Tell me the good, the bad, and the fugly

[Buddy411]

Looking hard at the Spark for Christmas for indoor and casual outdoor flying. I plan on getting the remote. Couple of questions:

1) Can you fly without a cell phone? ie. Can I just fire up the remote and the AC and go or is the cell needed?

2) Can someone talk to me about this OTG cable and how it affects performance.

3) What's the top speed in sport mode?

And then of course I'm looking for the good, bad and ugly of your Spark experience.

Thanks gents!

 

[suprPHREAK]

1) yes you can! Just keep in mind you won't get any waning of sensor failures, which appear in the app.

2) Some say OTG connection from the RC to your phone will reduce lag, and increase range. However, this seems to vary from one to the next. I found no perceptible difference in range, and maybe a slight reduction in lag on the video stream. Not enough for me to care to use it.

Also, OTG is not supported by DJI, so that may present problems if you make a warranty claim.

Of note: while the port on the RC is Micro USB, the shape of the receptacle is not standard, so I found that both of my OTG adapters sat loose, and lost connection easily.

3) 50kph/31mph. More with a tail wind, less with a head wind.

GOOD: Sets up super fast! Truly under 60 seconds to get flying. Very portable, just toss in in your bag and go. Handles wind quite well. Camera is better than expected.

BAD: presently, a lack of manual settings and colour profiles on the camera. Panoramas done in app are limited to 2 megapixels (though the files are indexed on the SD card and you can stitch them on a computer later at full res).

WiFi connection isn't as reliable as it could be, especially in congested WiFi areas. Especially when controlling using phone only. Using the RC, in my opinion, is a must.

FUGLY: Gesture mode (no Rc or phone connected) is unreliable at the best of times, and dangerous at the worst. My Spark was given the wave gesture to go back and up 3 metres. Instead, it flew off at full speed hitting a car and breaking 52m later. Without at least phone connected you get no warnings of errors, and have no way to stop a fly away.

All that said, I look forward to mine being repaired, and using it again.

 

[Glen e]

This is the first place I've read about the OTG port for not being standard and it's absolutely correct. I really wondered about that. Because when I fit the OTG cable., it still feels loose and I lose the connection. I'm not using it anymore.

 

[Sparkbart]

Since suprPHREAK answered the first three questions and there really isn't anything to add... I'll move on to the G/B/U

Good:

• Set up and getting in the air is fast
• Really more range than one would expect from such a small drone. It will fly beyond VLOS (not recommending or advocating doing this) with the remote and Smart device
• Meets the needs for 80% of the people out there. Most people will never use the vast majority of the features the Mavic or a Phantom has
• Its fun
• Gesture mode is a cool "party trick"

Cons (I don't really have anything bad to say, just things to be aware of)

• OTG cable not being officially supported. I prefer a hardwired connection when possible
• So-so in moderate winds.
• Gesture mode is nice but can be finicky at times
• Doesn't work well with the DJI Goggles (as of this writing apparently the goggles aren't officially supported)
• While it can be considered a "First Drone", I think if you add in the DJI GO app, it can be a bit overwhelming for the first time flyer.

Fugly:

• IMO, the Fugly is the user/pilot/flyer and not the Spark;
  • Users expect a Mavic-type experience at a lower price
  • Users don't do their home-work and research the capabilities and limitations of the Spark before buying then are sadly disappointed when it doesn't do what they think it should or read. There really is no excuse for this as this forum exists as does the official DJI Spark forum not to mention a wealth of written reviews and Youtube videos
  • Users don't read the manual or watch the myriad of videos out there before flying then complain
  • Users don't develop a pre-flight checklist and habit and just launch without either checking critical information ignoring warnings

Overall I'm very happy with my Spark. It does what I want it to do for the most part. I would like the Gesture Mode to be a bit robust but its a nice addition to my other DJI Drones...

 

[suprPHREAK]

Sparkbart us right about the users... Lots of noise it seems.

This is Not a mini Mavic, nor a mini Phantom. It is better than "just a toy" but don't expect professional film maker 4k awesomeness without a bunch of work on your part. That is not to imply this is a bad product.

