I,ve read all type of comments.
What is the last point about waypoints. Will be supported on future SDK or not?

If your talking for Mavic Pro then you already have them. If it’s MavAir then we are still awaiting dji to release SDK.

Yes, as the floor 2# mentioned, the Mavic pro has the function of Waypoints, but the Mavic air doesn't have the Waypoints at present. Thanks!

Look - you (DJI) release a new craft which arguably has better video quality than the pro but won't provide the additional tools for your users to make full use of them. Even without the extended range, waypoints are extremely useful for getting that smooth shot that most people can't achieve without a 2 person (ie with a camera operator) system. I think most people would be happy that DJI confirms officially that it will be available when the SDK is released (that's a when not if, right?).

With the smaller size of the air I'm not prepared to buy a Mavic pro instead. So until then I'll keep using my P4 and won't be upgrading.

joe_gadget Posted at 2018-4-9 18:53
Look - you (DJI) release a new craft which arguably has better video quality than the pro but won't provide the additional tools for your users to make full use of them. Even without the extended range, waypoints are extremely useful for getting that smooth shot that most people can't achieve without a 2 person (ie with a camera operator) system. I think most people would be happy that DJI confirms officially that it will be available when the SDK is released (that's a when not if, right?).

With the smaller size of the air I'm not prepared to buy a Mavic pro instead. So until then I'll keep using my P4 and won't be upgrading.

Like any other consumer electronics manufacturer, they (DJI) probably think we (the buyers) should buy the more expensive models if we want more features to make full use of what we buy.

Monkey007 Posted at 2018-4-10 03:27
Like any other consumer electronics manufacturer, they (DJI) probably think we (the buyers) should buy the more expensive models if we want more features to make full use of what we buy.

I would happily buy the Mavic Pro platinum if it had the same video bit rate and quality. The problem is they've created a model mess - the more expensive mavic pro has lower video quality than the cheaper air and the supposed next level up (pro 2?) is rumoured to be way more expensive.

joe_gadget Posted at 2018-4-10 03:58
I would happily buy the Mavic Pro platinum if it had the same video bit rate and quality. The problem is they've created a model mess - the more expensive mavic pro has lower video quality than the cheaper air and the supposed next level up (pro 2?) is rumoured to be way more expensive.

We know nothing about pro2 or it price. Mavic Pro has been out for 18 months , do you think that dji should have given MavAir less video quality to match up to other models it also has more capabilities in video than P4 and p3p , would you prefer dji to go forward or backwards ?

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-10 04:13
We know nothing about pro2 or it price. Mavic Pro has been out for 18 months , do you think that dji should have given MavAir less video quality to match up to other models it also has more capabilities in video than P4 and p3p , would you prefer dji to go forward or backwards ?

Agree! Obviously they couldn't come out with three models at the same time so the MA which is an updated spark came out in January, then MP II (hopefully soon) and then a new phantom.
Maybe DJI took away the waypoints from the MA after seeing the how well it was selling compared to the MP. Also if the MA had kept the waypoints function people would seriously stop buying the MP since everyone is waiting for MPII. This way dji is keeping some distances between models and managing to sell as much of MP units they still have in stock. Who knows maybe the MP cannot be recycled into the MPII at all because all the components are totally different.  

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-10 04:13
We know nothing about pro2 or it price. Mavic Pro has been out for 18 months , do you think that dji should have given MavAir less video quality to match up to other models it also has more capabilities in video than P4 and p3p , would you prefer dji to go forward or backwards ?

Sure I agree no one knows for sure what the pro2 will be like or cost which is why I said rumoured.
However to make comparisons with the P4 (not pro or advanced) and P3P is a bit disingenous as these are now 4+ generations old. Also eith the P4 there was no P4 'lite' the pro and advanced were clearcut advances feature wise going up in the lineup. To me the air occupies a strange spot, better in some respects than a pro and worse in others at a lower price point which makes buying a mavic right at this point all about compromises rather than 'pay more to get more'.

joe_gadget Posted at 2018-4-10 06:19
Sure I agree no one knows for sure what the pro2 will be like or cost which is why I said rumoured.
However to make comparisons with the P4 (not pro or advanced) and P3P is a bit disingenous as these are now 4+ generations old. Also eith the P4 there was no P4 'lite' the pro and advanced were clearcut advances feature wise going up in the lineup. To me the air occupies a strange spot, better in some respects than a pro and worse in others at a lower price point which makes buying a mavic right at this point all about compromises rather than 'pay more to get more'.

