So who's dumping their P4 for Mavic?

[Kevin O]

Love my P4 and don't see enough in the Mavic to dump the P4. I may pick one up to try but I'm not a fan of using a phone as a display.

 

[Rlisch]

Added one to my collection as I travel a lot but will definitely keep my P4

 

[TheLightSpeedz]

I just bought my P4 a week ago..so I'm in return window still and have considered returning it for a Mavic but leaning towards keeping P4.

You know I dumped both my P3's when the P4 came out. I have to admit in my haste I truly regretted it.

I'm keeping both for now.... Regardless I'm going to take a hit on my P4, and I love it. I think I'm going to keep it for my son to fly.


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[ftttu]

Some people complain about how unnecessarily large the P-4's controller is. Since it is designed to accommodate a relatively large tablet, I can't see it being too much smaller.

With that, I don't want to use my iPhone 6S, and I got my iPad Mini 4 just for my P4 because I wanted to see what actually is going on.

I don't know what the largest size tablet the Mavic's controller will handle, but the actual controls being above the tablet or phone will probably be an issue, if not just because of glare.

This may not be what keeps me from ever purchasing a Mavic, but to me, the new controller is an issue..

 

[Jussaguy]

Unless you were after something more like the Mavic when you bought your P4, the Mavic, isn't necessarily better. Depends if you are after more vacation, grab anywhere, small remote, small screen type flying which I definitely want but not all the time.

If money isn't a factor, and of course it is more for some and less for others, but it's a concern to every person I understand but for me, I will probably own the Mavic simply because I want that form factor for family vacations and if I was forced to buy right now, I would get the Mavic over the Karma. I will wait to make a final decision but I will definitely own one of, maybe both of them but for completely different reasons. Almost every time I grab my soon to be Mavic or my P4, Inspire or any of my other birds will be for different reasons but more so probably from the Mavic to P4 than others.

I am however, crazy ridiculously excited about their being a new LightBridge. This is what will send them over the top IMO. LightBridge is what separated them from the boys before and now it's improved on? If the numbers hold up, you're looking at the new protocol for the P5 as well which I am deftly excited about.

 

[coco777]

I am however, crazy ridiculously excited about their being a new LightBridge. This is what will send them over the top IMO. LightBridge is what separated them from the boys before and now it's improved on? If the numbers hold up, you're looking at the new protocol for the P5 as well which I am deftly excited about.

Long ranges were already possible with the P4 and modded antennas.

It's the camera that needs to improve on the next P5 , not so much the flight capabilities.

 

[deltalimatango]

I don't really get these: "who's gonna dump their track tested P4, for an unproven device that is new and looks pretty" threads. Also, not to mention, the P4 and Mavic are completely different devices, albeit they are both drones made by the same company. **shaking head**

 

[Jussaguy]

Long ranges were already possible with the P4 and modded antennas.

It's the camera that needs to improve on the next P5 , not so much the flight capabilities.

I don't disagree that an improvement on the camera would be excellent and I am sure they will but I must tip my had to any company that innovates in the area that they had a sizable lead. It shows an enthusiasm to stay at the top, no complacency and a desire to keep pushing. There is only so much you could have done with such small lens last decade but with the advent of the smartphone and now the drone revolution, the boundaries of what is possible with small cameras just keeps changing drastically and I don't see it stopping.

As for modding, I am not against it and do and have when necessary but I don't feel it is necessary in the Phantom 4 but that's not to say I wouldn't want a more powerful signal. Hell, i would like one as strong as the P3s were but thats not a big deal to me, although it is on the video signal and there was nothing as good as LightBridge out of the box. I don't like having to mod. If I want something the way I want it exactly, I will build it. With an RTF, I want it to work perfect with all of it's parts as it is was intended. I am not anti-mod or anything but the P4 and the class that are not providing producing codecs immediately takes them out of the running for being considered professional but the area that needs to exists that doesn't is getting closer, if not there with the Mavic. I think a lot of Phantom 4 users are more Mavic users and more Phantom 4 users are more "giant octo with a Ronin and a DLSR" on it but that's an expensive route so money is a determining factor. But if you think of the P4 as the professionals family drone, than the Mavic just might be the family's family drone.

