Can someone help me select a drone. I am torn between the Mavic Pro and the Air

Are you aware of the main differences between those drones? If not, you can compare them in detail here.

I reviewed the comparisons. Just trying to see which is best for my needs. Which are just take great pictures and videos

Seems you don’t know what you actually need. All drone can take great pictures and video depends on how you use it. You need to know what you want to do, how to do. Than read the reviews on website to find the right drone. You should come back after you know the right question to ask.

both are great drones, the Air has a good solid gimble with a fantastic camera and great for taking nice videos and good stills also has sensors at the back which the pro does not have but the Air lacks in great flight time and distance like the Pro. The pro is a rock solid connection and does not use wifi like the Air to connect, The pro has a $k camera as well and can go over 7km in FCC area it also has a 27 minute flight time. I prefer the Pro over other drones

If you want to make photos and videos just for fun and you dont care about the flight time or the range mavic air should be the best choice for you its also cheaper.But if you want to fly in urban areas and you need more flight time in the air for sure mavic pro will not disappoint you its a great drone!

Mavic Air is an excellent drone - more compact, lighter, easier to travel and hike with and is a relatively brand new design. It has an upgraded ambarella processor giving out 100MBPS in 4K, 60p in 2.7K and full slo mo in FHD. The gimbal is securely mounted and recessed in the hull of the drone so horizon tilt issues won't happen and the drone is far more robust and will sustain crashes more easily. It is extremely stable in flight and utilises flight autonomy 2.0 - essentially DJI's latest tech found in the P4P - including 3 directions of obstacle avoidance (including rear), auto RTH retrace, vision compass and even auto aligns it's pitch angle to fight winds up to 22MPH without dropping in air speed. The Air also has a faster top speed in Sports mode hitting >43MPH. It also gives out 32mp spherical panos, updated active track and tap fly, new quick shots like asteroid which are exclusive to the air, new APAS tech, 8gb internal storage through USB-C and smart capture - DJI's most advanced gesture control platform on any of their drones. It also auto stitches everything so less need for post editing. Flight times in the real world are around 16-18 minutes which is more than enough and I have reached distances of 1.3 miles in CE areas with no signal loss thanks to enhanced WiFi transmission and omnidirectional antennas. I've owned the MP and MPP but the MA is my favourite drone to date.

On the flip side, the MP is more powerful. You'll get double the range and a good 5 minutes extra flight time per battery though the batteries take a lot longer to recharge too. The Pro has a far superior RC - with more customisable buttons, LCD display, exposure dial. The camera also has a x2 digital zoom, portrait mode, shallow focus controls, c.4K recording. The MP is also quieter. But it is ultimately OcuSync that gives the MP the edge. Both are amazing drones and will do the job. That said, I would wait until the 18th July if I were you and see what DJI brings to the table before making your final decision.  

Knox86 Posted at 2018-6-21 18:31
I reviewed the comparisons. Just trying to see which is best for my needs. Which are just take great pictures and videos

When you say take great pictures and videos - what is you definition of ''great''?

Great as in mid-range cellphone?
Great as in high-end cellphone - iPhone X or Galaxy 10?
Great as in mid-range DSLR or Camcorder $1,500?
Great as in Professional DSLR or Camcorder $6,000 & up?

In view of the fact that on 18 July DJI will present something new of which we don't know yet what it is (but it could be a new drone), I would wait until then.

I have the Air. That said, if I could do it over again, I'd get something else. I don't see the Air lasting very long. When you fold it up, the blades hit other pieces & you kinda have to bend them to collapse the arms fully. I imagine this takes a toll on the motors or balancing. Only time will tell...

You can wait for mavic pro 2

If I were you, I would choose Mavic Air. Mavic pro does not attract me much from its visual stand-point.

Your needs will determine what you want.  Each pilot here will have their own needs and views.  I'm going to try to give guidance using the little information that you have given.  

You have narrowed your search to Mavic Air and Mavic Pro.
You state that you want it for taking pictures and video.  

Both of them will offer awesome pictures.  Just take a look at some of the posts in this forum.  The clarity of photos from both the Pro and the Air are by most definitions 'great', so you will have to narrow further.

Are you the type that likes to point and shoot?  Get the Mavic Air.  The Mavic Pro has a tap to focus function that (if you are not prepared for) can cause you to have to do more to get the shot you want.
Is long flight time and distance important?  Get the Mavic Pro.  It will allow for further distance and longer flight time.
Are you good with editing in post?  Can you stitch photos together with ease?  Do you enjoy that?  If yes, get the Pro.  If no, get the Air.  (currently)  you have to stitch photos together manually to get panoramics with the Pro.  The Air does it for you.  I fully expect that to be a feature of any drone in the future.
What is your price range?  If the Pro is in your price range, then you can skip this question.  
Do you want to use Occusync?  if yes, get the Pro.  While you can use the goggles with the Air, it is wireless with the Pro, and really, who wants to attach a wire to their head while flying?


The bottom line is this:  You have to look at all of the features and find out which are more important to you.  You are going to win either way because both of them are really great drones.

What I did when I made my decision is this:  Make a list of the features of both.  Highlight the features that are most important.  The side with more highlights gets the purchase.

For me, the difference was price and size.  The Air is smaller and less expensive.  not A LOT smaller, and only $200 less, but still. I was stretching the budget for something that I was only planning to use as a hobby.  Also, the Air was actually more aesthetically pleasing to me.   The decisions I make will not affect you.  The decisions you make will affect you.  So decide wisely.  (you've already done pretty well narrowing it from all of the drones in the market to these 2)

Please also keep in mind that there is an announcement coming next month.  We don't know what it is, but If you are still just trying to decide what to get, I would wait until that announcement.  If it is a drone, it may change what you are thinking right now.  It could me the much talked about MP2. If it is, I think that it will be the best of both of them, and it could make your decision easy.  It could also be something else entirely.  Unless you just absolutely have to get in the air right now, I would wait and at least see what the announcement is.

3-D Posted at 2018-6-22 04:32
Your needs will determine what you want.  Each pilot here will have their own needs and views.  I'm going to try to give guidance using the little information that you have given.  

You have narrowed your search to Mavic Air and Mavic Pro.

Good overview mate

The first drone ...
My first (2016) drone was not  DJI - Hubsan X501S. This is an inexpensive (less than 200 bucks) unit that hooked me on this needle.
It is much simpler than MA or MP. But it is not primitive.
I filled a lot of cones with him and he taught me a lot.
Maybe it's worth starting not with DJI ?

Hi. Thank you for considering DJI drone as your next aircraft. I understand that you are looking to compare the DJI Mavic Pro and the DJI Mavic Air. Let me help you with this. I will be posting a link for you to choose a Drone of your choice and compare there features. The DJI Mavic Pro and the DJI Mavic Air is included on this link. Hope this link can help. Thank you.

https://www.dji.com/products/com ... ndsite&from=nav