A bit disappointed in my new Spark.

[Edslittleworld]

I have always been a Mavic lover, but it's just not as zippy as my old Parrot Bebop 2. I like low-altitude "barnstorming" and "strafing". So, I went into Best Buy to buy a Bebop 2 on sale for $499 and saw a special on the DJI Spark. So, I bought it as I've had good luck with DJI products.

Well...it's very cute. However, that's about it. What I don't like:

1) Video lagginess: I'm still using the WiFi link to the phone and it's VERY laggy.
2) Low range: The range is barely 2500 feet where my Mavic was well over 10,000 feet.
3) Banking: I don't like the severe "banking" image with the Spark.
4) Low light image quality: The image is extremely laggy in lower light conditions.
5) Video washout: The video doesn't seem to auto-adjust like the Mavic with regard to lighting.

I'm going to try the direct cable to the phone, but if it doesn't help with the lagginess and image quality...it's probably going back. Plus, I ordered some parabolic antenna boosters to try and improve the range.

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?

 

[The Editor]

I have always been a Mavic lover, but it's just not as zippy as my old Parrot Bebop 2. I like low-altitude "barnstorming" and "strafing". So, I went into Best Buy to buy a Bebop 2 on sale for $499 and saw a special on the DJI Spark. So, I bought it as I've had good luck with DJI products.

Well...it's very cute. However, that's about it. What I don't like:

1) Video lagginess: I'm still using the WiFi link to the phone and it's VERY laggy.
2) Low range: The range is barely 2500 feet where my Mavic was well over 10,000 feet.
3) Banking: I don't like the severe "banking" image with the Spark.
4) Low light image quality: The image is extremely laggy in lower light conditions.
5) Video washout: The video doesn't seem to auto-adjust like the Mavic with regard to lighting.

I'm going to try the direct cable to the phone, but if it doesn't help with the lagginess and image quality...it's probably going back. Plus, I ordered some parabolic antenna boosters to try and improve the range.

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?

Try an FPV racing platform which seems better suited to your demands.
The Spark is primarily a photographic/video platform not a zippy thing.

 

[RustyStainless]

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?[/QUOTE]

I have always been a Mavic lover, but it's just not as zippy as my old Parrot Bebop 2. I like low-altitude "barnstorming" and "strafing". So, I went into Best Buy to buy a Bebop 2 on sale for $499 and saw a special on the DJI Spark. So, I bought it as I've had good luck with DJI products.

Well...it's very cute. However, that's about it. What I don't like:

1) Video lagginess: I'm still using the WiFi link to the phone and it's VERY laggy.
2) Low range: The range is barely 2500 feet where my Mavic was well over 10,000 feet.
3) Banking: I don't like the severe "banking" image with the Spark.
4) Low light image quality: The image is extremely laggy in lower light conditions.
5) Video washout: The video doesn't seem to auto-adjust like the Mavic with regard to lighting.

I'm going to try the direct cable to the phone, but if it doesn't help with the lagginess and image quality...it's probably going back. Plus, I ordered some parabolic antenna boosters to try and improve the range.

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?

I agree about the video lagginess, and I've not really found the OTG cable to be a worthwhile addition.
However I disagree about the range - I regularly get 5800 feet bare and over 9000 with the antenna range extender - so yes get the antenna booster. Check this video for a comparision to your experience. Actually one thing I noticed is that the colour of my pants was way off, I think they look brown in the video but the true colour is a dark green.

 

[ageloreyes27]

Why do people keep comparing it to mavic? it never has and never will be..... its been classed as a different drone on it own.... you want mavic stats buy a mavic.......

 

[Lastrexking]

Very happy with mine. I read up and knew what I was buying.

 

[mmee]

Sounds like you made an impulse buy like we all do from time to time. The spark was meant for quick photography and videography. Definitely sounds like you'd get a kick out of an FPV racing quad.

 

[Hickeroar]

I have always been a Mavic lover, but it's just not as zippy as my old Parrot Bebop 2. I like low-altitude "barnstorming" and "strafing". So, I went into Best Buy to buy a Bebop 2 on sale for $499 and saw a special on the DJI Spark. So, I bought it as I've had good luck with DJI products.

Well...it's very cute. However, that's about it. What I don't like:

1) Video lagginess: I'm still using the WiFi link to the phone and it's VERY laggy.
2) Low range: The range is barely 2500 feet where my Mavic was well over 10,000 feet.
3) Banking: I don't like the severe "banking" image with the Spark.
4) Low light image quality: The image is extremely laggy in lower light conditions.
5) Video washout: The video doesn't seem to auto-adjust like the Mavic with regard to lighting.

I'm going to try the direct cable to the phone, but if it doesn't help with the lagginess and image quality...it's probably going back. Plus, I ordered some parabolic antenna boosters to try and improve the range.

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?

