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Anafi vs Mavic 2 and older Mavics

dmbrody

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Assuming the Mavic 2 is stable and all the promised features work, then *in my opinion, for my personal needs* the Anafi falls somewhere between a Mavic Pro Platinum and a Mavic 2. Of course this is speculation based on the Mavic 2 specs. For video quality specifically, the Anafi probably falls between the Mavic Air and the Mavic 2 Pro. I’m sure the Mavic 2 Zoom will be better video quality as well, but the Zoom’s sensor is smaller than the Anafi and I will have to see actual footage first. (FYI: Mavic Air video quality is better than Mavic Pro). I’m not factoring in price, which leans heavily in the Anafi’s direction.

Easier and quicker to deploy.
I just spent about 10 days in Iceland using both the Anafi and the Mavic Air. What I most liked about the Anafi is the ease and speed with which it can be deployed. It unfolds MUCH more easily, and there aren’t a lot of bits and bobs and cables to keep track of in your bag. It’s also pretty **** hard to beat launching the Anafi from a car window. It’s not just the drone itself that’s easier to deploy. The Anafi controller (while chunky) is much easier to open up and get running. The double fold away arms on Mavic controllers, and the way you slot your phone into them got pretty annoying a couple days in. By the end of the trip, I found myself using the Anafi almost exclusively - mostly out of sheer laziness. I was exhausted and it was just so much easier to unpack and deploy the Anafi. (The Mavic 2 looks to be basically the same as the Pro or Air as far as deploying the drone and the controller).

Prefer the form factor when packed away. Pack weight matters to me.
I prefer that the Anafi is much lighter and has a thinner/narrower profile when packed away. The controller is big and chunky when it comes to packing, but I found a spot at the top of my pack for it. Less bits and bobs to keep track of for the Anafi.

Video quality (EIS issue).
The Anafi video quality is superior to the Mavic Air and the Mavic Pro, at least for the scenes and the lighting conditions I shot. The weakness is the electronic image stabilization on the pan axis, BUT this was really only a factor in strong gusty winds doing pans and orbits. It’s not very noticeable on a phone, but you see ghosting from the EIS on a bigger screen. So even though the Anafi does seem to have better wind resistance overall, the usefulness of that (for video) is somewhat mitigated by the EIS.

Flight performance/settings for smooth video.
Default settings on the Anafi are WAY, WAY, WAY better than any DJI drone I’ve ever flown, from the Air to the M600. It allows you to fly nice and smooth right out of the box. Orbits by hand are so much easier. No need to bother setting up a POI. It’s not like I don’t have my DJI drones dialed in for smooth flight. I’ve spent a ton of time tweaking them over years. So I was really surprised how much more easily I could get smooth video and pull off complex flight maneuvers right out of the box on the Anafi, even compared to my carefully tweaked Mavic Air settings.

Settings in one place.
Even better, the settings are much easier to tweak because they are all on one screen. With DJI Go you have to pop in and out of 2 or 3 tabs, drilling down multiple levels in each, to adjust gains and expos. Even if you know what your doing, it’s still hard to nail it. With the Anafi, everything from flight performance to gimbal settings are all in one place.

Conclusion.
So the Mavic 2 Pro with the hasselblad camera is probably going to be amazing for video. The Mavic 2 Zoom is something I’m a little less confident in. We will see. Considering that you get the same zoom features on the Anafi, the 180degree gimbal tilt with no props, and very smooth flight performance for video straight out of the box... for a lot less money, then I guess it really come down to how important the obstacle avoidance is to you. If you are like me and tend to turn it off, then the Anafi at a significantly lower price point is probably a much better purchase than the Mavic 2 Zoom. But if video quality and the ability to adjust your appeture to help you get the right exposure are important, then the Mavic 2 Pro might be well worth the extra money.

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents. I left a lot out but this post is overly long and I should stop. Lol.

Edit: added headings in bold.
 
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My 2 cents.......the Anafi will not even come close to a Hasselblad camera. Nor will the Autel EVO. Both bargain bin UAV's after DJI's announcement.
 
My 2 cents.......the Anafi will not even come close to a Hasselblad camera. Nor will the Autel EVO. Both bargain bin UAV's after DJI's announcement.
If I implied that the Anafi camera would come close to the one inch sensor Hasselblad, then it was unintentional. The Zoom camera will likely be better too, even though the sensor is slightly smaller than the Anafi’s. But as I think I said in the original post, I’ll need to see some Zoom footage first.
 
My 2 cents.......the Anafi will not even come close to a Hasselblad camera. Nor will the Autel EVO. Both bargain bin UAV's after DJI's announcement.

And with DJI big brother software, that Hasselblad camera won't get airborne in a lot of areas that responsible drone pilots should be able to fly. I guarantee you I could shoot with both and after delivering final files you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It's about the artist not the specs.
 
