First, this is based on 30 years as a Pro photographer and RC hobbiest for the same 30 years.

1. The props are too close to the camera resulting in severe interference on the video anywhere near direct sunlight.  Not talking head on either.
No fix for that so for me its a return.
2. Gimbal clearance from the metal failsafe bracket is too close to the gimbal throwing failure codes.  That fix will require honing down or removal of the bracket.
3. The phone attachment is not a good solution at all taking numerous attempts to secure the USB plug correctly, I actually ended up bending my phones
female port.  My guess is that you insert the phone first and try pluging it in once the phone is set.
4.  The arms that hold the phone are too tight.  Not fun having to remove your slim phone case everytime you want to fly.  larger gaps and adhesive shims was the ticket.
5. My professional opinion is that this camera is not as good as the phantom series as it sits today.  I know all about the focus niggles and even so, The P3 was a better image
hands down.

Im hanging on to my P3 and Inspire for professional work and believe that aside from the cool transformer fold up design, that smaller is not better in this case.

If you're going to return it I'll buy it from you   Seriously!  

Well I also use a drone for some of my businiess and if the Mavic works, it will probably transform my business a lot as I could offer services I can not currently offer as the other DJI products (and other drones) are too big.

Can't wait for mine to arrive!

I've been flying all kinds of aircrafts since 2009. The Mavic is the most impressive piece of drone tech I've ever layed my hands on. Just my opinion though.

Mir Posted at 2016-11-11 01:46
I've been flying all kinds of aircrafts since 2009. The Mavic is the most impressive piece of drone  ...

I've not been flying aircrafts for so long but 100% agree.

1. The props are too close to the camera resulting in severe interference on the video anywhere near direct sunlight.  Not talking head on either.
No fix for that so for me its a return.

This happens on the Phantom 4 also. I remember when I toke my Phantom 4 out for it's first flight, and the sun was out, a really bright day. After a few short flights, I headed back home, checked the footage out and on a certain part of the footage where I was headed just below the sun but not direct head-on, I could see some sort of weird wavy lines were forming in the middle of the screen, just below the sun.

I think it's normal.

the mavic is a regular consumer product that sacrifices image quality for compact design.and as a professional, why would you even consider this product? just go straight to the inspire.

Enkeixpress Posted at 2016-11-10 10:51
1. The props are too close to the camera resulting in severe interference on the video anywhere near ...

It's normal, but you can eliminate that shadow problem by using a ND filter.  I use it with my Phantom 4.  I can't wait till the ND filters are released for the Mavic.

I think props would show in video for P4 when it is in Sport mode only.

delsol95 Posted at 2016-11-10 19:40
It's normal, but you can eliminate that problem by using a ND filter.  I use it with my Phantom 4. ...

Polar Pro already released

hallmark007 Posted at 2016-11-11 03:56
Polar Pro already released

Not yet. Will be released at the end of November.

EXACTLY!  Polar Pro is accepting PRE-ORDERS.  Hahaha & all of us (especially) should know what that entails.

Enkeixpress Posted at 2016-11-10 20:00
Not yet. Will be released at the end of November.

Yes I have pre ordered, 6 pack

To the OP:
First off, respect to you for your experience and I am sure your points are valid, however, I owned a Phantom 3 Pro and there were a fair number of occasions where the actual props encroach into the footage, not just shadows... but you didn't see that as a reason to return the Phantom 3?

The Mavic might not be as expensive... sorry, as good as the P4 or P3 for image quality (although I've seen arguments both ways) but as many other pros have pointed out, your best camera is the one you have with you at *that* moment.

1. ND FTW
2. Unable to verify
3. The plug can be moved to secure to the phone before its even in the arms.
4. 2 seconds to remove a case is really horrible....
5. The MINOR difference in camera quality, for most people, is worth the incredible portability.

I don't understand people that compare the Mavic to a P3 or P4. If it was a replacement for those then it should be called the P5 but it is not.
It is a far more portable camera that people will carry with them more ofter getting shots they otherwise would not have.

yeah... cause Philip Bloom is such an amateur...

LoL you should sell it on Ebay for double/triple the price... then you can buy another 5 phantoms.

