Hi all

I have yet to buy a drone. I've been recommended the DJI Mavic. I can see it for about £740.

Is it worth it? I've never used one of these before. I am going to Hawaii on holiday (which is why I was thinking about buying one) and live in NW London.

I'm sorry for appearing pessimistic but I've no idea what I'd do with it when I'm back in London after my holiday. Let's face it, they're not exactly £50 or £100. I'd like to get my money worth from it. I'd HATE for it to be put away in a cupboard and only taken out when I'm on holiday.

Can some members on here please try and talk me into buying one.




Adrian

Hi Adrian.  I have 3 drones and was also hesitant on getting the Mavic.  I can honestly tell you that I am very happy with it.  I'm traveling to the Dominican Republic soon and I bought the Mavic for its portability.  It is a lot of fun to fly and it performs superbly.  I have 2 Phantoms and although they are amazing, they are not as portable for travel.  Get ya a Mavic, you will be very happy with it!  Works best with an iPad mini 4.  Let me know if you need more info.  IG: @VTHokieJD

fdnypd343.gmail Posted at 2017-7-13 10:15
Hi Adrian.  I have 3 drones and was also hesitant on getting the Mavic.  I can honestly tell you that I am very happy with it.  I'm traveling to the Dominican Republic soon and I bought the Mavic for its portability.  It is a lot of fun to fly and it performs superbly.  I have 2 Phantoms and although they are amazing, they are not as portable for travel.  Get ya a Mavic, you will be very happy with it!  Works best with an iPad mini 4.  Let me know if you need more info.  IG: @VTHokieJD

Thank you for your response. I'm sure I can find things to do with it in Hawaii. I'm more worried about what I'm going to do with it when I'm home.

Can some members on here give me some ideas what to do with it back in Blighty?

If you not into drones, then don't bother with it.

Maxi3D Posted at 2017-7-13 10:38
If you not into drones, then don't bother with it.

Thank you for being blunt. I think you might be right. It's a shame as they look like fun but I just can't see myself using it once I'm back home

djiuser_lh7SuEv Posted at 2017-7-13 10:41
Thank you for being blunt. I think you might be right. It's a shame as they look like fun but I just can't see myself using it once I'm back home

Sorry for being blunt, Just being grouchy lately.

Worth it, yes. Having never flown one before, I would learn the basics on something much cheaper. There are tons of safety features but they do not make up for flying expirience. I have 2 inspire 1's, a Mavic and a bunch of FPV racers. Learn cheap, If you still like it, then buy your way up.

If you don't see the usage for it when you are at home then I think you should use your phone to shoot some film in Hawaii. I don't know if it's "flight limitations" that prevent you to fly in NW London or what.  Hope you will have a nice vacation.

Hi Adrian,

I live in London too, I own 2 drones, a Phantom 3 Pro and a Mavic Pro.
You should buy a cheap drone, so you could learn to fly.  
£740 is just the beginning, you easy spend £500 on accessories for the drone, if you get into the hobby.
I hope this helps.

NW London is probably all covered by the no fly zone anyway ? from your initial post you don't sound too enthusiastic so I would suggest the spark at 500, then have some fun on your hols and if you get bored give it to kids or relatives, the mavic pro needs time and learning curve to bring its abilities which if you are a casual user you might just not bother and is alot to have sat doing nothing ...

either way enjoy your hols !

Not so much interested in convincing someone to spend their money, but I'd note that if you do decide to purchase it expressly for your holiday, strongly recommend getting in some practice before you jet so as not to ruin your vacation with the angst of a tragic loss, damage, or injury.

I live in in the Washingon, DC area and have to travel 15 miles outside of the city in order to fly. A pain, yes, but I enjoy the Mavic enough to do so. If you find your fun with the Mavic is not so fulfilling after your return, you can always sell it.

I'd like to put my 1 1/2 cents in if that's ok. I'm actually in the same situation you are in. My wife and I are going to Hawaii on vacation and I was seriously debating about getting the Mavic Pro. Well, I did get one. I am doing as other members suggested. I am spending lots of time flying mine and learning the ropes. I was learning on the Syma X5C before I bought the Mavic. Wow, what a difference. The Mavic is so stable and much easier to fly. I am really enjoying mine, but I love photography anyway. I already habe lots of uses for mine. If you can find someone in your area that can let you see their Mavic, maybe that could help you decide. But only spend that much money if you will use it after. Have a fun vacation.

They probably cost about £50 to make at the factory!

The product is worth it, their support teams however are severely lacking considering the amount the drones cost.

I own several drones and the Mavic Pro is my favorite and most used.  It is worth the price and you will probably find many opportunities to fly it.  That said, DJI's customer service is something that sticks to the bottom of your shoe and makes the house smell.

