With its brand new model, the Mavic Pro, the quadcopter gurus DJI are making a quantum leap. This model is a lot more compact than previous ones we’ve reviewed like the Phantom or the Inspire. But it can do so much more–they have really achieved something here by crafting a more compact and portable version that doesn’t sacrifice performance.
The Mavic Pro, as we will see in this review, is a great video-taking machine which aims to assist the action sports enthusiast, with one major part of that being its portability.
Characteristics for the DJI Mavic Pro:
-Light weight
-Performance, speed & maneuverability
-Controller flexibility & usability
-Advanced features (such as Active Track)
-Obsticle recognition
-Camera capability
-Portability – For Your Sports Activist
Portability is now becoming the rage, with the ability to transfer your drone in a backpack unexpectedly appearing to be a necessity, partially because the much-anticipated GoPro Karma allows this. So, with the suddenly-released Mavic Pro, DJI is going with a little juggernaut that folds down to 3.3 x 7.8 inches and that weighs just 1.6 lbs. The idea is for it to incorporate into the unpredictable and active lifestyle of a crazy surfer, cliff diver, etc. instead of simply being an aircraft.
Flying the drone
However, concerning flight, it doesn’t give up a lot in the name of becoming more oriented around portability or the capability to capture vid in many different situations.
So far as flat-out flight capabilities, including rate, the Mavic is not far off from say, the Phantom, with the ability to zoom as fast as 40 mph. It handles pretty well and remains steady. It even has the ability to maintain a stable hover inside, meaning it will not have access to some of the satellites that I will discuss below. Mavic Guru’s flight time is 27 minutes–smaller craft are going to have smaller batteries.
A user who wants to skate down to the pier with a camera slash helicopter on her back will have to trade off a little bit of time.
In terms of controlling, what the Mavic Pro has set up is kind of intriguing. It does come with a standard controller, about the size and shape of this garden-variety game control. It’s its display, with indicators as well as the ability to monitor the camera live. Without being comprehensive, the screen gives you the basic flight information you require.
The control is hand-friendly and easy to use for folks that like using little drone controllers that come with the aircraft.
But you can choose to forget about the control and use a smart phone instead. What is interesting about this option is that only with the wise phone (which, again, means a lower-priced drone) can you get quite a few interesting features new to the Mavic.
Advanced Drone Features
Probably the one which will be utilized is Active Track. This permits the Mavic to follow its user around. This allows for getting footage of you running up a mountain or anything you are doing–and shows DJI’s commitment to cater to individuals who want to integrate their own sporty activities into your drone photography.
Another option is your selfie feature. Using the cell phone as a controller, the user waves at the drone, activating its sensors to make it shoot video of them. He may then make a small frame around his face with his hands, causing the drone to focus on that area and have a picture.
However, if those things, especially the selfie, seem a bit neater, other flight features are far more pragmatic and very helpful. The machine is a dynamo of recognition and being able to track itself and navigate. It’s no less than four vision sensors. With dual satellite connectivity it reaches twenty satellites which help in its navigation.
When the DJI Mavic Pro takes off, it makes a note of where it is, meaning, where you are. This helps facilitate the selfie thing, above, but it also means that it may get back to home when the battery is fading, and you can activate an auto landing atmosphere that puts down it in your feet.
The issue of losing your drone or landing it atop your neighborhood police station should be long gone. You’re looking at a 4.3 mile range, too, so you can cut loose and know you have not lost $800.
And what about obstacle recognition? That has become an expected and significant feature, and the Mavic doesn’t disappoint. With all these sensors, it isn’t likely to miss much.
Video & Camera Features
So what about the item, the paydirt, the bottom line? Well, it will get you very stable footage, since the camera is built into the aircraft rather than attached by gimbal. As you might guess, the film is just great–right up there with high-def video you will see posted online, basically as sharp as a lot of TV shows.
Buildings, horizons, construction cranes, birds, are all in sharp relief and crisp. They aren’t exactly at the Phantom 4 degree… but at 1/4 of the dimensions, the quality is still excellent.
In 1080p, you get 30 frames per second; differently 30 frames per second. It isn’t, in terms of the matrices, the highest end on the market, but the video is of high quality.
Concerning stills, the Mavic springs for a maximum image size of 4,000 x 3,000. It allows for burst and interval shooting along with single shot.
Our Verdict On The DJI Mavic
All in all, there is not much not to love about this brand new quadcopter. It’s for movie enthusiasts mainly–it’s absolutely not a toy and not supposed to crash into things at your neighborhood park. That means that its flight features will need to involve stability, reliability, safety, and recognition. It certainly delivers in each these areas.
It achieves a great balance of nuts-and-bolts flight capacities and video capabilities. While no information indicates it has a lot in the way of pre-programmed flight plans, circling while focusing capabilities, it will have the Active Track feature and gives some attention to placing the consumer as the subject of the videos.
The perception that seems prevalent among drone consumers is that obstacle avoidance is a must, which brings us to the philosophical idea that if your drone crashes and breaks into five shards, it doesn’t matter how many tricked out video attributes it has.
There can be no question that when DJI feels pressure from a rival, like, for instance, GoPro going into the drone market, it is going to spring to action in no uncertain terms. It will be fun to see how DJI innovates in forthcoming months and years. If it can fetch its price tag down just a bit, it is going to be unbeatable in the video drone marketplace.
The only thing that worries us is the limited quantity of stock that DJI can produce. Hopefully they do not have a shortage like last year once the demand outweighed the supply due to their prior drone. I would recommend getting the DJI Mavic Pro early this season if it’s in your shopping list to avoid missing out.
Where to get a best price for DJI Mavic Pro?
As it stands, it is one of the best drones assuming you can get your hands on one (Which might not be that easy). Go and try your luck at http://www.autovacbot.com.
Beauty in Distress 