DJI is the undisputed leader in consumer and prosumer drones. They offer drones from $399 for the entry-level Spark all the way up to $1499 for the Phantom 4 Pro. Calling in a bunch of favours I was able to get my hands on all of DJI’s current consumer drones to film a comparison video. I focused specifically on video quality so check out the video below first to see what you think (and then read my thoughts down below).
How do they compare?
Unsurprisingly the Phantom 4 Pro came out on top in pretty much every category. Sharpness, color, stability for video and speed and range for the drone itself. Still, with most of the other drones costing less than half its the price, it wasn’t really a fair fight.
Taking into account, I was impressed with the quality of both the Mavic Pro and Mavic Air. They were both only marginally slower than the Phantom 4 and also did a good job keeping the shots smooth despite smaller gimbals. Video quality the Mavic Pro definitely shined despite the Mavic Air being newer and having a 100mbps recording rate. Cropping in 2x in post the Mavic Pro footage held up much better than that from the Air, and also marginally better than that recorded on the P4.
The Spark — the only DJI drone unable to record in 4k — could hardly compete with the more expensive drones on video quality and flight performance. Flying the Spark after any of the other drones felt like walking after driving a car. Video wise, the Spark suffered due to its sensor crop for electronic image stabilization and of course the smaller, cheaper, sensor. However, when you consider that it costs about half of any of the other drones, the Spark is great for the beginners and travelers it’s aimed at.
Which one should I buy?
With the release of the Mavic Pro 2 coming soon, I would advise waiting until after that announcement for the subsequent price drops and such before purchasing a DJI drone. That aside, I would currently recommend the Mavic Pro for most people. The Mavic Air is way more portable and less expensive, but it still can’t match the abilities of the soon to be “outdated” Mavic Pro. If you have slightly more professional aspirations, possibly consider the Phantom 4 Pro or wait for the Mavic Pro 2 which will include the same 1-inch sensor. And of course, for those looking to just dip their figurative toe into the world of drones, the DJI Spark is definitely the way to go. Shortcomings or not; you can’t beat that price.
