Last updated April 12, 2018
Today is the day! I finally have a need for a drone. The Mavic Pro was my default choice since so many people rave about it.
TASK: I need to take a group photo of 300 people.
SOLUTION: Either get on a 9′ or 12′ ladder and use a wide lens (Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II lens) on my DSLR (Canon 1Dx)
SOLUTION #2: Get a drone that takes decently good photos.
As a TECH lover, how can I say NO to an opportunity to buy a new Toy… even if it costs $1000!
Looking at the specs of the Mavic Pro, it was enough to convince me to buy it.
Especially with the fact that Costco has the DJI Mavic Pro Kit for only $999.99…. AND on November 24-27, it will be on sale for $100 off, making it $899.99! I can buy it now and get it priced matched LATER, or I can return it within 90 days if I feel that I don’t need a drone in my life.
As you might have guess from the video above…
I BOUGHT ONE!
Here’s my experience so far:
PROS:
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Size: This thing is super small! I absolutely love how it can fold up into a tiny form factor
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Easy to Operate: As a first time Drone flyer, it was nerve wrecking to fly a device that costs well over $1000. It can easily go out of control crash, or worse…. stuck on a roof, never to be seen again! The good news is that there is a beginner mode and even without spending more than 15 minutes, I was able to get the thing to start up and do some easy maneuvers.
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Easy to record video: as simple as a point and shoot camera. Just select the focus area, and hit record! There are advance options like setting the resolution and frame rate. And for the really advance videographers, you can even adjust the color profiles!
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Easy to take photos: Again, as simple as a Point and Shoot camera. Just focus and shoot! There are advance options such as shooting in Manual mode (choose aperature, shutter, and ISO), adjusting the white balance, and different shooting mode like HDR, Exposure bracketing,
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Flying Options: There are tons of options for everything! Seriously, there are tons and tons of options. One of the most standout feature is the Active Track mode; a feature that will track a person, a bike-rider, car, boats, some animals, OR anything if you simply draw a box around that subject. The Active Track then has different type of profile that specify how to Mavic Pro will move while it is tracking the subject.
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Trace: it can follow behind the subject or it can fly backwards as it follows in front of you. And in this mode you can specify for it to circle around you as it follows you too!
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Spotlight: The camera will lock on the subject, no matter how you fly, the footage will always be on your subject.
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Profile: It will follow your subject and move in parallel. It will maintain the same distance from the subject, even if the subject moves towards it or away.
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Capabilities: 4K Video, 12MP Photos, 4+ Mile range, 27 minute battery life, up to 40 MPH flying speed!
CONS:
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Price: at around $1000, it isn’t cheap… And if you crash or lose it, it’s going to hurt the wallet.
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FAA regulations: You *must* register the Mavic Pro with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to be able to use it. And there are a lot of NO FLY zones. So you can’t just use it *anywhere*. Here’s how to find out where the NO FLY Zones are: https://www.dji.com/flysafe/no-fly
So far, I’m loving this TOY! I will experiment with it more and give a more detail review shortly.
