Hello there,

I've had my Dji Spark for two months. Right now I'm sitting on the fence about accepting a deal to add a Mavic Pro to the lineup. The DJI Spark was my first ever drone and, even though I've had a LOT of problems with it (GPS lost issues, currently under warranty processing), I'm loving the possibilities a drone offers to complement my photographic activity.

Since purchasing the Mavic is still a big investment, considering my budget I have a few real world questions about the Mavic Vs Spark:

1) Is the Mavic clearly MORE stable in termos of GPS stability, RC connection, etc, when compared with the Spark?

2) Are there currently any serious issues with the Mavic Pro that might make me think twice about buying it? I've read some horror stories about excessive flare/glare, for example. What do you think? Has it been long enough in the market so that we can now consider it to be quite a stable drone?

3) I've flown the Spark in quite strong winds, and it handled fantastically. Unfortunately, since the gimbal only has two axis, there are some times when I get a small horizontal jitter, which only affects certain parts of the video, which is probably caused by electronic stabilization of the third axis. In strong winds is the Mavic three axis gimbal clearly superior, and footage is always stable?

4) The Spark looks like a toy, that catches people's attention, and they don't seem to feel threatened by it. Do you really think the Mavic might have a more negative reaction in people?

5) I've read the noise of the Spark is higher pitched when compared to the Mavic? Do you think one is clearly louder than the other?

6) Is the RAW file of a Mavic clearly more detailed than a Spark jpeg?

7) Is it true that editing 4K video on an average computer which can easily handle 1080p will be a nightmare?

8) Apart from flying indoors, when do you think the Spark would be clearly more superior?

Thanks a lot for your time! Your help is much appreciated!

I'm keen to know these things too!

1. Yes - OcuSynch is amazing and the Mavic's best feature IMO
2. Gimbal disconnects, gimbal tilts, 1080p @ 60FPS is like jelly, digital artifact is worse than the spark, no panos, basic gestures
3. More stable but for some reason the design of the gimbal/camera on the Spark makes the horizon straighter - the Mavic gimbal is also VERY fragile
4. Never experienced any complaints with the Mavic and the noise from the motors are similar that said, I am more conscious and less relaxed flying it as much bigger when unfolded. The Mavic Platinum will be quieter though.
5. Answer in 4 but Spark is slightly quieter
6. No - I prefer the stills from the Spark - especially Pano's edited in DJI Media Maker
7. Depends on what editing tool you use - editing 4K in iMovies takes a lot of juice and the files eat up a lot more storage and take a lot longer to import. TBH, the 4K on the Mavic @ 60MBPS isn't great - if you want good 4K I'd recommend the P4P.
8. In tighter environments like woodlands. In smaller parks. When doing panos. It's also much faster to set up and pack up than the Mavic.

- Overall, both are excellent quads but for the price (bang for buck) I would choose the Spark. If you need longer flight times, longer range, faster speed and a better all round camera platform for nearly twice the price then get the Mavic. The best set up would be the P4P for pro level image quality with the Spark as a second drone for everything else OR the Mavic. Of course, it ultimately comes down to your own needs/budget and only you know the answer to that but hope this helps.

ACW Posted at 2017-10-15 14:56
1. Yes
2. Gimbal disconnects, gimbal tilts, 1080p @ 60FPS is like jelly, artefact is worse than the spark, no panos, basic gestures  
3. More stable but for some reason the design of the gimbal/camera on the Spark makes the horizon straighter - the Mavic gimbal is also VERY fragile

Thanks a lot!

So for your replies:

2) What about the Mavic 1080p @ 30fps - comparable to Spark?

3) Fragile gimbal in case of crash, is that it?

7) 4K @ 60MBPS on the Mavic, when viewed at 1080p on youtube or 720p on facebook looks better than 1080/720 of the Spark? The 4K footage of my LG G6 smartphone looks much better when viewed at 1080p on Youtube or 720p on facebook, than native 1080p/720p footage.

8) all where u need small weight. Someone wrote last week on forum that drons > 300g need to registrated in asia countries or somewhere in middle east?  Here in Poland only Spark (comparing to mavic or phantom) can fly without permissions from Polish Air Navigation Services Agency in cities and in in CTR zone (ofcourse many people dont abide it ;). For Mavic or Phantom u need a) license, b) permission - if fly in cities or c) fly 100m from city border without them.

I had the exact similar questions as you, I went and purchased it - arrives today. I will try and do a review of my feelings/findings.