It's my theory, as I wrote in my blog, that the biggest market for drones, are not the nutty enthusiasts like ourselves but the probably largely untouched market of people that often bother you but don't own one. Since this is small and is probably as easy to use as a P4 or even easier maybe than it makes sense that they would go after that market. In my blog I coined the Karma, Mavic and Breeze as "Family Drones" and while they may or may not be there yet, that's who they are after and that's going to be the money maker.

Luckily, there will still be a market for the more hardcore users and the enthusiasts like ourselves.

So to my original point, the version of LightBridge called OcuSync is a promising sign for the company for all the reasons earlier stated and a bonus even if you can achieve 15 miles by attaching a crazy mod to the end of you tx. Again, not anti-mod or anything, it's just not a counter point of the coolness of OcuSync being developed when already lightyears ahead of their competition but then again, maybe the competition is developing something even better. Once can hope.

 

[Teo Morabito]

If the mavic had the same image quality (or better) as the phantom 4 it would be a no-brainer,
Maybe the mavic 2



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[coco777]

Maybe the mavic 2

But then the Phantom 5 ??

 

[Fallguy]

Lets give the Mavic some time to show its true colors. Once the forums start filling up with users complaining about the video on them , maybe DJI will take a hard look at that and improve the next model .
My only question is how much wear and tear on those motor connections can take with those folding arms .

 

[Trinimon]

For someone who does a bit of travel videos, the Mavic would be a no brainer with its compact size. Heck, I can stuff one into my camera backpack and have both my DSLR rigs and a done in one backpack.

 

[Jussaguy]

Lets give the Mavic some time to show its true colors. Once the forums start filling up with users complaining about the video on them , maybe DJI will take a hard look at that and improve the next model .
My only question is how much wear and tear on those motor connections can take with those folding arms .

Again, I don't think the people they are going after are what in the industry we call "pixel effers" but they use the cuss word which means people that are basically photographers. I can almost be assured that for the family market that they are hoping to tackle, the image will be good enough no matter if it looks 2x better than the Phantom 4 or half as good.

The reason the Breeze, Karma and Mavic all came out and were developed in parallel to each other is because the brains at these companies know that the money is in the family market, not the professional one.

This is the dilemma that faces all professionals. Go ask Mac power users how abandoned they felt about the evolution of the Mac Towers after the iPhone was released in 2007.

To put it another way, no matter what we complain about over here, if they successfully market to and make it easy enough for the home everyday user, it will matter not.

We shall see.

 

[neocacher]

Funny how 2 days ago, so many were so excited about the Mavic, but I feel the enthusiasm has died down some on the forum. LIKE if YOU AGREE!

 

[Dinerve]

Posted this in another thread, thought it might be relevant here too:

So I've been reading the online documentation listing the various firmware updates changelogs for the P4 and found the below interesting stuff:

• Added support for recognizing non-human subjects.

Isn't this the advertised 'improved' Active Track as described HERE? Described as "The Mavic has been trained to detect and recognize a number of common subjects including people, bike riders, vehicles and even animals."

• Optimized altitude adjustment logic so that the aircraft automatically adjusts its altitude according to changes in terrain while using ActiveTrack (available when the aircraft is flying within 10 meters of the ground).

Isn't this the much advertised "Level Headed" feature? If possible in ActiveTrack (never tried it) I don't see why it can't be added to another mode. I don't see why the P4 wouldn't get Trace, Profile and Spotlight Mode too.

Also, as per the FAQ for the MAVIC, DJI lists the below differences with the P4:

What’s the main difference between Mavic and Phantom 4?
The Mavic is smaller, lighter, and easier to carry with you thanks to its foldable design. Its new OcuSync transmission system has a longer transmission range and 1080p resolution. Due to its larger size, the Phantom 4 has a higher maximum speed and can withstand stronger winds.

