Is there really a reason to buy a Mavic Mini??

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Does any seasoned pilot own a Mavic Mini and can you tell me how you justified buying one? I'm trying to see considering the specs (though very impressive) why buy such an entry-level drone. Other than just wanting one(as I do lol) why I'd enjoy it more than the other Mavic series or my P4P. Again, I want one...but part of me thinks geez that's $400 plus I could've just put towards a MA2 ya know.. lol.

Thanks all!
 
Does any seasoned pilot own a Mavic Mini and can you tell me how you justified buying one? I'm trying to see considering the specs (though very impressive) why buy such an entry-level drone. Other than just wanting one(as I do lol) why I'd enjoy it more than the other Mavic series or my P4P. Again, I want one...but part of me thinks geez that's $400 plus I could've just put towards a MA2 ya know.. lol.

Thanks all!
Pretty much an entry level drone at an attractive price point. I personally don't plan on buying one unless at some point I get a great deal on a used one. I would then pick it up just to play with it and see how it works. Also a big turn off is the DJI Fly app, which of course you would also need to deal with if you get the MA2.

It may be fun just to try it. That's what I did when I bought my first Spark even after owning a P4P. It was small, agile, and fun to fly. Not having flown the MM, I would tend to pick the Spark over the MM. That way I won't need to deal with its limited power and the DJI Fly app.
 
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Does any seasoned pilot own a Mavic Mini and can you tell me how you justified buying one? I'm trying to see considering the specs (though very impressive) why buy such an entry-level drone. Other than just wanting one(as I do lol) why I'd enjoy it more than the other Mavic series or my P4P. Again, I want one...but part of me thinks geez that's $400 plus I could've just put towards a MA2 ya know.. lol.

Thanks all!

No : The mavic mini has a few to many flaws , you are much better off to get the Air 2 and be amazed rather than disappointed.
We fell in love with the Air 2 and have never looked back.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly the AIR 2 in the Rain and Float on water.
 
Mini mav $$ 668 here from Ferntec,,not I wont get one ,just dont appeal to me,actually I like the original first mavic but even second hand they still top dollar,,
 
I own a couple never flown Phantom 2's, 2 Phantom4 Pros, and the Mavic Mini. The latter
gets the most flight time. I also do KAP ( Kite Aerial Photograpghy ) taking photos from kites.
The quality of the Mini photos is close to the high end Point and Shoot cameras I use from the kites.

I call the Mini, "Scout ". It is extremely easy to walk about, stopping almost anywhere to launch
and shoot the surrounds. It is much less intimidating to folks passing by. As with any photo
shoot, it makes sense to match the equipment with the intended end use.

I refer to l the Mini as an amazing $ 500 camera with wings. Or, an aerial tripod, if you prefer.
And dealing with dji at this point in the marketplace, seems to be a necessary evil,
with worthwhile results.
 
The only reason why I would buy a MM is it's weight. There are practically no limitations to fly with it. It's a big advantage if you want to take a picture where other (more serious) drones are not allowed to fly.
 
According to recent regulations you can't fly with other drones almost everywhere.
Few days ago I had two Phantom's batteries charged up to full as I planned to go out but didn't for some other reason.
I did the same a week ago and I thought that this is about the time to drain out batts.
I drove around my home town for about 30 km and I couldn't found the place where I could do that because of this and that limitation.
I live in relatively populated region. If there are no buildings then there are fields almost everywhere and farmers usually have some comments on drone flying over their land (seems stupid but so it is). And then there are many streets and two recreational airports.
After almost one hour I lastly found a proper place to made few circles in the air. I began asking myself if drone flying still has any sense at all. Pretty bad situation for recreational flying I think.
 
Does any seasoned pilot own a Mavic Mini and can you tell me how you justified buying one?
IMO there is no good reason for a seasoned drone pilot to buy one, if they own an M2 or MA2 class drone today. The MM is an entry level drone for kids, starting around 12 to 15yrs of age, or anyone older that wants to dabble in camera drones (not serious, just for curiosity). It would be an excellent Christmas gift for a teenager to develop their pilot skills for cinematic video, and teach themselves how to edit video. That said, below are a few reason to buy one, none of which I feel are compelling enough for a seasoned pilot to justify buying one.