2. Mavic image quality is slightly better in 30p than the Spark - though 2.7K is it’s sweet spot IMO and noticeably better
3. Crash, transport and storage - don’t throw away the gimbal lock... you’ll need it. The drone is less robust than the Spark
7. 4K is practically pointless for social media - there is very little difference in 1080p comparisons between both.
I forgot to add - charging three Mavic batteries on the standard hub takes nearly 4 hours - that’s also very important on balance with the flight times of either drone and hand launching/landing the Mavic is far more dangerous than the Spark - you’ll need landing gear extentions as an essential accessory.

And don’t forget the ND FILTERS - an absolute must as, like the Spark, the Mavic has a fixed aperture too so essential for creating the 180 degree rule for cinematic footage in bright conditions.

And finally the Mavic has far more flight modes than the Spark - I really like fixed wing mode but I personally find the Spark far more fun and easier to fly than any drone I’ve owned. Tap-to-focus on the Mavic is REALLY ANNOYING! Bottom line - I’ve flown my Spark more in the past 6 weeks than my Mavic in 4 months!

Excellent topic, been curious about all of this and playing with the idea of buying a mavic.
However I just love how easy it is to carry the spark with me, pop it out and grab a sweet 180 pano, pack it up and go.
Looking forward for some more expert insight on this.
ACW - thank you for your time to break this down.

Real world differences between Spark and Mavic is like night and day.

Lucas775 Posted at 2017-10-15 16:20
Real world differences between Spark and Mavic is like night and day.

Care to explain why in your opinion ?

nottuppaware Posted at 2017-10-15 16:49
Care to explain why in your opinion ?

I'm curious too!

If you want best 'bang for buck' I would consider the Phantom 4 Advanced.
Almost the same as the P4P, only lacking 5.8hz and the side+ back VPS.
At least, I am considering it seriously.
With 1 extra battery it is about the same price as the MP fly more combo (here in NL).
And you get the better sensor, better gimbal and MOST IMPORTANT: better codec (100MBps compared to 60 on MP)
Makes all the difference when shooting 4K d-log
You will have to carry around more of course....

If it’s photography you want Don’t buy Mavic what you need to get is a P4 pro, you already have a very portable drone with a camera that produces same size photos as Mavic and in a lot of cases much better video, all you need to do is compare both photos and videos on this forum and you will see very little difference.
In terms of flyin time and distance yes but for anything else it doesn’t have much more to offer, basically your getting another spark with a few bells and whistles on it.

P4Pro for somebody working commercially is the right way for you to go.

I'll take a shot at a few of these.
1) Yes
2) Been on the market longer, seems to have addressed most of what they can fix by firmware and software updates.
3) had it up in 28 mph winds(constant), no problems. Spark once scared the crap out of me in a 18 mph gust by the way it reacted, but that was more me than the drone.
4) No problems with either, Mavic might get a question or two more from people. As you said, Spark strikes people as more of a toy. And it is.
5) Spark is higher pitched, but noise is about the same for both. Spark's noise might go away a little faster with distance.
6) I really don't do photos much, can't answer that.
7) The 4k files are huge, and since there broken up into 4GB files it can be alot to work with.
8) Small outdoor spaces, your yard, small park. If you want to do something fast, the Spark is easier to get going, and really east to palm land if you really need to get moving.

The Spark does shoot really good 1080p/30 video. But for $699 it better, because that's all it can shoot.

The Spark, being in it's young stages still, has issues to be addressed. It's given me some thrills, both good and bad. Since I now have both, I'm breaking down and buying a mini ipad 4, more so for Spark issues, but I will use it to fly both birds.

In my case, the Mavic has put the Spark back in it's proper place. A small, light, fun-to-fly, close range drone to take everywhere. It is not a "mini" Mavic. The Mavic has a WOW factor hold on me, I'm shocked on how good it can be when I get my end right. It's really a solid step forward from the Spark, but as stated somewhere above in a post, you have to pay the difference in dollars. I'm very happy to have both.

Happy flying!!

I just got the mavic and put the low noise propellers on them, I could not to my naked ear hear much sound difference, I was definitely surprised. As for the feel of the mavic it just feels so much more solid and gives you confidence. The spark I always feel like it is a toy and is a lot of fun. No doubt it will be a horses for courses approach as I will use both depending on situations.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-10-16 11:43
If it’s photography you want Don’t buy Mavic what you need to get is a P4 pro, you already have a very portable drone with a camera that produces same size photos as Mavic and in a lot of cases much better video, all you need to do is compare both photos and videos on this forum and you will see very little difference.
In terms of flyin time and distance yes but for anything else it doesn’t have much more to offer, basically your getting another spark with a few bells and whistles on it.

