I guess you're all wondering on why I think that the DJI Mavic is disappointing. Well I tell you.

1. Shaky camera/gimbal and shaky take-off. Go to the 0:52 mark in the video below and take a look at what happens when it's taking off. Not only does the aircraft move quite a bit but the camera itself shakes around quite a bit which could potentially cause damage to the unit overtime.


2. Low battery life. According to DJI Mavic's specs page, you can clearly see that the Mavic's flight battery capacity is rated at 3830 mAh, that's rather low compared to the Phantom 4's much large capacity of 5350 mAh. Same can be said for the remote transmitters of both aircraft. 2970 mAh for the Mavic's transmitter, and a huge 6000 mAh for the Phantom 4's transmitter. I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't want to be running out of juice with that small remote while out and about with that Mavic drone, especially since there's no way to switch out the battery, will have no choice but to head home to recharge.

3. Slightly laggy footage. I'm judging from the unedited footage in the YouTube video above, but from the looks of things, it does seem to look as though the frame-rate isn't quite steady. Dropping frames.

I do very much like the idea of DJI Mavic with it's small size, and I believe that the Mavic is in a completely different category of drone. As in, it shouldn't really be compared to high-end drones such as the Phantom 4 and the Inspire 1 at all. It's for those ones out there who would like to have a very portable drone with them all of the time, that they can take out and play around with for a laugh and not take too seriously, take loads of group selfies with friends. Professional drone flyers and more advanced enthusiasts should stick with the Phantom 4 and Inspire 1 for their more high-end drone adventures and serious aerial photography sessions.

One thing's for sure. It's priced far too high for what it is.

1. The props were folded in so obviously it will shake for a second until it's balanced with the props extended.
2. It has longer flight time than the P4. The P4 is a 4s battery and the Mavic is a 3s. The Mavic RC only uses 950 mAh so it should last quite a while. And you can fly with only the RC or only your Phone/tablet.
3. haven't dove into it enough.
When you hold one in your hand you will not think it's priced too high. The build quality is amazing, it is heavy and stout and feels like a industrial aircraft from an aerospace company.

'3. Slightly laggy footage. I'm judging from the unedited footage in the YouTube video above, but from the looks of things, it does seem to look as though the frame-rate isn't quite steady. Dropping frames. '

A slight delay is normal, any MPEG encoding system takes a number of frames to encode a scene, the higher the compression, generally the longer the coding delay. This is because the coding system examines a number of consecutive frames in order to work out if it can apply motion estimation to the scene, and until it has done doing that, the frames are not coded.

It will not be dropping frames. A video processing system that encodes in MPEG cannot drop frames.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-9-28 10:52
1. The props were folded in so obviously it will shake for a second until it's balanced with the pro ...

There's something else I didn't mention. The image quality seems to be worse than Phantom 4 too. If you go to the 8:39 mark in this video below, you can see these guys discussing it. The whole image looks much clearer on the Phantom 4's side. You can see the extra detail in the trees and water surface.


It only makes sense though as to make things that small and portible with the Mavic, sacrifices had to be made. There's just no way that the Phantom 4 could be shrink-ed that much down to size and keep all of its features, including it's top-notch image quality and performance/speed.

I'm aware that the motors on the Phantom 4 are more powerful than the ones on the Mavic, which can also been seen in the video.

I'm not hating on the Mavic at all, I'm just saying that the two drones are different in a lot of ways. Phantom 4 is in a league of it's own. Only the Phantom 5 can compete and most likely destroy the Phantom 4 if and when it does arrive.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-9-27 22:52
1. The props were folded in so obviously it will shake for a second until it's balanced with the pro ...

Will the camera accommodate ND filters like the Phantom 3's and 4?

shaun@flytcam.c Posted at 2016-9-28 11:27
Will the camera accommodate ND filters like the Phantom 3's and 4?

Yes it will in the near future.

Enkeixpress Posted at 2016-9-28 11:24
There's something else I didn't mention. The image quality seems to be worse than Phantom 4 too. If ...

The P4 does have better quality, but for the size of the Mavic camera/gimbal (about the size of your thumb) it is amazing that it is capable of great 4k footage.

In six months or less DJI will come up with another model and a super pro version.  The thing is that P4 has a quite better camera than this Mavic version builted for play.

jomipaz Posted at 2016-9-28 12:27
In six months or less DJI will come up with another model and a super pro version.  The thing is tha ...

DJi will keep coming out with more advanced models, I don't think any drone company (non military) can come even close to touching DJI technology for the price.

