In December 2020 I finally got my DJI Mavic Mini 2. In this blog post I would like to share my opinion after 2 months of usage. Is it really the best beginners drone?
Fly More Combo
As you may know, you have 2 options: you can buy only the drone OR you can choose to buy the “Fly More Combo” package. I strongly advise you to buy the second one.
In the FMC package you’ll find 2 more batteries, 2 pairs of propellers, USB cable, screws, Two-Way Charging Hub, 18 W USB charger and carrying case.
With 1 battery you can fly up to 30min, which to be honest, can be “a little too little” sometimes, especially if you want to take your time to make some nice photos or videos. Also, the battery life depends on the temperature. More about this down below.
What I also appreciate is the Two-Way Charging hub and carrying case. I also changed the propellers after the second usage.
To sum it up, if you are deciding between drone only and Fly More Combo package, I definitely advise you to buy the latter. It is definitely worth it, as you will need everything this packages offers you!
Structure, sensors
As we all know by now, the drone is really small (Iphone size). It is also well made and it feels nice in the hands, but attention – you can’t fly it in rain or snow as some electrical parts are uncovered.
This drone doesn’t have obstacle avoidance, so you have to be really careful to not crash.
One thing you can change is the Auto RTH altitude. This means that in case the drone automatically comes back (RTH=return to home) because the signal is too low, it flies higher than the anticipated obstacles (like electrical installation on the roads). But other than that, you still have to be really careful while flying in general: move the camera up and down or turn around; also avoid sports mode if you do not feel it is safe enough.
Oh, and while the drone is automatically returning home, prepare for some loud alarm sound as if someone is going to die 😀
What I also like about the structure is the controller and phone position – which is above the controller and not under. The controller also works as power bank for your phone if you want.
Wind
As for wind conditions, I can confirm this drone can really withstand some pretty strong gusts of wind. On my first day of fyling it, it was pretty windy. We went out in 4 and everyone was surprised how the drone “didn’t feel” anything.
So yes, this drone was perfect for a beginner in wind conditions!
General usage and battery
I find the drone easy to use, everything is quite clear. One thing I didn’t see much people talk about is the IMU and compass calibration. I only went through the process one time before my first fly.
Battery life depends on the weather conditions. The colder it is, the less time you have. The first day I flied this drone I noticed the battery was consumed quite fast. On another day when the weather was better, I only needed 2 batteries of 3.
Winter conditions
As much as I know, DJI recommends to not fly under under 0°C.
I tested this drone on 930m of altitude with -1°C + wind
and
1600m of altitude with -10°C + wind.
On these numbers you must add 100m and lets say another -5°C because of higher altitude of flying and wind.
The drone didn’t have any problems. At the beginning I flied in sports mode, so the battery warmed up a little, then I changed to cinematic, just to make the videos I wanted but I never stopped. There were some wind warnings, but with lowering down I avoided the problem.
I still don’t recommend doing it, but only photography and video lovers can understand you just can’t resist not taking a picture with some nice landscape!
Picture and video quality
With this one I think everyone has their opinion. If you are choosing your drone based on the picture and video quality, I would advise you to watch some YT videos with comparisons. But still the advantage of this drone is the weight and law requirements in general. And I think the quality with this one just wins.
I never had any problems, my pictures and videos always turn out as expected. You can easily change the parameters on your screen whenever you want.
One additional thing I bought were the ND filters. More about this (for cameras, but works the same) here. In the future I will also write a review about these cheap filters from Amazon.
Price/quality
DJI Mavic Mini 2 Fly More Combo sells for 600€ which is 140€ more than drone and controller only. As I said in the beginning I think these 140€ are totally justified and it is worth it.
As for the picture and video quality and how it is manufactured, I still think it is worth it.
Beginners drone?
Read also: Beginners guide: learn basics of photography
One thing I would like to add is that in case you would like to start taking photos or do videos not only for you, but also for someone else, it is nice to know the basics of photography first. This way you avoid taking overexposed pictures for example, but you also save time.
It is nice to be quick in changing the available parameters. Imagine you are a beginner and maybe you don’t have enough time, the battery wasn’t fully charged, there is some wind, strong sun… Understanding the numbers on your phone screen and changing the parameters without even thinking about it, is a plus. This way you can fully concentrate on your composition, flying and creativity.
Recommend?
Shortly – yes. As a beginner I can confirm that this drone is a really good beginners drone and I am more than happy!
See more pictures and connect with me on Instagram.
