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DJI Mavic Pro – GREAT first drone

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:

 

  • Size: This thing is super small!  I absolutely love how it can fold up into a tiny form factor

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • 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,

  • 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.

    • 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!

    • Spotlight: The camera will lock on the subject, no matter how you fly, the footage will always be on your subject.

    • 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.

  • Capabilities: 4K Video, 12MP Photos, 4+ Mile range, 27 minute battery life, up to 40 MPH flying speed!

CONS:

 

  • Price: at around $1000, it isn’t cheap… And if you crash or lose it, it’s going to hurt the wallet.

  • 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.

Apple iPhone X Leather Case Review with WhiteStone Dome Glass Screen Protector

Last updated April 12, 2018

Apple iPhone X Leather Case Review with WhiteStone Dome Glass Screen Protector.

It’s compatible with the WhiteStone Dome Glass Screen Protector, which was a big buying factor for me.

The case feels premium and has a great fit and finish; it is worth $49 if you value the way it looks.

Just like any other “leather product”, you’re just paying more for the “looks”.

You can get the iPhone X Leather case here: http://amzn.to/2CghfFH

You can get the Whitestone Dome Glass Screen protector for the iPhone X here: http://amzn.to/2jURcfx

Apple iPhone X Silicone Case Review | NOT compatible with Whitestone Dome Glass Screen Protector

Last updated April 12, 2018

Is the Apple iPhone X Silicone Case worth $39?

You can get yours here: http://amzn.to/2mFCdqx

If you are looking for a great deal; this is not the option for you.

However, it is a nice case with well rounded features for the price of $39.

Cons:

  • NOT Compatible with the Whitestone Dome Glass Screen Protector.

  • $39 is expensive for a basic case like this.

Pros:

  • Comes in many colors Nice feel, has a slight grippy texture Apple Logo on back of case is flushed printed (you can’t feel it)

  • Nice Micro Fiber lining

  • Easy access to Mute switch

  • Buttons are nice and clicky

  • Cutout for camera; allowing the camera to sit recessed.

  • Case has a raised lip for basic drop protection Open button which allows for better audio and easy access to the lightening port.

  • Wireless charging works while the phone is in the case.

Conclusion:

  • It’s a well rounded case that’s light weight and offers decent drop protection.

DRONE vs DSLR, which to use for a 300+ group photo.

Last updated April 12, 2018

The question was, do I use my DSLR (Canon 1Dx w/ 16-35mm f/2.8 II lens) or a DRONE (Mavic Pro) to shoot a group photo of 300 people?

I explain the setup and the results here:

Photo BELOW: Canon 1Dx, 16-35mm f/2.8 II @ 21mm, f/8, 1/200th, ISO 2000 

Photo BELOW: Canon 1Dx, 16-35mm f/2.8 II @ 19mm, f/8, 1/200th, ISO 2000

DJI Mavic Pro 12.35MP @ 4.73mm, f/2.2, 1/220th, IS 100

Conclusion:

The DSLR Photos was composed better because:

  1. People were paying attention and looking at the camera

  2. I was holding the camera straight and was at a good elevation

  3. DSLR quality of the photo was sharper and more detailed.

MacBook Retina 12″ – Perfect for YouTube, Facebook, & Blogging!

Last updated April 12, 2018

I purchased this MacBook Retina 12″ over 2 years ago (April 10, 2015), and it’s still my favorite laptop.  Since then Apple has updated it with the second generation (April 19, 2016) and the third generation (June 6, 2017).  But the features and the performance of the original one that I have still works perfectly for all my laptop needs.  As you are aware, I LOVE the greatest gadgets and technologies, and of course that includes computers.  So to be fully content with a 2 year old laptop, and have absolutely no desires to upgrade, is a HUGE testament to how amazing this laptop is!

You can get it on Amazon for around $1100-$1500 based on the specs.

My Needs:

Everyone has different needs/wants so it’s important that I clarify what my needs/wants are and why this laptop is perfect for me.

  1. I wanted a laptop that was light weight so that I could carry it around wherever I go.
  2. I wanted a laptop that I could use on my lap for hours without it getting too hot.
  3. I wanted a laptop that did NOT have a physical fan.  Most laptop fans are very loud because they are small and need to move a lot of hot air.
  4. I wanted a laptop that had a high resolution screen. Reason #1 is to be more productive and fit more things on the screen at once, Reason #2 is because I am used to high resolution displays on everything else I own, so seeing big large pixels got annoying to me.
  5. I wanted a laptop that had CPU power to do light video editing (such as YouTube videos @ 1080P), edit photos in Adobe Lightroom, light photoshop editing, run web browser with multiple tabs opened at once, watch YouTube and enjoy Social Media.
  6. I wanted at least 8GB of RAM to facilitate the software needs in the item above.
  7. I wanted good battery life that would last at least 8 hours.
  8. I wanted to be enjoy videos on YouTube and Netflix.  So the screen needs to be good and the speakers need to be decent.
  9. I wanted it to have fast start up/shutdown and launch my apps quickly.

