How the Spark dronie feature was sold to us (1:21) :



How they are selling it now (0:05):



Do  you all still think they are "fixing" the altitude problem with it?..  yeah "please send us your log files so our engineers can have a look".

DJI doesn't need your log files, it's a stall tactic while they move the goal posts on what was sold to us. This is what they want you to have now for a 'dronie'.

Totally agree.

Gesture mode as well as some of the quick shots mean / meant nothing to me. Tripod is worth having but otherwise I kinda wish the gesture stuff was not there at all. Maybe they'll make a Spark "pro" with things like manual atti, controllable sensors, RC / dynamic home point.

Yeah, I wasn't sold on Jedi mode either.  For me, I really wanted DJI quality in an agile tiny package.  With that being, I think most of those modes work ok minus dronie and helix.

Not sure why the last two responses are about gesture mode, this post is clearly not about 'jedi mode'. Please stay on topic, this post is about 'dronie' quick shot and 'then vs now' how they are selling it in their advertising.

I'm waiting for Spark 2.0

DroneX4 Posted at 2017-8-16 18:56
Not sure why the last two responses are about gesture mode, this post is clearly not about 'jedi mode'. Please stay on topic, this post is about 'dronie' quick shot and 'then vs now' how they are selling it in their advertising.

Not sure why your so salty, quick shot was mentioned as well.  And Jedi mode is also used to sell this drone and some say they don't work that well either.  The topic is secure.

I still don't understand this issue: my Drone and Helix works perfectly, and so are many other users. The reason maybe because your hardware is mal-functioned.
My Dronie works as advertised: Go backwards and upwards, also, the distance choosing is working as well.

Phuong Do Posted at 2017-8-16 19:53
I still don't understand this issue: my Drone and Helix works perfectly, and so are many other users. The reason maybe because your hardware is mal-functioned.
My Dronie works as advertised: Go backwards and upwards, also, the distance choosing is working as well.

Did you even watch the videos and compare the altitude displayed in DJI's own advertising?

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-8-16 19:36
Not sure why your so salty, quick shot was mentioned as well.  And Jedi mode is also used to sell this drone and some say they don't work that well either.  The topic is secure.

I'm 'salty' due to false advertising. I am sick of watching threads derailed.

DroneX4 Posted at 2017-8-16 20:48
Did you even watch the videos and compare the altitude displayed in DJI's own advertising?

There is no specific value in the video,how can you compare (visual does not count because it is subjective)?
Even when you bring the case to the court,I think as long as Spark really goes backwards and upwards,it fulfils the advertisement.
I am not protecting DJI but nothing we can do.

Phuong Do Posted at 2017-8-16 21:15
There is no specific value in the video,how can you compare (visual does not count because it is subjective)?
Even when you bring the case to the court,I think as long as Spark really goes backwards and upwards,it fulfils the advertisement.
I am not protecting DJI but nothing we can do.

'visual does not count because it is subjective'

What are you even on about. Of course it counts. Are you trying to say that the difference is too hard to tell between the videos? That is going to get you laughed out of this thread... Because the altitude difference between them is like night and day. As well the difference in altitude between firmware .300 and .500 is like night and day. Both videos were created on different firmwares and show exactly the issue everyone is complaining about.

'backwards and upwards' is not good enough when the final altitude is 2 meters higher than the starting altitude.

I have no issue with my dronie. It work as it should imo.

This is advertisment.. Look at the Shallow Focus in the Video. With the Selfie gesture? The spark can't shoot a shallow Focus picture with a gesture.

Monochrome Posted at 2017-8-16 22:03
I have no issue with my dronie. It work as it should imo.

Same here, no issues at all. Even for the other modes. Works as advertised and even the distances work.

Indi91 Posted at 2017-8-16 22:45
Same here, no issues at all. Even for the other modes. Works as advertised and even the distances work.

For what it's worth i have no issues at all with these modes.

My video latency issue is much more of a problem at the risk of a derail!!! (sorry)

It is unfortunately true :/

All the gesture modes are a joke. Spark +Controller = little beast of a machine, stuff the other options.

Well, based on the law in most of the countries; This is "Deceptive Advertising, " and you should be able to return your product as this is one of the advertised features that just won't work as advertised.

