Two DJI drone: domesticated dragons

Summer is probably the best time for video filming and spectacular shots from a height: rally, water adventures, rock festivals, electronic music festivals, vacations in the most incredible places. And here it is, the sensation of the last couple of years - the action cameras no longer suffice pathologically. I want to see the world not only with my own eyes, but with my eyes from behind, from the side, from above. In general, you need more panoramic experiences. There are drones: either good and extremely expensive, or very cheap crafts. That would be to shove the Phantom in your pocket, and even not pay for it a couple of thousand bucks. As you might have guessed, the future is already here, dreams come true. This time they are performed by DJI. New drones turned out quite tame - see for yourself.







Experience gadgets



In our age, some completely insane amount of gadgets and lotions is released for all spheres of life. Even we, the Gearbest team, who has seen, perhaps, all the wonders of Chinese technology and fantasy, and sometimes we are amazed at what appears at the factories and how it is sold out. But these are, as a rule, cheap things just for fun for a couple of bucks - some spinners are worth: they are bought in unreal amount.



Another thing when it comes to expensive devices, worth more than one hundred dollars. The trend of popularity of such devices can be traced almost from the beginning of the 2000s: digital cameras, amateur video cameras, DSLRs for fans and beginners, expensive mirrorless cameras, action cameras, smart phones with an exorbitant number of pixels. However, if you take a closer look at this list, then it is dominated by gadgets that can keep in memory the most precious for us: happy moments, memories, vivid travels, loved ones and friends, warm and adrenalin impressions. And, admit, how often you want to make an unusual shot, shoot from the steepest angle, make a real mini-film with special effects!



In general, the list at the end of 2016 - 2017 filled up drones. “What is it in 2017!” - you will argue in the comments and you will be right: quadrocopters appeared much earlier, and the market managed to fill with thousands of “phantoms” from DJI and accessible, but not very impressive nouneymami. But over the past six months there have been two events that turned the drones market upside down: in the autumn of 2016, the DJI Mavic Pro Mini RC Quadcopter came out , and in June 2017 it finally moved from the pre-order stage to the DJI Spark Mini RC Selfie Drone . I bet you already heard about them. And now let's talk in more detail and at the same time reveal a couple of secrets that Russian distributors are modestly silent about.









So, first things first. First of all, DJI is the largest drones manufacturer famous for the Phantom series, which features powerful, high-quality aircraft that can do anything that can come to mind. The company sets the tone for the industry by equipping its gadgets with advanced electronics and offering solutions that no one has previously offered. But until recently, DJI drones had one drawback - the price. Buy Phantom for amateur use - it's not even self-indulgence, it is a real luxury.







But DJI clearly calculated the market segments and released two “budget” solutions at once. At the same time, there is no savings on materials or technologies. Moreover, two new drons differ in form factors and can be called truly domestic.



DJI Mavic Pro Mini - uncompromising version



The first time came DJI Mavic Pro Mini RC Quadcopter - a very compact drone with folding wings (the manufacturer guarantees 5000 cycles of folding and folding). Of course, comparing it with a smartphone and a tablet in size was premature, but the fact that it received amazing mobility speaks volumes. Users have ceased to be afraid that when carrying the blades will break and that they will have to carry a few kilos of iron and plastic with them. The weight of the drone is only 750 grams. Together with the drone comes a folding console - an excellent thought-out management tool (although you can control it from any modern smartphone through the app). The remote differs from the application with precision and some capabilities - however, many amateurs use the remote and the smartphone simultaneously. Fortunately, a special mount allows. Oh yeah, even the drone recognizes the owner and is controlled by gestures - if you don’t know the principle of operation, it looks like magic from the outside. But, by the way, a really cool gesture control looks from a younger brother - DJI Spark Mini RC Selfie Drone .

There is a coupon: on Mavic Pro - a GBRUMVC coupon, with it the price will be $ 1,179, valid until July 29, 2017






It is clear that from their older brothers-phantoms Mavic took everything that is needed in order to be a great compact drone. So, it is equipped with two auxiliary cameras, thanks to which the drone flies around all obstacles. A special trick: during takeoff, the device repeatedly photographs the surface several times in order to “remember” it, and then, during landing, searches for it to sit exactly where it took off. Not the last role in such accuracy of flight is played by the dual positioning system GPS / Glonass. Mavic can take altitude up to 5000 m, move at a speed of up to 65 km / h and rise at a speed of 5 m / s. He sits down carefully and rather slowly - 3 m / s. By the way, by the time the battery is planted out (which is 3830 mAh and 26 minutes), it does not twitch, but gradually decreases and “soars” at a safe distance from the surface - so that even if it flops, it does not break. But the fate is better not to experience, an extra minute of weather will not do.







Removes Mavic as a god in several versions: HD, FullHD, 2.7K, 4K. Does not ripple, does not tremble, does not add artifacts to the video. By the way, despite the light weight, it is perfectly kept in windy weather, and even in snowy and windy weather: it does not shake or demolish it. Mavic provides several shooting modes, some of which leave an indelible WOW effect and the coolest video output. In addition to the usual Active Track, it has several useful modes.