1) This is true of all DJI drones in my experience. The wifi connection introduces about 500ms of lag into the video feed..
2) It depends heavily on what you're flying around, and what the wifi signals in the area look like. Lots of wifi signals = decreased range. Lots of trees = decreased range. I fly around a lot of trees, and I only get about 700ft before I start to lose signal. If I have good line of sight it's far better.
3) The banking only happens in sport mode. This is intentional. Turn off sport mode to enable the gimbal to counteract the horizontal banking.
4) It's not really meant/built for low light conditions.
5) Change your white balance settings which will be on-screen in the DJI Go app. Auto white balance isn't super good at adjusting on the fly.

All that said, watching a few youtube videos or reading some reviews would have explained what the proper philosophy of use for the Spark is. It sounds like you went into it with some unrealistic expectations. You're not going to get a world class professional video drone in a tiny package for $500. Even a years old phantom 3 standard will take better quality video for the same price tag (it just comes with the obvious downsides of being large, requiring more setup for each use, etc). On the plus side, the Spark takes far better still images than the Phantom 3 does.

 

[Buddy411]

In sport mode, the Mavic will be as fast as the BeeBop 2.

 

[Sparkbart]

Nope, I knew exactly what I was buying when I bought the Spark. I didn't expect a Mini-Mavic or anything close. So I'm completely happy with my Spark and what it does. Distance? Thats why I have the Mavic and other drones, Image quality? I knew the Spark doesn't have the same camera as my Mavic let alone my Inspire, I knew it would require some fiddling to get a good image. For me its a quick and easy way to get some aerial footage when i don't want to "setup" my other drones to catch something quickly...

Now the Video lagginess, thats interesting. I have zero lag with or without the cable using my Ipad Mini 4. So there might be an issue there.

I have always been a Mavic lover, but it's just not as zippy as my old Parrot Bebop 2. I like low-altitude "barnstorming" and "strafing". So, I went into Best Buy to buy a Bebop 2 on sale for $499 and saw a special on the DJI Spark. So, I bought it as I've had good luck with DJI products.

Well...it's very cute. However, that's about it. What I don't like:

1) Video lagginess: I'm still using the WiFi link to the phone and it's VERY laggy.
2) Low range: The range is barely 2500 feet where my Mavic was well over 10,000 feet.
3) Banking: I don't like the severe "banking" image with the Spark.
4) Low light image quality: The image is extremely laggy in lower light conditions.
5) Video washout: The video doesn't seem to auto-adjust like the Mavic with regard to lighting.

I'm going to try the direct cable to the phone, but if it doesn't help with the lagginess and image quality...it's probably going back. Plus, I ordered some parabolic antenna boosters to try and improve the range.

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?

 

[suprPHREAK]

I feel like I got a mini Mavic, because the only reason I was looking at a Mavic was portability. Spark fits that desire very well.

 

[Edslittleworld]

1) This is true of all DJI drones in my experience. The wifi connection introduces about 500ms of lag into the video feed..
2) It depends heavily on what you're flying around, and what the wifi signals in the area look like. Lots of wifi signals = decreased range. Lots of trees = decreased range. I fly around a lot of trees, and I only get about 700ft before I start to lose signal. If I have good line of sight it's far better.
3) The banking only happens in sport mode. This is intentional. Turn off sport mode to enable the gimbal to counteract the horizontal banking.
4) It's not really meant/built for low light conditions.
5) Change your white balance settings which will be on-screen in the DJI Go app. Auto white balance isn't super good at adjusting on the fly.

All that said, watching a few youtube videos or reading some reviews would have explained what the proper philosophy of use for the Spark is. It sounds like you went into it with some unrealistic expectations. You're not going to get a world class professional video drone in a tiny package for $500. Even a years old phantom 3 standard will take better quality video for the same price tag (it just comes with the obvious downsides of being large, requiring more setup for each use, etc). On the plus side, the Spark takes far better still images than the Phantom 3 does.

Good reply. Thanks for your time to clarify.

To the other posters that say I cannot compare it to a Mavic, I'd say that you can as the Mavic is kind of the "gold standard" of very portable drones. It's near perfect...for what it is. In a way, either the Spark or a Mavic is a bit of a descretionary (or impulse) purchase as any of the newer Phantoms will outshine it from a purely photography standpoint. As I mentioned earlier, I was going to buy a Parrot Bebop for barnstorming. One day, I'll enter the world of racing drones...but they are in a league all their own with short battery life, no automatic controls, no RTH, no GPS, etc.

I'll probably still keep the Spark because it is amazingly small and is a great compromise with regards to performance vs compactness. I hope the OTG cord, antenna boosters and future software updates make an improvement. I do wish it was a bit quieter. I live in a crowded area and the less noise it makes the better. I am very curious to see how quiet the new Mavic props will be. Thanks, again!

 

[Sparkbart]

To say you can compare the Mavic to the Spark is weak comparison. Apples vs. Oranges, both fruit, but different enough. IMO, its like comparing a Toyota Prius to a Subaru STI. Sure, they are both cars; they get you from point A to point B, they carry passengers, etc, but they serve two different purposes and ways of doing it. Compare the Spark to the Yuneec Breeze or something like that and the Spark becomes the "Gold Standard".

Just because they are both drones capable of doing AP, doesn't put them in the same category...