Our engineers are working on the optimization of the Dronie mode and other intelligent flight via the firmware. Please pay attention to the firmware upgrading and thanks for the kind understanding.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-8-16 18:48
Yeah, I wasn't sold on Jedi mode either.  For me, I really wanted DJI quality in an agile tiny package.  With that being, I think most of those modes work ok minus dronie and helix.

helix works awesome for me! i love how it doesn't go all the way around, it looks more epic this way, the only thing about helix is dji needs to make it a little more smooth on the yaw axis to compensate for lacking the third axis on the gimbal. as for dronie i don't really care about it as i can do it manually. i agree with you about Jedi mode, i don't need or want it, i would like them to get rid of jedi mode but keep auto palm launch and land. maybe they can add some better more reliable features if they scrapped gesture mode!

For all those saying its working perfectly as intended, DJI Thor implies otherwise.  At least we now know.

yeah, I just started playing with Dronie and was disappointed with it.  I was expecting the fly up and away to a big hight and the cool rapid zoom after processing.  I get a drone that flys backwards away from me at the hight I start it from...

Does my dronie work?  No.  Has advertising changed?  Sure.  Do I understand that some are upset about it?  Yes.  Am I upset by it?  No.

The spark is now two months old.  It certainly isn't perfect.

In defense of DJI:  My preference is that DJI work carefully on the dronie problem and test it carefully, even if it takes a while to resolve and get me a fix.

In criticism of DJI:  The communication hasn't been straight forward or direct.  We can derive from comments that DJI has acknowledged the dronie problem (but that's not because of direct statements), and I've seen no acknowledgement what-so-ever of the other commonly reported problems.  We are having to judge for ourselves how much/little pilot error is a factor, and we are having to judge for ourselves what risks we want to take.  My preference is that DJI would directly acknowledge the various issues, or directly counter the various issues.  This would help me with my flying choices.

My dronie doesn't work as advertised, but I can wait for a fix... TBH- gesture control has become totally unusable since the latest firmware. Before update,  "beckon" only worked 50% of the time.  Now my "bye bye" gesture doesn't work AT ALL, so I can't even get to "beckon". Again, I'm not totally disappointed. Quite the contrary, my piloting skills have greatly improved while using the controller, and I'm less and less inclined to fly without a controller. However, it was nice to demo "jedi" mode to my friends. Now, I don't really bother. But, I'm sure this stuff will all get fixed eventually.

KeltikCanuk Posted at 2017-8-17 08:49
My dronie doesn't work as advertised, but I can wait for a fix... TBH- gesture control has become totally unusable since the latest firmware. Before update,  "beckon" only worked 50% of the time.  Now my "bye bye" gesture doesn't work AT ALL, so I can't even get to "beckon". Again, I'm not totally disappointed. Quite the contrary, my piloting skills have greatly improved while using the controller, and I'm less and less inclined to fly without a controller. However, it was nice to demo "jedi" mode to my friends. Now, I don't really bother. But, I'm sure this stuff will all get fixed eventually.

This is an interesting perspective. The drone is marketed as an entry level drone....but the learning curve is soon over yet there is much to explore nonetheless after the "beginner" has advanced beyond the fluff of jedi mode.

I think DJI may have missed the mark marketing-wise to a degree in that once the pilot has whet their appetite for more they either have to go to a larger form factor or resign themselves to the constraints imposed on them by the spark trying to cater exclusively to the "jedi" demographic.

I really dig this package but not being able to toggle off the bottom sensors or manually enter atti mode really detracts from  what is otherwise a great platform.

Once the learning curve flattens where do you go?

sorry to pile on.  I noticed that for dronie- the altitude change from the starting point is minimal.  For Helix- not enough altitude change.  

I hope that DJI can fix this because it was one of the most important selling points.

I didn't buy the spark for the gestures, I was wondering when I would ever use them (apart from a party trick). I bought it because it is small and easy to fly. I'm a drone "noob" so the spark is perfect for me.

Phuong Do Posted at 2017-8-16 19:53
I still don't understand this issue: my Drone and Helix works perfectly, and so are many other users. The reason maybe because your hardware is mal-functioned.
My Dronie works as advertised: Go backwards and upwards, also, the distance choosing is working as well.

How fast did your dronie rise? My was at 0.15m/s, which seemed very slow.

Sime Posted at 2017-8-17 02:00
All the gesture modes are a joke. Spark +Controller = little beast of a machine, stuff the other options.

Yeah, I agree with you there. (Hey! I finally found an Australian Spark pilot!)

WilfredFireStee Posted at 2017-8-17 01:38
For what it's worth i have no issues at all with these modes.