In general, Mavic quality shooting and management will satisfy the demands of a professional. The device is designed for professionals looking for compactness, and for beginners who want to learn what the drone is. Believe us, it is better to immediately find out what a good drone is - for this DJI Mavic Pro Mini RC Quadcopter was invented. Price - $ 1299.



DJI Mavic Pro Mini - a compromise option



But the DJI Spark Mini RC Selfie Drone is already a truly personal compact drone weighing only ... 300 grams. It seems to us that the word Selfie in its name greatly underestimates the merits of this miniature aircraft. This is the first high-quality, functional, powerful drone for pampering and exploring this class of devices. Yes, this is a toy, but what a toy!

There is a coupon: on the Spark Selfie - the coupon GBSpark, with it the price will be $ 529.99, valid until July 29, 2017.








First of all, this is a gadget that does not require studying - it is easy to run from the first time even to a teenager. Managed by Spark from a smartphone using a special application. If you wish, you can purchase the console (and here it is, the first secret) - without the console, the drone does not accelerate to a maximum speed of 50 km / h. Not a loss of loss, of course, but it is better to know about it in advance. Special sensors are configured to recognize the owner "in the face" (literally, he takes pictures of you and then compares with other objects) and allows you to control the drone with gestures. The process of calling Spark to himself and his landing on the palm is touched by the hardest heart - at such moments even the brutal peasant feels that this dragon dragon is alive.







Light weight, however, does not destabilize the drone in the wind - its behavior is no different from either phantoms or Mavic. Dual-axis stabilizer and UltraSmooth technology compensate for any vibrations and shaking. This drone has an excellent autopilot (Flight Autonomy autopilot technology), which easily detects and obstructs obstacles (the second secret is that both Mavic and Spark only recognize obstacles ahead of themselves, so when reversing, be careful and operate the drone yourself without the help of an autopilot ).



In terms of quality and the available resolution of shooting, the drone is weaker than the older model - Spark supports only FullHD at 30 frames / s (1920 × 1080, 30p) with a bit rate of 24 Mbps. But this quality is more than enough for amateur shooting. Serial shooting - three shots, but there is an opportunity to shoot timelapse at intervals of 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60 s. In conjunction with the Tripod mode, just a bomb!



Speaking of modes. They are no less than in other models, but our mini-drone is especially good at several. In particular, the shooting mode is in a circle (it flies around an object that should be in the center of the frame), Helix - the drone gains height above the object in a spiral (you get level video clips, if not Oscar for camera work, then at least the Palm Palme) climb above the object (so cool to shoot high-rises). By the way, Active Track (the pursuit of an object) in Spark turns out even more successful than the rest (why is a mystery, there is clearly updated stabilization).



What can I say about the DJI Spark Mini RC Selfie Drone . This is a high-quality, functional and very compact drone, which is not a pity for $ 539. It pays back this money with interest and, in terms of price-quality ratio, bypasses all the proposed models. And he really does a selfie if someone really cares about this aspect.



By the way, again we will brag - Yandex.Market did not find it cheaper (and this it has not yet seen the GBSpark coupon).







Dry comparison of two drones:



Comparison criterion

DJI Spark Mini RC Selfie Drone

DJI Mavic Pro Mini RC Quadcopter
Price

$ 539 ( GBSpark coupon - $ 529.99)

$ 1299 (coupon GBRUMVC - $ 1179)

Weight

300 grams

734 grams

Max speed

50 km / h (with remote control)

65 km / h

Flight time on one battery charge

up to 16 minutes

up to 27 minutes

Battery

1480 mAh

3830 mAh

Camera

12 Mp

12.7 MP

Video

FullHD at 30 frames / s (1920 × 1080 30p)

4K: 4096 × 2160; 4K: 3840 × 2160; 2.7K: 2704 x 1520; FHD: 1920 × 1080; HD: 1280 x 720

Max. video bitrate

24 Mbps

60 Mbps

Burst shooting

3 frames / s, but there is a timelapse with the setting of the step of shooting frames

3, 5, 7 frames / s

Photo resolution

4000x3000 pixels

4000x3000 pixels

Governing bodies

smartphone, remote bought separately

remote included or smartphone

Operating temperatures

5 - 40 °

5 - 40 °

Colors

black, white, bright colors

black gray

Gadget Audience

beginners and lovers

beginners and amateurs, professionals who are important compactness



Spare parts



This is the third secret that our colleagues are silent about. Working with a quadcopter, it is difficult to manage without breakdowns and failure of parts. Even if you are the most cautious person in the world, you will definitely need additional batteries (for example, if you drive a rally and sockets are not expected at hand).





As you can see, for Mavic, everything is already there, and the original one, for Spark, while the assortment is limited to pre-ordering the most important and fragile ones - the blades. But very soon there will be other components.



Ask us which drone to choose, and we will not tell you. Both of them are almost perfect - and it's extremely difficult to decide on a purchase. We know one thing: you need to catch the summer in your lens. It's time to tame a personal dragon!



All Articles