There is a lot of contradiction in what your saying, on one hand you want waypoints because Mavic Pro has them and failing to realise that Mavic Pro is more expensive and has much that MavAir doesn’t have, yes it doesn’t have 100 mb in camera but this most likely due to the fact that for this camera this tech was not available at time of release, if upgrading to Mavic Pro does not suit then I would suggest that you opt for a much better camera and sensor and go for P4Pro .

You must also remember that even though dji released sdk for spark as regards waypoints very few in fact only 1 third party developed waypoints app for use with spark, so this could be the same with MavAir.

While we all want or would like waypoints, I think the release of MavAir has been pretty good without many problems that dogged spark and Mavic Pro , so maybe dji are waiting to get the MavAir right before including any extra frills if this is the case I’m prepared to wait .

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-10 06:40
There is a lot of contradiction in what your saying, on one hand you want waypoints because Mavic Pro has them and failing to realise that Mavic Pro is more expensive and has much that MavAir doesn’t have, yes it doesn’t have 100 mb in camera but this most likely due to the fact that for this camera this tech was not available at time of release, if upgrading to Mavic Pro does not suit then I would suggest that you opt for a much better camera and sensor and go for P4Pro .

You must also remember that even though dji released sdk for spark as regards waypoints very few in fact only 1 third party developed waypoints app for use with spark, so this could be the same with MavAir.

Of course I'm aware that the MP is more expensive. It has occusync as well as a more fully featured controller, longer flight time etc. But you've missed my point here in that by doing only a partial series refresh in this manner DJI have created a model line up which (at this point in time) does not fit in with the traditional ascending feature set as you go up in price. The MP loses out on the improved camera and no rear sensors and those nifty new camera modes.

And I have a P4 and have no interest in going to a pro - I'm after more portability (TBH I've had my fill of climbing up hills and mountains with one of these on my back).

And finally the spark's waypoints -  there is no true waypoint fiunctionality in the spark's sdk. Any app that does 'waypoints' is essentially fudging it as the app is actively controlling the flight plan through the controller rather than the craft itselt and therefore subject to issues due to signal loss. I suspect this to be a function of the sparks more limited processor power/storage capacity.

Oh and one more thing - DJI has seen fit to name this a mavic rather than say a spark pro, and in doing so created an expectation (not unreasonably IMO) that it should have at least the firmware features available in that family, if not hardware due to technical limitations.

joe_gadget Posted at 2018-4-10 07:23
Of course I'm aware that the MP is more expensive. It has occusync as well as a more fully featured controller, longer flight time etc. But you've missed my point here in that by doing only a partial series refresh in this manner DJI have created a model line up which (at this point in time) does not fit in with the traditional ascending feature set as you go up in price. The MP loses out on the improved camera and no rear sensors and those nifty new camera modes.

And I have a P4 and have no interest in going to a pro - I'm after more portability (TBH I've had my fill of climbing up hills and mountains with one of these on my back).

“Oh and one more thing - DJI has seen fit to name this a mavic rather than say a spark pro, and in doing so created an expectation (not unreasonably IMO) that it should have at least the firmware features available in that family, if not hardware due to technical limitations”

Should all inspires and phantoms have the same features , why should phantom 2 have same features as P4Pro?

Simple fact is 100 mbr was not available when Mavic Pro was introduced but was for release of MavAir and dji did the right thing by introducing it, but this one single upgrade should in no way give the wrong impression that somehow MavAir is a better craft than Mavic Pro it’s not, and this is why it commands a higher price , so overall I don’t believe that dji got it wrong about where their aircraft sit in the price range.

Regarding features because it’s a Mavic why should it have the same features as all other Mavics,  has iPhone 8 same features as the X, I don’t think so.
I think dji have been pretty good in spreading features across all their aircraft where possible we seen this with many of the features in spark eventually crossed over to Mavic Pro .
And I believe we will see the same with where possible features from MavAir being crossed over to Mavic Pro or even spark.

With regard to waypoints, I’m certain that if dji introduced waypoints to MavAir that very few will even attempt to use them one because of degree of difficulty and two having to fly the route pre using automatic flying is just a pain, so most users will be looking for third party apps like Litchi to develop their app to allow MavAir to be included in their waypoints, dji have said they would release SDK so it’s just a matter of waiting.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-10 08:20
“Oh and one more thing - DJI has seen fit to name this a mavic rather than say a spark pro, and in doing so created an expectation (not unreasonably IMO) that it should have at least the firmware features available in that family, if not hardware due to technical limitations”

Should all inspires and phantoms have the same features , why should phantom 2 have same features as P4Pro?

