Note: I've also posted this on the Spark forum, so that I can gather info from users who have both drones but only participate in one of the forums.

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!

On all count the MAVIC is wayyyyyy better than the SPARK. If you are serious about your business then buy the MAVIC and you can deduct the cost as a business expense.

There are more selections for Mavic's camera, you can learn more details on the production page: http://www.dji.com/mavic/info#specs. They own the same ability for resisting wind.
I think it is a good choice to buy a Mavic if the budget available. Hope other users may also comment for you to refer.

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.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-10-16 05:14
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.

I will disagree on this point.  Wrong message.  What makes a great photo or video is not the camera or lens used, but rather the person shooting and their knowledge of how to go about doing it.   

I admit fully I only played with a P4P for very short time like one day.. biggest difference was wider FoV not really a better image.. and in reviews I seen professionally done, I feel like largest disparity of dynamic range was like 1/8th of a stop with most reviews concluding identical dynamic range.  Low like was same, most reviews found while mavic was throwing up more noise sooner it was very very tight race probably about 1/8th of a stop better on p4p.. and from my limited experience with the P4P, I feel like I can agree with those reviews I seen.   

For $500 more... not worth the extra money in the camera department.. for $500 I rather figure out how to strap a Sony A6000 with a 35mm lens to my mavic because that will blow away either the mavic or P4P sensor by light years..

I've had experience with both Spark and MP.
Here some answers that hopefully will assist:


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

When the GPS is locked with MP, it's rock solid stable.

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?

As they say, don't believe 'everything' you read especially on here in reference to horror stories.  i.e. Glare on pics/vids maybe from folks keeping bubble gimbal cover on the MP when flying. There's nothing that kept me from buying the MP; I sold my Spark to buy the MP. Think that's a good indication of how interested I was in the MP.

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?

From my experience, vid/pic have been stable in somewhat windy conditions of say 8-10 mph but haven't created anything in super windy conditions. More concentrated in controlling and managing the MP while in flight.

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?

Depends on the person POV. The MP definitely has a presence but nothing like i.e. Inspire.  Like the MP because it's sleek, fast and blends in nicely with the landscape.

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?

From what I recall, the Spark had a slightly higher pitch than MP especially is using closer to objects. Of course with the newer MPP, that'll be slightly less noise due to the newer technology on board.

6) Is the RAW file of a Mavic clearly more detailed than a Spark jpeg?
Haven't use this but I surmise that it would be.


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

I've flown the Spark indoors and even in atti-mode is handles well but with the MP, oh no! Not a good idea at all and you may even crash. Absolutely not advised.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2017-10-16 06:22
I will disagree on this point.  Wrong message.  What makes a great photo or video is not the camera or lens used, but rather the person shooting and their knowledge of how to go about doing it.   

I admit fully I only played with a P4P for very short time like one day.. biggest difference was wider FoV not really a better image.. and in reviews I seen professionally done, I feel like largest disparity of dynamic range was like 1/8th of a stop with most reviews concluding identical dynamic range.  Low like was same, most reviews found while mavic was throwing up more noise sooner it was very very tight race probably about 1/8th of a stop better on p4p.. and from my limited experience with the P4P, I feel like I can agree with those reviews I seen.   

As a camera spark and Mavic same size photo 12 MP, Pro4 20 MP 1inch sensor no comparison, much bigger picture, I won’t go into video but you couldn’t begin to compare,
My point is if your buying Mavic for commercial use your buying the wrong drone Mavic will not meet enough expectations.
Even Pro 4 is lacking a bit but as a camera platform it is streets ahead of the Mavic I don’t know what reviews your reading but most reviews would not even put Mavic and Pro 4 within an asses roar of each other.
Yes as a drone it is better than spark but as a Camera platform it has very little more to offer than spark.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-10-16 07:05
As a camera spark and Mavic same size photo 12 MP, Pro4 20 MP 1inch sensor no comparison, much bigger picture, I won’t go into video but you couldn’t begin to compare,
My point is if your buying Mavic for commercial use your buying the wrong drone Mavic will not meet enough expectations.
Even Pro 4 is lacking a bit but as a camera platform it is streets ahead of the Mavic I don’t know what reviews your reading but most reviews would not even put Mavic and Pro 4 within an asses roar of each other.

i cannot argue too much about this as i only had like 1 day of use with a P4P, no follow ups and no scientific measurements other than handful of reviews between the 2.   

but i will argue that not all about sensor size and megapixels.  apple and sony make a huge point about this now a days even though sony does push Megapixels they not doing it like they used to in early 2000s being first to x MP value..  and for good reason,  sony is straight up the leader in image sensors i believe and they figured something out and it works rather well...  just look at the iphone 8/8+ and gopro hero 6, both are utilizing sony's stupidity tiny IMX RS based sensors (way under 1 inch) and they capturing tight focus in really low light, and capturing very little noise profile even 4K 60fps in low light.  

it comes down to many other things not just sensor size and megapixel count.   huge amount more to it.. again i suggest taking an iPhone 8 out and using it for a few days in every situation. i'm not calling the iPhone 8 camera the best.. just the benchmark example of the latest super tiny sony IMX RX sensor and proper image processing pipeline...

Pixel 2 has a better camera

I would also consider Phantom 4 Advanced if the 'Pro' is too expensive.