- Today I'm gonna talk about the DJI Spark
and why this drone is not one you that should get.
(upbeat funky music)
If you're new here, my name is Jeven Dovey.
I do a lot of awesome film making tutorials.
I do some adventures around the world with my wife.
Lot of cool cameras and drone stuff so you're not gonna
want to miss out on these videos.
All right, so we're talking about the DJI Spark
and why you shouldn't get it.
Now first before we get into my reasons why I don't think
you should get the DJI Spark,
I actually do really like this drone.
This isn't like a bashing video about how bad it is.
I got it as soon as it was released.
I've taken it on some adventures.
I had a ton of fun flying it all over Ecuador
and I got some really awesome dynamic footage with it.
Now you might ask, well why do I say don't get this drone?
And there's a few reasons.
And the first thing is that it only shoots 1080p,
which for some of you, that's all you need.
For me personally, I like shooting 4K for a few reasons.
You can sell 4K footage for a lot more money
in stock footage.
Also because 4K footage is higher resolution.
That means you can punch in, you can reframe.
You can actually rework with the footage and fix errors
if there's any sort of shake or wobble within the footage
and you're not degrading the quality.
And even if you're working in a 1080p timeline,
when you take a 4K image and down res it to 1080p,
it looks so much cleaner and crisper for your end product.
Also you can do some really cool effects such as like
the dolly zoom which is like a push pull kind of effect.
I did a whole video about that recently
on how you achieve this effect.
So I'll put a link down on the subscription for that.
I'll also put a card somewhere up on the screen
so you can check out that video.
The second reason is that it's a 2 axis gimbal.
Now it is super smooth.
You can get some really cool shots as you can see.
However the 2 axis is limiting.
So if you want to do a shot where you're moving
left and right and then you're also panning so you can get
kind of like an arc, it does have some limitations.
You start seeing stutter
and it's not as smooth of a movement.
With a 3 axis gimbal, you can really do more dynamic shots.
The DJI Spark flight time is only 16 minutes.
Which after you take off, you fly for a bit,
and you bring it back at around 30%,
it actually cuts it down so it's not that much time
in the air.
Now a drone that has 20, 25 minutes will give you
a lot more of actual flying time.
So 16 minutes might seem like a long time,
but you gotta remember you gotta give yourself time
on the back end so your drone doesn't run out of juice
when you're out flying somewhere trying to get back to you.
Overall the DJI Spark is much slower than other drones
that I have worked with.
So you can't get it as far when you're out flying
and you also can't do as dynamic shots.
You really want the drone moving fast
to be able to get those big sweeping movements.
When a drone's moving slower, it's more of a creep.
It does look good but you're not gonna be able
to do as epic of shots.
This drone doesn't fold up.
It is super small, however, it doesn't fold up
which is kind of bummer because it's awkward.
So you have to get a case that fits the entire drone
and the footprint is actually bigger than you think
especially when you add all the accessories.
It's not like this tiny pocket drone.
Personally one of the issues I had was connectivity.
Just using your phone, it doesn't work very well.
So you have to have a controller which is fine.
I suggest you get a controller for any drone
that you work with.
Never fly off your phone.
But even with my controller, I would always have issues
with it either disconnecting while I'm flying
or just the screen itself would kind of freeze
and then start again and then freeze.
So in general, I just had more connectivity issues
with this drone.
Well you might be saying that the DJI Spark is cheap.
However, I highly suggest if you're looking for a drone
and you're getting into this that you go for the Mavic Air.
And the reason is you're getting a much more powerful drone
in the same size package.
So the DJI Mavic Air folds up super tiny compared
to the DJI Spark which doesn't fold.
But the DJI Mavic Air has 4K, it's got a longer flight time,
a 3 axis gimbal, and it's much more robust overall
so you can get more dynamic shots and a lot better footage.
Now if you're new to flying and this is your first drone,
the DJI Spark is enticing because of the price
and because you get a drone that does take awesome photos
and awesome videos.
But you gotta think about it.
Do you want more features?
Do you want to have a better gimbal?
Do you want to have longer flight time?
You can get the DJI Spark as your first drone,
as your starter drone.
But eventually you're gonna want to upgrade.
You're gonna want more power.
So it might be worth it to just go out
and get the DJI Mavic Air right away
versus starting with the Spark.
If I was just starting out now and I was looking
at these two drones,
even if I was a complete beginner and just using this
as a hobby, I would still go for the DJI Mavic Air.
Pay the extra money because you get so much more
out of your drone than your gonna get with the Spark.
All right, I'd love to hear your thoughts
down in the comments below.
If you're a Spark owner or if you're looking
at getting a drone, which one do you prefer over the two?
Do you have both of them as well?
Which one do you like more?
I like flying both, both a ton of fun.
However when you fly them side by side,
there is a major advantage to using the Mavic Air.
All right guys, if you're new to this channel,
make sure you hit that subscribe button.
There's a lot of awesome film making tutorials.
I do a lot of camera reviews and I also go on adventures
around the world with my wife.
So there is a lot of awesome content on this channel.