I've scanned all the posts but I haven't seen any mention of the "EVO" by Autel Robotics which is slated to be released in a couple of months. They had examples flying around their booth at CES. This quad does everything the new Mavic can do and better. It can do 4k at 60fps. I'm no Autel fan boy but it maybe worth waiting a couple of months for it's release to see what it can do in the real world. First impressions have been very positive. Who knows when the Phantom 5 or the Mavic II will be released.
Is the Mavic Air really that good? A photographer's opinion.
- Thread starter African wildlife
- Start date
On reading this I watched that particular segment and TBH I didn't get that impression at all. Sure, a bit of hyperbole and mostly a discussion on specs, but I think the key point was the guest photographer's statement that it would inspire people to get outdoors. Ergo, a drone for the adventurer rather than the adventure photographer.
The best camera is the one you have with you. The air is small enough to go anywhere with you.
Fin
Fin
I learned about “cultural sensitivity many years ago as a kid, I was on a family cruise to the Bahamas and I had my new camera, when we got off the ship there was a Bahamian police officer near the ship and as I raised my camera to take his picture, he immediately grabbed it and scolded me about taking his picture without first asking his permission, what did I know then, I was a kid, but that taught me an important lesson because I now ask people’s permission first.
Plus I just witnessed some tourist in Italy started taking pictures of some gypsy women who were dressed up, they entrapped him because they were demanding payment of euros for their pictures and wouldnt leave him alone until he coughed up some money. Our tour guide warned us of this typical scam they do, they purposely get dressed up in these elaborate gowns to entrap tourists taking pictures of them.
The Mavic Air definitely has some amazing features (3-axis gimbal, RAW support, and lots of other new features) for such a compact drone. It's an exciting piece of tech. Out of the 3 portable drones DJI has (Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, and Spark) I think the Spark is still the most portable drone. Yes, the Air folds up smaller but what I love about my recently purchased Spark is the ability to have everything I need to support the drone in a small easy to carry package that I can take anywhere. I have the Spark, Portable charging Station, 3 batteries, the controller and the charging station bag which holds all of this in a tiny compact bag. I believe the charging station is a game changer as it can recharge everything, including my phone while I am on the go. I don't have to wait until I get to someplace that has an outlet to recharge everything - that's portability! It appears that you will be able to charge the Air through the USB-C port but it doesn't seem like there will be a possibility for a portable charging station similar to Spark. I do a lot of camping often without access to electricity, as well as hiking, skiing and canoeing so being able to fly my Spark put everything on the charger while I go to another location to fly again is something I wouldn't be able to do with the Air.
Chris
Chris
Thanks for your nose-in-the-air opinion. I guess that's why they make Astons, Bentleys, and Jaguars... There's something for everyone. No reason to get your knickers in a twist that it's not something you would buy or use. You could have said that in one sentence, right mate?
YoshiK1:
The P4P (including battery and props) only weighs 1.388kg. So that amount of weight really isn't a factor on top of much heavier equipment. As for "food and drink", a minimum of three cans of Coke plus ice cubes is part of the essentials, included in what I called "etc".If my wife can carry it all - and she's not exactly built like a Russian shot putter - shame on any other professional who moans "I can't".
Our market in Limited Edition Prints has always been A3 size, with some at A4. The P4P is capable of delivering work at this size, at least with regards to natural landscapes. You would only consider paying several times more for an Inspire 2 if aerial photography was your main focus, which in our case it isn't.
To repeat, my purpose in starting this thread was simply a response to DJI's launch to challenge whether a professional "adventure" photographer would choose a Mavic Air, when a P4P delivers better quality imaging for a similar (albeit slightly higher) price. Slick marketing works, but isn't always honest.
The P4P plus battery and props weighs 1388g yes but are how you going to fly it? Controller weighs about 700g+ as well as 2x spare batteries coming in at 900g+ not to mention Filters, memory cards, cables, a screen to view it on and something to carry it all on. 3.5kg+ total. No-one said they can’t carry it but to carry the drone plus camera gear and equipment to stay safe in the mountains then its not far off of an army bag in weight.