I think Mavic will be a hit for many people. Would not expect identical quality as P4 but it promises a lot... only thing I hope they will make available for p4 are the goggles even if I have to bundle with HDMI out. Due to decreased weight and motor strength I would like to see how it behaves in more windy conditions. Another feature I wish they would adopt to P4 is this relative altitude mode when drone keeps the same distance from the ground even if it has to stay relatively low.

I think Mavic will be a hit for many people. Would not expect identical quality as P4 but it promises a lot... only thing I hope they will make available for p4 are the goggles even if I have to bundle with HDMI out. Due to decreased weight and motor strength I would like to see how it behaves in more windy conditions. Another feature I wish they would adopt to P4 is this relative altitude mode when drone keeps the same distance from the ground even if it has to stay relatively low.

Enkeixpress Posted at 2016-9-28 04:24
There's something else I didn't mention. The image quality seems to be worse than Phantom 4 too. If ...

OK so the Mavic may not be quite up to the P4 in terms of end results - and yes that is a big consideration for me - but having that capability in that package is very attractive. I'd really like to be able to walk around not having to carry a big backpack looking like the "drone man"! :-)

I ordered a mavic pro today, I'm also dumping all my GoPro stock today aswell

I bought an phantom 3 pro a couple of weeks ago and returned it last night after I put my order in for the Mavic Pro 1299 package.  I am so friggen stoked about getting it!  Sure the Phantom 4 is almost twice the weight and will be steadier in rougher conditions but the Mavic will be able to perform well in most conditions.  Based on the hands on video the distortion between the 4 and Mavic can only bee seen when you zoom in.    You won't be able to tell this when you start editing and finalizing your videos.  It's like when you go TV shopping and you are comparing all the tv's side by side in the store  Once you get home you don't notice a difference.  

Portability is key for me so it was a no brainer.

It was nice to see in the live event that he pulled an osmo mobile out of the same bag as the Mavic.  My OSMO+ comes in on Friday so I'm hoping it will fit in the same bag.  Its crazy that my full movie production setup can fit into my wife's purse!!

2. Low battery life. According to DJI Mavic's specs page, you can clearly see that the Mavic's flight battery capacity is rated at 3830 mAh, that's rather low compared to the Phantom 4's much large capacity of 5350 mAh. Same can be said for the remote transmitters of both aircraft. 2970 mAh for the Mavic's transmitter, and a huge 6000 mAh for the Phantom 4's transmitter. I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't want to be running out of juice with that small remote while out and about with that Mavic drone, especially since there's no way to switch out the battery, will have no choice but to head home to recharge.

The digitalrev comparison shows the battery life significantly longer in a non-scientific hover-indoors test. The Mavic is much lighter so will use much less power.

Whats not to like about this new UAV.

For something as small and convenient to carry with, it looks amazing and will give the new GoPro a good run.  If it were to come with an Cosmo it would be a firm competitor to the GoPro and could then be compared as like for like for the package.

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-9-28 03:30
I ordered a mavic pro today, I'm also dumping all my GoPro stock today aswell

I agree that GoPro is going to take a spanking on this one. It isn't looking good for them right now. The only way GoPro could compete at this point is to slash the price on their Karma and do it fast otherwise they face the same problem 3DR faced, and look where they are now. From what I hear, this is the product DJI has been waiting for. It's going to leave other drones in the dust. They made the Mavic a consumer priced drone with professional capabilities.

I am so glad I waited before buying the P4. It's the news of the Karma being released that had me waiting, so thanks GoPro. Then a few days later the Mavic was introduced. Good timing.

As I said before on other posts, if you have a P4... sell it as fast as you can. Once the Mavic starts shipping, P4s are going to drop in price dramatically. We've seen this happen before when a new Phantom is released, but this is different. Get the most you can while you still can. Most people don't need two drones and if you had the two, I'm sure the Mavic would become your daily driver. The specs on the Mavic compared to the P4 is not a short list by any means. Also, I have a good source that said if you can wait till Black Friday or Christmas, you'll probably be able to pickup a Mavic Fly More combo for $995.00 saving you about $300 US.

Something else I was told is that unlike the P3 and P4 which required immediate firmware updates, the Mavic has gone through a lot more testing than any drone in the series. It's unlikely that immediate firmware updates will be necessary. Good job DJI but let's hope your customer support catches up to be in par with your products.

