The General Drone-Related Thread

Mavic Pro 3 due to be announced on 26th Sept apparently. Waiting for this one to see if it’s the first drone to carry a CE marking (crucial for the upcoming regs).

Really enjoying the Mini but longing for a better sensor. Apparently a 1” sensor to be expected on the new one.
 
Doug said:
Mavic Pro 3 due to be announced on 26th Sept apparently. Waiting for this one to see if it’s the first drone to carry a CE marking (crucial for the upcoming regs).

Really enjoying the Mini but longing for a better sensor. Apparently a 1” sensor to be expected on the new one.
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Already a 1" sensor on the Mavic Pro 2.

Dougie.
 
TCR4x4 said:
Well done, how hard was it?

Will you upgrade to the GVC in the future or can you fly on the pfco for the foreseeable?
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Not hard at all tbh.

Looks like I should be able to fly on my pfco indefinitely with the current rules, will convert it to a GVC if needed though
 
Doug said:
Mavic Pro 3 due to be announced on 26th Sept apparently. Waiting for this one to see if it’s the first drone to carry a CE marking (crucial for the upcoming regs).

Really enjoying the Mini but longing for a better sensor. Apparently a 1” sensor to be expected on the new one.
Click to expand...

If it doesn’t have a CE mark, then I can’t see it selling very well, as it will only be useable for a year or two. People will just wait for one that does.

And yes, the Mavic 2 pro has a 1 inch sensor and is superior to the sensors in the mini and Mavic air 2.
 
Some local lakes have a blue algae 'problem', I think it makes the photos stand out! These are pretty much straight out of the Mavic Mini, apart from clicking 'auto' in lightroom. Oh, and the large landscape shot was a 3 exposure stack.

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Doug said:
Some local lakes have a blue algae 'problem', I think it makes the photos stand out! These are pretty much straight out of the Mavic Mini, apart from clicking 'auto' in lightroom. Oh, and the large landscape shot was a 3 exposure stack.

AE95987507249B308801BF4B1A3FF45D-HDR-L.jpg


8DF6245C96216207DF1150E7A864D547-Edit-L.jpg


69810C7EACF56511C50793A1C3B8F834-Edit-L.jpg
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Am still too scared to fly over water!!
 
New Mavic Air 2 firmware is out. Gimbal smoothness controls added and in-camera digital zoom added
 
I've only had my mini just over a month now and i must say i'm loving it. I only bought it on a whim thinking id be selling it on a few weeks later, but here i am now contemplating a Mavic Air 2 as i'm really missing Raw capabilities.

Anyway, i bought a set of Skyreat nd/pl filters to get the right shutter speed for frame rate etc, but I'm wishing i'd just got straight up ND filters instead of nd/pl as they are just confusing matters for me. There's not much information on how to correctly use them. I understand what the polarising effect does and why you'd want it, but how do you set it correctly? The white line too, is that the polarising at is max, and if you turn it 90 degrees does it effectively turn the polarising effect off, which is what i want? If not is there a way to to just use them as straight up nd filters?

Its not helped that so far i've only used them in the evening when the suns setting so the light is constantly changing, i really need to try during the day i suppose. I also don't like turning the polariser once its on the gimbal as its constantly moving and i'm afraid i'll damage it, so i tend to set it before attaching and while the drone is turned off.

Anyone on here using nd/pl on their minis/airs etc i'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
If I am shooting video in good daylight I use an ND8 (3 stop) if it's in the morning or evening I normally just use the aperture to get the required shutter speed. If I am just shooting stills I don't use any ND as I want the shutter speed high to give me a sharper image.
 
ETA: Just tested it to be sure. 4k mode zoomed in to 2x still outputs as full 4k video.
 
With all the new Mavics released in the last year or so, is there still a demand for the DJI Phantom series?
I have a Phantom 4 that I have very rarely used.
I would love to go out shooting landscapes with my Sony gear but still be able to take drone footage as well.
At the moment I can either do one or the other so the Phantom gets left at home.
 
mstphoto said:
With all the new Mavics released in the last year or so, is there still a demand for the DJI Phantom series?
I have a Phantom 4 that I have very rarely used.
I would love to go out shooting landscapes with my Sony gear but still be able to take drone footage as well.
At the moment I can either do one or the other so the Phantom gets left at home.
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Probably not a huge amount, as the Mavics can do what the phantoms do in a much more transportable size.
There will be some people who still want them I’m sure, but I can imagine it would be harder to sell than a Mavic 2 for instance. Depends on the price I guess.
 
I'm thinking of going for the A2 COFC.
Has anyone done this? What is it like?
I'm not interested in commercial work, only to allow myself to fly with less restrictions.
Seems like I was late to the party of buying drones as the wave of upcoming rules and guidelines are going to seriously limit the sensible drone flyers.
 
wilt said:
I'm thinking of going for the A2 COFC.
Has anyone done this? What is it like?
I'm not interested in commercial work, only to allow myself to fly with less restrictions.
Seems like I was late to the party of buying drones as the wave of upcoming rules and guidelines are going to seriously limit the sensible drone flyers.
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Im in the process but yet to have the classroom part or test.
Pretty straight forward so far, the online classroom sort will have the meat of it, but judging by the revision material I have for afterwards, it seems pretty simple.
My classroom is in October and I’ll book the test shortly after.