 

[Cactus Wren]

I don't really get these: "who's gonna dump their track tested P4, for an unproven device that is new and looks pretty" threads. Also, not to mention, the P4 and Mavic are completely different devices, albeit they are both drones made by the same company. **shaking head**

I'm totally with you on that!!
The Mavic looks sleek, and it definitely has its advantages, but then the P4 has its advantages, too. I imagine the next Phantom will be that much better.

But you are SO spot on with nature of people so eager for the next, newest, latest wonder-drone that they're willing to dump a proven platform on a gamble with something unproven. It's a "Let's Make A Deal" kind of scenario, where you already have the living room set with washer and dryer, but you're going to trade it for what's behind curtain #3. Could be a new car and a trip to Spain, or it could be a middle-age guy wearing a diaper and riding an old penny-farthing bicycle.

 

[Cactus Wren]

The future is going for the " portable" way in electronics. The Mavic has the same features than the P4, and some others are better like the Ocusync wireless technology that allows this aircraft a better range. ( 7 kms 4.3M )The sensor and resolution of the camera is the same... I think that some youtubers aren't idiots but maybe are recording with the spherical gimbal protector on...Another forgotten aspect is the security if the aircraft fallls because has a weight 750Gr, almost 1Kg lighter than our P4... the design seems more futuristic and robust as well,look likes mini industrial or military drone used by some special forces...

Maybe it is nothing more than not removing the gimbal protector.
And then maybe it really is inferior image quality.

Me, I'm not willing to roll those dice until I see more real-world tests. Keeping my new P4.

 

[Dinerve]

According to a DJI rep on DJI's forums:

-"You may get a tad better video/photo results from the P4, it has just a bit longer flight time, the FOV is 94°, and a little faster in Sports Mode.

Other than that personally I would want the Mavic because I really need portability and that's more important to me for what I want to do."



But also this when asked about pic quality and differences with the P4:
-Can you provide a definitive answer regarding the image and video quality and the sensor used, i.e. is it the same sensor or different manufacturer?
-No I cannot.


Careful choice of words...

 

[Cactus Wren]

Again, I don't think the people they are going after are what in the industry we call "pixel effers" but they use the cuss word which means people that are basically photographers. I can almost be assured that for the family market that they are hopin to tackle, the image will be good enough no matter if it looks 2x better than the Phantom 4 or half as good.

The reason the Breeze, Karma and Mavic all came out and were developed in parallel to each other is because the brains at these companies know that the money is in the family market, not the professional one.

This is the dilemma that faces all professionals. Go ask Mac power users how abandoned they felt about the evolution of the Mac Towers after the iPhone was released in 2007.

To put it another way, no matter what we complain about over here, if they successfully market to and make it easy enough for the home everyday user, it will matter not.

We shall see.

But then let's also look at how Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony and other camera manufacturers gear their different product lines to different consumer demographics. Just because the cheapy point-and-shoot cameras sell like hotcakes, that hasn't precluded them from development and innovation on their top-tier lines.
This is the same thing we are starting to see with drones. The Inspire, Phantom and Mavic will all have their place in the DJI family of products, and I've no doubt we'll see new offerings in the years ahead. Drones are at the beginning of the next big wave of electronic gadgets.

 

[Jussaguy]

But then let's also look at how Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony and other camera manufacturers gear their different product lines to different consumer demographics. Just because the cheapy point-and-shoot cameras sell like hotcakes, that hasn't precluded them from development and innovation on their top-tier lines.
This is the same thing we are starting to see with drones. The Inspire, Phantom and Mavic will all have their place in the DJI family of products, and I've no doubt we'll see new offerings in the years ahead. Drones are at the beginning of the next big wave of electronic gadgets.

I agree in all but trust me, the larger the market, the greater the love.