The P4 is not an option to me, as I always carry the drone along with my photo gear. The P4 needs it's dedicated carrying system because it's much bigger!

larrymull Posted at 2017-10-16 14:32
I just got the mavic and put the low noise propellers on them, I could not to my naked ear hear much sound difference, I was definitely surprised. As for the feel of the mavic it just feels so much more solid and gives you confidence. The spark I always feel like it is a toy and is a lot of fun. No doubt it will be a horses for courses approach as I will use both depending on situations.

Interesting to hear that about the props, as I was thinking about those myself. The Mavic does feel so much more solid and just kinda leaps to where you want it to go. Will continue to use both for sure.

Joepub1 Posted at 2017-10-16 14:51
Interesting to hear that about the props, as I was thinking about those myself. The Mavic does feel so much more solid and just kinda leaps to where you want it to go. Will continue to use both for sure.

It would be interesting to know what you seem to use the spark more for and what you seem to use the mavic more for.

larrymull Posted at 2017-10-16 14:59
It would be interesting to know what you seem to use the spark more for and what you seem to use the mavic more for.

Mavic - 2.7K and 4K video + long distance flying
Spark - short range flying, indoor flying, gestures, panos, quick set and to put in places the Mavic wouldn't fit - you can have an X7 with 6K on an Inspire 2 but if you can't position the drone due to its size then the shot is lost.

Joepub1 Posted at 2017-10-16 14:51
Interesting to hear that about the props, as I was thinking about those myself. The Mavic does feel so much more solid and just kinda leaps to where you want it to go. Will continue to use both for sure.

So you got the Mavic I see - you won't be disappointed and congrats - owning both is just double the fun with more options!

ACW Posted at 2017-10-16 23:40
Mavic - 2.7K and 4K video + long distance flying
Spark - short range flying, indoor flying, gestures, panos, quick set and to put in places the Mavic wouldn't fit - you can have an X7 with 6K on an Inspire 2 but if you can't position the drone due to its size then the shot is lost.

Awesome! The mavic just feels like a proper machine, that said the spark is ultra cool..

excellent questionnaire I had almost the same questions about Spark and Mavic

ACW Posted at 2017-10-15 14:56
1. Yes - OcuSynch is amazing and the Mavic's best feature IMO
2. Gimbal disconnects, gimbal tilts, 1080p @ 60FPS is like jelly, digital artifact is worse than the spark, no panos, basic gestures
3. More stable but for some reason the design of the gimbal/camera on the Spark makes the horizon straighter - the Mavic gimbal is also VERY fragile

Thanks for sharing this review

This all is making my decision easier on buying a mavic

just preordered the plat ( ... the quadcopter bug has potentially burrowed it's eggs inside of me...)

now looking at kits...

I own both. 1 spark with 3 batteries (40 minues flight) and  mavic with 2 batteries (48 min flight) . The spark is fantastic is small look like a toy but is a really solid drone and it handles wind very well.
I use both at 1080p because my PC is not able to handle 4k video at decent speed. I cannot see any pratical difference in video quality at this resolution.
What i ate from Spark is the ridiculous control distance. In EU we loose video signal at 300-400 meters. I like to fly my drones in the mountains and wild places and i want to send it far to see places where i cant' go walking. The Mavic have perfect video signal and control at 4km , spark arrives at 500-700 meters with a lot of video interruptions.
a Spark with an Oculus like trasmission system would be perfect.
Fortunately who lives in FCC countries has 2km of control distance that is a nice distance for such a small drone.
The Spark is always with me ready to fly, i take with me the Mavic only when i plan a mission... so for now i have 100 km of flight with the Spark and only 40 with the Mavic.
Another thing to consider is the drone speed. If you want to have a decent speed with stabilization you must disable obstacle avoidance on the spark the mavic instead is fast even with obstacle avoidance turned on. I generally fly in sport mode to arrive fast to the place i want to take shots or movie and then switch to normal mode. The Mavic is really rocket fast, the mavic is a bit slower.
the Spark also have pano modes that are really nice the Mavic not.
Anyway they are both a really nice piece of hardware. I love them both.  The phantoms are too big for my taste.