Honestly, I was hoping for the Phantom 5 so I could get interchangeable lenses on a more sturdy yet compact model. The Phantom 4 captures superior quality imagery compared to the Mavic 2 Pro. Inspire models are great for high-end professional work but they are costly and difficult to haul around. You can’t check them on the flight and they require two times the batteries.
Also improved is the Air’s Return To Home feature, meaning you’re less likely to lose your drone in the event of losing connection in remote areas. If flight time is a concern for you, the Platinum can fly three minutes longer than the Pro for a total flight time of 30 minutes. The Phantom 4 Pro and the Mavic series features a limited version where you have to use a remote to set the drone into Gesture mode and launch it from the ground, rather than your hand. But for the causal photophile, these file formats are perfect for uploading your photos and videos directly to your social network. By harnessing the power of your mobile phone, the Virtual Reality mode brings you the most immersive FPV experience. Watch your autonomous mission in VR mode, or fly manually for added thrills.
It’s an intelligent charger with 5000 mAh of total power. It can charge the battery on the Spark as well as two other batteries while out in the field. First, it charges the battery on the Spark itself, then it will charge the other two batteries starting with whichever one currently has the highest charge.
In contrast, the similar Yuneec Breeze has an app with large, easy to understand icons for each of the automated flight modes on its home screen. It works well for selfies and quick shots, but battery life is short, the video editing process isn’t as easy as promised, and flying with your smartphone is kludgy. If you want a drone, but don’t want to have to worry about learning to fly one like a pro, the Spark is worth a look. But if you want a more versatile quadcopter in a small form factor, and are interested in learning to fly it manually, the DJI Mavic Pro is a stronger, albeit more expensive, choice. At least, that’s the message it seems to be sending with the Spark ($499), the company’s smallest aircraft yet. It’s a selfie drone you can interact with just by waving your hand.
What you’re better off sticking to are the new QuickShot Intelligent Flight Modes. Select one of the modes — Rocket, Dronie, Circle and Helix — and it will automatically perform the camera move and capture a quick video clip in the process. That clip can then be downloaded to your phone with music added to it and ready for sharing. Fire up the quad, hold it out in front of you facing the camera and double-tap the power button.
It is a delight to fly, takes gorgeous photos and videos, and is easy to carry in a backpack or even a large purse thanks to the protective foam case. If you’ve seen any of DJI’s promotional materials, you know that gesture mode is one of the principle selling points for the Spark. Admittedly, it was one of the features I was most excited dji mini 2 fly more combo to try. It sounded like a lot of fun to be able to command the drone to perform certain basic tasks, like following me, or capturing a picture, all by just waving my arms around like a Jedi. With gestures you can make the Spark follow your palm, track your movements, fly a short distance away from you, and capture a selfie.
This is good news for consumers, as there are very few good entry-level drones under $500. By the specs, the Zino compares favorably to the Spark in a few areas. DJI Mavic Mini users can attach a 360° Propeller Guard to protect the aircraft from damage and protect themselves and others when flying.
The Spark is outfitted with a 2-axis gimbal and 12mp camera capable of capturing video at 1080p at 30fps. Compared to the Mavic’s 4K capabilities and 3-axis gimbal that doesn’t sound all that impressive, but don’t let the number fool you. The camera on the Spark is no slouch, particularly when it comes to capturing video. Image quality is great, it’s the gimbal that’s slightly disappointing. I wanted to edit all the videos I captured in the app for this article so I could review that portion of the app fully.
This is embarrassing DJI, get your crap together on the software front. As Android users, I don’t need to harp on the difference between using virtual and real controls. I imagine most of you have tried an FPS on your phone with virtual thumbs, and likely learned that it’s nowhere close to playing with a real game controller.