I bought my first camera drone – took it for a flight.
It was time to get myself a decent camera drone. I have always enjoyed shooting the kind of photographs that are not straightforward easy. So I sold some of my unused camera gear to fund this new flying camera gear.
A few friends told me it was about time that I got a drone.
At first, I didn’t know which drone to buy so I did a lot of research. I knew the large Phantom drones, but I needed something a bit more compact and easy to carry around.
I read a lot about the GoPro Karma since I already had a GoPro Hero 4. The Karma Grip was also tempting. But I become a skeptic when I read about their problems with the drone falling down. I guess they have fixed it now. The drone was also a little bit too big. It needed its own backpack. Smaller than the large DJI drones of course, but I was still not convinced.
Salvation
Then I come across another new DJI drone – the Mavic Pro and was instantly convinced. It was compact, but still large when the arms were folded out, it could film in 4K with a stabilized gimbal, a long flight range and so much more.
I looked at the Spark too but decided it was too small for my use.
Read about my current gear and where to buy the drone on my Gear page. I will write more articles about my favorite drone in a while.
Read: DJI Tello Review – Is it the perfect beginner drone?
Mavic Pro First Flight
What do you do when you get hold of a cool flying drone like this? You go outside and try it, of course! I took it to a local soccer field and a few fields. It was remarkably easy to fly.
Check out these images. Some of them could be more interesting, but it was my first attempt at drone photographing. What do you think?
See you again in my next post – when I took the drone for a practice trip over Kalvøya outside Sandvika.
View over Blommenholm towards Engervannet, Sandvika and the Oslofjord, 120 m up.
Playground
A river dividing two fields. Do you see the weird smile
Neighborhood
The local soccer field.
That’s right, I’m down there.
8 Comments
Wow. I’m really impressed with the image quality. I never thought of getting a picture drone but after reading this I’m really considering getting one. Going to check out gopro karma for sure!
Thanks, Barry! Yes, the quality is very good considering the small camera. With my drone, it can take pictures in RAW format (.dng) or .jpg in 4000×3000 and film in 4K. The drone is surprisingly stable as well, even if it is a bit windy. GoPro karma is a cool drone too if you already own a GoPro 4 camera. The included Karma Grip is also useful. However, I decided to go for the DJI Mavic Pro based on the fact that it was a little bit smaller and had a good track record of not falling down. That was a problem the Karma used to have. Andreas
The photos are stunning. How long does the Mavic Pro last per charge? I have never used a drone before but it does provide some exciting possibilities for unique shooting. You had me with the weird smile, I’m still trying to find it. 🙂
Hi Jude! Thanks for the comment. The battery on the Mavic Pro typically last for 25 minutes. When I bought the drone, I bought the Fly More package with 3 batteries. So when I’m out I can fly for over an hour if I change in between. When flying that long, even if I have 3 batteries, I need to make sure that the controller and my phone also have enough power, but that is easily covered with power banks. You can’t charge the phone when flying thou. Andreas
Hi there, I like those pics. You live in a beautiful region. Crazy smile but there are some amazing colors in that photo.
I see some square structure over your pics, why is that?
I’d love to do some shooting like that. I’ll follow you for now.
See you, Stefan
Hi! Thanks for the comment and follow. 🙂 By square structures, do you mean the logo watermark? I have placed a logo on all pictures so people can see where it comes from if they use them on their own blog. I have written a Terms of Use page with detailes about using the photos and I hope they will spread around. Andreas
Hi Andreas,
I think drones are so darn cool the images they capture are amazing.
I am considering purchasing one soon just for fun. Forgive my knowledgeless about drones. LOL
I do have a question. I know drones can take pictures but can you see what you are flying over when it’s up in the air?
I would love to see the images while I am flying it around.
So very cool
Ann
Hi! Thanks for your question! Great question for sure. With my DJI Mavic Pro I can see whatever the drone sees on my smartphone attached to the remote controller. That way you can perfectly compose the picture the way you want. It is the same with DJI Spark, Air and Mavic Pro Platinum. My drone has a range of 5 km with video transmission, which is pretty impressive. Andreas