1. It would be a good selfie drone on vacations, due to portability. They are much smaller and lighter than P4, M2 or MA2. Fits into pockets, easier than a backpack.
2. You don't have to register it, so if you were to crash and hurt something or someone, you might be more anonymous.
3. If you wanted to get your friends interested in flying, the MM would be a good trainer that you could loan, to see if they really like it, in an effort to get them hooked. It would cost you less if he crashed.
4. It's cute.

Keep in mind, the MM will outperform the Phantom 2 Vision + (2014) in many ways for less than half the P2V+ original price.
 
The only reason why I would buy a MM is it's weight. There are practically no limitations to fly with it. It's a big advantage if you want to take a picture where other (more serious) drones are not allowed to fly.
According to recent regulations you can't fly with other drones almost everywhere.
These statements depend greatly on what country you live in. You did not specify your country, but the OP lives and flies in the USA. These statements are just not true at all here in the USA. I can (and do) fly almost anywhere I want to, both legally and safely. In the USA there is zero differentiation on where you can legally fly based on the weight of the MM. The only advantage is that you don't need to register for recreational operations, and that really is of no consequence.
 
I have the mini and it is great for travel....very light and easy to fly. My Inspire is too heavy to pack & put on a plane for me. My Phantoms are OK but this little guy does the job and is so light and easy to fly. Photos and videos are not bad either.
 
These statements depend greatly on what country you live in. You did not specify your country, but the OP lives and flies in the USA. These statements are just not true at all here in the USA. I can (and do) fly almost anywhere I want to, both legally and safely. In the USA there is zero differentiation on where you can legally fly based on the weight of the MM. The only advantage is that you don't need to register for recreational operations, and that really is of no consequence.
Well, good for you. In Europe / Slovenia we have less chances. As I said it is hard to make 500m circle not to fly over some houses or roads. To most remote places out of regular settlement or traffic you can get within 30km. And even there such places are declared as national parks where flying is forbidden. In USA I suppose you can drive hundreds of miles not to meet any signs of civilization and your farmers have such a huge fields that they won't even notice your flying over. Very different world.
 
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The only reason why I would buy a MM is it's weight. There are practically no limitations to fly with it. It's a big advantage if you want to take a picture where other (more serious) drones are not allowed to fly.
Right on. The weight restrictions they have put on drones in the name of making money from our hobby, for those of us who refuse to get sucked into paying gov more money, the mini has solved the problem. There are people who don't even fly who have set up testing sites in order to make money. Give it time and they will have the entire hobby regulated in the name of safety. Look how they have regulated cars and driving. How many millions die on our roads in north America a year, and they put our toys in the same category. Its ok to "fly high with no restrictions" on drugs. The same government will even set up places where people can get "fuel to fly" for free on drugs, with no limit on how high one can fly. Imagine if we could get free batteries and free fuel to fly our model aircraft? If it moves, flies, gives some one a little fun, then tax and licence it. That is the society we live in.
 
Long time Phantom pilot. Caught up in the Mini hype when introduced, so got one. I have not had the troubles of others except for uncommanded decent over water (or other solid surfaces). For the price, it has been an easy to set up, very quite drone, that takes quality pictures. It doesn’t handle winds, so if purchasing now, I would purchase the more capable, Air 2.
 
Does any seasoned pilot own a Mavic Mini and can you tell me how you justified buying one? I'm trying to see considering the specs (though very impressive) why buy such an entry-level drone. Other than just wanting one(as I do lol) why I'd enjoy it more than the other Mavic series or my P4P. Again, I want one...but part of me thinks geez that's $400 plus I could've just put towards a MA2 ya know.. lol.

