 batteries first and then fly the Air. I really like the RTH feature of both and both are easy to fly. I use an OTG cable and hard-wire the remotes to my iPad, so WiFi signal is the best possible. I always fly with a remote and never just my iPhone
Both give me great pleasure, but if I could only have one - it would be a hard choice, but guess i’d go with the Air
Both give me great pleasure, but if I could only have one - it would be a hard choice, but guess i’d go with the Air
MASERONE
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as I said a few lines above from the forum user I stay on the spark..ben said that even if air is in 4k then maybe your pc does not handle this and then what you have to do you have to manipulate from 4k to go in full hd .. better to film already in full hd without doing a thousand steps ... about the battery life of air as he said someone here says it lasts longer in reality are 4 minutes more .. and where do you think you go with only 4 minutes more? second me better to wait mavic 2 if one really wants to change ... naturally my opinion
I agree on the size thing. It's really easy to "lose" the spark in the air when you glance down at your screen
Most decent PC's will handle 4K. the big benefit of shooting 4K is that you can re-frame the image in post, if you are producing 1080. It's not a thousand steps:. it's a few clicks Premiere. Regarding battery life. I get about 12 mins out of my spark, most reports I've seen of Air are over 17 mins, so it's almost 50% more. There have been a number of times I've flown short of where I've wanted to because of the spark battery life
Alot of these "tempting" things are nice to have but when in actual real world use, doesn't equate to being worth it. In other words, how often will you use the gesture mode for instance?...that extra 5 minutes, yes can make or break it if you are used to let's say travel really far and now you can go 5 minutes farther...but reality is, once you hit that mark of doing what you need to do, will you say to yourself dang I wish I had 5 more minutes on the battery, whereby you will probably be switching the battery anyway once it goes low so that 5 minutes doesn't even come into play.
Obstacle avoidance? Yes, I have seen people go backwards and crash into something because they didn't see what was behind, ok, I can see how the additional sensors would be nice. Honestly, I don't see many people who really had issues keeping an eye on their drone. I think the best thing I have seen about the obstacle avoidance is a youtube video of a person hiking in the woods and the air would move around the branches, trees, etc. That was cool! Yes it did hit a couple things here and there but 95% of the time it worked! Now I have to think to myself, how often am I going to be in that situation?
My point is, new tech is always nice but sometimes it takes a couple years before it becomes a norm. It kinda reminds me of all my Samsung phones where it can do split screen, this and that, multiple windows, but I actually had to make a conscious effort to remember that I had all these features and I have only used it once or twice but I paid close to 600+ to have these features
For me the extra safety feature is important as I do have occasionally experience having my drone flying backwards too close for my comfort. If money is not a limiting factor, I will definitely go for the extra safety. Of course it does have other "wonderful" features in the Air package. Of course I do see your point too.Alot of these "tempting" things are nice to have but when in actual real world use, doesn't equate to being worth it. In other words, how often will you use the gesture mode for instance?...that extra 5 minutes, yes can make or break it if you are used to let's say travel really far and now you can go 5 minutes farther...but reality is, once you hit that mark of doing what you need to do, will you say to yourself dang I wish I had 5 more minutes on the battery, whereby you will probably be switching the battery anyway once it goes low so that 5 minutes doesn't even come into play.
Obstacle avoidance? Yes, I have seen people go backwards and crash into something because they didn't see what was behind, ok, I can see how the additional sensors would be nice. Honestly, I don't see many people who really had issues keeping an eye on their drone. I think the best thing I have seen about the obstacle avoidance is a youtube video of a person hiking in the woods and the air would move around the branches, trees, etc. That was cool! Yes it did hit a couple things here and there but 95% of the time it worked! Now I have to think to myself, how often am I going to be in that situation?
My point is, new tech is always nice but sometimes it takes a couple years before it becomes a norm. It kinda reminds me of all my Samsung phones where it can do split screen, this and that, multiple windows, but I actually had to make a conscious effort to remember that I had all these features and I have only used it once or twice but I paid close to 600+ to have these features
Sp@rkyPilot55
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I really don't understand all the negatives of the Air here by people who don't even have one. I have both. Just got my spark on 1/5. I had no idea at the time that a new drone was coming. While the Spark is great, the Mavic air runs circles around it. It is simply fantastic. No not perfect, nothing is but it is much, much better. The same people over here and other forums that have been wish listing for items on the Spark since day one now have an option for a drone that actually has those things...and more. My little red Spark is alreay getting dusty only had the Air for 4 days...Alot of these "tempting" things are nice to have but when in actual real world use, doesn't equate to being worth it. In other words, how often will you use the gesture mode for instance?...that extra 5 minutes, yes can make or break it if you are used to let's say travel really far and now you can go 5 minutes farther...but reality is, once you hit that mark of doing what you need to do, will you say to yourself dang I wish I had 5 more minutes on the battery, whereby you will probably be switching the battery anyway once it goes low so that 5 minutes doesn't even come into play.
