Do not be in a Hurry to buy the Mavic

[Dronefriend]

I currently fly a P3P. If it got destroyed and I HAD to buy something right now, I'd probably get the Mavic.

However, I don't think this is the end of the Phantom line. The name "Phantom" has become synonymous with drones and I believe it's too valuable to retire the name. My gut feeling is that the Phantom will either get higher-end features (maybe retractable legs, maybe swappable camera, maybe higher-end camera with much larger sensor, etc.). Maybe it gets features handed down from the Inspire at a lower price than the Inspire. These are all just gut feelings, of course. But i do feel like there will still be a place for the Phantom between the Mavic and the Inspire (especially if the next Inspire is really expensive).

Does it occur to you that it might be weird to enable a mechanism like rectractable legs on the old Phantom design when there is a new design that already has retractable legs? Should there be two designs, equally small, they can be totally identical in every aspect but one of them has the painted text "Phantom" on it, just so there can be a Phantom line still?

This is bizarre! As I have stated before, a few of you have become hung up on a simple matter as NAME. If the Mavic were named Phantom 5, no one would go "Oh, oh, but maybe in half a year there will be the old design again, with less changes, a step backwards" like you are now. It is like there's a block inside your brains that cant comprehend what has happened: a new improved design.

This future higher-end camera you are talking about, what is stopping DJI of putting that on the Mavic? The Mavic holds a camera of equal quality to the Phantom 4 right now as we speak. Nothing, nothing is stopping them from improving the Mavic camera.

Just because the Phantom name is familar for a few thousand people here don't mean it is to all the hundreds of thousands who have just been invited to the drone world through Mavic advertising. For all of them the "Phantom" is equal to "old obsolete" tech. What makes you think anyone of them will yearn for a Phantom?

 

[42FrankZ]

It is like there's a block inside your brains that cant comprehend what has happened: a new improved design.

It is debatable that it is an improved design. It is a different design but that does not mean it improves the design of the Phantom series, especially since it is not a Phantom.

Is the Matrice an improved design of the Inspire? It is conceivable that they will carry several lines.

BTW, there is no block in my head, and I would appreciate you state your options with out the need to insult and be condescending.

 

[mrtibbs]

I honestly don't think this is a replacement of the Phantom series ...more of another option in DJI's fleet of drones....I'd eat a hat if there wasn't a P5 on it's way ..there is still a market for the Phantom line and DJI knows that. I've seen reviews and most of them have great things to say about it....except it's handling in heavy / strong winds...even to the point the software will warn you "via haptic feedback" it's kinda rough in the air ....from the review I saw that was around 180 to 200 ft ...I think a Phantom would handle the situation better even 400+ feet..opinions are like noses...this is mine

 

[Dronefriend]

It is debatable that it is an improved design. It is a different design but that does not mean it improves the design of the Phantom series, especially since it is not a Phantom.

Is the Matrice an improved design of the Inspire? It is conceivable that they will carry several lines.

BTW, there is no block in my head, and I would appreciate you state your options with out the need to insult and be condescending.

I apologize for using "your brains" as if I was adressing you personally, which I wasn't, nor meaning there's a physical block in your brain.

The way it certainly improves the Phantoms' design is it has the same tech and more, in a package with a substantially smaller footprint. It is more capable while being smaller.

The Matrice does not share tech and abilities with the Inspire and vice versa.

I am not going to guarantee anyone (how could I) that there's not going to be a Phantom 5, I am merely stating the solid information: Anything that was the Phantom can now be packaged in the Mavic. Why, then, should any future tech, which only becomes smaller and better, need the former Phantom design?

 

[GMack]

.....
Is the Matrice an improved design of the Inspire?....

I was hoping it was as I was looking into buying the Matrice 600 over the Inspire 1, but reading their forum it does have some troubling issues. Like using 6 batteries and only flying 15 minutes, so an hour takes 24 batteries!?! Bit of an expensive and time consuming charging overkill. Plus, a few fly-aways even still with the redundancy in the new design. Maybe the Inspire 2 if it has a decent camera.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavic Gen I has some issues that will get corrected in the Gen II model in a year or so if they surface and become problematic. Phantoms have evolved with each generation too (i.e. P3 and cracked cases around the motor areas vs. P4 with different case design.). Even the big camera companies have issues on a new model, but they take their time between models (~3 years) so they often repair-and-mod on the fly.

 

[yorlik]

I'm not sure the Mavic, and its ilk, are right for me. Not sure how I could hand catch from a moving boat without modifying it. The Phantoms have those nice hand grabs already on the bottom.