You’ll be allowed to do commercial work anyway as its now one and the same, only restrictions are based on weight and drone type now regardless of commercial or personal.
 
cambsno said:
Am still too scared to fly over water!!
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I still don't like it - especially if you go over a cliff you couldn't even climb down, and suddenly it seems so far away.
In reality the real risk of somehow falling onto something valuable below is practically gone so shouldn't worry.
 
I've been considering buying a drone as I think I'd use it more than my dslr and it may encourage me to get out more again. Would I be better waiting though now with all of the changes due? I don't want to invest 1k+ to not then be able to use it in a matter of months.
Any advice would be great.
 
BigJohn said:
I've been considering buying a drone as I think I'd use it more than my dslr and it may encourage me to get out more again. Would I be better waiting though now with all of the changes due? I don't want to invest 1k+ to not then be able to use it in a matter of months.
Any advice would be great.
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The rules at the moment are fairly simple but I meet lots of people that don't understand them and just do what they want and there don't appear to be any consequences. The new EASA Regs. will create more rules and regulations adding to the confusion.

If you are just getting into drones and just want to fly a Mavic or similar I would just take the online government test and then get on with it. Because there appears to be is no enforcement, providing you don't do anything blatantly stupid or put anyone at risk you should be fine regardless of how the Regs. change.
 
Got my PFCO through yesterday, and I'm on holiday in Scotland.

National Trust Scotland have given me permission to fly at Staffa Island, which I'm really looking forward to! Just got to hope the weather holds for it
 
ah5168 said:
The rules at the moment are fairly simple but I meet lots of people that don't understand them and just do what they want and there don't appear to be any consequences. The new EASA Regs. will create more rules and regulations adding to the confusion.

If you are just getting into drones and just want to fly a Mavic or similar I would just take the online government test and then get on with it. Because there appears to be is no enforcement, providing you don't do anything blatantly stupid or put anyone at risk you should be fine regardless of how the Regs. change.
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Thanks, I think I'm more worried that come a few months time the apps may change and have sticker restrictions limiting your flights. This whole CE drone thing is going to be interesting anyhow. That's a European mark and as we'll no longer be in Europe will it still stand[emoji849]
 
Anyone has the motor speed error on their MM since the last FW update ? Only used the drone twice, updated the FW and got the dreaded error.

its stored correctly, not in a FM case. Can’t see any propellor damage or flattening..
 
BigJohn said:
Thanks, I think I'm more worried that come a few months time the apps may change and have sticker restrictions limiting your flights. This whole CE drone thing is going to be interesting anyhow. That's a European mark and as we'll no longer be in Europe will it still stand[emoji849]
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Yes because we will still follow EASA regs.. same as we will pretty much continue following every other EU regulation.
 
damianmkv said:
Anyone has the motor speed error on their MM since the last FW update ? Only used the drone twice, updated the FW and got the dreaded error.

its stored correctly, not in a FM case. Can’t see any propellor damage or flattening..
Click to expand...
Mine does this every time I fly it, after about 2-3 minutes in the air. I just ignore it. Once it lands it beeps until I turn it off. It's not dropped out the sky yet.

Came with spare props in the box and I've read that it could be that so I may try changing it this weekend and seeing what happens.
 
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BigJohn said:
Thanks, I think I'm more worried that come a few months time the apps may change and have sticker restrictions limiting your flights. This whole CE drone thing is going to be interesting anyhow. That's a European mark and as we'll no longer be in Europe will it still stand[emoji849]
Click to expand...


Errr, sorry to be a cynic, but DJI are a Chinese company. For the Chinese the CE mark stands for 'Chinese Export'. ;)
 
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damianmkv said:
Anyone has the motor speed error on their MM since the last FW update ? Only used the drone twice, updated the FW and got the dreaded error.

its stored correctly, not in a FM case. Can’t see any propellor damage or flattening..
Click to expand...

Yup, just replace the prop with the error. It flashes as it lands or slightly after. I didn't notice any damage but new props solved it straight away.
 
T_J_G said:
Yup, just replace the prop with the error. It flashes as it lands or slightly after. I didn't notice any damage but new props solved it straight away.
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I've just had this and re-installed the firmware and hovered it indoors for 5 mins with no error. I will try outside and see if it happens again though. If it does then i will change the props.
You say the props that need changing flash when landing, i'll have to look out for that as i never noticed it before.
 
doublemint76 said:
I've just had this and re-installed the firmware and hovered it indoors for 5 mins with no error. I will try outside and see if it happens again though. If it does then i will change the props.
You say the props that need changing flash when landing, i'll have to look out for that as i never noticed it before.
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It will go away for a bit then come back to haunt you!
 
Gary_Macleod said:
You're not alone
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I never understand the fear of flying over water.

If your drone falls out of the sky over land and it's more than say 10' in the air the damage will probably be terminal anyway. I am always pleased when I get a job flying over water as the the signal is generally very good and there's not normally anything to fly into.

The only ways I can see you would run into trouble is,

If you have poor batteries that unpredictably drop in voltage.

You are working with an off shore wind and underestimate the time and power it's going to take to get back to land. If your drone can fly at say 20 km/h and you fly 300m off shore with a 15 km/h tail wind it's going to take about 30 seconds to get out there, but once you turn round and head back into the wind it's going to take over 3.5 mins to get back to shore. It's best to try and work with an on shore wind or have a good idea how long it's going to take you to get back to shore.
 
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