Thanks all!
I bought one a few weeks after the Mini came out. I flew it a number of times and as has been said, I felt it was a beginners drone. It did fly well under calm conditions and the video/pictures were good enough for average user. However even in light to moderate winds it was just to risky to fly. Too many times I was concerned that it would hit winds aloft and simply "fly away' as many have had reported here on this forum. A lot of UAV flyers have had good success at keeping them in check and getting even exceptional content from the little bird, however after flying my 2 Mavic Pro's and Phantom 4 Advanced, their ease of flying and great picture / video quality it was an easy decision to sell it while the demand was high and I could get my asking price. IMHO it isn't worth the $400.00 for a seasoned flyer that already has a more advanced level drone. UNLESS, you want to improve your skill level and try more risky flights and risk losing a $400 drone instead of your more expensive P4P. Some will say that the main reason there have been reported so many cases of disastrous results with the MINI is its price point and beginner experience level of NEW pilots. That could be the case, but do a search on the problems reported here on the MINI forum and you'll see that isn't 100% the issue. I guess if you have $400.00 burning a hole in your pocket, it's worth the money, but if you are looking to purchase another drone. The Mavic Air 2 has been getting RAVE reviews and only $300.00 more for the basic kit.

That's my .02 cents.
 
I recently spent 2 weeks on the coast and shot roughly 3, 000 stills in winds that were
consistently above 22 MPH, with gusts to at least 30. Some of the shots could be
just a little sharper, but I was thoroughly impressed.

Size, ease of deployment, low noise. Hard to beat for 4 or 500 bucks. Many of us
wold think nothing of spending $ 400 for a decent camera...

There's always something a little bigger, a little better. But is it really essential ...?
 
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I recently spent 2 weeks on the coast and shot roughly 3, 000 stills in winds that were
consistently above 22 MPH, with gusts to at least 30. Some of the shots could be
just a little sharper, but I was thoroughly impressed.

Size, ease of deployment, low noise. Hard to beat for 4 or 500 bucks. Many of us
wold think nothing of spending $ 400 for a decent camera...

There's always something a little bigger, a little better. But is it really essential ...?
Right on Tony. I have found with the mini, if the wind gets a little too strong for safe flying, simply keep it closer to the ground or just wait for another day. I also own the mavic Pro and the P4. Any of these drones can be sucked up by huge thermals on a hot summer day, and you always have to be cautious no matter what you are flying. Most of these fly aways, or high wind problems are usually reported by first time buyers who rush out to fly with out reading about its characteristics or learning more about the hobby from great web sites like this one. This entire hobby has advanced so much in the last 50 years from the old high start days with our gliders. It is a beautiful and safe hobby, but for sure government greed will take over and spoil it for all so it will eventually be had by professional pilots who want the hobby as a source of income. I have suggested to the industry, in order to save our hobby, make our drones about the size of a dragon fly. Small is better, like the old expression says, "out of site out of mind!" What they can't see they can't control. GrampaKenCanada
 
Pretty much an entry level drone at an attractive price point. I personally don't plan on buying one unless at some point I get a great deal on a used one. I would then pick it up just to play with it and see how it works. Also a big turn off is the DJI Fly app, which of course you would also need to deal with if you get the MA2.

It may be fun just to try it. That's what I did when I bought my first Spark even after owning a P4P. It was small, agile, and fun to fly. Not having flown the MM, I would tend to pick the Spark over the MM. That way I won't need to deal with its limited power and the DJI Fly app.
A lot of people can’t afford to spend the dollars for more than a. Mini. It’s an excellent drone for the beginner or advanced pilot. Not everyone has unlimited resources to get into the drone hobby
 
A lot of people can’t afford to spend the dollars for more than a. Mini. It’s an excellent drone for the beginner or advanced pilot. Not everyone has unlimited resources to get into the drone hobby

The problem with the Mini is that there is much greater Risk that you will loose your drone do to how light it is .
Wind is constantly changing at every altitude and therefore your at risk of loosing the Mavic Mini every time the wind blows.

Where as With the Air 2 you chances of loosing the drone do to wind are minimized greatly and therefore the extra cost can pay off .

There are so many Mini Pilots that when they got there drone the first thing they did was test it in different windy conditions , thus
the increase in Missing Minis. DJI does not favor the Missing only the Fallen. o_O
 
Does any seasoned pilot own a Mavic Mini and can you tell me how you justified buying one? I'm trying to see considering the specs (though very impressive) why buy such an entry-level drone. Other than just wanting one(as I do lol) why I'd enjoy it more than the other Mavic series or my P4P. Again, I want one...but part of me thinks geez that's $400 plus I could've just put towards a MA2 ya know.. lol.

Thanks all!

Bought one, flew it once, now gathering dust on the shelf
 
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