I lately wish my 2+ year old P2V3 would crash, its 40 cycle batteries were not higher capacity than new, or that it would have a fly away - so I could buy a mavic right now!

 

[42FrankZ]

I lately wish my 2+ year old P2V3 would crash, its 40 cycle batteries were not higher capacity than new, or that it would have a fly away - so I could buy a mavic right now!

For a very small fee I could simulate all of those for you so you could have an excuse...

 

[Mako79]

I lately wish my 2+ year old P2V3 would crash, its 40 cycle batteries were not higher capacity than new, or that it would have a fly away - so I could buy a mavic right now!

If you haven't crashed/written off your P2 in 2 years then you deserve a mavic. That how I justify myself to upgrade =).

 

[Martin Smith]

They could release the Mavic II today and all would abandon ship for it and run for refunds on the original....

 

[Bill S]

Having been in the PC bsns since 1987 and now retired, I think that we are way early in the development of this industry to begin presuming 'product lines'. There will be early market leaders, there will be low price leaders and there will be disrupters that will pivot everything quite quickly. You will have pocket drones with 4K and Google glass type googs. The controller will be a form fitting 1/4 inch pad on the back of your left hand. There you have it. Now we can all wait for our Mavic Pro+ Tungsten Turbo v.23.06 and the Phantom 9 with 8.4 K video and unlimited flight time using hydrogen fuel cells.

 

[Shawn Klawitter]

So I guess it all depends on several factors. For me the portability without compromising functionality was a HUGE sell. Nothing like packing all of my photography gear for travel into a small backpack and taking it on the go. I currently have the P3A and I love it! But it does take up a lot of space when I go out on the road with the family on vacations. The Mavic appears to have all of the qualities of the P4P folded up into a tight package. Ideally my fleet would consist of the Mavic and an Inspire. As I grow my business hopefully I can get there!

 

[AerialZ]

This is a personal drone, not a commercial drone and should not be thought of as being the next generation of improvement in the DJI line of drones...

While I agree with several different perspectives of this topic, whatever we choose to use as 'professional drone operators' makes them a commercial drone, not what DJI chooses to brand it as, right? Will the Mavic prove to be a commercial tool for aerial photography? Time will tell. I have concerns about it's small size. Too much emphasis is placed on what something costs, not what it can do. There is no doubt that more commercial operators are currently using more P3's, P4's, and Inspires for commercial work than any other air frames. Would I love to have a Matrice? Absolutely, but I do not need one to get my work done at this point. It's sheer size would inhibit it's use in many settings.

The Mavic is a new category in quadcopters for DJI, which I thoroughly believe is going to keep as many irons in the fire as they can to generate revenue from. I applaud the thinking as a business to 'smash' the competition with perfect release timing - this was marketing strategy at its finest. I do not believe it is replacing anything in DJI's lineup. It is merely opening a new segment. If this were a Phantom-killer, it would have a better camera, not the exact-same technology. If nothing else, it's time for a higher MP camera (and I believe it's coming) without having to spend $4+K just to achieve that.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

They could release the Mavic II today and all would abandon ship for it and run for refunds on the original....

So does someone want to buy an unused Mavic? I want the new Mavic II instead, the Mavic was no good!

 

[Martin Smith]

They like it for convince sake because of their active lifestyles... ahhhh hahahaha, addiction and the excuse's we make because of it. (edit that out) "Bad Pop"

 

[GMack]

I agree with the OP that it takes a lot more than the drone itself. The cinematographer seems to be as important - if not more - in setting up the shots for the storyboard which seems to be lacking in a lot of drone videos. Flying it into position is one thing, but knowing how to frame it, zoom, focus, pan, filter, and expose it are another matter along with the camera setup to allow for that control.

Tough part is it then makes it a two-person job. Roswell Flight Test Crew shows the setup of the Freefly Alta 8 which shows each person's job. Jump ahead to about 1:50 and you can see the cinematographer's controller that is far more complex than the Futaba radio of the pilot.

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Following is some impressive dual work with a Canon 24mm tilt-shift lens on one Alta, and a normal lens on secondary Alta. I watched it on an Eizo 4K monitor and "WOW!!!"

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Big boy expensive toys...

 

[DrillRX]

I'm not certain where the "longer flight times" are coming from, but for me personally, and this being my first "drone" (former RC Heli, and plane pilot), I did weeks of research between what I thought was the triad of higher end non professional drones (DJI P4, Mavic, and Typhoon, IMO) and the P4 seemed to tick all the marks handily. Flight times where more than Mavic and Typhoon, stability was much better, speed was higher (vs Mavic), and the camera just edged out every other drone in the price range. The inspire is another story, I don't think it belongs in the same class, for better or worse it's a different machine.

