Hi All,
Please be kind as it's my first post!

I was in the process of purchasing a DJI Spark with the fly more combo just a few days before the Mavic Air was released...
My budget can stretch to the Mavic Air standard edition but not the fly more pack.

What're existing DJI owners thoughts on which I should go for??

Any and all advice is very welcome!!

Thank you

Tom

buy as much as you can afford.  the air is well worth the extra money in the long run.    batteries aren't too expensive so can purchase later on.

I agree. In my opinion the mavic air would give You much more benefits on the longer run. The spec is better so I`d go for Air and I`d buy some spare batteries later on.
thanks

Thanks both for your opinions, I think you're right and as you say can always get more batteries later on.

Shame that the Mavic Air does not look like it can charge from a usb power bank though..

can charge it with an a/c port in your car .  my jeep has one.  i used to use an a/c inverter

Go for MavAir if you can stretch to Combo 100% get it .

What do you 'need'?
(or want).
Don't just look at the specs. That is what marketing / sales wants you to do.
Look at what your needs are and decide based on that.
Also check some beautiful video's that were made with Spark here.
It is not the camera that makes the pictures: you are

you can do some "jobs"like making aerial pictures of someone houses,  ask for a little compensation money and then you buy the things you want.
so go for the mavic Air (I own a spark too, there are lots of flyaways due to there single compass and imu)

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-26 04:34
Go for MavAir if you can stretch to Combo 100% get it .

I could do the Spark combo but with the Mavic Air only the basic package

I would take the Air, I think there is really a huge gap between them, the Air is not a toy anymore. The only thing you will be missing from the combo is the extra battery, but you already get 5 more minutes of flight time with the air

Montfrooij Posted at 2018-1-26 04:35
What do you 'need'?
(or want).
Don't just look at the specs. That is what marketing / sales wants you to do.

You make a good point!

I do a lot of photography on my DSLR and want to take that to the air. I've done a little bit of videography before so want to try more of that too.

I think the appeal of the Spark flymore for me is the extra batteries, I know I can charge it on the go from a small pocket power bank and I know it's pretty bulletproof.

The appeal of the Mavic Air is the DNG photo ability, the extra range and longer flight time. 4k video is nice but not the be all and end all for me.

Spark combo in UK is £629 and the Mavic Air basic pack is £769.

Jos A Posted at 2018-1-26 08:15
you can do some "jobs"like making aerial pictures of someone houses,  ask for a little compensation money and then you buy the things you want.
so go for the mavic Air (I own a spark too, there are lots of flyaways due to there single compass and imu)

I like the idea of being able to do things like that. Great shout!

TFile Posted at 2018-1-26 09:15
I like the idea of being able to do things like that. Great shout!

Yeah and then you can buy a spark too

TFile Posted at 2018-1-26 09:14
You make a good point!

I do a lot of photography on my DSLR and want to take that to the air. I've done a little bit of videography before so want to try more of that too.

If you are used to a DSLR, neither one will live up to that quality.
Maybe a Phantom 4 Pro, but I think you will need an inspire 2 + X7 to get close to that 'quality'.

If you are a little bit more serious with this hobby, the Air is the way to go.
You will be screaming for an extra battery, since 15 minutes fly away (that will probably be the real flying time you get before returning home), but it should be a better investment I think.

The extra battery of the Spark fly more combo is just 1. With the Mavic Air fly more combo you get 2 extra batteries, so that is a much better fly more combo if you ask me.
If you have the patience, you might want to wait a little until you have enough for the fly more combo.
The extra batteries, charging hub, powerbank adapter and bag are about € 300,- so you 'save' € 100,- on that.
I did forget the extra props by the way.

That's just my 2 cents

I fully agree to previous posts. Being a truly happy Spark owner myself (never any noteworthy issues so far), I have now decided to upgrade to Mavic Air and to sell my Spark as well as will be possible.

I chose to sell the Spark and get the Mavic Air for two reasons. first, the Air has a good deal more features and a better camera. Second, it will Sync with my DJI Goggles.

TFile Posted at 2018-1-26 04:08
Thanks both for your opinions, I think you're right and as you say can always get more batteries later on.

Shame that the Mavic Air does not look like it can charge from a usb power bank though..

Sir, I would recommend you check the specs in our website. Hope you find the one you like.
https://www.dji.com/products/com ... ndsite&from=nav

I am really confused on which one to purchase, the Mavic Air standard pack or the combo? I’m not sure if I will be able to maximize the use of the extras combo has or I can just buy the extras separately which I will need the most later on.  

I previously had a Spark but returned it once the Air launched. The extra flight time is a big deal as the Spark always felt like you were having to land by the time you made it to your shot location.  I picked up the standard Air kit and it’s perfect for now. I’ll add a couple extra batteries later as the budget allows. As someone else mentioned, you only got one extra batt with the Spark fly more package, so it’s not giving you that much flight time. Also, the WiFi connectivity on the Air is much better than Spark.  Haven’t lost transmission once on the Air, where it would happen all the time in neighborhood areas with the Spark.  For photography especially, you can’t under estimate the importance of RAW format, especially with this small of a sensor.  The Spark with jpeg only didn’t have much latitude to recover highlights, when necessary.  4K and the 3-axis gimbal are just icing on the cake . See my other post today with some images and video I capture last night...  good luck!

pbaustria Posted at 2018-1-26 21:50
I am really confused on which one to purchase, the Mavic Air standard pack or the combo? I’m not sure if I will be able to maximize the use of the extras combo has or I can just buy the extras separately which I will need the most later on.

