This is part one of my blog post about the Mavic Pro. With this post I would like to start with the technology and what in my opinion the quadcopters advantages are.
The first impression about the Mavic Pro is the size the quadcopter has. This is incredible small! It is a very intelligent design because the wing arms can be collapsed that it uses dramatically less space than my previously owned Phantom3. I took the quadcopter including the RC with me to Taiwan in my carry on item! I bought a special case to take it with me in the carry on item.
The high-quality workmanship and excellent technology bring this product in pretty good shape! By technology I mean the sensors and the RC in combination with the App DJI brought to the market. The Mavic Pro has lots of little helpers like the sensors for collision warning.
The RC itself is also pretty small and comes handy with the combination of the cell phone that runs the app from DJI. The antenna and the mounting part for the cell phone can also be collapsed to save room. The only thing that stands out is the joysticks to control the quadcopter.
It is a very simple setup, what is needed is the DJI App on the mobile device, the correct adapter to connect the cell phone to the RC. Do not forget to remove the camera covers on the quadcopter itself. Before flying the quadcopter, make sure the latest firmware is loaded. The App now can be used to change settings of the quadcopter and, essentially, there is a live view what the camera sees in the air. There is also additional information like height, velocity, status of the quadcopter etc. available. Do not mute your cell phone, there is a lady talking to you and telling you if there is something to do! Cool!
It is phenomenal to take photos with the Mavic Pro because the quad is really steady in the air! I tested the quadcopter during the sunset and I never took a photo that was out of focus, even with higher shutter speed!
Compared to the Phantom, the Mavic has not a selectable focus field. So, whenever flying, do not forget to refocus. I use the DJI App respectively the screen to focus. There is also a button on the RC that triggers the focus.
The quadcopter can be set in different modes like beginner, sport, follow me and gesture. The beginner mode is for beginners (who would have guessed this) and there are limitation like for instance the flight distance of 30 meters. Once you know the quadcopter well enough, disable the beginner mode. I set now my quadcopter of a maximum flight altitude of 125 meters, this is the max distance I am allowed to fly in a warning zone in Switzerland.
The sport mode, I call it insane mode, is kind of dangerous because it disables all the sensors on the Mavic Pro. I never tried this but the Mavic Pro is capable of flying at a velocity up to 64 km/h (40 mph). It detects obstacles up to 36km/h (22 mph) from a distance of 15 meters (50 feet).
Personal conclusion
I would buy the quadcopter again! It makes it very easy to take this equipment with me on my travels. The DJI App has a lot more to offer than what I have used so far.
If you consider buying a quadcopter, please do me a favor and fly it with brains – I cannot stand those articles about “bad drones” in the local news anymore.
