Does the new Mavic Air have Ocysync / Lightbright ? Or the same WiFi as the Spark, only as the sparks range was not great, i would love to think the Mavic Air had a good range  ?

I have double checked and the Mavic Air uses Enhanced WiFi, Same as the Spark but the Range is significantly more than the spark, 2K Range in the UK / CE which is far more than ever needed. So far im impressed and really would love one ;)

Yep - quadruple the range of the Spark but half the range of the Mavic Pro in the UK/CE. More than you'd need providing the lag is low too. I found the image transmission from the Spark to be very glitchy even on take off - its flawless on the Mavic using OcuSync. Not having that was the biggest disappoint from the MA for me and a deal breaker if I'm honest. It has the same camera sensor and frame rates too. Definitely an upgrade for Spark flyers but not the Mavic Pro. Do you know if the Mavic Air has dual compass and IMU redundancy to prevent fly aways?

Yeah OcuSync is a deal breaker for me. Gotta have it.

Since it is WiFi based (strongly so) I wonder if the new Mavic Air controller could be paired to the spark to increase its reliability and range?  Seems like identical tech.. same pairing methods..I mean doesn’t seem very different tech wise just maybe slightly different but similar to how upgrading your WiFi router is different but can massively help.  should in theory be compatable.

I would buy a spark and a Mavic air controller combo if DJI allowed it.  I rather ultra portability of the spark with the range of the Mavic air. If I need a more “pro” drone I’ll use my Mavic pro..  

I don’t like the Mavic air.. just looks all wrong, feels like a upgraded spark.. also the Mavic to me feels like the right sized “pro” drone and the spark feels like perfect sized ultra portable drone.  

Long story short the Mavic air to me isn’t a Mavic at all. It’s a spark upgrades with folding arms.   What makes the mavic  a Mavic is the insane flexibility.  Occusync range, low latency, FHD live view, insane battery life given it’s size, the fact that goes from full sized drone foot print to portable enough to toss in a bag.  The Mavic air losses pretty much all of this.  Range is halved, battery life isn’t as strong, the foot print folded up vs unfolded is nearly identical making it a nearly pointless feature in my mind.  

djiuser_MP6tU5Q Posted at 2018-1-23 10:15
   What makes the mavic  a Mavic is the insane flexibility.  Occusync range, low latency, FHD live view, insane battery life given it’s size, the fact that goes from full sized drone foot print to portable enough to toss in a bag.  The Mavic air losses pretty much all of this.  Range is halved, battery life isn’t as strong, the foot print folded up vs unfolded is nearly identical making it a nearly pointless feature in my mind

Totally agree with your last statements. !

No Ocu, similar camera to the Mavic, and to high a price point for a wifi drone.  Also, the Phantom 3SE also has similar declared range and I have read a lot about that drone failing on it's wifi range promise.  

Hmm. I have the Inspire, the Mavic Pro and a Spark and some older models. But I will definitely buy this to replace my Spark. Its a Spark Pro in my mind. But sounds like a good replacement for the Spark. So why not. Who cares what they call it. It what I can use it for that matters to me.

I can also see in the official specs from DJI that the new Air does not shoot in c.4K (unlike the Pro) - just UHD.

Michael Miami S Posted at 2018-1-23 12:38
Hmm. I have the Inspire, the Mavic Pro and a Spark and some older models. But I will definitely buy this to replace my Spark. Its a Spark Pro in my mind. But sounds like a good replacement for the Spark. So why not. Who cares what they call it. It what I can use it for that matters to me.

I think the issue is when you compare the Mavic Pro to the Air , why wouldn't you just use the Pro instead as you already have it

A CW Posted at 2018-1-23 12:49
I can also see in the official specs from DJI that the new Air does not shoot in c.4K (unlike the Pro) - just UHD.

Yeah notice that as well , the 4k resolution is down

I have all sorts of issues flying the Spark in Southern California. Lots of interference and wifi just doesn't cut through it. Range is horrible. Not true with the Mavic Pro. As mentioned, that and the battery life are real deal breakers. I was surprised DJI did not come out with the Mavic Pro 2. Quite disappointing.

S.D. Pilot Posted at 2018-1-23 10:02
Yeah OcuSync is a deal breaker for me. Gotta have it.

Agreed - hoping and praying they will do a refresh of the Mavic Pro.

Why Mavic Air..??

Maybe somebody trying to be "creative" in the marketing dept..??
Mavic Air... Light as Air in other words a "Mavic Lite"

Mavic Air as a better ring than a Spark Plus

my 2p/2c's worth

A CW Posted at 2018-1-23 08:53
Yep - quadruple the range of the Spark but half the range of the Mavic Pro in the UK/CE. More than you'd need providing the lag is low too. I found the image transmission from the Spark to be very glitchy even on take off - its flawless on the Mavic using OcuSync. Not having that was the biggest disappoint from the MA for me and a deal breaker if I'm honest. It has the same camera sensor and frame rates too. Definitely an upgrade for Spark flyers but not the Mavic Pro. Do you know if the Mavic Air has dual compass and IMU redundancy to prevent fly aways?