Obstacle avoidance? Yes, I have seen people go backwards and crash into something because they didn't see what was behind, ok, I can see how the additional sensors would be nice. Honestly, I don't see many people who really had issues keeping an eye on their drone. I think the best thing I have seen about the obstacle avoidance is a youtube video of a person hiking in the woods and the air would move around the branches, trees, etc. That was cool! Yes it did hit a couple things here and there but 95% of the time it worked! Now I have to think to myself, how often am I going to be in that situation?
My point is, new tech is always nice but sometimes it takes a couple years before it becomes a norm. It kinda reminds me of all my Samsung phones where it can do split screen, this and that, multiple windows, but I actually had to make a conscious effort to remember that I had all these features and I have only used it once or twice but I paid close to 600+ to have these features
We must be brothers from a different mother. Bought mine on 1/3. Also had no idea a new one was coming out. Bought a P4P pro Obsidian two weeks later. Spark is on eBay, getting Mavic air to replace. Love the P4, but there are some times when you want something small and quick to get up in air. Mavic Air seems perfect for that.
People bought something (the Spark), they made a decision and they have in their mind a need to defend their decision, consciously or subconsciously. Its done on almost every forum almost every day.
Some of it is also in the form of, hey I have this, I like this, you should like this too. Other times its in the form of this new thing is soo overrated and a waste of money.
I don't have an Air. I don't know what my decision would be if it were out when I got my Spark for Christmas. Maybe I would have had my wife buy that one?
I honestly think my decision would be the same (getting the Spark), and its not b/c the Air isn't cool(er)
I have had toy drones and played with them a bit, they were fun, but frustrating. I liked the idea of getting a "real" drone, but never liked the price tags that were associated with the Phantoms et al. The Spark seemed to check all the boxes for what I wanted at a price tag that was more than I wanted to spend (with the remote etc), but borderline reasonable on sale.
Having said that, the Air seems like a Spark 2.0 or the Spark upgrade everyone wanted. Which is cool and for me, maybe I'll get the Air 2.0 if I use the Spark a lot.
Sp@rkyPilot55
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You are right, didn't really mean to slam any certain person. I am also still scratching my head regarding Dji's naming of the Mavic Air?? Marketing ploy I suppose. Time will tell.
I don't know how anyone can claim that the MA is way better / more reliable than a Spark considering it's only just been released. We won't know how well it performs until it's been out long enough and flown by enough people to see if there's a trend one way or another. Further, the MA also uses WiFi for control, so it's *not* (edit) too drastically different than the Spark.
To the original topic, I've just started flying more expensive drones myself and and really happy with the Spark. I wouldn't want to lose it, but would be much more unhappy if I lost an MA at the higher price point. Also, you didn't mention if he is already into flying / photography. If there's a chance he'll get it and decide it's not really his thing or maybe be intimidated by it, the Spark is probably still the better way to go.
I'd also put some thought into the "All in" price. The drone itself is one price, but once you add extra batteries and all the other gear we all end up buying, the MA will probably come out more expensive than an equivalent Spark setup. This is fine if you know he'll be into it, but more of a deterrent for him if he's intimidated by it or on the fence.
As someone else mentioned, maybe buy yourself the MA or even an MP and give him your Spark.
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It really boils down to how much money you want to spend. Both drones are great gifts. The Spark Fly More Combo is $550 (add $50 more for a third battery) and the Mavic Air Fly More is $1000 (it comes with 3 batteries).
To be clear, the Air is the better and more capable drone. Not that the Spark is bad. I loved my Spark, but the better battery life, range, rear sensors and 4K camera are all significant improvements over the Spark. If he really gets into the whole drone thing, the Air will have longer legs and he will have less reason to upgrade later.
If you are worried about him being intimidated because he's worried about crashing, consider getting him the DJI Care Refresh. Then he can fly knowing that as long as he can recover the drone, it's repair/replacement cost is minimal.
To be clear, the Air is the better and more capable drone. Not that the Spark is bad. I loved my Spark, but the better battery life, range, rear sensors and 4K camera are all significant improvements over the Spark. If he really gets into the whole drone thing, the Air will have longer legs and he will have less reason to upgrade later.
If you are worried about him being intimidated because he's worried about crashing, consider getting him the DJI Care Refresh. Then he can fly knowing that as long as he can recover the drone, it's repair/replacement cost is minimal.
Sparkbart
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I don't know why people keep saying the Mavic Air is the "better..." drone. That is completely subjective. I've got both and I'd say it all depends on what you want the drone for.
I've got an Mavic Pro is that better than the Spark or MA? I've also got an Inspire, is that better than a Phantom? Mavic Air? Mavic Pro? Spark? NO! It just serves a different purpose than the Spark does. People need to get over this MA is better than the Spark just because its newer or has more sensors or more intelligent flight modes. How many people actually use all of that? And when I say "use" I don't mean just checking it out once or twice, but find those features are something they use every time they fly?
THEY SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES!!!!!!
I've got an Mavic Pro is that better than the Spark or MA? I've also got an Inspire, is that better than a Phantom? Mavic Air? Mavic Pro? Spark? NO! It just serves a different purpose than the Spark does. People need to get over this MA is better than the Spark just because its newer or has more sensors or more intelligent flight modes. How many people actually use all of that? And when I say "use" I don't mean just checking it out once or twice, but find those features are something they use every time they fly?
THEY SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES!!!!!!
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