DJI Spark Palm launch, Intelligent Portable Mini Drone, Alpine While

Vine de un Syma y de un Tello; el primero para empezar en el mundo de los drones, el segundo ya algo mejor, por cierto, antes de dar una reseña, si vas empezando en este mundo, compra el Tello, además de que te vas a divertir mucho, no es tan costoso; si por el contrario ya tienes alguna idea de los drones el Spark resulta algo así como ¡¡¡¡¡Espectacular!!!! ya sé, no es un Mavic, no es un Phantom, pero si quieres algo mejor, debes pagar algo mejor. No sabiendo qué esperar, cuando prendes al pequeño se escuchan los motores y el sistema de ventilación, lo que no sucede con drones de bajo costo; ahí es cuando entiendes que este no es un juguete aunque pudiera parecer; todo debe llevar un orden, desde fijarlo en tierra, comprobar las hélices, la batería que esté bien fijada; pasas al software de DJI para que ahora éste señale la calidad de trasmisión, potencia, GPS, brújula, es ahí cuando ya puedes empezar a disfrutar a este gran pequeñín. Recomiendo que sigan los pasos, sí o sí, por seguridad de su compra y por seguridad de los demás. Por cierto, el dron debe ser registrado en México, yo lo hice y dos días después me otorgaron el documento, entonces no existe ningún problema y todo se hace en línea. Calidad del aparato 10 Funciones 10 Video/Fotografía 9 Batería 8 Alcance 10 (con control y cable, si fuera con el celular, le daría un 5) Software 9 Aconsejo que compren el paquete que incluye el control, otra batería y más cosas, pues yo fui sólo por el dron y con el uso en celular no sube a más de 10-15 metros y ya pierdes señal por lo que tuve que comprar por separado todo lo demás; ya con el control, cable OTG y antenas, a 60 o 70 metros de altura no tienes nada de pérdida de señal (cable y antenas que aquí en Amazon están bastante baratos y debes comprar sin dudarlo). Hasta hoy muy feliz con mi compra, además de que por su tamaño resulta un buen compañero en viajes, cabe en una mochila sin problemas. PD No lo vuelen cuando los vientos sean medios o fuertes, existen aplicaciones que les dan esa información.

Con este Spark llego a mi quinto drone, de la familia de DJI solo tengo el Spark y el Phantom 3. Pero dejen les digo que sin duda alguna este es mi drone favorito, hay que tener en mente que en comparación con los Phantom 3,4 y el Mavic Pro, no tiene tan buena resolución de video, ni tanto alcance (especialmente si compran la version del Spark sin control remoto) pero lo que a mi me hace considerar el Spark el mejor drone de los que tengo, es la portabilidad. Es un drone verdaderamente pequeño entonces es mucho más fácil tenerlo contigo todo el tiempo y si ves algo que quieres fotografiar o videograbar simplemente sacarlo y volarlo. Para viajar en avión con este drone es mucho más fácil ya que lo puedes traer dentro de tu equipaje de mano en vez de que sea TODO tu equipaje de mano. Eso si, no estoy diciendo que este drone tenga una mala cámara, al contrario, tiene una muy buena cámara que graba en 1080 y no deja nada que desear (a menos que tengan considerado este drone para uso profesional) Super recomendado para principiantes y para gente con experiencia que simplemente quiere transportar un drone de manera más fácil y poderlo llevar a todos lados sin complicación alguna.

compré este drone para mi luna de miel al rededor del mundo, visitamos muchísimos países y aeropuertos y en ninguno fue problema en seguridad. (ASIA, MEDIO ORIENTE, EUROPA Y AMERICA) Es muy fácil de volar y aprender cualquiera lo puede hacer, también tiene un simulador en el app que te ayuda. La batería es su punto débil ya que solamente vuela por alrededor de 10 min , por lo que recomiendo comprar el combo con mas pilas porque SI SON NECESARIAS. Los videos y fotos son de 1080 pero aún así puedes lograr cosas tomas increibles, por lo que si no eres un profesional este drone es para tí.