I experienced the same prop shadow issues with my tbs disco pro when faced to the side of the sun. Must be a common issue with this style of platform as the mavic  is just about the same as the disco.  I'm wondering if  a round shade around the lens would eliminate this and the sun glare issue I have been seeing in a lot of the videos

Vertical.Creati Posted at 2016-11-11 07:33
yeah... cause Philip Bloom is such an amateur...

video

Actually I was gobsmacked how amateur he seemed to be...

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 13:29
Actually I was gobsmacked how amateur he seemed to be...

Lol. He shot the wonder list for CNN using all kinds of DJI drones. Probably THE professional drone flying storyteller around ;)

jqV5CGBrsurE Posted at 2016-11-11 13:53
Lol. He shot the wonder list for CNN using all kinds of DJI drones. Probably THE professional dron ...

Yeah, which makes it all the more weird, doesn't it?

Sorry, I don't bow down to authority figures unless they deserve it, and I can only go on what I've seen of his stuff. From what I've seen I've been entirely unimpressed.

(I should point out I haven't seen the vid above and am refering to his earlier Mavic reviews, which were highly praised yet highly terrible. As it happens this is on Vimeo, so my PC's self-inflicted Youtube block during working hours doesn't apply... so let's take a look... Great, right at the start, after the nice logos, I see he has the contrast so low his black shirt is gray?

He shoves the Mavic up close to the camera, which is left on autofocus, since he's such a pro, right? It's not up long enough to focus on it, so all he does is show us an out of focus drone, which then screws with the camera and after he lowers it he, the presenter, is now out of focus as well.

No, sorry, that's just weak. This is exactly the scenario that manual focus is for, to prevent such focus-seeking, and why he should KNOW this would happen and so step back and show us the drone at the focused distance, not where it's going to send the autofocus crazy.

He then shows us more footage, heavily colored and again with contrast too low and flat looking. Urgh.

Ok, rest seems good.... nope, now he's showing us the jacuzzi again and again, a classic drone footage error. You wouldn't keep showing normal footage again and again from different angles and it's boring when you do it with a drone too. 2 angles is OK but 3 or 4? No.

When he walks into the frame he is out of focus again, relying entirely on the camera's autofocus, again the over-low contrast and then immediately back into the same boring reveal shot he just showed?

Now talking, moving to and from the mic and talking so fast and quiet I can't hear him properly. And it's uncomfortable watching him, as he has to keep dipping down to get into the frame properly, as he hasn't adjusted the tripod (or he's too tall for it? In which case move a couple of feet away)

No, sorry but cutting the top of the subject's head off? No, this is 101...

And again, same footage he's already covered, back and forth, like we've never seen it before. I know, he's "only" showing us the tripod mode - but he's taken the time to edit this movie, add music and so on, and he's supposed to be this great professional - but constantly showing the kind of errors a noob would make?

Yeah I'm sure it's "art", same as the lack of shaving and scratching at his hair and face is "style", but he comes across as a noob that wants to show off his new toy and the fact he has a jakuzzi (uncovered and running, in London, in November?)

And again he's leaning in and dipping down to get into the frame, bouncing around and making it really uncomfortable to watch. I actually feel like he's invading my personal space...

Sorry, no, I don't care if he's meant to be an expert. If I were not already told what a God he is meant to be I'd think he were a complete noob with a lot of learning ahead of him.

If just a normal guy showing us tripod mode I'd say "Great review, cheers, love the jakuzzi!" just to make him feel good. But a top professional? This is awful, as bad as his earlier vids.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 14:11
Yeah, which makes it all the more weird, doesn't it?

Sorry, I don't bow down to authority figures  ...

Looking forward to you showing us how it's all done properly.

I also have the issue of the propellers shadowing the sun on my P2. I solved it with ND filters, and it reduced it a lot.

Also, ND filters are more important on the Mavic. On the same situation, Lower F stop of the mavic (F:2.0 vs F:2.8 on the P3, P4 or Gopro) will increase the shutter speed. That could seriously affect the quality of the video. See that most of the cool videos with mavic are recorded at sunrise/sunset. Apart from the blue hour/orange hour thing, the dimmer light reduces the shutter speed, resulting in a better video quality.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 06:11
Yeah, which makes it all the more weird, doesn't it?

