Which drone?

[8bit]

I am interested in getting a drone but a bit stuck on where to start, I know of the DJI range but not a lot about the individual models and their capabilities so hoping for some advice. Most of what I shoot is cars, I don't do video so it would really be for stills only - I assume that they can all do this?

I also assume I have full control of the camera, e.g. shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc. or are they usually partially or fully automatic? Will they all capture in RAW formats of some sort? Can any of the current models automatically track a moving car in any way, e.g. if the control device is inside the car?

Oh, and what's the current legislation on licences or permits required?

Thanks in advance

[eltawater]

TL;DR - Buy a mavic mini 2.

Lots of stuff has changed over regulations in the past year. Very very simply put here but others free to correct me:

Be sure to brush up on the updates here: https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code

and more specifically this bit here: https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code/where...

about class of drones, operational categories and minimum distances.


Essentially we're in a transition period until January 2023. Drone operations are no longer simply distinguished by "is it commercial or is it hobbyist" but by the type of operation into Open, Specific and Certified categories.

You should now consider things in terms of Operation category and Class of Drone.

For the hobbyist, it's most likely to be the Open category of operations which you will be flying in.

https://www.caa.co.uk/Consumers/Unmanned-aircraft/...

I'm not currently aware of any Class certified consumer drones currently on the market so existing drones are sort of bundled into a transitional category until January 2023. In very simplistic terms (yes I'm aware of lots of nuances around the C0 category around toys):

A Mavic mini which weighs less that 250g can be flow in the A1 category (close to people) as it is C0 class.

A Mavic pro which weighs more than 250g is considered to be legacy transitional to the C2 class. It can be flown in the A3 category (150 metres from people/property) or fly in the A2 category (50 metres) if the flyer has an A2 certificate of compliance until January 2023. Beyond January 2023, The Mavic pro loses it's transitional classification and must be flown in the A3 category of 150 metre distances, regardless of whether the flyer themselves holds an A2 CofC.

A2 Certificate of Compliance can be achieved using an online course (I did mine with UAVHub) and consists of lots of theory and multiple choice online exam.



The DJI software allows you to control ISO / Shutter speed etc and the Mavic Mini 2 will save to RAW.

Edited by eltawater on Monday 19th April 12:03

[8bit]

Brilliant, thanks for all that.

Regards the device itself, I don't see a great deal of difference between the DJI Mini 2 (assume that's the same one as you recommended) and the older DJI Mavic Mini. Same 12MP camera, same weight, same flight time, yes better video on the Mini 2 but as above that's not a concern for me. Is there anything else significant to justify the extra premium? Regards the camera on those, 12MP doesn't sound like much when coming from full-frame DSLR cameras with 36MP or more, what are the results like?

[eltawater]

The mini 1 doesn't save as RAW, the mini 2 does.

[eltawater]

There's an owners thread for Mavic Mini's here (I have a Mavic Pro).

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[JonnyWhitters]

8bit said:

Brilliant, thanks for all that.

Regards the device itself, I don't see a great deal of difference between the DJI Mini 2 (assume that's the same one as you recommended) and the older DJI Mavic Mini. Same 12MP camera, same weight, same flight time, yes better video on the Mini 2 but as above that's not a concern for me. Is there anything else significant to justify the extra premium? Regards the camera on those, 12MP doesn't sound like much when coming from full-frame DSLR cameras with 36MP or more, what are the results like?

Occusync 2. This connection is a big step forward over the old one as it essentially means you’ll have a better connection between tour drone and controller.

Check YouTube for some videos and to see the full capabilities. Ian in London and the Disney Five have some good recent videos using the Mini 2.

I bought one a couple weeks ago and it’s ace. So portable and gets really great pics - especially with the ones in raw and the ability to tweak further in post.

[8bit]

Tremendous input, thanks all. MPB.com have/had some original Mavic Minis in stock at a tempting price but it sounds like I really want the DJI Mini 2 then. Time for some man maths

[JonnyWhitters]

8bit said:

Tremendous input, thanks all. MPB.com have/had some original Mavic Minis in stock at a tempting price but it sounds like I really want the DJI Mini 2 then. Time for some man maths

The DJI Mini 2 combo packs have been sub £500 on eBay (brand new from reputable sellers) a few times in the last couple of weeks. That’s not a big jump over prices for the original Mavic Mini.

If you register for alerts with the drone keyword on HotUKDeals or some sites like that then you’ll get a prompt nod when a decent price comes to market.

Should help with the man maths

[Byker28i]

Mini 2 is £419 everywhere or the Combo is £549. It's on my consideration list or to step upto the Mavic Air 2 with the tracking for playing with the car.

If price is a consideration and you'll be using it briefly not more than 30 mins, do you need the combo pack with extra batteries and bag. The bags are quite cheap...

[SpudLink]

Byker28i said:

Mini 2 is £419 everywhere or the Combo is £549. It's on my consideration list or to step upto the Mavic Air 2 with the tracking for playing with the car.

If price is a consideration and you'll be using it briefly not more than 30 mins, do you need the combo pack with extra batteries and bag. The bags are quite cheap...

I’ve had the Mini 2 for less than a week (my first drone), so I’m obviously an expert.
You’ll want the extra batteries. They might last 30 minutes in a lab test, but when zooming about it’s not that long before it starts advising you to land.
I think with the Air 2 you’ll be more restricted on where you can fly. The sub 250g weight of the Mini 2 allows more leeway.

[JonnyWhitters]

SpudLink said:

Byker28i said:

Mini 2 is £419 everywhere or the Combo is £549. It's on my consideration list or to step upto the Mavic Air 2 with the tracking for playing with the car.