Using advanced VIO technology, the powerful sensor system in FlightAutonomy 2.0 consists of a primary gimbal camera, forward, backward, and downward dual-vision sensors, downward infrared sensing system, IMU redundancies, and a group of computing cores. Together, they collect and transmit information from the surrounding environment to the high-performance processor for more precise hovering and better flight performance. Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) allow the aircraft to bypass obstacles in front of and behind it actively. Your grand adventures of discovery have never been so safe and easy.

Yes, Mavic Air uses enhanced WiFi transmission system, you can refer to the max transmission range for it on the specs below. Hope it provides some info.

djiuser_MP6tU5Q Posted at 2018-1-23 10:15
Since it is WiFi based (strongly so) I wonder if the new Mavic Air controller could be paired to the spark to increase its reliability and range?  Seems like identical tech.. same pairing methods..I mean doesn’t seem very different tech wise just maybe slightly different but similar to how upgrading your WiFi router is different but can massively help.  should in theory be compatable.

I would buy a spark and a Mavic air controller combo if DJI allowed it.  I rather ultra portability of the spark with the range of the Mavic air. If I need a more “pro” drone I’ll use my Mavic pro..  

DJI definitely won’t allow you just get the Mavic Air controller.  But MA controller might possible use on Spark since they are all running WIFI only.  The longer range of MA might not due to the controller power, it might be the new directional antennas build into the receiver side of MA.  So even you can use the MA controller to connect to Spark, there won’t be any significant different in range.

A CW Posted at 2018-1-23 08:53
Yep - quadruple the range of the Spark but half the range of the Mavic Pro in the UK/CE. More than you'd need providing the lag is low too. I found the image transmission from the Spark to be very glitchy even on take off - its flawless on the Mavic using OcuSync. Not having that was the biggest disappoint from the MA for me and a deal breaker if I'm honest. It has the same camera sensor and frame rates too. Definitely an upgrade for Spark flyers but not the Mavic Pro. Do you know if the Mavic Air has dual compass and IMU redundancy to prevent fly aways?

The latest firmware has sorted out the latency problems that made Spark so horrible to use. No longer does the Spark have the lag issues like it had. Only analog FPV like in mini quads have proper low latency.

It’s just ‘instant’ on the Mavic

Simmo1 Posted at 2018-1-25 17:59
Using advanced VIO technology, the powerful sensor system in FlightAutonomy 2.0 consists of a primary gimbal camera, forward, backward, and downward dual-vision sensors, downward infrared sensing system, IMU redundancies, and a group of computing cores. Together, they collect and transmit information from the surrounding environment to the high-performance processor for more precise hovering and better flight performance. Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) allow the aircraft to bypass obstacles in front of and behind it actively. Your grand adventures of discovery have never been so safe and easy.

What about dual compass redundancy? Ever owned a Spark? And OA is never to be 100% replied upon - not even when in Tripod mode using flight autonomy and 360 degree obstacle avoidance on my Phantom 4 Pro. Every flown a Phantom 4 Pro? I'll believe it when I see it... I never judge the true capabilities of a drone until I've flown it and not once or twice but many times over many months. But staying on topic is does not use OcuSync in answer the OP's question - it uses WiFi like the Spark.

A CW Posted at 2018-1-25 23:26
What about dual compass redundancy? Ever owned a Spark? And OA is never to be 100% replied upon - not even when in Tripod mode using flight autonomy and 360 degree obstacle avoidance on my Phantom 4 Pro. Every flown a Phantom 4 Pro? I'll believe it when I see it... I never judge the true capabilities of a drone until I've flown it and not once or twice but many times over many months. But staying on topic is does not use OcuSync in answer the OP's question - it uses WiFi like the Spark.

I just quoted the DJI website Bro?

Simmo1 Posted at 2018-1-26 00:01
I just quoted the DJI website Bro?

I know - I've already read it. Sounds good eh!

Bradders Posted at 2018-1-23 08:48
I have double checked and the Mavic Air uses Enhanced WiFi, Same as the Spark but the Range is significantly more than the spark, 2K Range in the UK / CE which is far more than ever needed. So far im impressed and really would love one ;) [view_image]

It does not matter, the battery will limit its range.

Are there any real world range tests for the Mavic Air yet in the CE areas...

I can only find USA Youtubers doing reviews so far - CE makes such a difference to usability.

thanks.

Mac air or mac pro? Mavic air or mavic pro. Something inside of me says the pro is more interesting

I noticed the MA has a bitrate of 100 Mbps and the MP is 60 Mbps. Does anyone know if this is noticeable in the video file downloaded from the micro SD card.