If there’s one thing DJI is good at, it’s stuffing a ton of features and functionality into increasingly small drones — and nothing showcases this talent more than the Spark. Despite the fact that the drone’s hull is roughly the size of a Twinkie, DJI somehow managed to cram in many of the same technology you’d find under the hood of the Spark’s bigger, bulkier bother: the Mavic Pro. But where should you place your hard earned money, and is the Spark right for you? Read on to find out. I have been flying drones since the debut of DJI's very first Phantom. I have since then owned every reincarnation of the Phantom lineup (with the exception of the Phantom 3 Standard and advanced), and currently have a Phantom 4 Pro, Inspire 1, Mavic Pro, and Yuneec Typhoon H. I shoot aerial videos/stills for real estate companies, construction companies, universities, and occasionally for weddings. I also fly a lot for personal enjoyment. I use Adobe Premier Pro for my video editing and Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop for image adjustments. Therefore, one of the most important factors for me is image quality and video resolution. So let's start there. Video footage is stuck at a maximum of FHD: 1920×1080 @ 30fps. No 24fps. No 60fps. No 120fps. No 4K resolution. 1920x108p @ 30fps is the only option DJI's Spark offers in terms of video options. This means that 99% of the beautiful, cinematic, smooth slow-motion aerial footage you see on YouTube is absolutely impossible to achieve with the Spark and therefore automatically places this drone in the "not meant for professional use" category. Don't get me wrong, though. 1920x1080 @ 30fps will produce great footage without a doubt. But I guarantee that your most loved aerial footage on YouYube was shot at either 24fps or 60fps. So by all means, please do not expect to mimic those types of videos with the Spark because it won't be achievable. I hate to be a downer, but I’m just being realistic. If this is your first Drone and you’re “looking forward to making amazing videos,” be forewarned that the Spark will not produce the same footage you see from Phantom, Inspire, Mavic, Typhoon, etc. Moving on… The camera is held in place by a 2-axis gimbal. Meanwhile the Phantom line, Mavic Pro, and nearly every other drone is equipped with a 3 axis gimbal. Is there a huge difference between 2-axis and 3-axis gimbals? It depends on how fast you fly. With a top speed of 31MPH, the lack of a 3rd-axis is somewhat apparent during yaw movements at that speed. Overall though, I am very impressed with the stabilization DJI's Spark offers. It remains very steady in adverse wind conditions which was a huge surprise for me. It's small enough to blow across the table with a shop vac, but is a force to be reckoned with when it's in the air. (See notes at bottom for an explanation of 2-axis vs 3-axis gimbals) As I just said, the Spark has a top speed of 31MPH as stated by DJI. I have personally reached 28MPH while flying next to my car for speed comparison purposes, but with the cruise control nailed at 31MPH it was never able to remain at the car's side (wife drove while I flew). The magic number I came up with after 10 back and fourth runs in an empty field was 28MPH. Once the cruise control was set to 28MPH the Spark was then able to consistently remain at my side. One important thing to note is that you can only fly at a top speed of 12MPH while using your phone as a standalone controller. In order to go faster than 12MPH you will have to purchase the dedicated controller. Flight time is advertised as 16 minutes, but I have never (62 flights to be exact) been able to keep it in the air for that amount of time. Depending on ambient wind speed and how aggressively I fly the Spark I consistently get between 8 and 12 minutes of flight time. Therefore, I highly suggest purchasing extra batteries if you want to fly for long periods of time. I asked DJI how they came up with 16 minutes and was informed that testing was done in a windless environment and also at a static hover. Completely real world testing, right? Not even close. 