Hi, just ordered the mavic pro and DJI goggles - quick question


1. I bought the goggles so i don't have to use my phone - this is doable correct? and the controller pulls power from the headset?

2. My intended shot is to be able to hover maybe 15-20 ft in the air and focus on my dogs - did i by the right drone for this purpose? I think i did, but not 100% sure. The more i read into the P4 and inspire, the more it seems they were designed for high end recording super high up in the sky. My main goal is to be able to record at a wider angle that our GoPro / Gimble cannot

Please let me know your thoughts! I'm excited to get the mavic either way, and i think i made the right choice, but if you think something else is more useful, def comment!



many thanks!

No, the controller won't pull power from the goggles. You will need a phone to at least login to your account and configure the Mavic to work as you want. The goggles provide a number of configuration options but not as complete as the DJI Go4 app via the phone.  For #2, the Mavic is at least as good as the P4 and less expensive.

At 15-20' the drone will make you dogs go crazy. My PitLab tuns into "CUJO", the minute the drone is up in the air!

WolfgangStiller Posted at 2017-7-24 11:34
No, the controller won't pull power from the goggles. You will need a phone to at least login to your account and configure the Mavic to work as you want. The goggles provide a number of configuration options but not as complete as the DJI Go4 app via the phone.  For #2, the Mavic is at least as good as the P4 and less expensive.

thanks!

so in actuality, there is no real use for the goggles other than it being a gimmick?

i'll probably keep it for fun, but am wondering for actual recording purposes -

dronist Posted at 2017-7-24 12:27
At 15-20' the drone will make you dogs go crazy. My PitLab tuns into "CUJO", the minute the drone is up in the air!

my dog typically is pretty good about ignoring objects if commanded. I just want to make sure the mavic is good enough to do a 4k 60FPS shot low to the ground.


All the youtube reviews compare it to the P4 and pan from like 1/2 mile up, but that's never going to be what i use this for.

An Osmo on a 15ft selfie stick. Lol

eyeloveteeth Posted at 2017-7-24 13:38
my dog typically is pretty good about ignoring objects if commanded. I just want to make sure the mavic is good enough to do a 4k 60FPS shot low to the ground.

The signal that drone emits drive dogs crazy!

4K can only go to 24fps

2.7K go to 30fps

1080 go to 96fps

dronist Posted at 2017-7-24 15:08
The signal that drone emits drive dogs crazy!

4K can only go to 24fps

In NTSC 4K can be 30FPS, in PAL it's 24/25.

OP, if you really need 4K 60fps you want the P4P or better.

You will love the Mavic vs. the P4.  As for the dogs - you might find that they don't like the sound of the drone.  Whenever I fly my mavic around a dog, the dog goes nuts.  My guess is the prop rotation produces a high frequency sound that humans can't hear but dogs can.  My friend's dog will follow the mavic with his eyes even when its hundreds of feet away from him.  I don't know if the dog can see it. But he certainly can hear it.

Ex Machina Posted at 2017-7-24 16:48
In NTSC 4K can be 30FPS, in PAL it's 24/25.

OP, if you really need 4K 60fps you want the P4P or better.

I won't get P4P to just film my dogs...  

Sho'Nuff Posted at 2017-7-24 19:01
You will love the Mavic vs. the P4.  As for the dogs - you might find that they don't like the sound of the drone.  Whenever I fly my mavic around a dog, the dog goes nuts.  My guess is the prop rotation produces a high frequency sound that humans can't hear but dogs can.  My friend's dog will follow the mavic with his eyes even when its hundreds of feet away from him.  I don't know if the dog can see it. But he certainly can hear it.

The dogs hear the ultrasound from the downward sensor emitters. Even I can hear them a bit as very high-pitched clicks, so imagine how dogs, who are far more sensitive to ultrasound than humans, would react.

I have not tried turning the downward sensors off, so no idea if that would shut down the emitters. If it does, the dogs may feel more comfortable under Mavic.

eyeloveteeth Posted at 2017-7-24 13:39
thanks!

so in actuality, there is no real use for the goggles other than it being a gimmick?

They are not a gimmick at all. They provide a very immersive flying experience (in other words big fun) but they allow me to more precisely control the Mavic and safely fly close to obstacles.

so i got the mavic today - was impatient so didn't wait for for a full charge, just wanted to test the thing out.

For someone who has never used a drone, it took me all of 30 minutes to unbox, set up, semi charge one battery + controller already had 50% juice. There was a software upgrade but i opted to install it later -

this is perfect! while my dog was definitely interested in it - once we kept it hovering near her enough, she totally ignored it.

I haven't tried the DJI goggles yet, but i agree with Wolfgang - the idea is so i can immersively see what it is i'm capturing so that i can optimize my footage for processing later.


A few things that i feel - may not be 100% right

So i bought the combo back that came with the leg extensions and the bag. - for starter it only came with 3 batteries - is this beacuse i should NOT leave a battery on the mavic ever? (beacuse it came shipped with a battery in it)  - i want to know if i should buy an extra battery and maximize having 4 when i go to places without power.


