I've been looking at getting another, more compact drone, to use for my photography business. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction.

From the YouTube videos I have been watching and some articles I have read online, it seems that the Mavic Air is the best choice out of them all. I'm not sure if I can wait around for the new Mavic Pro to come out, but it does seem compelling.

Basically I was just curious what everyone on this forum would reccomend from a professional opinion. I am looking to take good photo and video. Everything looks good on the Mavic Air on that aspect except for the 30fps @ 4k video. That seems to be the main drawback.


Any kind of feedback would be appreciated.

If you are professional photographer who does not mind images with -
slight soft focus
challenged dynamic range
slight grain in low light
then you should be okay with Mavic Air or Mavic Pro.
In regards to Mavic Air camera, there have been a few people reporting soft focus problems on one side of image, believed to be due to incorrect lens positioning.


But if you are picky about your images, pixel-peeper, then you need to look at DJI's professional line of drones.

Mavic Air and Pro camera same as mobile phone. I don’t think that is enough for real professional usage. You buy Mavic for easy carry and flight performance not the camera quality. Mavic Pro 2 should get a better camera but not sure that is professional enough for you.

I agree - these are marketed by DJI as consumer grade, personal drones designed mainly for portability. They do take very acceptable images and with some work in post you can really enhance them. The MA has a higher video bit rate over the MP and more tech built into it and is even more portable. The MP is not really a professional grade drone - all Mavic's have a 1/2.3" CMOS 12mp sensor using an H.264 codec. The processor in the MA is upgraded over the MP and given the higher bit rate there is less compressed artefact in the footage on the MA - especially in 4K and the gimbal on the MA is a cut above the MP.

30p is the highest frame rate of all of the Mavic's when shooting in 4K. That said, using a Zenmuse X3 on the original I1 that I see in your profile - the camera on the MP and MA will be slightly better. If you are looking at a more professional grade platform that is relatively portable by comparison to an Inspire then you may want to check out the Phantom 4 Pro which has a 1" CMOS R 20mp sensor, mechanical shutter, variable aperture, dual codec (H.265) and records DCI 4K @ 60p though it is not detachable and does not offer interchangeable lenses, the quality is comparable to the Zenmuse X5 and is identical to the X4S and you'll have change out of two grand even after buying extra batteries and ND filters.

The MP2 does not exist and the folk who started all of that said it was going to be released in March... You could be waiting a long time and nobody can confirm the specs of what that drone may offer.  

Go for Mavic Pro Platinum

Optimus Prime-Mavic Air Posted at 2018-5-31 01:01
Go for Mavic Pro Platinum

I disagree - I sold mine and kept the MA.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-31 01:06
I disagree - I sold mine and kept the MA.

May be i am too scary, but beside unlucky with blurry image also fixed focus so i am not comfortable with MA now
I agree with you about latest tech dji put on MA, it is a good choice for portable and travelling.
Good day!!

Optimus Prime-Mavic Air Posted at 2018-5-31 01:20
May be i am too scary, but beside unlucky with blurry image also fixed focus so i am not comfortable with MA now
I agree with you about latest tech dji put on MA, it is a good choice for portable and travelling.
Good day!!

Depth of field on these personal drones is a bit over kill so I personally found tap to focus to be more annoying than anything else on my MPP. Infinity focus on the MA is refreshing. The image quality on my MA is noticeably better than my MPP - I've never experienced any blur in my stills or footage. The MA simply has a better camera IMO and being able to record full slo mo in FHD and 2.7K @ 60p are great improvements. Added to the gimbal being a complete cut above it was an easy decision to sell the MPP. Also, the MPP will depreciate very quickly - you'll lose more money on resale as soon as the MP2 is released. Thankfully, I got £1,100 for mine

A CW Posted at 2018-5-31 01:33
Depth of field on these personal drones is a bit over kill so I personally found tap to focus to be more annoying than anything else on my MPP. Infinity focus on the MA is refreshing. The image quality on my MA is noticeably better than my MPP - I've never experienced any blur in my stills or footage. The MA simply has a better camera IMO and being able to record full slo mo in FHD and 2.7K @ 60p are great improvements. Added to the gimbal being a complete cut above it was an easy decision to sell the MPP. Also, the MPP will depreciate very quickly - you'll lose more money on resale as soon as the MP2 is released. Thankfully, I got £1,100 for mine

Very nice. I wish i had luck like you with working MA, but this issue scare me as i saved money for this and imagine it perfect out of the box but did not.

Optimus Prime-Mavic Air Posted at 2018-5-31 01:48
Very nice. I wish i had luck like you with working MA, but this issue scare me as i saved money for this and imagine it perfect out of the box but did not.

You're not alone. Try refreshing your FW using version 1.2.4 on Assistant 2 on both the remote controller and drone. Then calibrate everything and see if that helps.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-31 01:50
You're not alone. Try refreshing your FW using version 1.2.4 on Assistant 2 on both the remote controller and drone. Then calibrate everything and see if that helps.

Yes, I have tried but issue come from misaligned lens/sensor thing so just replacement may help. Thank you for your suggestion.

Optimus Prime-Mavic Air Posted at 2018-5-31 01:53
Yes, I have tried but issue come from misaligned lens/sensor thing so just replacement may help. Thank you for your suggestion.

That's a shame. Defects like that do happen and are obviously a pain. Now I see why you recommend the MPP. I hope you get a replacement soon enough.

Good day. Thank you for choosing the Mavic Series as your new drone. I will be sending you a link ( https://www.dji.com/products/com ... ndsite&from=nav ) this link will compare all the Mavic models. I hope this can be a big help for you to choose your next drone. Thank you.

Thanks everyone for the response! Sounds to me like the Mavic Air is what everyone is leaning towards. Eventually I'll upgrade again to a Phantom 4 pro, or the 5 when it comes out. The 20mp camera seems to be the best. I AM looking for more of a compact drone to carry around when I go hiking or boating, for example. Dragging my Inspire 1 case can be really restricting in some situations!