Sorry, I don't bow down to authority figures  ...

I would also like to see how its done properly as well, can't wait for you to upload your work.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 07:11
Yeah, which makes it all the more weird, doesn't it?

Sorry, I don't bow down to authority figures  ...

Some fair points, but this is Blooms personal blog where he casually plays with the Mavic. I too find his color grading a bit too warm.
You however,  come across across as a jealus salt grinding elitist who has been trying hard to learn professional film making for about 6 months to one year.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 06:11
Yeah, which makes it all the more weird, doesn't it?

Sorry, I don't bow down to authority figures  ...

Well, I guess holding a remote focus controller in your hands while doing it is not only challenging, but probably odd. But you are right, these are not great videos, but informative in technical terms.

Don't worry about the bowing, though, because he has an injured back and won't be able to bow back.

I'd recommend to actually look at his portfolio of professional work, before making your final plea. But then, it need not be everyone's cup of tea. For my part, I am also not impressed by his color grading, but if you once understand his British sarcasm, everything starts to make a little more sense

Anyway, I also look forward to your masterfully crafted pieces of work, like many in this forum. You certainly managed to depict the weaknesses of his mavic video.

fansd51eea3b Posted at 2016-11-11 18:05
Some fair points, but this is Blooms personal blog where he casually plays with the Mavic. I too f ...

I was into photography, not really film, for a couple of decades, around 15 years ago.

My interest has been raised by the concept of flying cameras, which I find vastly more interesting than just throwing thousands of bucks at gear just for another f stop or two.

I don't need to be better or prove anything to see this guy making basic blunders and errors. I presume he will defend it as "art" or "capturing the essence of being an amateur with an amateur drone" or some such, but my points above stand.

Could any of you explain which points you disagree with?

Sgt_Throatpunch Posted at 2016-11-10 23:16
1. ND FTW
2. Unable to verify
3. The plug can be moved to secure to the phone before its even in the ...

All correct except the "minor" difference in quality... MINOR ??? ..my P3P 1080p60 videos (that is the most used format for quality videos.. since the 4K isn't always the best choice and because of the 60fps) are tons better than anything shoot with the Mavic.. not just slight better, but a lot better. Mavic 1080p60 are full of artifacts because of the poor compression.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 01:11
Yeah, which makes it all the more weird, doesn't it?

Sorry, I don't bow down to authority figures  ...

Oh, now i get it... someone who doesn't to it your way is an amateur.  And taking subversive shots at someone's personal style, makes you a bit of an elitist tool.

Are you going to get broadcast quality footage from a Mavic?  of course not, it was never marketed as that kind of a platform.  But for those of us who make a living telling stories for small, flexible organizations, we need small flexible gear and the Mavic fits the bill perfectly.  So, while your shaving and combing your hair, some of us will be getting work done and cashing checks.

Now, point the board to your blog (or portfolio, since i'm sure a blog is beneath you) and let us offer up a critique.

Vertical.Creati Posted at 2016-11-11 20:13
Oh, now i get it... someone who doesn't to it your way is an amateur.  And taking subversive shots ...

I've told you already, I don't consider myself a photographer or videographer now, and haven't done for decades.

"Personal style"? Yeah, 'art' I guess?

Nothing subversive about it, I'm openly stating that I think the guy's Mavic review videos are shoddy and amateur. If he WERE an amateur I'd have no problem with that; my problem is seeing y'all hyping him as a great videographer despite such shoddy footage.

Nobody is paying him to produce hi-end video when doing a product review in his back garden (presumably, today we have to pretty much expect that DJI ARE paying, but whatever, it's irrelevant). That's fine, he slapped together some footage in his backyard, with little attempt to make it professional. Peachy, no problem - just spare me the fawning adoration and hype every time this guy posts such a slap-happy bit of film.

In a previous vid he was talking to the camera with the sun directly behind him and dazzling the camera/viewer. Again, this is blooper 101, so I guess a constant stream of amateur errors and mistakes is his "personal style"?

Whatever, color me unimpressed.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 11:00
I've told you already, I don't consider myself a photographer or videographer now, and haven't done ...