I am still not sure what fixed wing mode is - i haven't had time to try it, but could someone explain it to me?


I noticed it frequently goes from ATTI mode to GPS mode and back and forth..and sometimes opti mode - .why is that?

Secondly - could i hypothetically take off from my top floor patio as "home" - and control the drone from inside the house? I tend to get eaten alive by mosquitos, was wondering if that is a viable option.

do i need to still plug in my phone if i plug the control with the DJI goggles?


the leg extensions - L and R - is that looking AT the drone or facing same direction as the drone?

the propeller protectors - are they meant to both be used on the top side or top and bottom? it seems difficult to fit on for the bottom legs - but i can angle them in if that's the way to do it.

i'm super excited!! it was really cool seeing how easy it was to set up.


For those with iphone 7+ - does anyone find it difficult to fit in the clamps? also it sits right over the home button for me

eyeloveteeth Posted at 2017-7-25 19:30
so i got the mavic today - was impatient so didn't wait for for a full charge, just wanted to test the thing out.

For someone who has never used a drone, it took me all of 30 minutes to unbox, set up, semi charge one battery + controller already had 50% juice. There was a software upgrade but i opted to install it later -

Congratulations on your purchase. Yes, it is a great machine and you're likely to continue to get many more hours of enjoyment out of it. I would recommend, though, that you read through the manual at least once, which will make it even more likely that you're able to continue to enjoy the Mavic. It's not a really long read and will answer many of the questions you asked, but I'll go ahead and take a stab at the ones you posted here:

So i bought the combo back

Something like this, you mean?

it only came with 3 batteries - is this beacuse i should NOT leave a battery on the mavic ever?

There's nothing really wrong with keeping a battery installed, but this type of battery (LiPo) does contain a lot of energy and under certain circumstances (e.g., when physically damaged) can cause a fire, so you should seriously consider something like this for storing batteries when they aren't in use.

i want to know if i should buy an extra battery and maximize having 4 when i go to places without power.

I got the combo with three and bought an additional two; it all comes down to how much flying you want to be able to do before you need to stop to recharge the batteries you have.

I am still not sure what fixed wing mode is - i haven't had time to try it, but could someone explain it to me?

Basically it allows the Mavic to behave more like a fixed-wing aircraft (think airplane) and less like a helicopter: you pick a speed and then control only the height and yaw (left / right turning) during the flight.

I noticed it frequently goes from ATTI mode to GPS mode and back and forth..and sometimes opti mode - .why is that?

It's doing this when you turn it on indoors, right? In that case ATTI and OPTI mean that it doesn't have a strong enough GPS signal to use for positioning itself, but you won't / shouldn't encounter that when the Mavic is outdoors. Incidentally, I strongly recommend against flying indoors.

Secondly - could i hypothetically take off from my top floor patio as "home" - and control the drone from inside the house? I tend to get eaten alive by mosquitos, was wondering if that is a viable option.

You might be able to if you don't fly it very far away. In general, to maintain the connection between the Mavic and its remote there needs to be an unobstructed path between the two: no buildings, trees, etc. You can get away with having obstructions if the two (remote and drone) are close enough together, but keep in mind that if you fly it where you can't see it with your own eyes you increase the risk of a crash and are violating FAA regulations (assuming you're located / flying within the U.S.).

do i need to still plug in my phone if i plug the control with the DJI goggles?

Yes, you'll still want to use a mobile device even if you have / use the goggles.

the leg extensions - L and R - is that looking AT the drone or facing same direction as the drone?

I'm not sure which landing gear extensions you're using, but the L / R orientation is normally from the perspective of the drone, so the "L" extension would go on the leg on your left if the Mavic is facing away from you -- or on your right if it's pointed towards you.

the propeller protectors - are they meant to both be used on the top side or top and bottom? it seems difficult to fit on for the bottom legs - but i can angle them in if that's the way to do it.

There are two types of protection: propeller "guards" like these protect just the outer edges of the propeller, while DJI's propeller "cage" essentially covers the propellers on all sides. I'm guessing you have guards, in which case you'll want to review the instructions and photos on the web for how they're attached before using them.

i'm super excited!! it was really cool seeing how easy it was to set up.

Yep, it's a lot of fun, but as tempting as it is to rush through learning how to fly I recommend taking it slow and easy and only gradually trying new things as you become more comfortable with and knowledgeable about what it can and can't do.

For those with iphone 7+ - does anyone find it difficult to fit in the clamps? also it sits right over the home button for me

I use an iPad Mini 4 so couldn't say, but you shouldn't be needing to use your home button much once you get the app started.

P.S. You'll typically want to start a new thread for your questions unless they're closely related to what's being discussed in an existing thread. Creating a new thread will help more people to notice your question, and some people don't like posts that take an existing thread off in a different direction.

Also lastly.
Please do not fly with a half-charged battery. Always take off with 100%. I've seen so many drone (ex-)owners fly with less than full charge and lose their drone completely.