12 minutes is the most you will get in the real world. Of course you can’t have flight time without a battery, right? Charge time takes an average of 45-50 minutes and has been consistent for me since I received this on June 1st as a tester. As with all DJI batteries it has a LED indicator which allows the user to see its charge at any given time. You can also charge the spark with a micro USB cable which is very convenient. I have plugged it into my car’s charging port a few times to add some juice while traveling to different locations and it works just fine. You can also use a portable battery pack as well. But be forewarned that charging the Spark’s battery via a portable battery pack takes a few minutes shy of forever. The same holds true for a car’s charging port. If you want to get the 45-50 minute empty-to-full charge time you will have to plug it into a wall. Range is advertised as 100 yards with a cell phone and 1.24 miles with the dedicated remote controller. Personally I have never been able to exceed 85 yards with my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and my wife’s iPhone 7 Plus offered no increase (I flew it away from me on a football field and my wife marked where control input no longer worked. 10 times / 85 yards was the maximum distance). The remote controller holds true to DJI’s 1.24-mile claim. In-fact I’ve reached 1.76 miles. But here is the kicker… battery life will not allow you return all the way home most of the time if you fly out that far. I flew out to 1.24 miles 10 times and automatically turned around to return home. Not once was I able to make it all the way back. 50% of the battery was always exhausted before I reached .85 miles and sometimes less depending on ambient wind conditions. In terms of range I will say that the Spark is capable, but the battery is not. Let’s talk about the Spark’s claim to fame. Hand gestures. Yes, they work. Yes, they are cool. Yes, it will make you feel like Darth Vader. All-in-all, the palm launch functionality and hand gestures are a very welcomed technological addition. Not having to pull out my phone or the remote in order to get a picture has been a great time saver and eliminates a small amount of hassle. My phone can be dead and I can forget the remote controller at home, but I can rest assured knowing that I’m still able to control the drone without those things. If you’re like me and literally never take pictures of yourself with your drone, this will be gimmicky and useless. But if you’re a selfie stick addict who wishes your selfie stick could extend another 50 feet, then this will be a very welcomed feature. Final word: The DJI Spark is meant to fill the gap between serious dronies / professionals and those who just want to have fun without breaking the bank. It’s essentially an entry-level drone and nothing more. If you already own the Mavic Pro / Phantom / Inspire, the Spark will just be a dust collector on your shelf once you realize how inferior it is to what you already have. --------------------------------------------------- Note 1: A 3-axis gimbal is not necessarily better than a 2-axis gimbal. Saying a 3-axis gimbal is better is like saying a car is better than a motorcycle simply because it has more wheels. Both 3-axis and 2-axis gimbals have their own pros and cons. 3-axis gimbals generally provide better video stability than 2-axis gimbals. This is because 3-axis gimbals stabilizes your video on all 3 axis (yaw, pitch and roll) while 2-axis gimbals stabilizes only on the pitch and roll axis. Jello, or jittery horizontal movement, is more obvious in videos taken using a 2-axis gimbal due to the lack of stabilization in the yaw axis. 3-axis gimbals are able to greatly reduce and sometimes completely eliminate jello due to a third motor that helps absorb unwanted movement in the yaw axis. However, 3-axis gimbals are heavier and more expensive than their 2-axis counterparts. They also draw more battery power due to having more motors. This is part of what keeps the cost of DJI's Spark down, and also extends the battery life. Note 2: Buy the prop guards. Especially if you plan to launch the Spark from your hand a lot. I’ve been hit once while the Spark was taking off and it hurt. It’s not pleasant to get hit by a drone’s propellers, so always be sure your hand is completely flat. Note 3: Buy a landing pad, especially if you are uncomfortable with catching it with your hand. The Spark can easily land on pavement, but grass is a challenge because there is no landing gear and also because the props are so low to the ground. You can also use cardboard or some other homemade pad. The good thing about nylon landing pads is their resistance to water. Cardboard will become soft when placed on wet grass.