Once you get into FPV Racing type drones, you're going to find like I have and several of my other friends we fly our AP drones less for "fun" and more for AP work/play. This doesn't mean I fly my AP drones less, just with more of a purpose...

Good reply. Thanks for your time to clarify.

To the other posters that say I cannot compare it to a Mavic, I'd say that you can as the Mavic is kind of the "gold standard" of very portable drones. It's near perfect...for what it is. In a way, either the Spark or a Mavic is a bit of a descretionary (or impulse) purchase as any of the newer Phantoms will outshine it from a purely photography standpoint. As I mentioned earlier, I was going to buy a Parrot Bebop for barnstorming. One day, I'll enter the world of racing drones...but they are in a league all their own with short battery life, no automatic controls, no RTH, no GPS, etc.

I'll probably still keep the Spark because it is amazingly small and is a great compromise with regards to performance vs compactness. I hope the OTG cord, antenna boosters and future software updates make an improvement. I do wish it was a bit quieter. I live in a crowded area and the less noise it makes the better. I am very curious to see how quiet the new Mavic props will be. Thanks, again!

 

[ageloreyes27]

Its a whole different platform un comparable....

Spark 1400 3s mah Mavic 3830mah 3s battery
spark 4730 props mavic 8330 props
spark 2 axis gimbal mavic 3 axis gimbal
spark 1080p mavik 4k

The list goes on and on..... Why would Dji produce another Mavic? thats what they have the mavic for.......

The mavic is seen as a cinematic platform where as the spark is advertised as a quick selfie drone you can use for family outings, holiday pictures etc etc

 

[Blue Baron]

Its a whole different platform un comparable....

Spark 1400 3s mah Mavic 3830mah 3s battery
...

What is the rationale to deny a comparison?
Of course, Spark and Mavic are in separate classes. Still, they can both be used for similiar use cases.

Just like Inspire 2 and Mavic. Different classes, still both being used concurrently in some productions. I see the same happening with the Spark. Spark may have been marketed as a selfie drone. But for that, it is too expensive and too capable.

Mavic lacks zoom, shallow depth of field, remote focus and independent fpv operator options, considered crucial for cinematic use by some. Still others call the Mavic a cinematic tool. YMMV

 

[OldBlueHeron]

The above post is spot on. One can compare anything, and different people will use the Mavic and the Spark in similar ways. Either way, both fantastic quads.

 

[Scobo]

Got to say, I'm blown away by mine. Even more so now I've got the remote.
Can't believe how much tech they've packed into this wee thing.
That said, I'm fairly new to drones. My first was a Bugs 3 which was great to learn the controls with but the Spark is in a different league.

 

[MedicineMan4004]

I'm very happy with mine too, though all I do is straight up and pan videos often looking down to see where our
campervan is camped. Surprised by the photo and video quality AND I've not crashed or had a fly-away yet.
Just returned from 24 days in the American west and only flew one time in an illegal place by accident because I didn't
realize that a National Recreation area had same stipulations as National Parks --or so the ranger told me, but I wasn't finded
or arrested and had already completed the up pan and down and had the Spark packed away when he arrived.

 

[Mike Vande Bunt]

I have always been a Mavic lover, but it's just not as zippy as my old Parrot Bebop 2. I like low-altitude "barnstorming" and "strafing". So, I went into Best Buy to buy a Bebop 2 on sale for $499 and saw a special on the DJI Spark. So, I bought it as I've had good luck with DJI products.

Well...it's very cute. However, that's about it. What I don't like:

1) Video lagginess: I'm still using the WiFi link to the phone and it's VERY laggy.
2) Low range: The range is barely 2500 feet where my Mavic was well over 10,000 feet.
3) Banking: I don't like the severe "banking" image with the Spark.
4) Low light image quality: The image is extremely laggy in lower light conditions.
5) Video washout: The video doesn't seem to auto-adjust like the Mavic with regard to lighting.

I'm going to try the direct cable to the phone, but if it doesn't help with the lagginess and image quality...it's probably going back. Plus, I ordered some parabolic antenna boosters to try and improve the range.

Has anyone else come to the same conclusion?

Don't know what made you think the Spark would be faster than your Mavic. It's not, and a tiny amount of research would have told you that. (Am I the only person who stands around at Best Buy looking up tech specs and reviews on my phone?) The lagyness is more of an issue though. I use an iPad Mini 4 and the lag is detectable, but very small. I have heard that lag is much more of a problem on Android devices. My phone is Android (Galaxt S7), but I haven't tried it because the iPad screen is much larger. What I have read is that if you're going to use an Andriod phone, turn off EVERYTHING except wifi and the DJI Go 4 app to reduce lag.

 

[Darren Roach]

You get what you pay for. The spark is a fun to fly little drone, easy to transport, light weight to bring a smile on your face. This little drone I can fly in more places than I can my phantom 4. Its like all things in life, everything has its purpose. Just get what's right for you and enjoy.

 

[THE WOMBLE]

Why do people keep comparing it to mavic? it never has and never will be..... its been classed as a different drone on it own.... you want mavic stats buy a mavic.......

Well said.