If you’re a photographer and/or a videographer and you don’t have a drone, I’m here to tell you - you’re missing out! If you’d like to find out which drone is the best starter drone in 2019 it’s the DJI Spark.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
Now before we begin I highly, highly, highly suggest you purchase a starter drone for 2 reasons:
- You will inevitably crash. It happens to the best of us and speak to any drone pilot and everyone will tell you they’ve crashed at least once. By getting a starter drone you won’t be as upset at crashing a $1,500 investment!
- After purchasing a drone you may feel flying a drone may not be for you. I highly doubt this, but let’s hypothetically say you don't like flying a drone - you won’t be out of a lot of money.
1. COST
When I purchased my Spark last year I bought the fly more combo. It cost me $550 and it came with a shoulder bag, propeller guards, the remote controller, extra propellers, 2 batteries and the charger.
Now $550 may sound like a lot - but in reality if you’re a photographer or videographer spending $550 on a camera is not a hard pill to swallow. Heck the battery for my video camera costs $207! Don’t ask what the charger costs!
I hesitate to call the Spark a “cheap” drone, but in the grand scheme of things it’s relatively inexpensive. But for the record I still find it nerve wracking putting $500+ in the sky. I can’t imagine what I’d feel like if I had one of the professional drones that cost upwards of $120,000!
2. PORTABILITY
When you first see the DJI Spark in person, you’ll be surprised at how small it is! Especially when you compare it to other drones in the market. If you’re like me and you travel with a lot of gear the Spark (even with the extra batteries) will fit I nicely in your camera bag. But you may have to sacrifice bringing a lens. Or if you’re traveling with your significant other, it won’t take too much space in their bag!
The red arrow is where my Spark, remote and 3 batteries live in my camera bag. It's a tight fit but as you can see I can travel with my main camera, 4 lenses, and other accessories like my laptop, etc.
3. A QUALITY PRODUCT
Truth be told I hesitated to purchase a DJI drone. Mostly because I’ve bought other products from them and I’ve always had issues. For example I bought 2 DJI Osmos and 1 went dead after a few weeks. Then I purchased a video camera and the Ronin-M stabilizer came with the kit. I didn’t base my purchase on the stabilizer but it was nice that it came with it. But I never got it to work properly - or at all for that matter.
So to say the least - I was hesitant to give DJI my money. But for several years while on jobs, I’d get asked if I had a drone. And I regrettably had to say “no" - which meant I was losing out on business.
Last year (after having to turn away several gigs) I decided to purchase the Spark for my 10 year anniversary trip. I rationalized it by thinking I’ve never heard of DJI drones falling from the sky (like the GoPro Karma) or heard anyone complaining about their drones.
And I must say I haven’t regretted it one bit! When it comes to drones (I can’t vouch for their other products) DJI makes amazing drones - that work! They are the undisputed kings and no other manufacture even comes close. As a side note - hopefully a contender gives them competition - as competition is good.
If you’re curious as to how the footage looks take a look at the footage from my 10 year anniversary trip in Saint Lucia.
4. TRAVELING AND GETTING THROUGH CUSTOMS
While I’m on the subject of traveling, getting drones through customs can be challenging. If your drone looks too fancy it may raise some questions. Since the Spark is small and admittedly looks like a toy - odds are you won’t get hassled at customs.
While researching “drone laws Saint Lucia” it became abundantly clear that getting through customs was a challenge for some people. Some people reported having to prove that the drone was theirs and had to show a receipt to prove they weren’t going to sell it.
You see the issue is import tax. Some counties like Canada have a huge tax and the customs agents want to make sure your intention is not to sell the drone.As silly as this sounds - I can’t tell you how many offers I received from locals! Simply saying “I just bought it” wasn’t enough. But I found that saying it was an anniversary gift made people stop pressing me.