If you look though what you get in the combo pack and price it out then realise that you don't need certain items in the combo the standard actually works out cheaper.

My view is with the standard all you need is one or 2 extra batteries - Do the maths

Spark23 Posted at 2018-2-4 08:54
I previously had a Spark but returned it once the Air launched. The extra flight time is a big deal as the Spark always felt like you were having to land by the time you made it to your shot location.  I picked up the standard Air kit and it’s perfect for now. I’ll add a couple extra batteries later as the budget allows. As someone else mentioned, you only got one extra batt with the Spark fly more package, so it’s not giving you that much flight time. Also, the WiFi connectivity on the Air is much better than Spark.  Haven’t lost transmission once on the Air, where it would happen all the time in neighborhood areas with the Spark.  For photography especially, you can’t under estimate the importance of RAW format, especially with this small of a sensor.  The Spark with jpeg only didn’t have much latitude to recover highlights, when necessary.  4K and the 3-axis gimbal are just icing on the cake . See my other post today with some images and video I capture last night...  good luck!

This is excellent advice. I bought the Spark fly more 4 weeks ago and out came the Air. I

I will keep the spark to take away with me on holidays as it is still an excellent product and much more cute than the Air. (Did I actually just say the Air was cute)

pbaustria Posted at 2018-1-26 21:50
I am really confused on which one to purchase, the Mavic Air standard pack or the combo? I’m not sure if I will be able to maximize the use of the extras combo has or I can just buy the extras separately which I will need the most later on.

in the mavic flymore pack i dont use any of the extras anymore. no prop gaurds - no landing pad - no sun shade etc. Even the 3rd extra battery i just dont have the time to use (not for the flying but the added computer time after)
the only extras i use are nd filters and stick guards, which i bought seperately- every other extra was a waste of money for me and when you watch clips of other folks you virtually never see prop guards or landing pads ect.
since you are questioning i will support the idea to buy basic pack and purchase extra according your needs.

I. have both now but I would prefer the Air with fewer batteries if I had to make a choice. Be aware though that the batteries are not available for the air separately yet. I got the fly more combo but I already want more batteries.

Tom_A Posted at 2018-2-4 18:37
I. have both now but I would prefer the Air with fewer batteries if I had to make a choice. Be aware though that the batteries are not available for the air separately yet. I got the fly more combo but I already want more batteries.

looks like the batteries are available now..

https://store.dji.com/product/ma ... gent-flight-battery

cyborg Posted at 2018-2-4 19:05
looks like the batteries are available now..

https://store.dji.com/product/mavic-air-intelligent-flight-battery

Yes. I noticed and have two more on order.

Pretty helpful post if you're still not sure: https://www.heliguy.com/blog/201 ... mavic-pro-vs-spark/

I did it. I bought the Mavic Air!!! Should be delivered soon then will post pics etc!

Thank you all for the advice!!

No question.  Air and get more batteries as you can.  

I'd get the MA std then buy accessories during your time with it.

I love when I run into threads with OP having similar issues as mine. I'm in the same predicament. I'm getting taxes back and was always planning on buying the mavic at some point - but got really intrigued with the spark because of the size and price. But as I did more research into the Air, it's just that beautiful middle ground between the spark and the pro price-wise and feature-wise. In fact, in my opinion, it does most of what the pro does more efficiently. I'd say get the Air. I'll do the same. I'm getting the Air by itself though. $1,000 is a little steep for me

x-23 Posted at 2018-2-20 15:55
I love when I run into threads with OP having similar issues as mine. I'm in the same predicament. I'm getting taxes back and was always planning on buying the mavic at some point - but got really intrigued with the spark because of the size and price. But as I did more research into the Air, it's just that beautiful middle ground between the spark and the pro price-wise and feature-wise. In fact, in my opinion, it does most of what the pro does more efficiently. I'd say get the Air. I'll do the same. I'm getting the Air by itself though. $1,000 is a little steep for me

I took the plunge and it’s now with me, already hugely impressed!

I think if you can afford it at the moment then go for the Mavic Air even though it only has one battery etc it’s been an issue for me as I’m still learning the intraquesies of the controls etc.

I will be buying more battery’s and accessories as I go but I don’t know for sure that it’ll be quite sometime before I outgrown the Mavic Air. I’m not sure I would’ve felt the same about the spark...

Saying that you can now get the spark flymore combo even cheaper than before so I can see the temptation.  Could use any excess budget to purchase ND filters and things.

Let us know what you end up doing!!

I upgraded the spark to the air.
The spark is an excellent machine.
Analyze the use that you have concretely.
Analyze your budget.
I am happy to have made the upgrade,
But with the air basic pack, you will add a battery and you have a good battery life. It depends on your use.

Both machines are fine, but the air is still a lot better.
The air is close to perfection for my use

Good choice, you can all say what you want but the mavic pro is still the king of the small drones though