The DJI Mavic Mini is a highly portable drone that still packs lots of features that professionals desire. And although it does not have all the capabilities of larger drones, it may be more than enough for you. This great video review takes a look at the drone.
Coming to you from Drone Film Guide, this helpful review takes a look at the DJI Mavic Mini. The Mavic Mini is particularly impressive, as it weighs just 249 g, allowing it to squeeze in under most registration requirements for drones. Its physical footprint is also remarkably small, making it easy to drop into your bag to have handy whenever. And yet, despite this small size, DJI has still managed to equip it with a camera capable of 2.7K footage and 12-megapixel stills with three-axis stabilization. It also has up to 30 minutes of flight time and up to 2.5 miles of range. On the other hand, it does lack features like obstacle avoidance sensors and a larger sensor, but if you do not specialize in drone work and just want one to supplement your current work, it could be an excellent option. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
Fair and square opinion.
I've not had time to pick one up yet myself but will, perfect glovebox or corner of the camera bag addition to the arsenal.
I would caution everyone who thinks of using one for stills to notice there is no raw support. Can't speak for the Mini but with my Mavic Pro the difference between jpg and raw is huge.
In my experience of flying in good weather, I've had no issues with shooting JPG on the Mavic Pro, the JPG files have seemed just fine. I faint the RAW files (DNG) rather limited in their flexibility but of course, I'm spoiled by nicer larger sensor cameras. It is what it is, a ridiculously accessible little camera platform. Stunning what they have done.
I think it's a terrible choice for a first-time drone buyer... mine literally blew away on the first flight (it's not powerful enough to fight common wind speeds at altitude), but as an experienced flier I knew to navigate it out of the winds. Otherwise, I would have lost it.
It doesn't do subject tracking, so you can't film yourself being cool, which is a really common drone video task, and produces smoother results than an unskilled pilot.
No obstacle avoidance means certain crashes for inexperienced pilots. It also means things like "return to home" could have it stupidly crash right into trees or buildings. When it does crash, you need a tool to replace the prop, and if you don't use their provided screws with lock-tite (for example, if you were to reuse the screw it came with) I bet the prop would eventually fly off.
IMO it's a good SECOND drone for people like myself who sometimes want something really light to carry in my bag "just in case" but who also have enough flying experience to understand its limitations. I love it! But there are going to be a lot of sad people Christmas morning who crash or lose their Mavic Minis.
That's a huge bummer! How strong were the winds that day? I know that would be a big issue for me living next to Lake Erie.