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DJI Mavic Mini

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Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#61

Post by atourgates »

maxcan wrote: post #39

Oh man, been waiting for this. Unfortunately, no active track :( Still conflicted on spending $1000 on the new skydio for what would mostly be a toy for me.

I currently have a Mavic Pro, and I don't plan to replace it until a Skydio, or something with equivalent AI and automation is available.

My dream for my Mavic was capturing new angles of family activities. However, the truth is that the effort required to capture those activities with a Mavic ruins the enjoyment of many of them.

Say I wanted to get video of my kids biking. I've got to make sure the drone is charged, have my kids wait around on the trail while I launch it, and then compose the shot and stand there looking at my phone, worrying about running into stuff while they bike.

The Skydio's pathfinding and sensors take a good chunk of that hassle away. I could theoretically hand the beacon to one of them, and say, "Ok, great, go ride." And for 20-minutes, the drone would do all the work of getting video, while I rode with my kids.

Assuming real-world reviews of the Skydio 2 come back positive, I think that'll be my Mavic's replacement.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#62

Post by iscrewyou »

pedalpete wrote: post #55

Does anybody else fear the annoying future where every tourist attraction, trail, ski run, etc are filled with the buzz of everyone with their personal drones?

Good thing laws aren’t set in stone and can be amended.

They may become a hassle here and there but it won’t last.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#63

Post by rhombocombus »

folli wrote: post #57

I feel like an old man, when I say this (and maybe I am), but I'm starting to feel increasingly annoyed by drones in public. You hear the whirring of drones on a nice day by the lake, and sometimes even on some more popular mountain peaks here in Switzerland. For me it's almost as annoying as a mosquito in your bedroom.

I agree in general, but I am torn; while I find drones in parks and natural areas extremely annoying I am utterly fascinated with the technology.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#64

Post by SimonPStevens »

dewey wrote: post #60
missosoup wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way the altitude limit is imposed is idiotic. It doesn't factor terrain height, so flying around mountains is impossible. I've been flying various multicopters for a decade and the mavic pro was the last DJI product I'll ever purchase. Every software update for DJI products restricts their functionality to a subset of what they shipped with. This has been going on for years. People buy dedicated phones/tablets fo…

> It doesn't factor terrain height, so flying around mountains is impossible. What do you mean by that? I've been flying around the Austrian alps without any problems but when I'm at home I can't go higher than xxx meters above my town because it's within the flight path of a local airport. Which seems to be a reasonable approach?

The software limits height by allowing 400ft of elevation above the takeoff height. So it's tricky to take off at the base of a mountain and fly up the side because you'll be restricted at 400ft from the start point, despite it actually being totally legal provided you remain less than 400ft from the mountain at the point directly below the drone.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#65

Post by rb808 »

folli wrote: post #57

I feel like an old man, when I say this (and maybe I am), but I'm starting to feel increasingly annoyed by drones in public. You hear the whirring of drones on a nice day by the lake, and sometimes even on some more popular mountain peaks here in Switzerland. For me it's almost as annoying as a mosquito in your bedroom.

You're not the only one. In the US they're banned from most national parks.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#66

Post by rhombocombus »

dawnerd wrote: post #18
sneak wrote: post #15

As someone who wants hardware that does what I instruct it to after I have purchased it, regardless of the manufacturer's wishes, I don't think I can support buying DJI's otherwise-excellent products any longer. The firmware updates and activation locks and flight restrictions imposed by the DJI Go app are too onerous. If I buy a tool, and the tool now belongs to me, the manufacturer attempting to restrict my use of…

Go buy a plane and complain about all those pesky flight restrictions.

I know!! As a student pilot I have zero issues with the drone flight restrictions. It's easy to trivialize the rules as a drone pilot, but in an airplane, hitting a drone could be life and death.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#67

Post by dewey »

SimonPStevens wrote: post #64
dewey wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It doesn't factor terrain height, so flying around mountains is impossible. What do you mean by that? I've been flying around the Austrian alps without any problems but when I'm at home I can't go higher than xxx meters above my town because it's within the flight path of a local airport. Which seems to be a reasonable approach?

The software limits height by allowing 400ft of elevation above the takeoff height. So it's tricky to take off at the base of a mountain and fly up the side because you'll be restricted at 400ft from the start point, despite it actually being totally legal provided you remain less than 400ft from the mountain at the point directly below the drone.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#68

Post by billziss »

This looks nice and I certainly appreciate the battery life.

To the people that are excited because this is outside some regulatory limits. A few years ago there were no or few drone regulations and people abused this; the result was strict national and city regulations to the point that flying a drone is almost impossible (legally) in some cities in the US.

If people abuse the regulatory limits expect more strict regulations. I fly drones and I support such regulations.

BTW, a 249g drone would likely take down a small airplane.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#69

Post by barbecue_sauce »

folli wrote: post #57

I feel like an old man, when I say this (and maybe I am), but I'm starting to feel increasingly annoyed by drones in public. You hear the whirring of drones on a nice day by the lake, and sometimes even on some more popular mountain peaks here in Switzerland. For me it's almost as annoying as a mosquito in your bedroom.

I live in the northeastern United States. I have literally never seen a drone (consumer or otherwise) anywhere other than a Best Buy (or similar electronics retailer) still in its packaging.

Re: DJI Mavic Mini

#70

Post by itodd »

folli wrote: post #57

I feel like an old man, when I say this (and maybe I am), but I'm starting to feel increasingly annoyed by drones in public. You hear the whirring of drones on a nice day by the lake, and sometimes even on some more popular mountain peaks here in Switzerland. For me it's almost as annoying as a mosquito in your bedroom.

I hear you and feel the same way. I am also a drone enthusiast. I dread flying within earshot of anyone.
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