DJi Mavic VS Solo VS other ..

ingearx · Oct 1, 2016

in short, I am new to drones ...

as I wrote here backpacking .. removing / attaching legs? I am backpacking and packability and weight are primary concerns

I am thinking of buying one or another

is there any good site / page / store that will list all the features for a side by side comparison?

I see with Solo I am sacrificing range 0.7 miles VS 4.7 miles that of a Mavic but I am not sure if I really need that ... hmm I likely would love the range ... get much crazier shots ... I will mostly be filming in outdoors nature ... or from city rooftops ...

I see that I will get a better video with Solo using my GoPro vs DJi Mavic

the weight of the Solo is about 3.4 lbs VS Mavic at 1.2 lbs or so BUT considering ALL my other weight this is not so significant ...

the carrying size is somewhat of a significance .. seems like Mavic I can grab with me all the time .. in a day pack without a care and have it lift off in no time ... resulting in filming VS not filming ... such convenience is of a serious consideration ...

I am not sure about

the controls / remote of each...

the software / features / options / possibilities

===========================

the BestBuy $400 price for a SOLO sure is attractive 3DR - Solo Drone - Black

and I have a few GoPros to attach to it ...

===========================

here is DJi Mavic for $999 DJI - Mavic Pro Quadcopter with Remote Controller - Gray

another consideration is DJi Mavic has accidental protection $99 they have

DJI Care Refresh

A new optional protection plan, DJI Care Refresh, is available in select countries and provides peace of mind for Mavic Pro owners. DJI Care Refresh covers accidental damage to the Mavic Pro aircraft, gimbal or camera during normal use for up to 12 months, and for an additional charge will offer up to two full replacements that are new or equivalent to new. DJI Care Refresh is available for $99 before a new Mavic Pro is activated, or within the first 48 hours after activation.

For additional information, please contact:

Adam Najberg, DJI Global Communication Director – [email protected]

- DJI Revolutionizes Personal Flight With New Mavic Pro Drone

I suppose it would not cover a lost / fly away at drones fault (sometimes they just fly away south to drone land, never to return)

===========================

what is your take on this?

what am I forgetting to consider?

please advise ...

thank you ...

Perry Lawrence · Oct 3, 2016

I did bit of research into this and created a table of most of the pertinent specs. I'd love it if anyone would point out the errors. I got most of the info off the interwebs.
Download

And for more of an opinion drawn from those specs, and owning a Solo, here you go.

Considering Karma, Solo and Mavic:
If you want good video quality, Solo or Karma.
If you want ultimate portability, Mavic.
If you want Follow me, Solo or Mavic.
If you want cinematic moves, Solo.
If you want fastest. Solo.
If you want max range, Mavic.
If you want obstacle avoidance, Mavic
If you want smallest controller, Mavic.
If you want longest Flight times, Mavic.
If you want a hand held gimbal, Karma.
If you already have a GoPro and want to save some $, Solo.
If you want to have your choice of control software, Solo has 3DR app, Solex, and Tower. Mavic has 1 to date and Karma has 1 with a closed system (no app, dedicated hardware).

GoPro Care will be $149 for 2 years for Karma.

Accidental Damage coverage (We'll send you a replacement for $199.)
Replacement parts (Propellers, arms, and landing gear can be replaced and are included with your coverage.)
and a few others https://shop.gopro.com/goprocare

DJI Care Refresh is $99 for undisclosed period. Also see this faq:

DJI Care Refresh is bound to the aircraft’s S/N. If you want to replace your aircraft, contact DJI Support via phone, email, or live chat. Then send your aircraft to a designated DJI repair center under the instruction of DJI Support staff. Our repair staff will conduct damage assessment and send you a repair invoice. After receiving the invoice, you can either choose to repair your aircraft for the quoted price or replace the aircraft under DJI Care Refresh. You will receive a brand new or refurbished unit after paying the service charge specified in your DJI Care Refresh Service Agreement. The replacement’s S/N will be automatically bound to your DJI Care Refresh plan.