And BTW, I completely disagree with the author of this post. The Mavic doesn't look dissapointing at all, quite the contrary. I doubt very much that we'll ever see another Phantom in the series. Why would DJI release a bulkier drone like a P5 that resembales a P4? They know that mobility and size without sacraficing features is the future. The new compact design is the direction they've chosen. I doubt very much they'll go backwards. What I do predict is side and rear sonar as well as a zoom in the future. All features that would be great, but not something that would make me wait. I think the Phantom series is done. Enter Mavic..

Here are just a few of the reasons why the Mavic is much better than any Phantom IHO:

Cheaper price
Longer flight time
Extreme mobility
FINALLY No props in the video!!! (What's the point of having an aerial drone when you have props in almost every shot?)
Smaller sized batteries
Cheaper batteries
Faster charging
Ability to fly without a controller
OcuSync as opposed to Lightbridge
A lot more precise landings (within centimeters from where you took off)
Much better hold positioning than any Phantom
Same if not better video quality than a P4
Quieter
Fly longer distance if in an area where it's permissable without mods
DJI Goggles
Live streaming from a longer distance at 1080 as opposed to 720
Gesture controls
and more...

I'm not dissapointed at all.

LOL at people pissing and moaning over a slight dip in video quality.  Seriously - look at the size of the thing.  Look at all the features they retained and added.  And it looks absolutely slick compared to the Phantom line.

I'm getting a Mavic and most likely keeping my P3A, but I'm not going to fume over a slight dip in video quality when I see everything else it's got.  

Eazy123 Posted at 2016-9-28 16:21
LOL at people pissing and moaning over a slight dip in video quality.  Seriously - look at the size  ...

It's a camera, image quality is paramount.

Delta Nine Posted at 2016-9-29 00:33
It's a camera, image quality is paramount.

Actually it's a drone with a camera.  And if it was truly paramount you'd get a S1000 with a SLR.

CheckYourSix Posted at 2016-9-28 15:06
I agree that GoPro is going to take a spanking on this one. It isn't looking good for them right no ...

FINALLY No props in the video!!! (What's the point of having an arial drone when you have props in almost every shot?)

Check the ops video @1:53

Enkeixpress Posted at 2016-9-28 11:24
There's something else I didn't mention. The image quality seems to be worse than Phantom 4 too. If ...

Enkeipress... are you seriously judging 4K video quality based on downscaled and poorly edited 1080p stream? WOW

How about 4K quality played in 4K?
https://vimeo.com/183428092

Eazy123 Posted at 2016-9-28 23:21
LOL at people pissing and moaning over a slight dip in video quality.  Seriously - look at the size  ...

It also has manual focus and that is the issue in some of the videos as focus wasn't properly set.
But agree, for something this tiny even if the focus isn't correctly set it's absolutely incredible the technology packed into this little gem.

Delta Nine Posted at 2016-9-29 00:33
It's a camera, image quality is paramount.

Again, some of the video were manual focus and that's probably why.

"2. Low battery life. According to DJI Mavic's specs page, you can clearly see that the Mavic's flight battery capacity is rated at 3830 mAh, that's rather low compared to the Phantom 4's much large capacity of 5350 mAh. Same can be said for the remote transmitters of both aircraft. 2970 mAh for the Mavic's transmitter, and a huge 6000 mAh for the Phantom 4's transmitter. I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't want to be running out of juice with that small remote while out and about with that Mavic drone, especially since there's no way to switch out the battery, will have no choice but to head home to recharge. "

Wait.....huh?!?

Dude - the Phantom's controller battery lasts HOURS.  Even if the Mavic controller lasts half that - say 2 hours - I'd honestly think you'd run out of Mavic batteries before your transmitter dies.  You're gonna be heading home and recharging THOSE if anything.

Unless you plan on purchasing 5 or more Mavic batteries.  

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-9-28 10:59
Again, some of the video were manual focus and that's probably why.

What do you mean by manual focus?  I didn't realize focusing could be done manually on this.  Is there an auto mode by default?

Daley Posted at 2016-9-29 02:06
What do you mean by manual focus?  I didn't realize focusing could be done manually on this.  Is t ...

Tapping the screen in normal camera would allow you to manually focus on a subject.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-9-29 00:58
It also has manual focus and that is the issue in some of the videos as focus wasn't properly set. ...

In an earlier post I stated that the gopro karma was kind of 2012'ish,  after seeing and ordering the DJI mavic I almost feel bad for gopro, there karma suddenly seems 2008'ish.

