Due to Covid19, the lockdown and a bike accident I had in June, I was not able to fly the Mini for an actual filming (and not 'training' fly) but only 2 times.
This is the second attempt, from a long weekend in South West Wales.
The video is a mix of footage from the Mini and from the Osmo Action but mostly Mini.
Below some of my thoughts from a novice pilot and videographer point of view & taking into account that I use the drone as a video/photo tool and not as a purely fly machine.
I flew the Mini in, what I would consider, strong winds and it did quite well. All the lighthouse video was under such conditions. For example I couldn't take any decent footage with my mobile phone attached to the Osmo mobile 3 (impossible to hold the gimbal steady because of the winds), while the Mini gave some good ones.
Of course I was very cautious and nervous (having heard all the horror stories about Minis which flew away etc) and I think this fact affected somehow what video I got (not high enough, not behind the lighthouse, flying always first against the wind etc etc). But overall I would say that Mini did a decent job.
Now regarding photography as long as the light is good the drone gives nice, clear and a bit over sharped photos but in low light conditions it shows its limitations, but again it produces useable photos. It performs much better in the video department, for amateurs users like myself. Even colour grading is possible, if you don't over do it.
In a video technicality now (and because I have heard various things from various youtubers), I would say that we should shoot in the best quality and in the fps we are going to produce the final video, apart if we want to have smooth footage under difficult conditions or slow motion (quite few people advise to shoot always in higher frame rate and reduce it in post production). In my case I shot everything in 2.7K and 30fps. That was great for the lighthouse conditions. In post processing I slowed down evertyhing to 0.8 of the speed (from 30 to 24 fkps) and produced a smooth footage, despite the the slight shaking from the wind. The castle footage though was a bit challenging in the post processing because I didn't want an already slow video to make it even slower. So I used some 30 fps footage in 24 fps line and the results are not the best. Lesson learnt although I must admit that you need experience in order to say in advance when you need the one or the other especially in the field and under pressure.
Finally I would say that yes I would like to have a better drone, like the Air 2, first for the confidence and then for the better capabilities but right now I cannot justify £800-900 for something I will use seriously 5-6 times per year. If I was living outside London I might do but for now I will live happily with the Mini :-)
DowntownRDB Posted at 9-19 11:54
Very nicely done. Glad you healed from your bike accident and were able to get out and capture this impressive footage.
Thank you. The bike accident was tough but i am almost back in action now
ThalisBl, Enjoyed the video, like the contained gravel foundation for the house. The Lighthouse was very interesting, with the light going round, and the time of day very nice as well. Thank you for sharing.
Hello there ThalisBl. Thank you for reaching out and for posting this fantastic video you have filmed in South West Wales using your DJI Mavic Mini. Great work and thank you for your support.
Bob-Mavic Pro Platinum Posted at 9-20 17:07
ThalisBl, Enjoyed the video, like the contained gravel foundation for the house. The Lighthouse was very interesting, with the light going round, and the time of day very nice as well. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. In my mind lighthouses are a bit of magical places