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There's no doubt about which drone brand people want to buy from currently - DJI. Every other drone company is currently "playing second fiddle." But DJI has such a wonderful lineup of products - which should I choose? How can I get the best "bang for my buck?" I had the DJI Spark, and I can assure you - it was worth every penny of what I paid for it. But the value that you get out of the product is directly proportional to how the product caters to your needs. For example, an Inspire or Mavic 2 would be fantastic for me to own, but as an amateur, it would be a waste of money for me because I could never get my money's worth out of it. A Mavic Air does just as good, if not better, for what I need - portability, price, camera quality (ok, the Mavic 2 and Inspires win in that case). But if I was a professional photographer/videographer, a Mavic Air would never do the trick. But, for amateurs that are serious about drone photography, I would argue that the Mavic Air is the best drone on the market. Don't believe me? Keep reading!
(PLEASE NOTE: You will hear several references to the DJI Spark in this tutorial in comparison and contrast to the Mavic Air. I am not downplaying the Spark in this tutorial in any way. I am using it for a comparison. For people wanting to get out and fly and take photos for the fun of it, the Mavic Air would be overkill. The Spark, I would argue, is the best beginner/amateur hobbyist drone on the market. I just used the drone to make comparisons to the Mavic Air, which I would recommend for more serious hobbyists who are thinking about doing something more professional in the future.)
When I first considered buying the Mavic Air, I wondered - "Is it worth the money?" I didn't think so, and that's why I didn't buy it until I saw it go on sale for a super discounted price. But I didn't know what I was missing out on. Once I got home with my Mavic, I immediately opened the box, and this was what I saw...
I was rather surprised to see that the Mavic folded was smaller than my Spark that I had owned previously! I took it out and unfolded the arms (which was a little bit of a challenge, because I expected the back arms to unfold horizontally rather than a fancy spin-out way, which I thought was actually pretty neat). Holding it in my hand, I was able to hide most of my hand behind the body of the drone (which my hand is somewhat large), but not so much to where you could not see it.
Most of the drones I had owned previously (cheap off-brand drones) were large and bulky. In fact, my 8-pound Yorkshire Terrier was about their same size. But the Spark was the first drone I owned that was a lot smaller than my dog, and my Mavic is nearly as small, as you can see below.
I looked over the drone and was extremely impressed with the overall design. The aesthetic design of the drone itself was really neat (it reminded me of a Mustang car or something - see the picture below), the camera was neatly hidden within the drone, and it is extremely compact. I loved the way that I could actually protect my gimbal with out having a big, ugly gimbal protector - or none at all. If it hadn't been for me reading the manual, I would have thought the gimbal protector was part of the drone! But even when it was taken off, the camera was neatly settled in a somewhat inconspicuous place within the drone.
The next thing I looked at was the remote. You should have seen my face when I realized the joysticks were missing!
The remote was almost exactly like the Spark remote, with a few key differences:
- The joysticks could be put on or taken off (although I had a little bit of a panic attack when I thought that the sticks were nonexistent)
- The name on the remote said "Mavic Air" instead of "Spark" (which makes perfect sense)
- There was no more need for wireless connection (which I was very happy to see)
- And a couple of other minor differences
I found some spare joysticks in the box and put them on, not realizing that there was another pair. When I opened the phone mount, I saw the joysticks I was looking for in a pleasantly surprising place:
I immediately thought, "Wow! The ingenuity of DJI's designers! They wanted to make the Mavic Air and its remote so portable that they even made the joysticks removable and made a neat little spot for them to be stored within the remote!"
So once I took them out and screwed them in place, my remote finally looked like the remote I was expecting to see in the first place...
Voila! A remote with joysticks!
But I spent several hours just looking at the wonders of the drone and the remote and didn't get out to fly it as soon as I was expecting. But a thought came to me - "You didn't just pay several hundred dollars to get a visual toy! You bought photography equipment!" I jumped up from my chair and plugged in the remote and drone (which I should have done hours before). I was used to the time it took to charge the Spark (usually about 1 hour 20 minutes), but the Mavic charged within 45 minutes! Unbelievable! I could not believe the drone could charge that fast. I took it out and crossed my fingers. Believe it or not, it worked! (I should have known.) This is what I saw, flying in the sky above me...
I realized rather quickly that I would need a new SD card, because such high-quality video would eat up storage much faster than the footage from the Spark!
The footage was jaw-dropping. 4K video? 120 frames per second in 1080p? Adjustable framerate? I could not stop fooling around with all the different options in the Mavic. The APAS system for smoothly passing obstacles? All new to me, I was always out trying to test out the new and improved functions on the Mavic Air.
I love my Mavic Air! I miss my Spark... but the Mavic Air makes up for it - and more!
At this point, you may be asking, which drone should I get? Well, for starters, DJI all the way! DJI is the leader in making high-quality drones, and no matter which drone you buy, from the Tello to the Matrice and all points in between, it will be well worth your money. However, DJI has such a huge lineup. How do I pick? If you want to fly a toy for the fun of it, the Tello is the best drone under $100. (These are my opinions, but I'm sure they could be backed by many, if not most, of the members on this forum.) If you want to get into aerial photography, but as a simple hobby, the Spark is a wonderful drone with a great price tag. If you are a more serious photographer and want to get a mix between price and quality, the Mavic Air is an unmistakable choice. If you want something for professional use, the Phantoms, Mavic 2, Inspire, Matrice... the list goes on. But as a serious hobbyist who can always go for a good price, I would say that the Mavic Air is the best drone on the market for my specific purposes - although a different drone may be the best for your needs.
It all depends on how serious you are. But no matter which DJI drone you choose, you will not lose. As long as the drone suits your needs, the value for your money is unbeatable from DJI. As for me... I will be flying my Mavic Air as long as it will last me - which I'm sure will be for years to come!
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