Remember when you saw your first iPhone and were blown away, well the DJI Spark is that level of mind blowing product. I have had my DJI Spark almost a month and have flown it an hour or two every day (I have lots of batteries). Everyday I discover new and amazing things this drone can do. It reminds me of when I bought my first iPhone back in 2007. It is truly a mind blowing product! Here Are the Top 5 Reasons Why: 1 - Easy to fly! DJI uses technology magic to make the Spark so easy to fly, prepare to be absolutely amazed. One thing I just love about the Spark is you can have it out and fly in under a minute. Talk to anyone who has a drone and they will tell you it takes them a few minutes or more before they can get their drone out, put together, linked and flying. There is nothing to assemble to get the Spark flying. The compact body size (it is the size of your hand) makes it so easy to take with you anywhere you go. 2 - Tough as nails, you are NOT going to break this drone learning to fly it. If you suffer from "Drone Crash Anxiety Syndrome" this drone will cure you!! (see my details on crashes at the bottom of the review) 3 - Amazing technology to keep you from losing or damaging your drone. Features like automatic GPS based RTH (Return to Home) brings your drone home safe due to signal loss or low battery, obstacle avoidance and automatic take off and land just to name a few. Even a "Find My Drone" if for some reason your drone crashes and you have to go find it. I absolutely rely on the RTH to get my Spark safely home after almost every flight. 4 - Great photos and video right out of the box. The automated cinematic video shots and image tracking make your videos look like a pro. See the attached video l made the day after I got my drone, announcing my daughter was pregnant. Remember the basic DJI Spark package does not come with a Micro SD card, you will need to get you one. 5 - Mastering the DJI Spark and it Smartphone app is easy, with a “learn as you go” approach. The "DJI GO 4" app is easy to use, allowing you to go from "Beginner" mode all the way to "Sport". For first timers it will by default keep you safe and in control. As you lean more and your flying skills improve you can unlock more advanced features making this a great drone for beginners and experts. The DJI GO 4 helps you log all your flights, hours, distance, and height. It even maps your flights, all the while storing them in the cloud and providing you with a user’s rating. You are going to want to purchase some of the add-ons or get the "Fly More Combo" to get the full value of the DJI Spark. Just the Spark with one battery is going to make you frustrated for three key reasons: 1 - Charging the battery via the drone takes approx. 90 min. - too much wait time between flights. 2 - Without the add-on remote controller you are VERY limited as to how far, how high and how fast you can fly. 3 - Can't take any pictures or video without a Micro SD card. Here are my recommendations on things you should think about adding to the basic drone: 1 - More Batteries - this is a MUST or you will be frustrated - I have a total of 5 and it is great. With 5 I am flying for more than hour. 2 - Speed Charger - charges 3 at a time, you will get frustrated without this and extra batteries 3 - Spare Blades - you will need to replace - get a 4 pair at a minimum. These are made to break to protect the motors when you crash. 4 - Remote Controller - this unlocks the full potential 5 - A Good Case - One that will organize and safely hold everything ** Tons of options to expand this drone ** Both DJI and other vendors have and will continue to create add-ons and options to make the DJI Spark the most versatile drone. Just to name a few, remote controller, extra batteries, speed charger, cases, landing gear, blade protectors, colorful skins, etc. Since this is a DJI product and is the leader in this type of drone, the number of 3rd party add-ons is huge and growing. The question we all ask ourselves, “How tough is this drone?” It does not matter if you are an experienced flier or brand new to drones, one thing is for sure, you will crash your drone. Understand DJI has done a lot to make it really easy to fly the Spark, and has various flying modes from beginner to sport. It is almost impossible to really crash your Spark in beginner mode. But if you are like me, you will start try all the modes as your abilities improve, which takes us to crashing. You WILL crash your drone, so get over it! But the thing I LOVE about my DJI Spark is how well it is designed to withstand crashes. I have stopped counting how many times I have crashed my Spark. Understand I live is a densely wooded area, trees are everywhere and very tall, but I have crashed into other things like basketball standards, walls, ceilings, cement pavement, and the ground. When I fly indoors or around lots of people I fly with the propeller guards on, but I find that it adds some extra weight and wind drag so for the most part I don’t use them. You might ask “How hard have you crashed it?” Yesterday evening I think what the most violent crash so far. I was about 100 feet up flying in sport mode at full speed 25 mph and struck the very tip of a very tall old dead tree. It flipped it end over end into the branches of the tree next to it. Amazing it tried to automatic right itself, but the propellers got caught in the leaves and then proceeded to fall all the way down the tree hitting limb after limb. I was sure I had finally killed it. I stopped into the forest expecting to see it all in pieces. Amazingly it was standing on its edge in the brush at the base of the tree. It had snapped or bent 3 of the 4 propellers, but that was it. I put in a fresh battery and new propellers and it took off without any issues. By the way I buy the propellers in bulk on Amazon see link below. I can’t say enough about how well designed this drone is to withstand crash after crash and continue flying. If you are suffering from “Drone Crash Anxiety Syndrome” this drone will cure you. For propellers in bulk I like these found on amazon. They are $11.39 for Prime customers - Just search the name below: RCstyle 4730F Props Propellers For DJI Spark Drone Folding Blade-4Pair