If you have never had a drone.  I suggest you try the Parrot mini drones (Airborne, Night, Mambo, Rolling Spider) they can be flown indoors with prop guards on or outdoors without.  You can set parameters on how fast, how quick, and motor cutoff if you bump into something.  They all have a down camera that is for drift detection an sonic sensor to supplement barometer for altitude hold.  It will pretty much behave like a Mavic Pro in Mode 2 using the Parrot "joypad" setting.  I practiced with it in the winter months inside.  Got my Mavic and love it.  Took it to Arizona from Ohio in a lowepro  dslr camera bag with complete fly more kit.  I love the drone - portable, fun, great video, everything I wanted.  I had looked for over a year before I bought.  The big thing for me was portability to take it on vacation and it's exceptional abilities in such a small drone.  I go out side in my suburb most evenings (hot earlier in the day) and fly around the area practicing.  I just got the goggles recently and if you have someone to spot for you flying is almost like being back in the cockpit minus the G's and a loss of situational awareness (can't look around without turning the drone, like you can when you are really in the cockpit).  I would buy it again in a heart beat.

If  You're into photography a drone will take the hobby to all new levels, pun intended. You get a completely different perspective of your surrounding... if you're u go to Hawaii to sit my some mega resort pool then don't waste your money but if  you're going to explore the island that trip alone is worth having a drone.  Back home if you travel a bit, weekends,etc... you can get some great footage too.

If your not into photography as a hobby then you probably won't be using it much...

Th big plus of th Mavic is that it is very portable and easy to take on trips unlike the bigger drones. An alternative, cheaper would be to get a spark. It does 90% of what the Mavic does for roughly 60% of th  cost. Being just released there were a number of issues... i lost mine in th  Bahamas last week, remote control lost contact and It didn't come back. Dji has just released what seemed to be a critical firmware update, so critical that unless upgraded by sept 1, existing sparks will not be able to fly. Hopefully I take I'll fix the problem.

I have used a Mavic before the spark and I am considering getting one unless DJI comes thru and replaces the failed drone under warranty

But again, it is hard to describe how different the perspective you get with a drone can be. I ve been using them in the Bahamas mostly, in places I ve been going for years and it feels like a whole new world !

I have looked at some of the other smaller cheaper drones but their capabilities are too limited, very toy like.

Hi Adrian,

Are we trying to talk you into it or out of it ... lol.

I have been flying drones for years now and the one thing you have to keep in mind is that these things develop like laptops etc. .... or anything with computers and software so it will be out of date before you know it. Having said this most if not all of the current drones have to be updated on a regular basis through your computer.

I currently have the Mavic which I bought last week, a Yuneec Q500+ which I am selling and a racing drone built by Radio C with goggles etc. which I am also selling. I have had the DJI Phantom 1 and 2 and sold these so there is a market if you don't need the Mavic after you return to the UK.

I am also happy to meet you if you like and you can have a go, this is the easiest drone to fly bar none, I will bring my Yuneec along if I have not already sold it so you can compare.

I live about 30 mins drive away from Heathrow down the M3 so I am sure we could find a mutual place to demo it.

"I'm sorry for appearing pessimistic but I've no idea what I'd do with it when I'm back in London after my holiday."


Then you may want to purchase some of those cheaper SYMA copters to practice and get a feel if this is something that interests you.

The mavic pro is def worth it. Its a dream to fly

$gambino$ Posted at 2017-8-23 06:36
The mavic pro is def worth it. Its a dream to fly

I makes a great little OSMO device for recording while walking around, I use it for my real estate indoor videos, hand held smooth 4K video while in motion !! Controller slips into a small shoulder bag and use a 6' cable to my S5 phone for video display,

Go with the mavic or the p4 advanced, don't waste your money on the spark.... If your on a budget and are new to the quad scene then buy the spark,maybe... But if you live were its wind all the time and want to take some excellent footage then go with the p4 advance. The p4 pro is a waste because the side sensors only work in tripod mode so for 300 bucks more all you get is rear sensor.

Hi Adrian I'm up on the east coast bite the bullet they are great fun.
Get on YouTube you can see the good n not so good but for me I enjoy it.
But that's just my view.   

You may want to look into the camera shops in Hawaii for rent.
That way you can try/use for your needs on vacation, and then when you get home you can buy if you so choose.
Don't forget to get the "Damage /Waiver" when/if you rent. I found about three shops that rent drones, but not sure which island you are going to, so hit google up and go from there.

My advice,....and i will probably get shot for it.
Steel some cool Hawaii drone footage from others (source Youtube)
Invest the 740 quid in a good DSLR camera and shoot some nice Hawaii clips.
Combine the two into a nice Hawai holiday trip clip.

Cause to be honest.
In London you will do absolute nothing with your drone,....unless you are a total nutter.