Quadcopters anyone?

I think I'd be too scared of the blades to do a hand landing haha

 

I had a Phantom 4 Advanced, returned it after the latest FW update screwed it up (gimbal issues, known problem) and decided to hold off until they got it sorted out. I bought the Spark Flymore Combo. The range hasn't been an issue, 1.2 miles is a long distance for such a little bird. I considered the Mavic and will probably still buy one down the road. I like the Spark so much I bought a second one to take with me to work during the day to use for inspections and break time fun.

Things to consider:
The Spark and the Mavic share the same Sony IMX377CQT image sensor. The spark doesn't do 4K video because DIS cropping for the yaw stabilization. They both shoot identical stills and honestly, the image quality seems better on the Spark for some reason.

The Spark is small, easy to transport, even more than the Mavic. It's crazy small.

The Spark is just as stable in high winds as the Mavic.

The only downside is battery life, but the batteries are relatively cheap compared to Mavic and Phantom batteries.

Just things to consider.

 

Both taken with the Spark.

 

First picture is awesome. Second... eh... not so much. There are limitations to what the Spark can do.

 

It's not hard. I had to do it in Colorado as there was nowhere to land safely.

 

Spark has been more than enough for me. I mean if you're trying to be all photographer mode, then yeah maybe fork up the money for mavic. But I'm completely happy with the spark.

 

Don't listen to sparky over here. Get the mavic. This was my first real drone and I was debating between it and the spark and just pulled the trigger on the mavic. I don't regret it at all. The longer battery time to me was worth it alone. I will say though that lesters spark was just as steady as my mavic when we were out in some decently windy areas.

 

Haha I was there just a few weeks ago too. I know exactly how you feel. I ended up with the mavic just because I didn't want to feel underwhelmed with the spark and want to upgrade later. @lesterb315 wont admit it on here, but he wants to upgrade to a mavic now too at some point. Both are great drones, but just know you'll be regarded less highly if you get the spark

 

I obviously can't speak to the spark and the picture quality, but here's a few of my pics from a trip last week. These aren't the best as I was having some camera troubles (operator error). But this is raw photo with no edits.

 

@Blackout14 I'll go through some of the stills I took earlier this week while filming a friend at the track

 

I'm simply saying that it depends on what they want. If they want to get into the editing and really care about the quality, then sure get the mavic. But if they want a toy, and some pretty good quality pics (1080P) then the spark would suffice. I get about 2 miles of distance, with about 500ft up in the air. To me personally, that's enough. Not knocking on the mavic in any way, just saying.

(At the end of the day, they're all just toys unless you really need it for work)

 

That was from last week at Joshua tree. Not edited or anything.

P.s. I hate @uhplifted

 

See, you become a salty hater when you buy a spark. Don't be like Lester, @Blackout14 get a Mavic and be happy with yourself.

 

Pro-tip: Buy the Fly More, Mavic bundle, you get a car charger included so you can still charge it while driving.

 

That's all unedited photos too by the way. I don't have, and can't do any of that fancy shmancy stuff these other guys do.

 

You're going down the path of the spark. Don't do it! Turn around! But really, if you do decide to go Mavic, get the Fly More pack. You'll save like $100. The bag it comes with is however useless, you can't store the Mavic in there, but that's ok because I bought a better bag anyways. You get a total of 3 batteries, the car charger, a battery to USB charger which I thought would be stupid, but I've actually already used it a few times. You also get an extra set of props and I think some other stuff. It's well worth it.

 

Trust me, I was thinking the SAME thing just a few weeks ago when I was deciding what to get. But, you're going to want to get extra batteries anyways because 1 isn't enough. I want to get the 4th battery to fill up the slot in the bag, and it's really nice to be able to have 4. You could theoretically fly one to (almost) empty, put it on the charger, fly the 2-3 and your first battery will be at a full charge, if not almost 100% so you can just keep cycling, assuming you have a generator or whatever. Extra props you'll want eventually as well, and the car charger is nice to have. I know it's a lot to take in, but like I said, it really is worth it, and I don't regret it at all.

 

Once again, the mavic is badass, not denying that. I'm just saying the spark is good enough for me, and @uhplifted has seen that it handled the wind just fine.

 

Buy once, cry once. That's why I have Kings and a Mavic and not Billsteins and a spark