Hey, I’m looking to purchase a new drone in the coming weeks, and I’m hoping to hold out until the Mavic Pro 2 is released... does anybody know if ND filters from third parties (primarily thinking PolarPro) ship alongside the DJI drones, or does it take a few weeks for these companies to produce them?

The issue is I’ll be travelling to Tuscany late September (yes, I understand DJI haven’t even re-scheduled their announcement yet but here’s to hoping) and it’ll be the perfect place to test out my new drone, but from my understanding ND filters are a must!

Can anyone recall what happened with the Mavic Pro & Mavic Air announcements and how long it took for third party companies to produce and release their filters?

Many thanks,
Lewis

Hi there, thank you for reaching DJI forum. Just a reminder, we don't recommend you to use a third party accessories. If you really want to know I'm sure that our co-pilots here can give you better information about this concern. Thank you for your understanding.

DJI Paladin Posted at 2018-8-7 03:02
Hi there, thank you for reaching DJI forum. Just a reminder, we don't recommend you to use a third party accessories. If you really want to know I'm sure that our co-pilots here can give you better information about this concern. Thank you for your understanding.

Understandable.

Could you shed any light on when the official DJI Mavic Pro ND filters were released in relation to the release of the drone itself?

Filters are never available right when a new drone is released. You likely won't be able to buy any type of filter for at least a few weeks after the first Mavic 2 drones are shipped.

FYI I ordered my Mavic Pro Platinum the day it was put on the DJI store (UK) - in other words direct from China. That was September last year - almost immediately the MPP was sold out. It was not until November that I finally received the drone - DJI was overwhelmed by the initial demand and it took a while for the regional designated batches to be sent out. So in short unless DJI are able to cover the initial demand expect a delay in delivery even if you've paid upfront. Another point as the official announcement was pulled and given the usual lead times for a product to actually be available to purchase from a launch date - I'd not expect the new drones to be available to the general pubic until December 2018, if there is an official launch in September for example. As for third party accessories - a guess would suggest January 2019.

Lamplighter55 Posted at 2018-8-7 03:25
FYI I ordered my Mavic Pro Platinum the day it was put on the DJI store (UK) - in other words direct from China. That was September last year - almost immediately the MPP was sold out. It was not until November that I finally received the drone - DJI was overwhelmed by the initial demand and it took a while for the regional designated batches to be sent out. So in short unless DJI are able to cover the initial demand expect a delay in delivery even if you've paid upfront. Another point as the official announcement was pulled and given the usual lead times for a product to actually be available to purchase from a launch date - I'd not expect the new drones to be available to the general pubic until December 2018, if there is an official launch in September for example. As for third party accessories - a guess would suggest January 2019.

Thanks for the info. I'd heard about the past shipping issues with some drones, but read somewhere DJI had postponed their July 2018 event to avoid those teething issues this time around (who's to say it won't happen again, though?)

A part of me hopes the later the better, as I'll be purchasing a drone regardless before I go away, and purchasing an Air with the Mavic Pro 2 coming out a just couple of weeks later would be a giant kick in the balls...

I suspect they have the filters ready to go.  One thing you wont have though is a mavic 2 in September.  There's no way they'll be widely in store by then.  All the other drones have had filters ready on day of release.

gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-7 03:37
I suspect they have the filters ready to go.  One thing you wont have though is a mavic 2 in September.  There's no way they'll be widely in store by then.  All the other drones have had filters ready on day of release.

Mavic Air it is!

travelswithlewi Posted at 2018-8-7 03:40
Mavic Air it is!

I would suggest you consider the Mavic Pro as well, it's a mature product now that works well in most cases.

Aardvark Posted at 2018-8-7 04:15
I would suggest you consider the Mavic Pro as well, it's a mature product now that works well in most cases.

Have certainly considered it, but just about every review recommends the Air over the Pro... The Pro can't write at 100mbps unlike the Air, can it?

travelswithlewi Posted at 2018-8-7 04:31
Have certainly considered it, but just about every review recommends the Air over the Pro... The Pro can't write at 100mbps unlike the Air, can it?

No it doesn't do 100Mb/s, but it has twice the range, uses Ocusync protocol, more intelligent flight modes, wireless link to two sets of goggles and controllers if desired. It has dual compass & IMU for redundancy. It supports 1080P@30fps, 720P@30fps streaming to RC display (And 720P@60fps to Goggles).
RC has bright display with telemetry data.

And the Mavic Pro is a good bit quieter :-)

Have a look at some of the videos in the photos & video section, on well produce video the difference can be almost negligible between 60 & 100 Mb/s.
In fact I just looked at a 4k video, which streamed at 30Mb/s over the internet, and it still looked pretty good.
The Air is a nice machine, and if that's what you've set your mind on then it's a good choice

The air is nice if you find the MP too big (and really, its not).  Other than that i struggle to see any real advantages over the MP other than cost.
The camera setup on both is near identical other than the better bit rate on the Air (but the camera is compromised elsewhere instead).  The air is barely acceptable at 4k whereas the pro requires substantial post processing to produce acceptable content at 4k (specifically noise and pulse reduction).  But outside 4k the pro wins all the time.

The Air features substantially less range, substantially less battery life, less stability and ability to handle winds.  Its cheaper.  Thats about it.

(Nobody mentions spark any more..!)

gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-7 07:04
The air is nice if you find the MP too big (and really, its not).  Other than that i struggle to see any real advantages over the MP other than cost.
The camera setup on both is near identical other than the better bit rate on the Air (but the camera is compromised elsewhere instead).  The air is barely acceptable at 4k whereas the pro requires substantial post processing to produce acceptable content at 4k (specifically noise and pulse reduction).  But outside 4k the pro wins all the time.

Spark is also a good drone - and at a good price these days.

Aardvark Posted at 2018-8-7 06:59
No it doesn't do 100Mb/s, but it has twice the range, uses Ocusync protocol, more intelligent flight modes, wireless link to two sets of goggles and controllers if desired. It has dual compass & IMU for redundancy. It supports 1080P@30fps, 720P@30fps streaming to RC display (And 720P@60fps to Goggles).
RC has bright display with telemetry data.

The question is always: what are you using the footage for? Your right: You won't see the difference on Youtube right away, but on a large screen or if you do color correction, the difference between is 35 MBit and 100 Mbit is striking.

So if you need a drone for quality or broadcast production the Mavic Pro is risky, because you need perfect light to get acceptable footage.

Chris

COffe DE Posted at 2018-8-7 23:09
The question is always: what are you using the footage for? Your right: You won't see the difference on Youtube right away, but on a large screen or if you do color correction, the difference between is 35 MBit and 100 Mbit is striking.

So if you need a drone for quality or broadcast production the Mavic Pro is risky, because you need perfect light to get acceptable footage.

"So if you need a drone for quality or broadcast production the Mavic Pro is risky, because you need perfect light to get acceptable footage."

Surely the same constraints would apply to the Air with its small imaging chip and smaller aperture.

If I were doing broadcast work at high bit rate then neither of the Mavics would fit the bill.