If price is a consideration and you'll be using it briefly not more than 30 mins, do you need the combo pack with extra batteries and bag. The bags are quite cheap...

I’ve had the Mini 2 for less than a week (my first drone), so I’m obviously an expert.
You’ll want the extra batteries. They might last 30 minutes in a lab test, but when zooming about it’s not that long before it starts advising you to land.
I think with the Air 2 you’ll be more restricted on where you can fly. The sub 250g weight of the Mini 2 allows more leeway.

I concur. Additional batteries are very handy but it’s the ability to pretty much fly when and where you like that gives this the edge over the larger / heavier drones...plus they do cool skins for them

[SpudLink]

JonnyWhitters said:

I concur. Additional batteries are very handy but it’s the ability to pretty much fly when and where you like that gives this the edge over the larger / heavier drones...plus they do cool skins for them

I’m not a Porsche man, but I like that.

You’re right about portability. Don’t even need a rucksack. You can fit the drone in one jacket pocket and the controller in the other.

[8bit]

JonnyWhitters said:

The DJI Mini 2 combo packs have been sub £500 on eBay (brand new from reputable sellers) a few times in the last couple of weeks. That’s not a big jump over prices for the original Mavic Mini.

If you register for alerts with the drone keyword on HotUKDeals or some sites like that then you’ll get a prompt nod when a decent price comes to market.

Should help with the man maths

True, it was a used Mini I was looking at for £279 though, that's quite a difference. That being said if the Mini can't record RAW stills then that's a drawback for me, I'll be using images from the drone alongside RAW images from a DSLR so want to have as much control over them as possible. Sounds like the Mini 2 is the starting point for me.

Byker28i said:

...the Mavic Air 2 with the tracking for playing with the car.

When you say tracking do you mean the autofocus tracking, or is it capable of flying along above a car keeping it still in the frame so could be used for tracking shots? If I'd have to fly it manually to get that sort of shot, is that easy/possible?

[JonnyWhitters]

SpudLink said:

I’m not a Porsche man, but I like that.

You’re right about portability. Don’t even need a rucksack. You can fit the drone in one jacket pocket and the controller in the other.

Cheers.

Also, due to the ease of taking it out and about I don’t feel the need to fly it for the full extent of the battery life to ‘justify’ taking it in the air.

I’ve popped out for 15 mins yesterday and again today just to get more flying experience. Had my first signal drop (over a local lake) but trusted the auto RTH capability and it didn’t let me down.

Had it three weeks now and finding my feet more with the manual camera settings. Using the local proliferation of white horses carved into hillsides as a little project to get more experience and confidence with it.

[Byker28i]

8bit said:

When you say tracking do you mean the autofocus tracking, or is it capable of flying along above a car keeping it still in the frame so could be used for tracking shots? If I'd have to fly it manually to get that sort of shot, is that easy/possible?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0uH_NYCvY8
https://store.dji.com/guides/film-like-a-pro-with-...

Edit: The upgrade to the Air 2 brings collision avoidance and activetrack, but the combo pack is approx twice as much.
However as Etawater said, it's heavier at 570g, so moves it's category, which restricts flying distances in recreational areas, near people etc, the smaller lighter Mini 2 has less restrictions due to it's weight.

Again Etawater gave all the links to the info.


This article claims the Air 2 is handicapped by the new regs.
Because the Mavic Air 2 has not been certified as a C1 drone, After November it will be classed as an over 500g (but less than 2Kg) ‘legacy’ drone. This means it will only be able to be flown in the A3 category (far from people) unless you obtain the A2 CofC qualification (costs about £250 at time of writing) which will allow you to fly it in the A2 category but limited to 50m from people so would be very difficult to conduct residential roof surveys with this. After the 1st of July 2022 you will only be able to use this drone in the A3 category.
https://themaintenancecorner.com/2020/05/06/did-dj...


So the Mini 2 is looking very attractive as an entry point drone for hobby use.

Edited by Byker28i on Sunday 2nd May 12:15

[Crippo]

I’ve got a Mavic Air 2 and I use the Actve Track because I’m a Mountain Biker. As long as it’s kept away from trees, it works well. I’m not sure it would keep up with a car though as with Actuve Tracking it can’t keep up with me on my bike unless I’m doing a very technical trail.

[Byker28i]

On the Air 2 - I've read you're supposed to use sport mode for vehicle tracking, which disables the collision avoidance because of the speed?

I found this:
https://forum.dji.com/thread-221947-1-1.html

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Byker28i said:

Because the Mavic Air 2 has not been certified as a C1 drone, After November it will be classed as an over 500g (but less than 2Kg) ‘legacy’ drone. This means it will only be able to be flown in the A3 category (far from people) unless you obtain the A2 CofC qualification (costs about £250 at time of writing) which will allow you to fly it in the A2 category but limited to 50m from people so would be very difficult to conduct residential roof surveys with this. After the 1st of July 2022 you will only be able to use this drone in the A3 category.

Crikey, my head's hurting already!

Would having a GVC make any difference to how you could use a legacy drone?

I used to do a lot of aerial survey/imagery work but had two big engines & propellors back then! Quite interested in drones (coz fun toy!) for photography but if I get started I'm sure some of my contacts will be asking me to do roof surveys etc so I need to make sure it's on a kosher, legal footing.

Also, anyone got recommendations or otherwise on Helliguys or UAVHub, they seem to be the main players I'm lookign at for certifications at the moment.

[rst99]

Heliguy and UAVHub are reputable outfits. I would also add Coptrz and Halodrone into that category.

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Thanks RST, I'll take a look at their sites too.