If I implied that the Anafi camera would come close to the one inch sensor Hasselblad, then it was unintentional. The Zoom camera will likely be better too, even though the sensor is slightly smaller than the Anafi’s. But as I think I said in the original post, I’ll need to see some Zoom footage first.

There are some clips you can play with here: https://www.tomstechtime.com/dronefootage

Regards Leif.
 
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And with DJI big brother software, that Hasselblad camera won't get airborne in a lot of areas that responsible drone pilots should be able to fly. I guarantee you I could shoot with both and after delivering final files you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It's about the artist not the specs.

Funny the admin of this group has several DJI UAV's and has said he has never had a problem with being able to fly his. He also mentioned that you only have to take updates if you want to. As for seeing a difference yes it all depends on your photography skills. If you are satisfied with not having the options to use when you do get better at your trade\hobby then yes the less expensive UAV's will suit you.
 
Funny the admin of this group has several DJI UAV's and has said he has never had a problem with being able to fly his. He also mentioned that you only have to take updates if you want to. As for seeing a difference yes it all depends on your photography skills. If you are satisfied with not having the options to use when you do get better at your trade\hobby then yes the less expensive UAV's will suit you.

Where the admin resides makes no difference to me. I care about where I live and where I have not been able to fly because of DJI big brother. As for options go I can get the results I need because I understand how to use the tools but if one needs more buttons and sliders as a crutch so be it. More options do not make you better. Often times less is more. Ironic your statement given your signature.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Where the admin resides makes no difference to me. I care about where I live and where I have not been able to fly because of DJI big brother. As for options go I can get the results I need because I understand how to use the tools but if one needs more buttons and sliders as a crutch so be it. More options do not make you better. Often times less is more. Ironic your statement given your signature.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
lol2.gif
 
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Funny the admin of this group has several DJI UAV's and has said he has never had a problem with being able to fly his. He also mentioned that you only have to take updates if you want to. As for seeing a difference yes it all depends on your photography skills. If you are satisfied with not having the options to use when you do get better at your trade\hobby then yes the less expensive UAV's will suit you.
Wow. Just wow.
 
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DMBRODY thanks for the real world comparison!

I'd be interested in reading about your workflow re batteries/charging, controller vs phone only (for us milligram counters), and file management in the field.

How often did you just take off and fly around, hoping for a shot, vs taking off only with a pre-planned shot in mind (due to limited battery life)?

Was aerial photography your main interest, or one of several tools for visual storytelling?

Everyone is busy, so no worries if that's asking too much.
 
DMBRODY thanks for the real world comparison!

I'd be interested in reading about your workflow re batteries/charging, controller vs phone only (for us milligram counters), and file management in the field.

How often did you just take off and fly around, hoping for a shot, vs taking off only with a pre-planned shot in mind (due to limited battery life)?

Was aerial photography your main interest, or one of several tools for visual storytelling?

Everyone is busy, so no worries if that's asking too much.
Sure, but definitely have to spend time with the kids this weekend. Been away a long time. I’ll circle back to this later. Quick answer though is I definitely bring the controller no matter what. Can’t imagine flying with just a phone.
 
Where the admin resides makes no difference to me. I care about where I live and where I have not been able to fly because of DJI big brother. As for options go I can get the results I need because I understand how to use the tools but if one needs more buttons and sliders as a crutch so be it. More options do not make you better. Often times less is more. Ironic your statement given your signature.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The I live in New York so there are many areas that are NFZ’s. If I needed to fly in one you can usually get it unlocked with DJI via the web site. Many people think a nearby airport will prevent them from flying, this is not necessarily true. A quick call to the tower to let them know your flight plans should do it. Unless you are trying to fly by prisons or critical infrastructier, there should be a solution. Also, what Augustine said about me is true, I have owned almost all models of Phantoms and several Mavic flavors. I only do the updates if I want to and have never had any NFZ issues. Where you live can certainly impact flying sites so maybe you live in a difficult area. Unfortunately without these NFZ’s built in, and the sheer volume of DJI sales, they do it to prevent careless operators from doing bad things. I too wish it was optional, but for all the benefits I get with DJI products, they are still my favorite. I do own other quads, some I built, some I bought. I enjoy them all.
 
Just got my Mavic 2 Pro today (with the Hasselblad). Surprised by the size. It’s huge. For a Mavic.

I’m too busy piling through recent footage to test the Mavic 2 out, but since this is a parrot forum, I should give some relevant feedback. On the positive side, I can definitely say the Anafi is clearly the lighter, smaller, easier to deploy drone. Compared to the Mavic 2, it’s in a completely different weight class. More in line with the Mavic Air in terms of size. Same goes for price.
 

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