With regard to waypoints, I’m certain that if dji introduced waypoints to MavAir that very few will even attempt to use them one because of degree of difficulty and two having to fly the route pre using automatic flying is just a pain, so most users will be looking for third party apps like Litchi to develop their app to allow MavAir to be included in their waypoints, dji have said they would release SDK so it’s just a matter of waiting.

Totally agree - I never use WP on GO4 - takes the fun out of flying IMO

I would prefer to have at least functionality to send drone to exactly the same place and position I will save. For example when I would like to do photos of the same place during different seasons of the year. That would be perfect.

DH_Pilot Posted at 2018-4-10 09:13
I would prefer to have at least functionality to send drone to exactly the same place and position I will save. For example when I would like to do photos of the same place during different seasons of the year. That would be perfect.

It was fun at first but after doing it a few times it just got boring stood there looking at a screen whilst the drone did it's own thing. Would rather fly it myself. BTW - it wont stop and perform commands like 'take a photo' - you'll need the litchi app for that.

A CW Posted at 2018-4-10 09:17
It was fun at first but after doing it a few times it just got boring stood there looking at a screen whilst the drone did it's own thing. Would rather fly it myself. BTW - it wont stop and perform commands like 'take a photo' - you'll need the litchi app for that.

Yes maybe it is not so big fun but without such precise functionality you could never take photo of exactly the same place. Yes I know that litchi is able to do that but I'm hesitant to use that as if something will go wrong - drone crash from whatever reason DJI will refuse to take any responsibility even if it will be HW cause.

DH_Pilot Posted at 2018-4-10 09:23
Yes maybe it is not so big fun but without such precise functionality you could never take photo of exactly the same place. Yes I know that litchi is able to do that but I'm hesitant to use that as if something will go wrong - drone crash from whatever reason DJI will refuse to take any responsibility even if it will be HW cause.

Exactly - the drone won't stop, take a photo then proceed to the route using waypoints on the GO4 app - so even if waypoints are developed for the Mavic Air that will mirror the Mavic Pro it will not be possible to suit what appears to be your needs i.e. to take photos. It will just continuously record video within a 500m radius of the home point. Additionally, you have to fly the route yourself manually then set the waypoints yourself during the flight using the customisable buttons on the back of the RC which the MA does not have.

Maybe they will do the same as Sony camcorders and offer as a paid upgrade. I would prefer free.

A CW Posted at 2018-4-10 08:53
With regard to waypoints, I’m certain that if dji introduced waypoints to MavAir that very few will even attempt to use them one because of degree of difficulty and two having to fly the route pre using automatic flying is just a pain, so most users will be looking for third party apps like Litchi to develop their app to allow MavAir to be included in their waypoints, dji have said they would release SDK so it’s just a matter of waiting.

Totally agree - I never use WP on GO4 - takes the fun out of flying IMO

Can't agree more!!! Would you mind if I do a copy and paste?

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-10 08:20
“Oh and one more thing - DJI has seen fit to name this a mavic rather than say a spark pro, and in doing so created an expectation (not unreasonably IMO) that it should have at least the firmware features available in that family, if not hardware due to technical limitations”

Should all inspires and phantoms have the same features , why should phantom 2 have same features as P4Pro?

Totally agree with your analogy there, especially the iphone 8 and iphone X part. I personally look at it as people expecting features from different editions of Microsoft Windows. You don't ask Microsoft to give you Pro features for Home editions.

Por favor agregar waypoints al Mavic Air, un drone de esta categoría debería poder tener la opción de planificación de vuelos autónomos en DJI GS Pro u otro. POR FAVOR !!!!

I particularly like the Waypoints feature on the DJI Mavic Pro, it is useful and comes in handy on certain occasions.

DH_Pilot Posted at 2018-4-10 09:23
Yes maybe it is not so big fun but without such precise functionality you could never take photo of exactly the same place. Yes I know that litchi is able to do that but I'm hesitant to use that as if something will go wrong - drone crash from whatever reason DJI will refuse to take any responsibility even if it will be HW cause.