PROS of the MacBook Retina 12″:

 

  • Performance is great for web browsing, watching YouTube Videos, Watching Netflix, Word Processing, Lightroom photo editing, light photoshop work, and slight video editing.  If you’re doing high resolution photo editing or lots of video editing, I would recommend the MacBook Pro instead.
  • The Speakers are AMAZING, they sound really REALLY good.  Actually the best sounding speakers on a laptop I’ve ever heard.  They sound better than the previous generation MacBook Pro laptops!
  • 1080P content is beautifully smooth on this machine.  Even when connected to an external Monitor
  • It is lightweight: 2.03 pounds (0.92 kg).  (all 3 generations of the laptop).
  • It is compact: 11.04 inches (28.04 cm) wide × 7.74 inches (19.66 cm) deep × 0.14 inches (0.36 cm) to 0.52 inches (1.32 cm) high
  • The has a physical larger screen than the MacBook Air 11″, but high resolution than even the BackBook Air 13″, PERFECT!  The Retina screen resolution on this laptop is nothing short of amazing.  The screen is 2304 × 1440 (16:10), 226 ppi, with millions of colors (supported scaled resolutions: 1440 × 900, 1280 × 800, 1024 × 640).
  • The newest version of the MacBook Retain can support up to 16GB of RAM.  Which is plenty.
  • Although it doesn’t have a very fast processor it has an Solid State Drive (SSD) that launches applications quickly and boots the machine up super fast!
  • The battery life is great on the 2015 model I have, and has been improved even more in the 2016 and 2017 models.
  • The laptop does stay comfortable, temperature wise.  NOTE: It does start to get a little hot when doing intense tasks such as rendering a video, but using when I’m rendering a video, I take a break from using the laptop, I just let it do its thing.
  • The MacBook Retina is completely fan-less which means there is no moving parts and no loud fans!  I’m a big fan of this fact 😉
  • I actually like the shallow travel keyboard (the 2017 model has the updated 2nd generation butterfly keyboard that’s even better).  NOTE: this is a personal preference and you should test out the keyboard before you buy.
  • BONUS feature I didn’t expect, but if you buy a USB-A to USB-C cable.  Then you can actually use a battery pack (like the one people use to charge phones and tablets on the go), and charge this laptop!  It takes awhile, but I was surprised that it actually worked!

CONS of the MacBook Retina 12″:

Here are the CONS of this laptop: (and for this reason, I have a super powerful Apple iMac 27″ Retina that can handle all my other computing needs).

  • This laptop runs on a Intel Core-M “mobile” processor, so it’s slower than the slowest desktop you can buy.  But this was a sacrifice I was wiling to make.
  • I was able to run a simple Virtual Machine (VM) using VM fusion, but with the limited CPU and RAM, it was not able to really function as a VM house.
  • I was trying to do some iOS app development, and found it was very slow to startup and run the emulators/simulators.
  • If you’re looking to play 4K video content, it will work fine with the built in screen, but when connected to an external monitor, 4K video was laggy.  NOTE: I believe with the 2016 and 2017 generation, the 4K should be perfectly fine.
  • NOT a gaming laptop, I wouldn’t consider paying modern games on this machine.
  • If you plan on doing a lot of video editing, this is NOT the machine for that task.  It’ll struggle.  It’s about twice as slow as a MacBook Pro for 5 years ago!
  • It only has 1 port.  Yep, a single USB-C port…. and that’s also used to Charge the laptop too!  So technically speaking when you’re charing your laptop, there is not room to plug in any other USB device.  There is a headphone jack, but that’s it, just the one USB-C port and a 3.5mm Headphone jack.  Solution: Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.  This product works great, it adds regular USB-A port, passes through a USB-C port so you can charge it or plug in a USB-C device, and it has a HDMI output!  Here are other cheaper alternatives that work great too, like this one: Verbatim Slim Aluminum USB-C Hub Adapter Dongle 
  • Although the battery life is good for simple web browsing, if I use more CPU intensive things such as edit videos or photos, then the battery life is dramatically reduced.

Conclusion:

I highly recommend this if your needs align with mines, and you have a faster computer at home to do heavy tasks.  If you want one portable machine that can do everything, then the MacBook Pro line up is better choice for you.  Later this year, I may purchase a MacBook Pro to test out to compare.