When a 17-year-old Cameron Grace recently flew his drone on Australian beach, I doubt he had in mind that his hobby would prevent a dangerous encounter. While flying his DJI Spark, he spotted a shark lurking only meters away from two swimmers. Thanks to his and his aunt’s quick reaction, the swimmers managed to get out of the water.
This guy used a DJI Mavic to rescue a DJI Spark stuck in a tree
We’ve seen drones being used to knock down other drones. But have you seen a drone being used to save another drone? Redditor DubitON did it and he filmed the action of saving his neighbor’s drone when it got stuck in a tree.
DJI teams up with Line to produce weird social media animal themed Spark drones
It’s an odd pairing, DJI and messaging app Line. They’ve come together to produce Spark drones themed on one of their “Line Friend” characters. That character is a bear, called Brown. The newly themed Spark is, naturally, brown. And it features pictures of the bear on both the drone itself and the controller.
DJI Mavic Pro, Mavic Air and Spark, which one you should get
With the recent announcement from DJI about the Mavic air, DJI now has a drone at each $200/$300 step (give or take) from the $499 Spark*, through the $799 Mavic Air ending with the $999 Mavic pro (or $1,100 for the Platinum Pro).
But which is the drone you want need? With the steps being so small it is tempting to jump to the next level for just a few more dollars, but should you? Here is a breakdown on what each of those drones will do for you and which is better for each of their intended uses.
The Best Bag For The DJI Spark
If you own a drone, you know that moving it around could be quite challenging. While most drones feel solid, the propellors never seem to be quite safe :)
I got to play with the DJI Spark for a bit and aside from being a modern miracle of technology, it demanded some friends. The first of which was a bag (or a case). I did not get lazy and took the Spark to a store and pretty much tried ALL the bags they had.
And I found the perfect bag for the DJI Spark, the Lowepro Viewpoint CS 80.
DJI announces mandatory firmware updates, or they will disable your Spark drone
If you own the DJI Spark drone, soon you won’t be able to fly it if you don’t update the firmware. DJI is releasing a firmware update this week, aimed at increasing flight safety and the drone performance. All Spark users will need to download the update by September 1st. Otherwise, their Spark won’t be able to take off.
How the DJI Spark with the official controller competes with the DJI Mavic Pro
We’ve seen a couple of videos now comparing the DJI Spark, but only using a phone as the controller. This means it has pretty limited range, and the handling isn’t that great. Of course, there is a separate controller available for the Spark, but it’s been “coming soon” since release. So, nobody’s tried it. Until now.
Not surprisingly, Casey Neistat is one of the first to get his hands on the Spark controller. In this video he puts it head to head with his Mavic Pro. This is something he’s done before with a prototype unit. But now he has the retail release and it comes with the controller. Is it worth the extra cost? Or should you just save for a Mavic? Casey’s video should help to answer that question.
Can DJI Spark’s video quality compare to Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic Pro?
DJI has recently released Spark, their smallest and cheapest drone yet. With the price of $500, you may wonder how it compares to DJI’s more powerful models like Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic Pro. In this video from Billy Kyle, you’ll get to see how the “selfie drone” stands against the Phantom and Mavic in terms of video quality and customization of features.
Since the Spark can’t shoot 4K, all three test videos were recorded in 1080p at 30 fps. All three drones used the same settings: the exposure set to “automatic” and white balance set to “sunny.” You can see the footage of each drone first, and then they’re lined side by side so you can compare them.
Has photography reached the end of gear innovation
Last week, as I walked from Liverpool street station to meet some friends, I idly started to muse ‘Where is photography going?’
As a medium, photography has enjoyed a remarkable trajectory, from heliographs to hypo, roll film and Brownies, colour film and instant cameras, and SLR to digital in under 200 years. And the last 30 thirty years have seen a tremendous advancement in photographic technology, from the release of the first commercially viable digital SLR camera and a transition through terrific cultural changes associated with the medium. But it now feels as if we might be stuck in some form of holding pattern. This is especially true after what I felt was a particularly disappointing Photokina last autumn.
[Read More…]
Here are the first reviews of $500 DJI Spark mini-drone
The affordable mini-drone DJI Spark is here. The comments and reactions about it are different, and the first hands-on reviews are already out. In this article, we bring you reviews from Kai Wong and iPhonedo. They’ll show you what this tiny drone is capable of, and you’ll see what its features look like in action.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!