Hi anyone here upgraded to mavic air vs phantom 3 standard. Ive had my phantom 3 standard for several years, but main reason for not flying is the sheer size and the self-conscious feeling of the drone, and the conspicuous nature of flying it. Just wondering how much less of that factor is there with the mavic air. To me it looks a lot more like a "toy" which is really a great thing because that's actually what I would want people to think it was, just a toy.
mavic air vs phantom 3
- Thread starter Hoovy
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Hi,
I only have Phantoms but I can say that the Mavic Air would certainly fill the requirements you are looking for. Not only is it much smaller but it also surpasses the Phantom 3 Standard in most any other measure. If what you are looking for is to be inconspicuous and have the drone look more like a toy then perhaps you could just go for a Spark. Still a nice little drone. Less money than a Mavic Air. You lose some features of course, but it really depends what you're looking to do with it.
I only have Phantoms but I can say that the Mavic Air would certainly fill the requirements you are looking for. Not only is it much smaller but it also surpasses the Phantom 3 Standard in most any other measure. If what you are looking for is to be inconspicuous and have the drone look more like a toy then perhaps you could just go for a Spark. Still a nice little drone. Less money than a Mavic Air. You lose some features of course, but it really depends what you're looking to do with it.
I have both the Phantom 3 Standard and a Spark. My P3S is 2 years old this Christmas and my Spark will be one year old at Christmas. When I got the Spark, the Mavic Air wasn't out so the choice was easy for me because I wanted a compact drone to complement my P3S and the Spark fit the bill. I take mostly photos with my drones and occasional video so the Spark was perfectly suited my uses. I love my Spark and with the Portable Charging Station, it is a perfect hiking travel drone. It is the only drone that can be docked via the charging station.
When the Mavic Air came out, I started thinking about all the features it has that the Spark doesn't (3 axis gimbal, ability to shoot RAW and some other extra camera features, but then I looked at the price and got a reality check - for what I need right now the Spark is perfect and what the Spark can't do I can usually do with my P3S. My next upgrade will likely be a Mavic 2 Pro as I am interested in image quality.
So like PhantomFandom said it really depends on what you want to do with the drone. Do you need all the extra features the Mavic Air has for twice the price of a Spark? If yes, then you have your answer.
Chris
When the Mavic Air came out, I started thinking about all the features it has that the Spark doesn't (3 axis gimbal, ability to shoot RAW and some other extra camera features, but then I looked at the price and got a reality check - for what I need right now the Spark is perfect and what the Spark can't do I can usually do with my P3S. My next upgrade will likely be a Mavic 2 Pro as I am interested in image quality.
So like PhantomFandom said it really depends on what you want to do with the drone. Do you need all the extra features the Mavic Air has for twice the price of a Spark? If yes, then you have your answer.
Chris
My question is not about features but how much less conspicuous is the drone flying experience with the smaller drone? Maybe it is my personality, but I would almost never feel comfortable ripping out my phantom in an area with people it's just too attention grabbing I think. With the mavic air, I wonder if it is less attention grabbing and if the overall drone flying experience is more comfortable for someone like me.
Sorry, I must have misunderstood your post. Can only speak from experience with Spark (don't have MA), but I feel much more comfortable launching my Spark if I am in an area with other people around as the P3S draws attention. In addition the Spark is quieter and smaller than the P3S and much easier and quicker to get in the air in addition to being able to launch from almost anywhere (hand launch and landing is so liberating). And yes, the overall drone flying experience with with the Spark is more comfortable. I would imagine the MA would be similar.
Chris
Thanks, that's exactly was I was referring to! Do you ever even use the phantom 3 at this point? Have you ever tried litchi waypoints with the spark.
Yes, I continue to use my P3S. I use Litchi almost exclusively on my Phantom because it has alot more features that GO doesn’t have. On the Spark I mostly fly in GO4 ( I use the pano feature alot).
I have used Litchi for waypoints on the Phantom but not on my Spark. Waypoint functionality is a recent addition to Litchi on Spark. I have used AutoPilot (iOS only) on both drones for Waypoints. I also use Autopilot for trscking missions, but video from the phantom is smoother due to the limitations on the Sparks 2-axis gimbal.
Not sure where you will be flying but here in Canada the cold weather does affect the pitch control on my Spark. I usually have to pitch up and down numerous times to get it to work smoothly. Not sure if this would be the case with the Mavic Air as well. My P3S on the other hand has no problem in cold weather.
