Help Please- Drone Shopping

[Need A Vacation]

I am seriously considering buying a drone. This will be my first one.

I don’t want to break the bank, but I don’t want to go too cheap either.

I am considering the basic Spark model and the Mavic Air.

Price for the Spark is $400.
Price for the Mavic Air if I remember correctly is $530 at a local store, on clearance.

Is there another model you guys and gals would suggest I look at?

Main thing I am looking for is to take pics of our campsite, the boat, snowmobiling, etc... No plans or desire to use it to make money in any way!!!

Maybe take pics of us driving past while pulling a skier or tube, same with the snowmobile, etc.

If there isn’t another model or brand, would you go with the Spark or Air and why?

TY!!!

ps: mods, if this is in the wrong forum, please move it.

 

[sfadchi]

I'd highly recommend the Mavic Pro. You can get them fairly cheap now that the Mavic Pro 2 is out.

 

[LayneG]

I bought the Mavic Air Fly More Combo about 2.5 months ago from Best Buy. It's surprisingly easy to use but I don't use it like I thought I would. I'd make you a deal on it if you are interested.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

I have the Mavic. That’s your guy don’t look back.

 

[BigAbe75]

I have the Mavic. That’s your guy don’t look back.

I got a Mavic and don’t use it near like I thought it would. If I was doing it again I’d probably go with one of the cheaper ones.

 

[OakleyAK]

I got a Mavic and don’t use it near like I thought it would. If I was doing it again I’d probably go with one of the cheaper ones.

Kinda agree with Abe here. If you think you will use the drone quite a bit, go with the Mavic. If you are on the fence, see if you can find a used one in good condition for a bit cheaper.

 

[captainhook]

I have a Mavic Pro as well. Previously I had a few Phantoms. I would still go with a Mavic Pro at this point, the Spark is pretty small and will not do too well in wind. It’s frequently windy where I boat and would put a real damper on the Spark.

 

[WildBillF1]

I've had a Phantom 3 for a few years, if I was to purchase today I would go with the Mavic. My buddy has one and it's much more compact, making it easier to travel with.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I have had nothing but good luck out of my spark, even in a little wind.

 

[jocolo21]

All of these were taken with a spark, ilike the mavic but way more money and bigger to transport.

 

[props2you]

I bought the Mavic Air Fly More Combo about 2.5 months ago from Best Buy. It's surprisingly easy to use but I don't use it like I thought I would. I'd make you a deal on it if you are interested.

@LayneG
Hmmmm... What kind of deal we talking about?? Interested in this opportunity...

 

[Beachbummer]

I got the spark with remote on sale. It's pretty neat and least expensive. More big more money. The spark has been surprisingly stable and reliable. You can't go wrong with any dji options.

 

[captainhook]

Wow I stand corrected. I’ve had a my eye on buying a Spark to mess around with for a couple of years now but always read it wasn’t so good in wind. Even on my Mavic pro I occasionally get high wind warnings so I had [apparently incorrectly] assumed the Spark would be much worse since it’s a lot smaller.

That being said-how much smaller do you need?

 

[jocolo21]

My byds mavic would lift off of his bow this weekend xuz of winds, my spark did no issues all my bahamas videos and pics were i windy xonditions specially at honeymoon harbor still great pics. How small i guess when you fly for a living ot need to fit in your backpack along with headset ipad laptop and everything else i need to be legal to fly an

 

[buckbuck]

I have been very pleased with my Autel Evo but it is twice the budget that @Need A Vacation has suggested.

 

[Ronnie]

I have had a few drones over the years and am moving away from the DJI models because of all the flight restrictions associated with them. Nothing like having the action stop because your drone hits a geo fence you didn’t know about or not being able to take off because the software has not been updated with the latest no fly or restricted fly zones.

However, if I were to buy another what to buy would depend on my intended use and frequency. The spark is a great intro model with numerous preprogrammed flight modes like spiraling up, follow me, panoramic pictures (it hovers in place and takes 9 pics before stitching them together) and its relatively cheap, making it a good model for beginners or people who know they are not going to get very deep into the hobby. It also has a sport mode which disables the preprogrammed routes but increases the top speed by 3 times to 22 mph.

If you plan on using the drone a lot and want it to keep up better with your boat, I recommend the Mavic or equivalent which also has longer flight times.

I think the best all in one system offered by dji right now is the phantom 4 with the integrated monitor.

Price wise the last time I checked they were $400, $800 and $1,400 respectively, add $300 and $200 respectively to the spark and Mavic for the fly more packages (multi charger, extra battery(ies) and props. There are a lot of good used deals online if you are a bargain hunter but if you buy used you better know how to test fly/inspect it before purchasing used from an unknown seller or you may end up with an expensive non refundable paper weight.

I’m looking at “dumber” true follow me/ action drones now like the air dog 2 and staaker, etc. but these are more expensive and use specific (they don’t require nearly as much user/owner interaction to use-fly. They are also a lot more expensive with a range of $1,200 to $2,500 for the basic packages.

 

[Need A Vacation]

Thank you guys for all the input!!!

Use would not be a lot. Definitely on days like yesterday when we were on Torch Lk it will get some use....

But I guess maybe that is another question when comparing the two:

Is one better to launch and land from your hand? When out on the boat that’s probably how I would want/need to do it.



@LayneG,

pm sent.



TY again to everyone!!!

 

[Ronnie]

I think it’s easier to launch the spark by hand because its body fits in the palm of most adult hands. Whereas the Mavic is bigger and can be hard to balance. The fact that there is a lot of space between the front landing legs on it doesn’t help. Plus the blades on the spark are smaller so may be less intimidating to someone launching by hand.

 

[captainhook]

I actually forgot about that part of the conversation. I do hand catch my Mavic on the boat but I used to hand catch my Phantoms so I was sort of used to it. The one thing about the Mavic is that it can’t be very tricky to catch because it tries to fly away thinking your hand is an object. My nephew has a Mavic and he makes me catch it when we’re on the boat because he’s too nervous to try.

Based on this thread and if you are a beginner, you should probably start with the Spark. It is a great drone, especially if it flies fine in a bit of wind.

 

[Liveto99]

Mavic pro2 is not cheap but works great and I hand launch and catch all the time. But flight restrictions suck now on it