Only had the Mavic Pro drone for a couple of days. Spent one evening watching a bunch of helpful YouTube videos and then took to the air yesterday for the first time. So far very impressed and photos and video are pretty impressive!
I am a keen photographer so bought to support that hobby rather than directly for drone flying.
In Sep 2017 I bought the drone in its standalone offering as was reduced by £150 on the day. I see that today it is closer to £200 off at just over £900... oh well. The drone only pack comes with one battery and 6 pairs of propellers (i.e. two spares). It also has the remote control, battery charger and required cables etc. The price reduction meant better value to avoid the fly more bundle which I was thinking of buying, as that package had not been reduced.
To supplement my purchase I bought a non-branded case for about £20. The leg extenders for about £5 that many online reviews say are almost essential, two extra batteries (one for £85 and two days later the other for £80. I also bought a couple of cheap filters on Ebay for about £15, and a full set of spare rotor blades for £16. For my needs that is a more useful (self-styled) bundle than the fly more package, and at today's prices would be about £1,125, so about £225 lower than the cost of the fly more package. For this saving I have a couple of different (and in my view essential) extras, and importantly still have a couple of spare batteries (same as fly more), a good carry bag and the same number of spare rotor blades as "fly more".
It means I do not have the in-car battery charger and the dock to attach 4 batteries to (which charges them one after the other). I doubt I will need these, but will buy later if I regret not having them.
After watching some crash videos today, I have bought some rotor protectors today for just a few quid, just to give some extra peace of mind while a beginner (I am a complete novice to drone or RC flying).
Before I took the drone out yesterday for a test, I checked out insurance. You are invited by DJI to take out a form of insurance for £99 if bought within 48h of activating the drone. I think it covers up to 2 replacements for accidental destruction, but you also pay a sub £100 fee at the time of needing a replacement. I think it also covers repairs. It has some exclusions... I nearly bought this for peace of mind, but first called my home insurer Aviva to see if the Mavic is covered on my policy, as had read many insurers exclude drones. They confirmed it is covered, which is great. They cover for personal liability to others up to a policy limit on insurance schedule, and as I have the optional personal possessions cover and because the drone is under £2000 in value, they confirmed I am covered for accidental damage, theft and even loss. My renewal is coming up so I paid about £1 extra pm on my premium to reduce my policy excess from £200 to £100 and I already have NCD Protection on the policy. I think this is good value and a credit to Aviva. They did say (on the phone) that it does not cover business use or if used in breach of CAA regulations, which seems not unreasonable.
Moving on to my test flight. I was a bit nervous and stuck with starting in beginners mode. I found it incredibly easy to fly and went out to an empty field to practise. I will practise flying a few more times before getting stuck into the photo and video side of things in a meaningful way.
I nearly knocked 1 star off for some hassles I had in pre-flight set ups, but each time YouTube videos came to my rescue!
I might update my review after a bit more use.
Overall very pleased and impressed so far...
Still think the drone is great after a few months. I have uploaded a few example photos taken with it.
Top reviews from other countries
Richard D
Great drone (so far) and made up my own bundle for what I think was better value than "fly more" package
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2017
Richard D
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2017
I am a keen photographer so bought to support that hobby rather than directly for drone flying.
In Sep 2017 I bought the drone in its standalone offering as was reduced by £150 on the day. I see that today it is closer to £200 off at just over £900... oh well. The drone only pack comes with one battery and 6 pairs of propellers (i.e. two spares). It also has the remote control, battery charger and required cables etc. The price reduction meant better value to avoid the fly more bundle which I was thinking of buying, as that package had not been reduced.
To supplement my purchase I bought a non-branded case for about £20. The leg extenders for about £5 that many online reviews say are almost essential, two extra batteries (one for £85 and two days later the other for £80. I also bought a couple of cheap filters on Ebay for about £15, and a full set of spare rotor blades for £16. For my needs that is a more useful (self-styled) bundle than the fly more package, and at today's prices would be about £1,125, so about £225 lower than the cost of the fly more package. For this saving I have a couple of different (and in my view essential) extras, and importantly still have a couple of spare batteries (same as fly more), a good carry bag and the same number of spare rotor blades as "fly more".
It means I do not have the in-car battery charger and the dock to attach 4 batteries to (which charges them one after the other). I doubt I will need these, but will buy later if I regret not having them.
After watching some crash videos today, I have bought some rotor protectors today for just a few quid, just to give some extra peace of mind while a beginner (I am a complete novice to drone or RC flying).
Before I took the drone out yesterday for a test, I checked out insurance. You are invited by DJI to take out a form of insurance for £99 if bought within 48h of activating the drone. I think it covers up to 2 replacements for accidental destruction, but you also pay a sub £100 fee at the time of needing a replacement. I think it also covers repairs. It has some exclusions... I nearly bought this for peace of mind, but first called my home insurer Aviva to see if the Mavic is covered on my policy, as had read many insurers exclude drones. They confirmed it is covered, which is great. They cover for personal liability to others up to a policy limit on insurance schedule, and as I have the optional personal possessions cover and because the drone is under £2000 in value, they confirmed I am covered for accidental damage, theft and even loss. My renewal is coming up so I paid about £1 extra pm on my premium to reduce my policy excess from £200 to £100 and I already have NCD Protection on the policy. I think this is good value and a credit to Aviva. They did say (on the phone) that it does not cover business use or if used in breach of CAA regulations, which seems not unreasonable.
Moving on to my test flight. I was a bit nervous and stuck with starting in beginners mode. I found it incredibly easy to fly and went out to an empty field to practise. I will practise flying a few more times before getting stuck into the photo and video side of things in a meaningful way.
I nearly knocked 1 star off for some hassles I had in pre-flight set ups, but each time YouTube videos came to my rescue!
I might update my review after a bit more use.
Overall very pleased and impressed so far...
Still think the drone is great after a few months. I have uploaded a few example photos taken with it.
Images in this review
Mr Richard C Mangan
Novice flyer buys drone for family videos..... and loves the results.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2017
Frank Opinion
The fussiness of the app detracts from the flying experience IMHO
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2018R710
Best value drone on the market.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2017
Eva
Best drone on the market!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2018
Eva
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2018
Images in this review
