Hi,

I ordered a Mavic at the beginning of December so hopefully will get notification of delivery before too long.

In the meantime, I have been watching a lot of videos and reading reviews which has made me really want to get into drone photography in a big way.

The reason I ordered the Mavic was to take with me when I go cycling with my son and hopefully get some nice pics / short vids.

On the other hand, I would quite like to try my hand at aerial photography. From what I read, the Mavic is good, but the Phantom 4 Pro is better enough to put some air between the 2 platforms (excuse the pun!).

I don't have stacks of money, but I could just about afford to buy the P4 Pro+ and a couple of spare batteries.

My thinking is that I would take the Mavic if I am biking / hiking and the P4 Pro if I am in the car. What about on a flight - is it okay to put the P4 Pro in a flight case and send as checked baggage?

Obviously, I don't want the P4 Pro+ to be gathering dust because I just use the Mavic all the time.

Thanks!

If this is your first drone, settle with that, learn the basic of flying and composing, its a learning curve.
It would def just be a waste of time getting both at the same time.
Then i would cancel the Mavic and buy the P4P instead, its not much larger to carry with the little suitcase it comes in, for those you can also get pullover covers to carry it on the back.
2kg in a back pack is hardly noticeable

They are totally different aircrafts, both are great machines in there own right, I have both so yes why not..

I was in the same situation and chose the P4P over the mavic. I'm glad I did as far as the camera. But mine is having issues and had to be sent in for repair after 4 flights and less than 2 hours flight time. Camera gimbal issue.

You know it's going to depend all on your style I've seen the magic from the first release video it does look like a totally awesome aircraft my only concerns would be how durable is it with folding arms would the arms fold back if it were to do certain Maneuvers and spin or what not. I haven't compared size but I think the Phantom 4 plus is bigger which would handle better in certain climates are altitudes maybe not sure. I would only imagine just like a large ship or airplane it would be more steady than a smaller one my opinion only comes from what I see between the two I've never had one nor seen one in person

Just like anything else it just hit the market there's not many people out there that have them yet.. I know this is apples and oranges but I bought a little drama to have her shot pre-ordered it before it came out seem to be a good little crafts except for 3 days after I got it it just started to ascend upward and I kept pulling the stick down and it kept going it had auto hover and I'm wondering if that was faulty every drone of the same class size never flew away like that but my point is for new stuff to wait a little bit to make sure the bugs are worked out

I'm not in the same boat as you, but right behind you. Adrift. I ordered a Mavic November 5th and have yet to receive it. This has given me time to ponder about canceling the Mavic and getting a P4P. I've gone back and forth on this issue. But for me it's one or the other, not both.

Thanks for all the tips.

Hallmark, glad to hear that I would not be the only crazy one to own both ;)

Jake, it sounds like I am actually behind you. If I don't get a shipped notification within the next couple of weeks, I am gonna be climbing the walls!

I am sold on the Mavic 'cos sometimes I go out for the day and would take other stuff, not just the drone, so being little it would help. But as you have all said, the P4P camera is better, probably more stable platform, it has much better avoidance and I quite like the idea of the built-in display.

So now i have the P4P+ in my cart plus a couple of spare batteries. Will sleep on it, but probably gonna press buy in the morning.

Mitel Posted at 2016-12-30 15:14
Thanks for all the tips.

Hallmark, glad to hear that I would not be the only crazy one to own both ;)

I believe there's definitely a place for both, but I also think your best move would be to wait on the Phantom. I ordered my Mavic in early October and sold it due to the prices they were going for. I had every intention on simply ordering another one and firmly believed that the Phantom line was done; after all, why would you get a Phantom 4 when the Mavic beat it in almost every aspect? Even those that wanted to argue that the Phantom would be much more stable in the wind were disproved in almost all of the comparisons I saw.

Then, of course, DJI announced the Phantom 4 Pro. I am not a fan at all of the Phantom styling, and the portability of the Mavic is fantastic, but if your goal is the best camera, the P4P is the hands-down winner. There's just no way that the Mavic can compete with a 1" sensor, mechanical shutter and 100 Mbps data rate.

In the end, the old adage applies to these drones- "The best camera is the one that you have with you", but the fine points of low-light performance, resolution and depth-of-field can wait while you master the intricacies of flying. The P4P will be ready to buy when you've put in the hours and you'll get the added benefit of a few more firmware updates.

If you got the money get both.  2  different platforms and capabilities.  I have both and am very glad.

Thanks Bill for the in depth answer. I think that I would normally only take the Phantom in the car and most likely only when I am going somewhere specifically to fly it. The Mavic would be more a 'bring along just in case' device.