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-1-26 04:45
Mac air or mac pro? Mavic air or mavic pro. Something inside of me says the pro is more interesting

The Pro is the better drone, 7K range vs 4K and 30M battery vs 21M, I know you will never need to use the full range of the Mavic Pro, but it uses OcuSync where as the Air uses Enhanced WiFi, the Pro is much less prone to interference and has better latency, this is the only reason why I will not purchase an Air, because most importantly you want a solid stable connection over anything

Bradders Posted at 2018-1-26 14:00
The Pro is the better drone, 7K range vs 4K and 30M battery vs 21M, I know you will never need to use the full range of the Mavic Pro, but it uses OcuSync where as the Air uses Enhanced WiFi, the Pro is much less prone to interference and has better latency, this is the only reason why I will not purchase an Air, because most importantly you want a solid stable connection over anything

What counts though is image quality, and on early tests while close there is slightly more clarity on the Mavic Air image with significantly less noise in low light (despite the f2.2 vs f2.8).

So the pro is a better drone, until you show someone the images and video.
This is why may Pro users are making the switch.

Glenn Stewart Posted at 2018-1-30 13:21
What counts though is image quality, and on early tests while close there is slightly more clarity on the Mavic Air image with significantly less noise in low light (despite the f2.2 vs f2.8).

So the pro is a better drone, until you show someone the images and video.

I have yet to see any video that proves this. Have you?

Glenn Stewart Posted at 2018-1-30 13:21
What counts though is image quality, and on early tests while close there is slightly more clarity on the Mavic Air image with significantly less noise in low light (despite the f2.2 vs f2.8).

So the pro is a better drone, until you show someone the images and video.

I do agree with you here, image quality is very important and the lower aperture would help, and I think the Air even is a wider angle ? and has 100mbps vs 60mbps so it has more detail, im so tempted by the Air

Bulldog Posted at 2018-1-30 13:39
I have yet to see any video that proves this. Have you?

There are at least 3. Although it's subjective due to fact that Air and Pro are SOOOO close. From memory iphonedo and We talk UAV are among the two.

What is noticeable when looking at footage is that the Air doesn't seem to have the same level of default sharpening (that's easily changed). And the noise at the same iso on the Mavic Pro appears to be much higher. Same sensor size..... but could the Air have a later sensor?

Bulldog Posted at 2018-1-30 13:39
I have yet to see any video that proves this. Have you?

Another video from The Verge just came out "DJI Mavic Air review" that makes the distinction in image quality clear. The Verge takes their video from the top of Twin Peaks in SF. Yeah, I'd try there as well if I wasn't at home in Sydney. Ironically my drone was delivered down the road in SF, so I'll get it next week.

I am curious as to which sensor the Air and Pro use. I know at least the Air uses a Sony. But it must be the bitrate, signal processing or low noise on the Air sensor because with this footage at least, the Air thrashes the Pro.

Whatever the change, I would be the Pro 2 would further raise the game.
The Air really is a Pro in a smaller body. The fact it's getting a better video image is a bonus.

Bulldog Posted at 2018-1-30 13:39
I have yet to see any video that proves this. Have you?

Another new video from Drone Pro Academy that does a side by side with Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, Spark and Phantom 4 Pro. Results are consistent with others. In some cases Air is closer to Phantom 4 in his opinion mainly due to bitrate. Can't beat the Phantom 4 Pro sensor though - sweet..... albeit a pain to travel with.

Nice research.

So shortened range compared to Pro. Shorten battery life with Air. These two are a very big deal for me.

Plus for the Air, is the camera. In your opinion @Glenn Stewart, does the improvement in camera trump controller range and battery life? Is the camera that much better? I know it's subjective, but you seem to have done your research. Thanks for the responses.

Think I'm spoiled by the Mavic Pro and it's exceptional wide range. Mavic is truly the leader of the pack !  

Wow.. I had the Mavic Pro and now just got The Mavic air. OH MAN.... The mavic AIR reception, video lag/choppiness, is HORRENDOUS when compared to the Mavic Pro. WHY would they not put the Ocu sync technology into it. I was only 900 feet away and the video was too bad to move further. This is HORRIBLE!! So stupid not to include the Ocu sync technology into the mavic air

Frustrated Cust Posted at 2018-2-8 14:52
Wow.. I had the Mavic Pro and now just got The Mavic air. OH MAN.... The mavic AIR reception, video lag/choppiness, is HORRENDOUS when compared to the Mavic Pro. WHY would they not put the Ocu sync technology into it. I was only 900 feet away and the video was too bad to move further. This is HORRIBLE!! So stupid not to include the Ocu sync technology into the mavic air

I agree... I don't know why DJI keep making drones without including OcuSync, When you try a Mavic Pro, everything else will feel laggy and bad range

Everyone in the UK gets hard the range than you do in the US... it would not be a problem if it actually got the range as advertised but it doesn't... I barely got 200ft on my Spark. I will not buy another DJI drone unless they include Ocusync.