The P4P is capable of those sizes yeah but if you’re a “professional” then why aren’t you using the professional gear like the Inspire 1 instead of compromising on quality with a 1” sensor? Story over camera quality and all that but the P4P can get a fair bit of noise in it so why would you want to limit yourself?
I understand your view and opinion as a photographer but you can’t comment on this drone yet because it’s not even out and you’ve certainly not tried one or this would be a different thread. You’re entitled to your opinion but you’re not entitled to insinuate that this drone isn’t for anyone else just because you’re a pro tog and have criticised the drone.
YoshiK1: I haven't criticised the Mavic Air whatsoever. Actually, I praised it as a good step forward in technology. And it's in everyone's interest that it sells and does well. I have simply stated it isn't a tool for a working photographer, with a few exceptions - contrary to the clear message given in the New York launch presentation.
The reality is that my wife carries everything. We use the P4P+ with only one extra battery. The collective weight is less than a Manfrotto tripod or a wildlife lens. And we are very familiar with challenging mountains. We aren't going for a hike on a weekend or holiday; it's work.
We wouldn't consider the Inspire 2 with a cost of four/five times that of a P4P+ because aerial photography is a bonus not a prime focus. And, importantly, the P4P+ delivers the required quality output.
mp5shooter: "nose-in-the-air" is the last thing anyone who knows me (pun intended) would use. I appreciate that my openness can be misinterpreted, but I chose my words carefully and - having re-read - remain happy with them.
The reality is that my wife carries everything. We use the P4P+ with only one extra battery. The collective weight is less than a Manfrotto tripod or a wildlife lens. And we are very familiar with challenging mountains. We aren't going for a hike on a weekend or holiday; it's work.
We wouldn't consider the Inspire 2 with a cost of four/five times that of a P4P+ because aerial photography is a bonus not a prime focus. And, importantly, the P4P+ delivers the required quality output.
mp5shooter: "nose-in-the-air" is the last thing anyone who knows me (pun intended) would use. I appreciate that my openness can be misinterpreted, but I chose my words carefully and - having re-read - remain happy with them.
DJI's market for African wildlife photographers may be smaller than you think.
As a full-time professional photographer and teacher, of over 35 years standing - I'm so old I've hung out of real helicopters to take aerial shots
- I can tell you that there are many so-called "professionals" who have no concern for image quality. I taught, full-time, for 4 years, at the world's biggest online photography Diploma college and met many aspiring professionals using 3-digit designation Canon and Nikon's (entry-level cameras with comparatively small sensors), who had no idea that size does matter when it comes to images. No, you wouldn't use the Mavic Air for top image quality, and I'm struggling to get it out of my P4A consistently (which has the same camera as the P4P.) I too am waiting to see what's in the P5. If it's launched, will it take off? (see what I did there?)
Casey performed a quite good though informal a/b test of P4P vs Mavic air, and it is quite obvious that the Air will be insufficient for those of that are used to P4P quality.
So, it has it's use, but I for one, will wait for the P5 and keep my big bags for now.
Mavic Air 2, on the other hand..
So, it has it's use, but I for one, will wait for the P5 and keep my big bags for now.
Mavic Air 2, on the other hand..
Have you seen any still images from the Air? I am afraid they are worse than the Mavic Pro as no one is showing them. The lens is a step down, fixed focus and f/2.8.
The Mavic Pro Camera was gash because of all its issues and still is. I had one and sold it within a couple of weeks. I don’t think it’s comparable to any other drone except a Mavic Pro 2 and how they “fixed” it compared to the first version.
With all due respect, I don’t think you’ve researched both of these drones as there’s loads of information out their. Don’t look at the sample images on the DJI site because they’re heavily compressed. Even looking at the Mavic Pro and P4P images they’re not as good as what comes out of the cameras.