Zdrone, that is good to hear. Quite set to get the P4P now

Go for it Mitel, im in the opposite situation, wanted a Mavic for travel photography with my motorcycle because of its compact size, none were available so when the option to pick up a 4 Pro came up just before Christmas came up I jumped on it as was planning to get one down the line anyway.

Right now the P4P+ is a complete mess. There are a range of problems with it. I would NOT recommend it until the various bugs have been sorted out. The Mavic, on the other hand, is superb.....

Steve-76 Posted at 2016-12-30 09:23
You know it's going to depend all on your style I've seen the magic from the first release video it does look like a totally awesome aircraft my only concerns would be how durable is it with folding arms would the arms fold back if it were to do certain Maneuvers and spin or what not. I haven't compared size but I think the Phantom 4 plus is bigger which would handle better in certain climates are altitudes maybe not sure. I would only imagine just like a large ship or airplane it would be more steady than a smaller one my opinion only comes from what I see between the two I've never had one nor seen one in person

There are NO issues with the Mavic arms swinging back regardless of the manoeuvres you try and pull with it.

Mitel Posted at 2016-12-30 15:14
Thanks for all the tips.

Hallmark, glad to hear that I would not be the only crazy one to own both ;)

I would not buy the P4P+ at present. It is full of bugs and problems. I have both and, right now, the Mavic is the MUCH better performer.

Uh oh, I just ordered the P4P+ and then read this!

I went for the Plus because it's only £230 more and I think I would have to spend at least that on similar display.

Now thinking to cancel and order a standard P4P and an iPad mini. My biggest worry is that DJI will give up on their own tablet after about a year and I will have to buy another controller.

If you can afford it go for it. Two entirely different platforms.

Mitel Posted at 2016-12-31 05:11
Uh oh, I just ordered the P4P+ and then read this!

I went for the Plus because it's only £230 more and I think I would have to spend at least that on similar display.

Yes as with a lot of us who purchased just P4Pro, we are waiting on the release of  the crystalsky or at least we will have the option..

hallmark007 Posted at 2016-12-31 06:31
Yes as with a lot of us who purchased just P4Pro, we are waiting on the release of  the crystalsky or at least we will have the option..

Since you have both AC's and a lot of experience I have to ask. First of all it seems like I have to wait forever for my Mavic which makes me wonder if I should go for the P4P since it might arrive much earlier then the Mavic.

Is the P4P so bad as some people say? Or the Software?

I know the big differences about portability and so forth but do you think that the camera and the result of the P4P is SO much better then the Mavic? I don't know if you have had the time to make some proper comparisons yet.

Any advice would be helpful.

happy new year.

Well, I'm just the opposite...I ordered & have the P4P and then I ordered (& still waiting) for the Mavic.  I also have an I1 pro black and each one I will use but depending on the situation will determine which one I will use.  All of them have there +'s and -'s.

Flybee Posted at 2016-12-31 12:19
Since you have both AC's and a lot of experience I have to ask. First of all it seems like I have to wait forever for my Mavic which makes me wonder if I should go for the P4P since it might arrive much earlier then the Mavic.

Is the P4P so bad as some people say? Or the Software?

Really different aircraft, I think if your into videography or photography then P4 pro is streets ahead, my P4Pro has no real problems wind warnings that's about it, also it's funny I thought Mavic would be easier to fly than phantom but it' takes a bit more controlling is not as responsive as P4 Pro ,
But the Mavic is so easy to get up in the air, so easy to carry around , and although it's a bit more frisky than P4 pro you will have great fun with it.
Unlike others I didn't have the problems with Mavic or P4Pro, I think firmware upgrades are sorting out most of the problems.
If your question is if I could only have one which one . P4Pro!

They are totally different aircrafts, both are great machines in there own right, I have both so yes why not..

hallmark007 Posted at 2016-12-31 16:43
Really different aircraft, I think if your into videography or photography then P4 pro is streets ahead, my P4Pro has no real problems wind warnings that's about it, also it's funny I thought Mavic would be easier to fly than phantom but it' takes a bit more controlling is not as responsive as P4 Pro ,
But the Mavic is so easy to get up in the air, so easy to carry around , and although it's a bit more frisky than P4 pro you will have great fun with it.
Unlike others I didn't have the problems with Mavic or P4Pro, I think firmware upgrades are sorting out most of the problems.

Ok thank you very much for your answer, glad to hear that they both are working out for you. So I'm back to the question when will it arrive in the end. I have the same idea as you even based on what I read and that is that the Mavic should be so easy to fly. (Which it might be anyways).