With DJI's package there is no indication of what the "service charge" will be. Basically, the DJI Care Refresh is an extended warranty. You will still pay for replacements and repairs. It's confusing at best. DJI Care Refresh - comprehensive warranty for your Mavic

3DR Customer Support - not sure if this is still in effect, but if your Solo flies away and it is determined that it was the Solo's fault (and not operator error), 3DR will replace it and your Hero. Again, not sure if this is still in effect - can someone confirm please. The only thing I can find on the site is the 30 day guarantee and warranty. Warranty time frame is not listed. There is a $50 inspection fee. http://3dr.com/sales/

User Name · Oct 3, 2016

Perry Lawrence said:
I did bit of research into this and created a table of most of the pertinent specs. I'd love it if anyone would point out the errors. I got most of the info off the interwebs.

Just to note - Mavic's 27 minute flight time is "in the lab under optimum conditions", according to DJI's own marketing, so your table compares no-likely-to-be-obtained flights times for the Mavic and real-world flight times for the Solo. Now I'm not suggesting the Mavic still won't have quite a bit longer flight times compared to the Solo, but it won't be as much as the marketing would have people believe.

Also, the Karma shouldn't have GPS listed as NA, it surly does have GPS, so it's probably better to list it as type-unknown or GPS with an * indicating that it's unknown what it might support beyond that.

Perry Lawrence · Oct 3, 2016

User Name said:
Just to note - Mavic's 27 minute flight time is "in the lab under optimum conditions", according to DJI's own marketing, so your table compares no-likely-to-be-obtained flights times for the Mavic and real-world flight times for the Solo. Now I'm not suggesting the Mavic still won't have quite a bit longer flight times compared to the Solo, but it won't be as much as the marketing would have people believe.

Also, the Karma shouldn't have GPS listed as NA, it surly does have GPS, so it's probably better to list it as type-unknown or GPS with an * indicating that it's unknown what it might support beyond that.

Changed GPS on Karma to Unknown.

Mavic's flight times are interesting. They list longer flight times for moving forward vs hovering because DJI says "optimized for forward flight". Also, they have 21 as Normal Flight. Changed to this.
Solos 15 minutes was interesting to me as 3DR states that is "with payload" and the gimbal and camera count as the payload.

Thanks!

PdxSteve · Oct 3, 2016

Hovering consumes the most. Hover solo and it's the same vs slowly flying around at like 15mph. "optimized for forward flight" is marketing hype that means nothing. All quads perform better when moving vs hovering. It has to do with prop wash.

Thorsg1 · Oct 9, 2016

Perry Lawrence said:
I did bit of research into this and created a table of most of the pertinent specs. I'd love it if anyone would point out the errors. I got most of the info off the interwebs.
Download

And for more of an opinion drawn from those specs, and owning a Solo, here you go.

Considering Karma, Solo and Mavic:
If you want good video quality, Solo or Karma.
If you want ultimate portability, Mavic.
If you want Follow me, Solo or Mavic.
If you want cinematic moves, Solo.
If you want fastest. Solo.
If you want max range, Mavic.
If you want obstacle avoidance, Mavic
If you want smallest controller, Mavic.
If you want longest Flight times, Mavic.
If you want a hand held gimbal, Karma.
If you already have a GoPro and want to save some $, Solo.
If you want to have your choice of control software, Solo has 3DR app, Solex, and Tower. Mavic has 1 to date and Karma has 1 with a closed system (no app, dedicated hardware).

GoPro Care will be $149 for 2 years for Karma.

Accidental Damage coverage (We'll send you a replacement for $199.)

Replacement parts (Propellers, arms, and landing gear can be replaced and are included with your coverage.)

and a few others https://shop.gopro.com/goprocare

DJI Care Refresh is $99 for undisclosed period. Also see this faq:

DJI Care Refresh is bound to the aircraft’s S/N. If you want to replace your aircraft, contact DJI Support via phone, email, or live chat. Then send your aircraft to a designated DJI repair center under the instruction of DJI Support staff. Our repair staff will conduct damage assessment and send you a repair invoice. After receiving the invoice, you can either choose to repair your aircraft for the quoted price or replace the aircraft under DJI Care Refresh. You will receive a brand new or refurbished unit after paying the service charge specified in your DJI Care Refresh Service Agreement. The replacement’s S/N will be automatically bound to your DJI Care Refresh plan.

