So after 2 weeks waiting, some of us are now actually flying and trying the Mini out.
Thought I’d fire up a new thread for actual opinons on it, as the ‘Waiting for it’ thread has passed 400 posts.
Anyway, my thoughts? Lightweight to the point of flimsy; does the job; probably won’t handle wind very well and a barebones app with a fraction of the funcations. But good signal, flies steady and takes good photos and video.
It’s half the Mavic Air, but it’s also half the price. So can’t complain too much…
Great video as usual Ian. I’d watched your smooth camera settings video before my first Mavic Mini flight on Wednesday.
I found some settings in DJI Fly under Control, scroll down to Gimbal and there’s a separate advanced link next to the heading on the right. I think it was in there, not sure, but there’s definitely a speed control for the gimbal as I set mine so that it slows down to a stop when rotating.
It appears that you can cache maps. Initially I didn’t think you could, but this evening I spent some time panning and zooming all over my local area while the drone was powered up and connected. I then shut everything down and force-closed the app. Then switched to airplane mode and fired everything up again. I could still pan and zoom to my local area that I had cached. Zoomed waayyyyy out here, but it let me zoom right in no probs:
The number of sats displaying in red / white is very inconsistent.
Here we have 11 sats locked on, yet still showing red, with a caution:
Now I have 8 sats locked on, yet good to go apparently
There is NO option to unlock NFZ areas on the map. And if you go to DJI FlySafe you’ll see the Mini is not even listed It could come in the future I guess, but for now, you’re NOT taking off in those blue zones
A few quickshot modes exist, sadly a 360° pano is not one of them
The cable that connects the remote to the phone is very thin and flimsy looking. I worry for it’s longevity. To the point where this evening I just ordered one of these as a just-in-case:
The batteries discharge after 10 days. There is no option to change this. Wasn’t this the case with the Mavic 2 on launch too? Did they ever put an option in the GO4 app to change that?
Having now read the manual, flying in temperatures between -5C to +5C it’s recommend to hover for a while after take off to warm the battery up a bit.
The remote controller has a battery capacity of 2600 mAh and a maximum run time of 4.5 hours when using an iOS device.
Android fans, cover your eyes
You guys can expect your Mavic Mini remote battery to only last 1 hour and 40 minutes
I’m guessing this is due to the way Android devices handle USB charging?
Either way, it’s one thing us Apple fanbois actually have over you guys, so I’m gonna milk that right here and now.
1hr 40mins
Moving on…
As there is no physical sport mode switch on the side of the RC, you can press the RTH button once to cancel quick shots. Is this the case on the Mavic Air or Spark? I’m guessing you could also use this to exit Litchi missions in the future?
Not sure if the Mini has Precision Landing? I only tried RTH once but didn’t pay much attention to where it actually landed. Has anyone tested PL properly?
The manual recommends calibrating the compass if you’re more than 31 miles from your last flight, or if it’s been over 30 days since your last flight. WTF is that all about?
I’ll try another update in a month or so after more “real world” use.
At this stage, would I recommend the Mini?
It’s actually pretty good, especially considering it’s size.
It struggles in the wind, and it struggles with WiFi interference. If these are likely to affect you, I’d probably not recommend it.
If those two factors are not an issue, then sure, why not? Especially as a first drone, it could be ideal.
The major down side for me as an ‘advanced hobbyist’ is the simplicity and lack of features / control within the DJI Fly app (and a lack of RAW photos). But we knew that already, right?
Overall I like the the mini. But being a total newbie to drones, I’d like to see 1) a proper manual for all the hardware stuff. Heck it’s got buttons on the antenna side but what are they for?
2) the mobile phone compatibility issue really needs addressing
3) a quick start tutorial/leaflet doesn’t quench my thirst for more in depth questions
Only my 2p’s worth
@PingSpike Outstanding summary Rich. When I did the precision landed it was around 1 metre off. Off the table though…
My RTH seems to be set to 30m. Will double check that this weekend. What do you mean by a boot (PITA)? What is a pita, apart from a tasty post-beer late night snack?
Glad you IOS lot finally, finally, have a little bit of superior functionality to enjoy; will be especially useful if you get those 4th, 5th and 6th batteries.
PITA is an FLA - four letter acronym - referring to, for example, the writer of the National Trust bye-laws, the bloke down the pub who insists all drones should be banned or a GADC member who writes a smart-arse answer to a simple question
And whilst we’re on it, I did a full throttle non-stop flight in P-Mode going round and round just to see how much a high speed flight eats into your battery.
Quite a bit, but it’s still impressive I think…
3rd time today I had the mini out. Since I’m a total beginner in the world of drones, let me just say that, after a few hiccups (of my own making) I have now a really good drone (the only one 3ver!!).
Having overcome initial probs with sd card, mobile phone issues and finally reading some of the proper manual, I went out this morning and paid 20 quid for a Sandisk Extreme card and bingo, it all went well and I’m falling for this drone thing big style!! Will put my 3rd (recorded) flight into drone video section just now. Back to the manual tomorrow morning to check out the circle and helix functions.
Thanks to all of you for all the help and advice given so far!! Also have to go get 2 more batteries and this charger hub thingy. (Should have bought the combo in the first place!!)
Love mine, totally!! Only time I’m leaving it at home is when it need charging (only 1 battery).
Since I’m new to this, my videos are C-mode and deaf slow. But I’m just gonna keep practising!!!
(Just put one of this morning into “videos by drone”)
This is great! I saw a YouTube vid a couple of days ago about the Mini manoeuvring through small spaces and I’m hoping to do some myself (once I get some flight confidence).
It could come in the future I guess, but for now, you’re NOT taking off in those blue zones 
Did they ever put an option in the GO4 app to change that?
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