In December 2018, during the last DJI Winter Sale, I gave into temptation and bought my second drone, the DJI Mavic Air.
Having flown this particular drone in many amazing places, like the Gorreana Tea Plantation in the Azorean Archipelago, I have now gathered some knowledge and experience worth sharing.The DJI Mavic Air is the ideal drone if you want to film in 4K and still have the most portable drone ever. Yes, it's bigger than the DJI Spark, but the should bag that can pack the drone, the remote, 3 batteries+1 in the drone, the charger, the cabels, USB adapter, lightning adapter, ND filters and some extra propellers just in case... all of this fits in this bag that is just as big as the Spark's shoulder bag!
The video quality is just incredible for such a tiny drone. 4K up to 100MB/s and the HRD photos are a beaut.
The rear sensors addition, comparing to the DJI Spark or Mavic Pro, are yet another great improvement providing a bit more security while flying. APAS obstacle avoiding system is amazing to witness how far drones have come already.
The 8GB internal storage can be a lifesafer for all those pilots that forget their micro SD card on their laptops.
The WiFi connection stability is not the best to fly drones, but it does behave well on the Mavic Air. I have flown my drone at distances of over 300 meters and haven't lost the connection, but did receive a 'signal weak' message.
The 16min flight range is not bad for this drone, but I would enjoy more. Of course, who wouldn't? Multiple batteries is a viable option that you should take.
The Mavic Air requires much more recalibrations than I ever had to do when using the Spark over 18 months, but it's a quick enough procedure to deal with.
PROS
CONS
Size, Weight and Extreme Portability
Range and WiFi connection stability
Affordable 4K up to 100MB/s capture with many other different video settings.
12MP HDR photos.
16min flight per battery - multiple batteries are a must
Front and Rear sensors for 2 way obstacle avoidance (APAS)
Often need to recalibrate when arriving to a new location
Can you see how excited I was on that day to open my new drone? Here are some pictures of the just unboxed DJI Mavic Air:
Unboxing
Mavic Air
Shoulder Bag
This was my first shot with the DJI Mavic Air later that same day:
First shot
Since then I've created many more videos with it.
Before I forget, you should definetely purchase some ND filters for your drone. They are a game changer as I'm sure you are able to search google for many reviews of many different brands. Check out my post on ND filters here.
As requested by some friends, I made yet another unboxing/review video with my first impressions of the DJI Mavic Air and comparison to my previous DJI Spark drone.
Don't be 'scared' by the Portuguese language. This videos also has English subtitles that I created myself. You can activate the subtitles by clicking on the subtitle button on the bottom right corner of your screen right after you click PLAY.
I hope you enjoyed this video and review.
Make sure to check out my 2 playlists for more drone videos:
HD: https://goo.gl/N4ERQD
o_laparoto Posted at 8-13 10:29
I'm really glad you enjoyed this A J. I need to start recording these videos in English so I can reach a broader audience
The visuals alone were cool enough - especially unboxing with a Samurai sword I think thats a first
Captain
Administrator
First Officer
on the bottom right corner of your screen right after you click PLAY.
