Wanted to hear some opinions from Spark pilots that also have a Phantom 4/Other prosumer drone. I have a Phantom 4 that I do commercial shoots with and was looking to get a Spark Fly More combo for more recreational / personal travel. What are your thoughts as it comes to the convenience versus how much of a tradeoff the image quality would be? The Mavic Pro would be almost redundant to my Phantom 4 (P4 having better cam) other than the portability. Thanks in advanced for the feedback
Spark pilots with other prosumer drone?
- Thread starter JetBlk
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Sparkbart
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I've got a bunch of other AP drones. I use the Spark as my "pocket knife" drone. Something I carry with me that I can whip out and get some APs or videos. Not a planned "shoot", not like I'm going out to get some awesome AP shots/videos. Just something I have with me if the opportunity arises.
Size-wise, yeah its smaller than the mavic if you include all the gear/batteries you'd bring with. If I go somewhere where I think there is a good photo opportunity or I'm sure I'm going to fly, I'll take my Mavic, it does much better in the wind, it has a better camera, better range, etc... Yeah the Mavic is a bit redundant to my Phantom 4 but the "folding" capability makes it a good choice for me.
So If I was looking for something easy/smaller to take with me, I'd pick the Mavic over the Spark....
Size-wise, yeah its smaller than the mavic if you include all the gear/batteries you'd bring with. If I go somewhere where I think there is a good photo opportunity or I'm sure I'm going to fly, I'll take my Mavic, it does much better in the wind, it has a better camera, better range, etc... Yeah the Mavic is a bit redundant to my Phantom 4 but the "folding" capability makes it a good choice for me.
So If I was looking for something easy/smaller to take with me, I'd pick the Mavic over the Spark....
I have Mavic, Spark, P3P and Solo. I agree with Sparkbart, if I were to do it over I'd skip Spark and just buy the Mavic. I think it is more capable and packs smaller more portable than the Spark.
Have a P3A I was using for real estate shoots.
Its like this: Phantom is like a bulky DSLR. Great photos, but cumbersome to carry around. Takes work to set up and get using.
Spark is a good point and shoot. Carry it always, and in general shooting, is just as good. Pull it out, grab a quick snap, put it away an less time than booting a Phantom. Trade the features for convenience.
Its like this: Phantom is like a bulky DSLR. Great photos, but cumbersome to carry around. Takes work to set up and get using.
Spark is a good point and shoot. Carry it always, and in general shooting, is just as good. Pull it out, grab a quick snap, put it away an less time than booting a Phantom. Trade the features for convenience.
I have an Inspire 2 with X5S camera. More work to set up and a bigger risk in hostile environs. I use Sparkie where I would not dare risk the $6k rig. (Roof inspections with low trees, etc.) But Sparkie has surprised me with it's photographic abilities. It is my run-n-gun rig. I2 for planned shoots. Sparkie on the fly. I also have had a Phantom 4 pro, P3P, P3S Inspire 1. Happy with my fleet now, both sides of the coin as it were.
OldBlueHeron
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I have a Mavic as well. I love both birds dearly, but the Spark has become my go to quad due to it's tiny flying footprint. It's still more portable with accessories then the Mavic.
I bought a Mavic for hiking/camping/mountain biking trips. Unfortunately, I managed to stupidly crash it on a local overnight trip a couple of weeks before a big 5 day hike on an island that friends and I had been planning for ages. I have Care Refresh, but wasn't going to get it back in time, so I reluctantly bought a Spark. I'd previously checked them out but didn't see much value when I already had a Mavic.
I'm really happy with it and although the Mavic and Spark fly-more bags are a similar size (but different profile), the Spark is considerably lighter, even with extra batteries to make up for the short flight time... the reduced weight worked out well in a multi-day backpack loadout.
I prefer the Mavic - it's definitely the better of the two and feels less "toyish" to fly, but the Spark is quite capable, I'll be keeping it for similar trips where weight is an issue or for any flying where I don't want to risk the Mavic (e.g. lots of tree cover, waterfalls, etc)
I'm really happy with it and although the Mavic and Spark fly-more bags are a similar size (but different profile), the Spark is considerably lighter, even with extra batteries to make up for the short flight time... the reduced weight worked out well in a multi-day backpack loadout.
I prefer the Mavic - it's definitely the better of the two and feels less "toyish" to fly, but the Spark is quite capable, I'll be keeping it for similar trips where weight is an issue or for any flying where I don't want to risk the Mavic (e.g. lots of tree cover, waterfalls, etc)
Similar thread posted here - lots of good insights to be had ---
Mavic Owners - When do you fly your Spark?
The image trade off is substantial between my Spark and P4P and even MP for that matter but that's a bit obvious. What is not obvious is how fun/easy the Spark is to take with you and get up in the air. I actually fly my 2 week old P4P the least due to how much it is not like the Spark. The only ding I had on the Spark was flight time but extra batteries are an easy fix and it keeps the bundle super light weight. I would say the MP is by far the better drone (over the P4P even) for most just due to it's portability. The optical trade off between MP and P4P (much less P4) is there but again the portability greatly outweighs that for me. Dlog/flat on the MP produces some fantastic results with a bit of POST. Bottom line - buy a Spark, not because you are looking for image quality better than the P4 but because it's the right thing to do
I have a Phantom 3 Standard and a Mavic. But I fly the Spark the most. If I’m on a hike with a group of other people I can deploy the Spark (hand launch) without even stopping.
Love it.
Love it.
Hi JetBlk
Same scenario, I have the P4 but felt I wasnt using it as much I as wanted too and always felt its a bit cumbersome for when I go walking. I got the Spark combo and carry it with me all the time. The Mavic was too pricey and will be updated really soon anyway.
Will always love the P4 but I really enjoy the Spark. The image quality is surprisingly good, the features are great, fun to fly and easily transported to places I would never take the P4
The Spark doesn't grab as much attention either and even with the OTG cable, I can still get 300-500m which is more than enough. Battery life isn't the best but they are light enough to stick a few in a bag or your pockets when you go out.
Any questions, just ask!
Cheers
Same scenario, I have the P4 but felt I wasnt using it as much I as wanted too and always felt its a bit cumbersome for when I go walking. I got the Spark combo and carry it with me all the time. The Mavic was too pricey and will be updated really soon anyway.
Will always love the P4 but I really enjoy the Spark. The image quality is surprisingly good, the features are great, fun to fly and easily transported to places I would never take the P4
The Spark doesn't grab as much attention either and even with the OTG cable, I can still get 300-500m which is more than enough. Battery life isn't the best but they are light enough to stick a few in a bag or your pockets when you go out.
Any questions, just ask!
Cheers
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