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-9-29 04:18
In an earlier post I stated that the gopro karma was kind of 2012'ish,  after seeing and ordering  ...

Just wait until you hold one in your hands, it feels like Boeing built it. Absolutely zero plastic feeling to it

I can't wait! My other half is gonna go ballistic lol :-)

Are you for real?  Have you seen the specs?  Your comment about battery life is comical.  Seriously, you need to research before you try and smack a product down.

R&L Aerial  Posted at 2016-9-28 04:30
I ordered a mavic pro today, I'm also dumping all my GoPro stock today aswell

lol i dont think gopro will suffer from sales at all. The masses buy gopro, tech/drone aware consumers will buy dji. People that literally know nothing about drones will go and just buy the karma as a gift to their kids.

Eazy123 Posted at 2016-9-28 23:21
LOL at people pissing and moaning over a slight dip in video quality.  Seriously - look at the size  ...

I also have the P3A and want the Mavic as well! The Mavic looks amazing in so many ways!

GB44 Posted at 2016-9-29 00:03
Whats not to like about this new UAV.

For something as small and convenient to carry with, it looks ...

Just my opinion but to me it looks like a cheap toy with that controller
I'll stick with my P3Ps

phillip.colwell Posted at 2016-9-29 12:00
Just my opinion but to me it looks like a cheap toy with that controller
I'll stick with my P3Ps

Just wait until you hold the controller in your hand, I promise toy will be the last thing in your mind.

rreindl Posted at 2016-9-29 11:15
I also have the P3A and want the Mavic as well! The Mavic looks amazing in so many ways!

Indeed it is ! ! !

sunny051488 Posted at 2016-9-29 05:34
lol i dont think gopro will suffer from sales at all. The masses buy gopro, tech/drone aware consu ...

I honestly think this Mavic will out number  any other drone sales by an extremely LARGE margin.
When you get to feel the heaviness and stout quality of the Mavic and even it's RC you will truly be amazed.

Kwaka Pants Posted at 2016-9-29 04:52
I can't wait! My other half is gonna go ballistic lol :-)

I thinks that's already going to happen to tens of thousands of buyers, it's so small maybe the spouse won't even notice it hidden under your pillow

I'm really starting to like the Mavic. The fact that it folds up so compact is a great selling point and the feature list is amazing. I think dji will be seeing quite a drop in P4 sales soon.  If I had to offer just one criticism it would be the lack of a sunshade around the mobile device, perhaps dji can offer this in the future.

2. Low battery life. According to DJI Mavic's specs page, you can clearly see that the Mavic's flight battery capacity is rated at 3830 mAh, that's rather low compared to the Phantom 4's much large capacity of 5350 mAh. Same can be said for the remote transmitters of both aircraft. 2970 mAh for the Mavic's transmitter, and a huge 6000 mAh for the Phantom 4's transmitter. I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't want to be running out of juice with that small remote while out and about with that Mavic drone, especially since there's no way to switch out the battery, will have no choice but to head home to recharge.

Have you even watched the review you linked and the other vid?
Usre your probably disappointed with the Battery size, but then again Mavic drone is alot smaller, alot lighter and therefor dont need a huge battery to be equal to the P4.

P4 is rated to about 21min on Hover by reviewers and the Mavic was rated at 26min on Hover.... so to be honest for a smaller package with more if not equal to its bigger brother in flight time... thats pretty darn good.

-------------------
There's something else I didn't mention. The image quality seems to be worse than Phantom 4 too. If you go to the 8:39 mark in this video below, you can see these guys discussing it. The whole image looks much clearer on the Phantom 4's side. You can see the extra detail in the trees and water surface.

As you mentioned... this 2 are not on the same league or type of drones, this also appeals to different users (and perhaps same users)
the P4 is pretty much a full on camera drone platform, alot Bigger, Stable, Powerful, and better image quality, more meant for production users
but the Mavic was intended to be more portable and was meant to be more, quick fly and shoot and back to ur purse... :p which is great for adventurers, sportsters, etc in the end of it all...
you have to decide for your self which compromises are important to you, Smaller Drone but lack of Image quality or Bigger drone with better image quality.
This should be an easy answer if your really into capturing stuff and publishing it (P4 in this case) but if ur like into sports, capture moments for fun, etc and maybe even short production, the Mavic seems to be a perfect tool.

as for the future P5... who knows what it will bring, perhaps it will be abit of both in the middle.... slightly smaller than the P4 but larger than the Mavic, with fully packed features, etc
we shall see i guess