"sun directly behind him and dazzling the camera/viewer. Again, this is blooper 101"
so, by your measurement scale, Spielberg is an amateur...

Still from the motion picture "AI"

I have no doubts that your stuff was good or perhaps great, 20 years ago... but the "rules" of aesthetics and style change.  It's your failure to recognize change in the publics taste for media that disqualifies your opinions in the discussion.  Your ideas, like your style are obsolete.

bigglyguy Posted at 2016-11-11 16:00
I've told you already, I don't consider myself a photographer or videographer now, and haven't done ...

Please upload a tutorial on how to do things properly, everybody wants to see it.

Like I said, for the hard of thinking, I know such bloopers can be excused as "art" (or "style").

Spielberg's scene above is still perfectly clear and viewable. Unlike this https://youtu.be/dJvqwHWD5Pw?t=244
You can call it style if you like, to me it's either an error or desperation.

I guess leaving the cam on wide open aperture and autofocus, with the light reflecting off the screen and the focus hunting everywhere, and not bothering to edit out his own nonsense, that's "style" too?

Ironic that the Casey character gets slammed on here, for producing great stuff and actually breaking conventions in a good way, whereas this guy seemingly deliberately breaking rules and making his vids hard to watch is "style"?

I guess it's a matter of taste, but the fanbois thing runs deep in some of you, doesn't it?

The debate is good, but what happened to the OP , looks like he was stirring

I love my DSLR, but the fact is, the camera on my phone is more portable. Does it take as good of pictures? No, but it sure is more convenient to have with me, and the quality is acceptable. If I had an inspire, I would not replace it with a Mavic, but that does not mean that I would not WANT a Mavic, for it's portability and convenience.

For work, my commuter car is a Prius... It's good enough for the drive, and even has radar adaptive cruise control, and lane keep assist. My personal car is a Mercedes AMG sedan, and my wife has an Audi Q7. Both are better cars than the Prius in most respects, but in the end, they serve a different need. It's not really fair to compare them. I feel that same way about Mavic.

I refuse to shame DJI for the $1000 Mavic not having a better camera than the P4 or Inspire. The key marketing points are portability, consumer friendly, easy to use.

dana5 Posted at 2016-11-12 03:15
I love my DSLR, but the fact is, the camera on my phone is more portable. Does it take as good of pi ...

The Mavic is an absolute truly amazing aircraft.For the professional user, but a M600/Ronin-MX and use a Red or you DSLR. For the semi-professional user, buy an Inspire.  For the amateur or hobbyist, the Mavic is the perfect aircraft that nothing out there can even come close to.
The photos/images and stability along with all the features and function and the portability of the Mavic, it's the only one out there.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-12 03:31
The Mavic is an absolute truly amazing aircraft.For the professional user, but a M600/Ronin-MX and ...

Agreed.

It's pretty amazing when you realize a 4K camera, mounted to motion gimbal is packaged with aurguably the most sophisticated consumer drone for 1k.

How many professional photographers purchased an SLR body, lenses etc, and had everything they needed for less?

The Z5 camera on the Inspire is nearly twice the cost.

If your trying to make a living with a drone I'd be looking at the upper end DJI products.

Mooney Posted at 2016-11-12 05:21
Agreed.

It's pretty amazing when you realize a 4K camera, mounted to motion gimbal is packaged wi ...

Exactly, the Mavic is an incredible aircraft that provides stunning video BUT, for the professional people out there getting paid $1,500 a day providing aerial videography, they would never bring a Mavic on set.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-11 21:28
Exactly, the Mavic is an incredible aircraft that provides stunning video BUT, for the professiona ...

To The OP,

Not really sure what you were expecting, for $1000 I believe that you have in your hands is an amazing piece of technology. As an Ex aerospace engineer and now an offshore drilling engineer I'm more than happy that DJI have managed to squeeze the performance they have into such a small and affordable package.

As it states in almost all of the advertisements this is meant for the amateurs out there and for the money vs performance I think you need to be more realistic about your expectations. No other company has anything even close hence all the demand and fuss over people desperate to get their hands on one.

If your  truly not happy I'm sure they are hundreds of people who will take it off your hands