I very nearly went with the Typhoon over DJI thinking the larger airframe and larger props would mean more stability. The comparison reviews proved me wrong.

The mavic cool factor will win it sales, but the P4, in my mind doesn't compromise, and I have yet to see any reviews showing longer flight times or higher speed from the Mavic.

 

[PunaPhantom]

Sniff sniff sniff... i smell smoke... a bit of burn.. sniff sniff sniff...
Lol. It seems like a lot of people are hating the Mavic. Oddly, these people own DJI products. Oddly, these people recently purchased a P4.






Read the rant if you have some time and waiting for you Mavic delivery. It's all speculation and my reasoning why P4 users are burning.

I do not think Frank Weng (aka DJI) wanted P4 users to feel this way. I think the Mavic-timely-launch was a personal thing for Frank, personally for him to 'instantly' kill the Karma (and maybe GoPro). I do think Frank even knew it would cannibalize his own lines. He could of waited another 6mths and sold them as P5's and they would sell out like hot-mooncakes.

For those that don't know, Frank and GoPro were bum-chums at the boom and rise of aerial photography. Greed separated them. There was 3 thirds to the aerial sky-pie that was being offered. GoPro wanted 2/3rds but Frank thought it should be the other way around. GoPro said they made Frank popular as every phantom back then were rocking GoPros. Frank once again thought it was the other way around. This led to DJI's proprietary Vision cameras and the relationship break up between GoPro and Frank. Frank continued to support the GoPro by adding the Zenmuse H4-3D gimbals for the P2 and non-DJI Phantom drones. GoPro on the other hand did the opposite by disabling features on the GoPro when docked in a Zenmuse line (disabling the 30 pin rear port, and suing Frank for using the proprietary port which led to the side port USB TV out, and firmwares that later disable TV out if a charge was detected). Frank is estimated to be 10bn company and I think he is just reminding GoPro about their bittersweet small-spoon-bigspoon relationship. I do think that one day, Frank will buy out GoPro just for laughs. I do fear this, as i also think Frank will monopolize the tech-automation world. You will probably have DJI chip/tech in your car in the next decade.

Sorry if it sounded like i was brown-nosing DJI. If i am, please overnight me a Mavic free of charge =)

And here is a potato.

I agree that DJI right now has dominated the "personal" drone market in terms of $market share... as to number of units shipped, not so sure... how many $39.99 xyz's have sold?

But on another front I came across an interesting article on INTEL's move into the drone market - I assume they have been in it for some time on a commercial level and I understand that some of the higher end "personal" drones out there are currently using their [Intel's] motherboard...

In the article it showed a commercial Intel drone - octo config... resembles an Inspire somewhat...

And I like the potato - very sexy...

 

[AndrewinNH]

I'm a proud P4 pilot that came over from Yuneec 4k. The Mavic does look like the next evolution of the phantom. Lets see what the new Inspire looks like and its price point. If its 4 grand plus then there will be room for a P5 with a Z3 camera built into it for $1500 . If the inspire is price in the 2-3 grand range with more flight time then the Phantom line is dead. But I'm just an Old guy with a Drone!

 

[Skyer]

"Mavic killed the Phantoms...", "Phantoms are much more professional than the Mavic...".

Regardless of who is right or wrong, this and many other forum threads that are derailing towards the same pointless argument show once again the emotional attachment that brands create in people.

Fly, be safe, and have fun everyone!

 

[Kima kim]

The truth of the matter is that technology marches on. P4 is an awesome Drone, and works amazingly. But if you want the upgraded P4 get the Mavic. You can take it anywhere!


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I agree that "technology marches on" and I don't think that it'll take long before a Mavic Pro-2 comes out in the market. This would probably have a bigger sensor for better aerial photo/video shots, comparable with or even exceed that of the P4's cam.
On the other hand, if DJI isn't ready just yet to bury the Phantom" line, then maybe they could add another feature that I as a serious amateur photographer would want to see in the Phantom cameras...a ZOOM LENS!!! This would then be the Phantom 5.
That would surely make us all more confused between the Phantom or the Mavic series. Now this would be one "confusion" that can never be settled if we only opt for just one or the other.
Each model will have it's own reason for being, and most likely, we'd all end up wanting to have both. Just like having our DSLR for more serious photoshoots and and the more handy Mirrorless cameras...or even an iPhone 6s for everyday pictures.

Happy and safe flying to all!