All things Mavic Air

jogdish wrote: »

@Sultan_of_Ping

.....
Sorry not trying to be negaitive or downing your post, just weighting up getting the basic+one batt. + bag off amazon. Really glad to hear about the noise compared to OG Air. Keep us posted.

No problem - happy to answer any questions

Just some questions, you mention you got the Fly More, would you say it was worth it given that you don't really need the third battery as you say, and the bag is so so.

I would say yes, the FM pack is worth it. The drone, imo, is a great piece of kit and any time I've gone out with a plan to take certain shots I've pretty much been able to nail them first time, and in a way that generally exceeds my expectations.

Because of that, and because of the drone's endurance one battery has usually been more than enough - leaving plenty of flight time for "goofing" around and/or experimenting.

Saying that, it's nice not having to worry about endurance - I think if you have one battery there might be a temptation to push it. Whereas with three, as soon as I hit 30% battery I'm "bingo" and back for a battery change.

Also the FM pack comes with an adapter that allows you to use the battery to charge other devices using a USB cable - therefore, you have reserve power for the controller and/or your phone if you forget to properly charge either.

I don't have much experience flying drones, but to my mind it's better to have too much power than too little!

The bag is fine - decent construction and looks like it provides good protection. My only issue is that the design is a bit quirky - it's almost like whoever designed it decided that the last thing they were going to produce was a standard looking, regular opening bag!

Had you tried the ND filters, again worth it given you say they are on the cheap side, compared to buying your own.

The ND filers are fine but I'll be buying my own (Polarpro when they are released).

The DJI filters don't strike me as particularly robust and I'm assuming at some point I'll damage them because I'm a clumsy sod!

Saying that, they do the job and they do it pretty well.

I'll be getting a separate set moslty to get something a bit more robust and to get filters with polarisation.

On balance, I'd recommend getting the FM package - I think a second battery is a very good idea - not a necessity and you could get by without it, but if I'd bought it on its own I reckon it would've only been a matter of time before I went for a second battery.

Considering the cost of a second battery to the extra you'll pay for the FM pack, I thought it made sense.

The bag works for me as I carry my photography gear in a backpack so there's no room for the drone in there, so it's convenient to have a sling bag, plus I can just grab that on its own if I'm not taking my cameras out. Unless it somehow fails I can't see myself replacing it.

The filters are enough to get me going but being honest, even if they were more robust I'd still want to change them for something with polarisation.

Example of a panorama, cropped top and bottom......

jogdish wrote: »

Perfect thank you, think I'd do FM too, did you buy the extra DJI thingy for user caused fault replacement?
Lovely picture.

Thanks - that was on my second evening out with it!

No, I thought about the DJI insurance thing and decided against it.

I'll be doing most of my flying at or near the coast in wide open spaces. Plus, I'll be using it mostly for stills and I've only been using "Sport" mode to move quickly between shooting points.........I'm not planning on doing anything stupid, but there again my stupidity is rarely planned

All things considered, I decided to pass on the DJI-care thing and concentrate on using it responsibly - treating it as a piece of photographic equipment rather than a boy-toy.

jogdish wrote: »

Few weeks later, any updated thoughts on the Air 2 anyone else get one? I'm still on the fence.

No, I'm still enjoying mine and I don't think I've even begun to scratch the full potential of it.

Below is some footage I shot of kite surfers (with their permission & cooperation). Pretty rough as I couldn't see a thing because of the glare on the screen - hence the reason I stayed high and away from them, and the video is short. I've fashioned a sun shade for next time 👍

tedpan wrote: »

Not bad at all, it stays glued into position and that quality is fantastic! You have a heavy hand though, left and right you need to be slightly softer on the controls, that will get better with time. Thanks for sharing man, maybe I'll see you in the area soon. Most of my videos are in Mornington and Bettystown

Just a couple of other points - this was last Saturday (21/6) and it was quite windy (got a few high wind warnings, but despite that the drone flew well). Also I wasn't tracking anything in particular as I couldn't see anything on the screen so I was trying to eye ball the surfers and point the drone in a way that I thought it might capture them!

I take your point on the heavy handedness - I'm normally a bit smoother. I think it would have been much smoother if I'd been able to see and use the screen properly, but it's all a learning experience

See you out there!