DJI - Mavic Pro

I have the OG Mavic and most of the specs for the Mini 5 are better. I'd go with that IMO

I scored a mavic pro 1 off marketplace cheap. It’s used occasionally but nowhere near as much as we thought we would. It’s fun taking footage and watching the camera but unless you’re really into the photography/videography aspect then it gets boring pretty quickly. If you travel lots then it might be worthwhile but from my perspective if I’ve seen a place once then flying there again isn’t so interesting. Personally, I find the FPV drones more exciting than a straight cinematic drone but it really comes down to what you want to use it for. If you’re uncertain about whether you’d use it, I’d check if any of your mates have one you could borrow to test, post on the local FB groups to see if someone will come out one afternoon and show you one or grab a deal off marketplace (so you can sell again with minimal loss if you decide you don’t like it).

Wouldn't go for "mini" series, otherwise pretty much any DJI camera drone, camera is quite good on all of them. Not new as in used or not latest models? Even first gen Mavic Pro has 20+ minutes real flight time, can be found for as low as $200. "Mavic 2 Pro zoom" has optical zoom, could be useful for your usecase. From new ones Air 3 would be my choice, 40 minutes flight, zoom lens, bigger for wind, but rather expensive. Also DJI sells official refurbished stuff, Air 3 is \~850 there

400 for first mavic pro is rather high, is it with fly more kit? I see a bit newer Air2 fly more for 400 in my area, and mavic pro with hard case but no kit for 250

I second this lineup. Air3 has a damn good camera, and it's what I use. The Mavic is even better. Filters are a must have for great photos. This is what I think is my best ever. Shot with a 1st gen Mavic pro *

In the beginning, I watched some videos on how to fly. I had a parrot drone that you fly with your cell phone. It really didn't help at all, because the controls are completely different. So I jumped in and bought the Mavic pro when they were the latest and greatest. I never once crashed it. They are very easy to fly. I've had the mini 3, and it was also very easy. It was a great little drone, and it really impressed me. Buy a dji within your budget. You won't be disappointed. There's simulators you can try as well to practice. But they are so easy to fly, you shouldn't need much training.

The Mavic Pro series has variable aperture. Otherwise you can use ND filters to lower the shutter speed if that's your goal.

What? I've owned a Mavic Pro and now a Flip. There is no difference in the build quality.

I had the original DJI Mavic Pro since it was released, many many years. Just recently bought Mini 4 Pro from Facebook for a good price new unopened box. Get the one where the remote uses the phone. No need for Fly More Combo. My flight time on a wedding day to get all the aerial photos of the venue is about 10 minutes or less and the Mini 4 battery lasts over 30. Also don’t really need any lens filters for it unless you plan on doing pro cinematic video that requires lower shutter speeds or super slow shutter photography. If you are able to buy new in box, absolutely get DJI Care Refresh to cover your butt for WHEN you crash. Honestly the Mini 3 Pro uses the same image sensor if you can get your hands on it cheap.

The air2s is probably better than my OG Mavic Pro! I'm looking forward to this, it'll be a giant upgrade for me.

I have a large rural property that I plan to do some improvements/rehab to and would like to document the stages of that work with some photogrammetry. All the "cool" stuff is out of my budget (Matrice range for example) and the cheaper end of town is limited in flight time and camera options. I currently use a Mavic Pro, but I think a basic platform I can program to fly around a set flight path with a modern compact camera set to interval mode (or lidar unit) strapped to its underbelly would suite my needs a lot better. It will be a workhorse, flying above the treeline so I don't need a multitude of sensors. Does such a beast exist?

Honestly, to the eyes of the public, the Mavic isn't much more impressive than the mini. If you want to look serious, you need an Inspire or an M300. But that's 500% overkill for OP's use cases.

I did my share of mapping with a first gen Mavic Pro and Pix4dcapture (free app). Since you really don't need precision, it might be just fine. Just remember to run the camera off nadir (not straight down) to reduce the doming issues.

I never changed a prop unless a rough landing/impact on a tree happened (my fleet of OG Mavic Pros were used by... adventurous colleagues). My Mini 3 Pro is at 80h on the factory props and they look mint. I don't have an easy way to check the flight stats of my 2 Matrice 300, but they are in the several 100s, also stock. Same for my Phantom 4 RTK and my Mavic 2 EA.