With DJI's package there is no indication of what the "service charge" will be. Basically, the DJI Care Refresh is an extended warranty. You will still pay for replacements and repairs. It's confusing at best. DJI Care Refresh - comprehensive warranty for your Mavic

3DR Customer Support - not sure if this is still in effect, but if your Solo flies away and it is determined that it was the Solo's fault (and not operator error), 3DR will replace it and your Hero. Again, not sure if this is still in effect - can someone confirm please. The only thing I can find on the site is the 30 day guarantee and warranty. Warranty time frame is not listed. There is a $50 inspection fee. Returns, Repairs, Replacements, and Refunds | 3DR - Drone & UAV Technology

Here's the warranty page for Solo as well as links for support. It's still one year:

Hardware Warranty | 3DR - Drone & UAV Technology

Crisp Rice · Oct 9, 2016

I use my drone for stills and video, I do not fly it for joy of flying nor do I fly it high and far, or for that matter very long. I need a good camera and I need portability, solo was small enough barely, wife would have liked it to be smaller for travelling.

I have literally one single feature that I need in a drone - boat mode.

Is there any official statement from GP that the Karma can by flown from a moving surface (boat mode)? One of the promotional videos shows it taking off from a Kayak, so the implication is "yes". I have been researching but haven't found confirmation.

I flew my Solo off my boat many times with no problem until one day it had a compass/gps error (proven by telemetry logs I uploaded to this site). It did the classic lateral flyaway after refusing to shut off after landing, and on into the lake. 3DR refused to take responsibility due to my initializing the drone on a moving surface.

Since it is possible that the Karma (in the video) was initialized on land first and then flown from the kayak, I am a bit nervous about making any assumptions. Suffice to say that I will buy the drone (Karma, mavic, etc?) that allows for boat mode, since 75% of my flights were from my boat, as I primarily use the drone for photography, especially aerial panoramas and tinyplanet.

Any feedback would be welcome, additionally I am wondering if there are any drones with good cameras that support boat mode?

Yusri32 · Jul 5, 2017

I can share my experience of using DJI Mavic Pro. I bought this drone around three months ago from www.aeromotus.com After Phantom 3S, this drone seems to be very small. Yet still, its size doesn't mean that the drone lacks features. It features a 4K UHD camera on a 3-axis gimbal. The drone can speed up to 65 km/h. MAvic has an obstacle avoidance system and active tracking options.The quadcopter is small but vey powerful. The flight time is approximately 25 minutes, but several additional batteries can improve it.
I can't tell anything about other drones, but this one completely satisfies my demands.

Vimlossus · Jul 6, 2017

I use my Mavic for personal project, and the Solo for my company work. I can without a doubt say that I am much more confident in the Mavic not having any issues at all, and always returning to me after a flight than I am of the Solo.

The Solo with GoPro will take better pictures and video.

Mavic and Solo both have multiple apps that can run them. I use Litchi on my Mavic, and Tower and Site Scan on the Solo. Litchi is by far the easiest to use, and I know it will perform the mission without hesitation, and again, will always come back home.

Range and connection is better on Mavic than the Solo. I do not do a lot of long range flying, but I would like to have more than 1,000ft of distance before a RTH is initiated.

They both have their plusses and minuses, and they both do different things in terms of features. You really need to determine what you need and make a decision for yourself.

Z953 · Jul 7, 2017

Or be like the both of us and have both.

Vimlossus said:
I use my Mavic for personal project, and the Solo for my company work. I can without a doubt say that I am much more confident in the Mavic not having any issues at all, and always returning to me after a flight than I am of the Solo.

The Solo with GoPro will take better pictures and video.

Mavic and Solo both have multiple apps that can run them. I use Litchi on my Mavic, and Tower and Site Scan on the Solo. Litchi is by far the easiest to use, and I know it will perform the mission without hesitation, and again, will always come back home.

Range and connection is better on Mavic than the Solo. I do not do a lot of long range flying, but I would like to have more than 1,000ft of distance before a RTH is initiated.

They both have their plusses and minuses, and they both do different things in terms of features. You really need to determine what you need and make a decision for yourself.