Hope this helps
Chris
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I'm not sure why you think about "not conspicuous" ? Is it as the Mavic is smaller so most of people will think it's a toy, or because it is hardly to spot it?
In either way you are not allowed to fly near or over the people. About the noise I can assure you that you'll hear the Mavic Air from near the 100m distance but the noise is of higher tone.
For me the reason having a Phantom and MavAir is mostly because of portability of the Mav.
In either way you are not allowed to fly near or over the people. About the noise I can assure you that you'll hear the Mavic Air from near the 100m distance but the noise is of higher tone.
For me the reason having a Phantom and MavAir is mostly because of portability of the Mav.
I have to agree with Andy9.
I have an Air and a P4v2 and any passerby cannot but help but notice either taking off but after in the air I do not feel there is that much difference between what the view is from the ground or noise factor.
The controller is more substantial with the P4 but when I use my Ipad on both I do not think the difference to a bystander is that significant.
BTW I totally understand where you are coming from but don't think there would be much of a public perception difference between the two.
I have an Air and a P4v2 and any passerby cannot but help but notice either taking off but after in the air I do not feel there is that much difference between what the view is from the ground or noise factor.
The controller is more substantial with the P4 but when I use my Ipad on both I do not think the difference to a bystander is that significant.
BTW I totally understand where you are coming from but don't think there would be much of a public perception difference between the two.
The main reason for me getting a portable drone was for travelling, hiking, and biking. I can carry the Spark and my DSLR plus a few lenses all in one backpack. Photography is more important to me than video so the Spark was a likely addition to my P3S.
If 4K video and portability is important to you then the Mavic Air is likely going to be a good upgrade, although at twice the price of your Phantom 3 Standard.
Chris
If 4K video and portability is important to you then the Mavic Air is likely going to be a good upgrade, although at twice the price of your Phantom 3 Standard.
Chris
Thanks for the replies. Keep them coming. How are the spark and mavic air in terms of getting the drone launched. With the phantom standard it seems like there is quite of a bit of things to do ie turn on drone listen to super loud “buh buh buh” then connect to WiFi, wait for IMU to load, calibration dance. If you can launch the spark from your hand that seems like it would be pretty stealthy. The sparks video seems kind of “muddy” looking, if the video quality were better I think it would be perfect and a no brainer for 350 including the controller.
The video from the Spark is 1080p whereas the P3S is 2.7K and the Air 4K. Obviously the Air’s video would be better. For me the 1080p is good enough. When I take video on the Spark, I do find I have to try harder to get smooth video due to tue 2-axis gimbal. I find the Spark has good colour reproduction ( better than P3S). If comparing 1080p to 4K there wiil be no comparison. If shooting video is the primary focus then I don’t think you can go wrong with the Mavic Air.
The Spark however, is quick and easy to launch from your hand and being able to fold and leave props on saves lots of time.
The Spark however, is quick and easy to launch from your hand and being able to fold and leave props on saves lots of time.
To the OP, if part of the reasons you want to consider a Mavic Air is because of inconspicuousness (is that a word?), you will likely be surprised at how loud it is. I have a MA, a P3S, and a Spark. Of the three, I greatly prefer the Spark. It's a good drone - the 1080p camera might seem like a limitation, but I feel that it has a unique quality to it. It's pretty good in low light situations.
As little as the MA is, it still gets a lot of looks when taking off. Like a pack of bees.
Also, if flight range is something you are looking for....the Spark (with OTG cable) and the MA will beat the pants off the P3S.
Chrislaf- is that a Syma X8G in your profile pic? I used to have one....
As little as the MA is, it still gets a lot of looks when taking off. Like a pack of bees.
Also, if flight range is something you are looking for....the Spark (with OTG cable) and the MA will beat the pants off the P3S.
Chrislaf- is that a Syma X8G in your profile pic? I used to have one....
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Yes, I still have it and use it to practice flying so that if I ever end up in atti mode on my P3S and Spark I’ll be better equiped to deal with the situation. The X8G was my first drone. I attached a cheap 2-Axis gimbal and an action cam to it. It worked surprisingly well.
Chris
The Mavic Air and Spark both use the same app - GO4. The P3S does use an older version of GO that doesn’t have all the features of the newer GO4.
Chris
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I’m also looking at getting either the MA or the spark for the same reasons. Haven’t had the 3 out for ages . Can’t make my mind up, so many clips on YouTube for both.
The Spark is a great drone but if you primarily shoot video then the Air is probably a better choice due to the 3-axis gimbal and the option to shoot in 4K if needed.
Chris
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