Here’s a small log of how I lost my DJI Mavic Mini and how it has affected my future drone buying decisions forever.
As tech aficionados, there are quite a few lessons we learn the hard way — always taking backups of media, never writing a story directly in the CMS, trying to restore WhatsApp backups over an unreliable connection or how not to push a tiny drone to its limits. We’ve all been there more times than we’d like to admit.
But if you think about it, none of these lessons were totally unknown or far fetched. In fact, we knew exactly what could happen if we proceeded any further, but decided to test probability.
Sometimes, it is actually our ingrained preferences or biases that call the shots, not because it’s the most practical way out, but because it is something that we’ve been wanting to do.
I went through a similar dilemmas when I got my first real drone, the DJI Mavic Mini, last year. A $400 drone that could do almost everything an enthusiast would need.
I took no time in putting my money down and pre-ordering one. Honestly, I didn’t even know if I needed one. To be fair, photography is one of my biggest hobbies, and after owning a DSLR and an action camera, it just felt like completing the camera trifecta was the way to go. I was convincing myself.
My mind was made when I came across the first set of leaks around the Mavic Mini and how DJI would one-up the legal requirements by creating a drone that weighs 249 grams. Here in India, drones are still a rather grey area. If I were to get into drones, it might as well be with one that is safer to operate. Add features such as Quickshots,1080p60 recording, a range of up to 4km and 30 minutes of flight time; all for that never-before-seen price tag, and I found myself soon questioning the need for anything more expensive.
Of course, all of these predicaments were based on my belief in DJI as a drone company and logical expectations from the specifications. There were still no reviews to go by or any expert opinions on it. But being an excited patron, my feelings had gotten the best of me.
Halfway through November, DJI made the Mavic Mini official. It was cuter and tinier than what I had expected. My feed was filled with YouTubers and reviewers raving about what DJI had been able to accomplish at this price point and this size. Many of my expectations were a reality too.
However, I noticed a trend that quite a few photography thought leaders mentioned how this drone has its limitations and should not be pushed to its limits, including the max range, flying speed, signal strength and wind conditions. As with any almost-convinced customer, I had little doubt on the drone and barely looked back at my decision. I thought this was another classic case of filmmaker dudes frowning upon affordable gear because they had been spoiled by their high-end alternatives. I did not take them seriously… This ended up turning into the costliest and the most heartbreaking mistake of recent times.
A few weeks later, my DJI Mavic Mini Flymore combo arrived at my doorstep in Mumbai. Unable to hold my excitement, the drone was out of the box and the batteries were charging within minutes of them reaching me. It was late evening by then, aka one of the worst times to fly a drone. But one small flight would be okay, right? Especially if I did it in well-lit, open ground? If anything, I could always quickly land it! Alright, I managed to convince myself. A couple of minutes later, I found myself in the nearby playground, ready for my first flight.
DJI’s drone app is actually pretty smart. Once logged in, it shows you the safest and legal places to fly your drone in, the best practices, laws in your country as well as no-fly zones. This is followed by a short tutorial that guides you through the basics of how to fly a drone. But no self-respecting techie ever followed instructions, and neither did I.
About 15 minutes in, and I was starting to get the hang of it. The drone was flying in the direction I wanted it to. It was still late in the night, so photography was impractical. No problem, I had another thing to look forward to in the morning. It was a good pilot run (pun intended). I was back home once the batteries were drained and I was pumped. My mind was already deciding what shots I should try to take the next day.