The Mavic Air Camera is superior to the Mavic Pro. It is a tad less sharp when you zoom in but you’d be hard pressed to tell a difference, especially the average consumer. It handles colours better and especially low-light noise. Also in videos it’s 100mbs over 60mbs of the Pro. And if you look at the price point, for the money you’re paying for the basic Air compared to the Pro it’s a bargain and much better based on cost. No-one buying a Mavic or Spark is looking to be amazing at photography for the costs but you’re getting **** well more out of this than the Spark and the Pro for a better price. I’ve got this to supplement my P4P for situations where I don’t want to carry a large drone or doing some proper photography. Also I’ve got it to add to my vlogs as well as have fun.
I’ve seen photos and they’re good enough for me, I’ve got other tools if I want amazing pictures.
There had better be - I cancelled my P4P order after learning about the latest P5 rumours late last year. Meanwhile I will be mucking about with my Mavic look-alike: a $50US Eachine E58
Valentiaman: Fully agree with you about too many aspiring photographers - and even some who get by for a while generating income - underestimating the need for quality. Today's lack of self-discipline, now that DSLRs allow someone to be Mr Clicky-Clicky, doesn't help either compared to the "limited" days of Kodachrome and Fuji Velvia. In the UK, thankfully, customers are surprisingly good when it comes to recognising quality images as different from average ones.
I'm likewise not at all convinced that DJI make decisions based on working photographers when it comes to the specifications of Phantom drones. I think they were likely more motivated by GoPro trying to enter the market with a better camera, wanting to keep ahead of their competition.
Your comment about hanging out of real helicopters brought back several memories of doing the same (which I was never really comfortable about). And, twice in Australia, hanging out of small planes with the door removed but no safety harness. One time, over the Flinders National Park, with heavy/bulky filming gear wedged in and an F4 at hand for stills, was frightening enough with early morning turbulence just after sunrise. But another time was almost more nerve-wracking, with a Queensland farmer inland of Rockhampton whom I knew well, when he announced just before takeoff that his plane had only cost him A$1,500.....and he wasn't joking.
A very capable friend who operated one of the two best game capture teams in Southern Africa fell to his death not long ago whilst leaning out of their helicopter to dart a rhino. Hopefully, it wont be long until we have drones capable of shooting tranquilliser darts. Too many wildlife biologists, photographers/cinematographers, etc have lost their lives in fatal crashes - going back as far as Michael Grzimek ("Serengeti Shall Not Die") in 1959 at Ngorongoro, for example. Drones are already reducing the need for humans to be airborne in such circumstances and saving lives.
I'm likewise not at all convinced that DJI make decisions based on working photographers when it comes to the specifications of Phantom drones. I think they were likely more motivated by GoPro trying to enter the market with a better camera, wanting to keep ahead of their competition.
Your comment about hanging out of real helicopters brought back several memories of doing the same (which I was never really comfortable about). And, twice in Australia, hanging out of small planes with the door removed but no safety harness. One time, over the Flinders National Park, with heavy/bulky filming gear wedged in and an F4 at hand for stills, was frightening enough with early morning turbulence just after sunrise. But another time was almost more nerve-wracking, with a Queensland farmer inland of Rockhampton whom I knew well, when he announced just before takeoff that his plane had only cost him A$1,500.....and he wasn't joking.
A very capable friend who operated one of the two best game capture teams in Southern Africa fell to his death not long ago whilst leaning out of their helicopter to dart a rhino. Hopefully, it wont be long until we have drones capable of shooting tranquilliser darts. Too many wildlife biologists, photographers/cinematographers, etc have lost their lives in fatal crashes - going back as far as Michael Grzimek ("Serengeti Shall Not Die") in 1959 at Ngorongoro, for example. Drones are already reducing the need for humans to be airborne in such circumstances and saving lives.
I have the Mavic Pro. The Jpeg images are compete crap. DNG files can be processed to get a decent image. I have not seen any Jpg images from the Air, only ones processed from DNG. If you have some jpg samples from the Air, please share.
Apologies, I misunderstood your original post. The following are JPEG’s but likely converted AFTER being edited as a DNG.
DJI Mavic Air Sample Images | PhotographyBLOG
I don’t do JPEGs so I’ve not actually seen any straight out of the camera.
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