My video latency issue is much more of a problem at the risk of a derail!!! (sorry)

That i agree. with wifi i get only 300m before having cut offs, but bumped it up to 450m with OTG (i relinked the controller to spark by pressing the spark button for 3 second, then pressing the pause, fn and c button). Once relinked, it was clear, but i didnt dare to push more that 450m. Also, i put it as a habit to keep watch my compass and make sure it is heading the direction of the aircraft. Mine was slightly off, so i calibrated again before flight, but not all the time. Hope this helps you.

For those who wants to learn dronie manually, this guy shows an awesome tutorial:
I did some pretty awesome dronies with that tutorial . Safe flying.

DroneX4 Posted at 2017-8-16 18:56
Not sure why the last two responses are about gesture mode, this post is clearly not about 'jedi mode'. Please stay on topic, this post is about 'dronie' quick shot and 'then vs now' how they are selling it in their advertising.

LOL....those "last two responses" look pretty on point now. ;)

I'm not about to White Knight here, but my dronie works, but to be fair I only ever used it once, andI can't say I ever plan on using it again.
I think something we all need to understand is that we're all early adopters here, and that comes with it's own set hurdles for those of you familiar with the term. We know nothing is ever perfect out of the gate, but we were there to help get it to the point that everyone else considers "meh"... It's what we do. If you're new to being an early adopter, welcome, and although you have every right to feel disappointed, some of us actually enjoy the growing pains of new tech.

Indi91 Posted at 2017-8-17 17:03
That i agree. with wifi i get only 300m before having cut offs, but bumped it up to 450m with OTG (i relinked the controller to spark by pressing the spark button for 3 second, then pressing the pause, fn and c button). Once relinked, it was clear, but i didnt dare to push more that 450m. Also, i put it as a habit to keep watch my compass and make sure it is heading the direction of the aircraft. Mine was slightly off, so i calibrated again before flight, but not all the time. Hope this helps you.

You're doing better than me, the furthest i've made it is about 200m before complete loss of video, black and white freeze up and quickly have to retreat!!!! It's the only complaint i have now, albeit a reasonably major one imo, but I love my Spark, even with this pain in the ar*e!!! The video latency thread has died, i've dm'd DJINatalia no reply so today as a last ditch i'm going to Maplin to get an OTG cable and prey that my issue is solved until the next firmware. I was out with my mate yesterday flying his MAvic, it was weird to never see that error pop up even when we were 2miles away!!! Really appreciate your response and assistance here Indi91

ThirdEyeFlyin' Posted at 2017-8-17 09:05
This is an interesting perspective. The drone is marketed as an entry level drone....but the learning curve is soon over yet there is much to explore nonetheless after the "beginner" has advanced beyond the fluff of jedi mode.

I think DJI may have missed the mark marketing-wise to a degree in that once the pilot has whet their appetite for more they either have to go to a larger form factor or resign themselves to the constraints imposed on them by the spark trying to cater exclusively to the "jedi" demographic.

Up to a Mavic Pro I guess? I'm definitely already thinking about heading that way once my pilot skills advance a little.

Larebel Posted at 2017-8-16 19:26
I'm waiting for Spark 2.0

Same here

WilfredFireStee Posted at 2017-8-18 01:01
You're doing better than me, the furthest i've made it is about 200m before complete loss of video, black and white freeze up and quickly have to retreat!!!! It's the only complaint i have now, albeit a reasonably major one imo, but I love my Spark, even with this pain in the ar*e!!! The video latency thread has died, i've dm'd DJINatalia no reply so today as a last ditch i'm going to Maplin to get an OTG cable and prey that my issue is solved until the next firmware. I was out with my mate yesterday flying his MAvic, it was weird to never see that error pop up even when we were 2miles away!!! Really appreciate your response and assistance here Indi91

Glad to help out OTG do help give me the confidence boost i need to go just abit further. Dont think ill be going more that 500m, as i can get most of my shots within it if i scouted the area before hand. It helps that i can race my SkyAngel in sport mode to the spot i want then take the shot.
There is a reason they call mavic the king

SparkyPilot Posted at 2017-8-17 15:00
Yeah, I agree with you there. (Hey! I finally found an Australian Spark pilot!)

Brisbane here.

Indi91 Posted at 2017-8-20 17:48
Glad to help out  OTG do help give me the confidence boost i need to go just abit further. Dont think ill be going more that 500m, as i can get most of my shots within it if i scouted the area before hand. It helps that i can race my SkyAngel in sport mode to the spot i want then take the shot.
There is a reason they call mavic the king

Hahah i bought an OTG, won't work with my Samsung S8. Tried every fix no comply..... I've given up trying after probably half an hour / hour of constant trial