For me, I look at it like this: my Phantom 3 is a DSLR: excellent photos and all the adjustability, but cumbersome to carry and set up. The Spark is my Smartphone camera: always there, easy and convenient.

"the best camera is the one you have with you"

 

[Glen e]

You guys are mistaking "whining that it's not a Mavic" for genuine concern about disconnects. Both here, the dji forum and the general press report many are experiencing it, more than just a few whiners. Using the OTG, not using it, flying close or far, no diff, disconnects are real and a problem. I'm waiting for a update that addresses it. I really wished they would have used the transmission system from the basic phantom vs wifi. I realize then a phone would not control it but I could handle the spark plus controller for 599.

 

[PascalG]

Yes you can fly with just the controller but why woudl you want to? It takes maybe 15 seconds to open the app and connect to the controller. Flying blind and not being able to frame your shots is pretty much pointless.

I ve only used otg. It works so I don't see the need not to use it. I have no issue with the plug, it clicks in securely. Personally I hate micro USB as it is more fragile, over the years I ve lost count of the number of speakers n headphones that ended up in the trash because of the micro USB failing,

Top speed in sports mode is in the low 30 mph. Top I ve recorded is 35.4 mph. Wind has no effect on top ground speed, it seems to me it's limited by the software. I have looked at my flight logs and see no difference in speeds on runs I've made flat out upwind and downwind in 15 knots wind. Same with non sports mode, upwind and downwind speeds do not change

The good: small size, quick set up, reasonable battery life considering the size, excellent quality video and pics, good range (I've done many flights in the 3000' range), don't have to land it you can just grab it in a hover and flip it upside down to turn it off

The bad: it's a brand new complex product so bugs could be expected. Some users more affected than others. I wish DJI had used the same occusync technology they have on the Mavic but then why woudl anyone buy a mavic...

The ugly: gimbal only operates in FPV mode when in sports mode making it very hard to get level video footage at speed.

About 4K... if you need it, then get a Mavic. The question is who really needs it... for most people 1080 is good enough. 4K files are huge and can't be used on all phones, tablets and screens anyway.

 

[Glen e]

don't have to land it you can just grab it in a hover and flip it upside down to turn it off

.

Wow....great info, I'll try that.

 

[Buddy411]

Yes you can fly with just the controller but why woudl you want to? It takes maybe 15 seconds to open the app and connect to the controller. Flying blind and not being able to frame your shots is pretty much pointless.

A lot of times I fly just for fun - take it out to a field and just buzz around and not take any videos/pics. Nice to just have a small remote and not worry about the phone. Not a huge deal.

 

[mp43sniper]

A lot of times I fly just for fun - take it out to a field and just buzz around and not take any videos/pics. Nice to just have a small remote and not worry about the phone. Not a huge deal.

Understandable, but if you fly the Spark in sport mode it is REALLY easy to lose it in an instant. You can still hear it but it's invisible. That's why it's so nice to look down at the screen and figure out which way Home is and fly back.

 

[RoccoT312]

For those of you that are having loose connections with your micro usb OTG cable, I bought the micro USB to micro-usb cable which is after market for the mavic and it fits the controller and my cell phone very snugly. and the wire is thinner which allows it to bend and go in between the controller handles nicely. The best part is it's much cleaner looking than all these wires hanging all over the place with two different pieces. it's only 8 inches long

 

[Dronason]

Looking hard at the Spark for Christmas for indoor and casual outdoor flying. I plan on getting the remote. Couple of questions:

1) Can you fly without a cell phone? ie. Can I just fire up the remote and the AC and go or is the cell needed?

2) Can someone talk to me about this OTG cable and how it affects performance.

3) What's the top speed in sport mode?

And then of course I'm looking for the good, bad and ugly of your Spark experience.

Thanks gents!

In addition to what has been already said.
1) Yes you can but you will be limited in height and distance as the Spark cannot know if it is in a NFZ.
2) OTG is a temporary solution as not supported by DJI (it is for their google) but what is important it is to turn-off bluetooth for any devices you wear or have nearby. The Spark select 2.4G or 5.8G wifi for the less noisy one where you fly. Then the other one goes for the RC to device link. It means it is the one with the most noise of the 2, so the cable connection can help for such case.