Indeed - waypoints is not about fun, it' about getting that great shot in a way that most people can't do well. I know I have a lot of difficulty with doing a POI video flying manually..

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-10 08:20
“Oh and one more thing - DJI has seen fit to name this a mavic rather than say a spark pro, and in doing so created an expectation (not unreasonably IMO) that it should have at least the firmware features available in that family, if not hardware due to technical limitations”

Should all inspires and phantoms have the same features , why should phantom 2 have same features as P4Pro?

"why should phantom 2 have same features as P4Pro"


Phantom 2 is a very old model relative to the 3/4 series in particular the flight controller represents DJI's early efforts. Like the mavic air/pro, a better comparison is between the 3 and the 4 series phantoms. Key flight modes (in firmware) like waypoints, course lock etc are unchanged right across the range. You could be pedantic and bring me up on literally what I said but it doesn't advance the discussion.


"I’ m certain that if dji introduced waypoints to MavAir that very few will even attempt to use them one because of degree of difficulty and two having to fly the route pre using automatic flying is just a pain, so most users will be looking for third party apps like Litchi to develop their app to"


If you are using waypoints you are almost certainly using Litchi as well. I don't know of anyone who uses the waypoint recording function of DJI's app.


"dji have said they would release SDK so it’s just a matter of waiting."


The point that I and others are making is that releasing an SDK is no guarantee that true waypoint functionality will be included.


In any case this is a thread about waypoints. If you don't find them useful that's ok, but those who do are simply wanting DJI to come out and say yes or no, and if yes then when.

joe_gadget Posted at 2018-4-11 01:29
"why should phantom 2 have same features as P4Pro"

I’m very much interested in waypoints I already have them on 3 Aircraft , but can you show me anywhere dji have come out and said yes or no to anything, fact is sdk was released for spark and only one third party app auto pilot took waypoints on and from what I hear and see they are working well, Litchi didn’t bother with waypoints for spark but decided to to introduce other modes and decided that they wouldn’t include waypoints.
Maybe your questions should be directed towards Litchi to ask if they receive sdk will the include MavAir in waypoints on their app.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-4-11 03:19
I’m very much interested in waypoints I already have them on 3 Aircraft , but can you show me anywhere dji have come out and said yes or no to anything, fact is sdk was released for spark and only one third party app auto pilot took waypoints on and from what I hear and see they are working well, Litchi didn’t bother with waypoints for spark but decided to to introduce other modes and decided that they wouldn’t include waypoints.
Maybe your questions should be directed towards Litchi to ask if they receive sdk will the include MavAir in waypoints on their app.

Good to hear you are supportive of having waypoints!
But... DJI has never officially confirmed the inclusion of upcoming waypoint support (or not) for the air other than in a bunch of supposed emails from various technical staff which appear to be contradictory at best.

Please also point me to any literature that categorically states that the spark SDK has waypoint functionality at this point in time. Autopilot's implementation of waypoints as I understand it is their own and does not allow for missions beyond the range of the controller. Litchi doesn't have waypoints not because they can't be bothered but because it isn't in the SDK (why would they not do so otherwise when waypoints is available for every other DJI drone that Litchi supports). I'd be more than prepared to admit I was wrong if you can show me that waypoints is an official feature of the spark SDK.

As you are adamant that the spark has this functionality I guess we probably differ as to what we take it to mean. So let me be clear how I see it - waypoint functionality allows the drone to complete a mission once started even if the controller is NOT connected to the craft.

Dji please bring waypoints to the mavic Air

djiuser_kGKIwow8Z139 Posted at 2018-4-12 03:00
Dji please bring waypoints to the mavic Air

It appears this wish may have been granted, new SDK is out...  implies we can have 3rd party apps that will support waypoints...

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D534%26typeid%3D534

What do people use waypoints for?

Are you still in direct line of sight? Waypoints sound like a method of getting the drone to fly off somewhere you cannot see it. At least that is how I have seen them used on youtube.

Are they repeatable? Can you fly the exact same flight path over and over?

I am only 1 flight into drone use so don't know anything much yet.

marcel_911 Posted at 2018-4-13 15:54
What do people use waypoints for?

Are you still in direct line of sight? Waypoints sound like a method of getting the drone to fly off somewhere you cannot see it. At least that is how I have seen them used on youtube.

I need them to be able to use my Air for mapping missions and creating 3D models.  Helps you fly a pattern to get proper overlap and other stuff needed for good processing and quality.