All that bing said - the Spark doesn’t look too fancy or expensive. Plus it doesn’t look like you’re in another country to gather intel! LOL
5. FEATURES YOU’LL LOVE
The Spark is marketed as the “selfie drone” as there are cute things you can do with it. Sometimes it’s easier for you to see what I’m talking about instead of me writing about it - so check out this promo video…
SOME CONS
As great as the DJI Spark is there are some drawbacks (as nothing is perfect in life). Warning - I’m about to get a bit nerdy:
- When it comes to shooting video you’re stuck at 1920 x 1080p at 30 fps (MP4 via H.264). I don’t mind not having 4k but the 30 fps is a bit disappointing. 24 fps or 60 fps would have been great. But again, the Spark I’d consider a starter drone so you’re not going to get everything you’d ever want (at least not at this price point).
- The Spark does not shoot in RAW. This isn’t a deal breaker - but I always shoot my images in RAW and it’d be nice to have the option in order to get the most out of the sensor.
- The Gesture Modes can be finicky. But honestly I never used them. I’d rather have full control. But the QuickShots and ActiveTrack do work and are great!
- It’d be great if the arms were foldable. This isn’t a deal breaker as the Spark is really compact. If the arms did fold in - it’d be even more portable.
- There are collision avoiding sensors only in the front and bottom. It’d be nice to have at least rear sensors. Just be aware of when you’re flying backwards and sideways as you may crash into a tree.
- The maximum flight time advertised is 16 minutes - but in reality you’re looking at 11. Even if the flight time was 30 minutes - flying is so much fun that even 30 minutes wouldn’t be enough time! That’s why I’d suggest getting several batteries.
PROS NOT MENTIONED EARLIER
Now let’s talk about some of my favorite features / benefits…
- People tell me that I’m a decent writer (not to toot my own horn). But I wish I had the words to convey to you how exhilarating flying drones are! When I bought the Spark I knew it was going to be a starter drone - but after only a few days I was ready to upgrade!
- If you’ve never flown a drown before - fret not! DJI drones are easy to fly. Even when it hits a certain low battery threshold (like 20%) the drone will “return to home” and fly autonomously. One can almost say it flies itself. Plus after a few outings you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
- As opposed to other DJI drones - it’s pretty quiet. Especially when you’re not trying to attract attention. At around 100+ feet you can barely hear it.
- As I mentioned earlier, there are limiting factors in terms of the frame rate and lack of RAW. But this can be a good thing as it’ll give you less to worry about. I remember during my first week flying in Saint Lucia, every time I went to fly, someone wanted to talk to me about the drone. This was super annoying as honestly I was just trying not to crash and I was a newbie. But sometimes having limits in life makes things easier.
One of several curious locals asking me questions.
- Growing up as a kid I always wanted to fly model planes and helicopters. Now that I'm a big kid I must say flying a drone is a very fun hobby! Even if you're not into photography / video you're going to have a lot of fun!
- The Spark was released in April 2017 and it hasn’t been updated. At the time of me writing this article (July 2019), rumor has it that DJI isn’t going to release the Spark 2 or any new drones this year. So don’t worry about buying this now only for a new version to come out - you’re good for now.
SAMPLE IMAGES
No review would be complete without sample images. Full disclosure - each image is a bit edited. I probably spent 3 seconds on each image in Lightroom tweaking them a bit. But rest assured the JPEG's coming straight out the camera are pretty good!
With a drone you can get unique perspectives without the use of a ladder!
Or in this case a crane!
To my surprise the Spark can shoot at night! This is a one second exposure.
Is it just me or does this mountain looks like the Great Sphinx of Giza?
Here are what some images look like taken in overcast weather...
Be sure to point your gimbal straight down for a unique perspective!
I could have chosen to go dip in the waterfall - but drone is life!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITNG FOR?!
If you live in a climate where there’s autumn and a winter, now is the time to buy a drone. Once it gets cold and windy you’ll have less of an opportunity to get out and fly. And if you’re like me you’re going to be daydreaming all day of getting out to fly your drone! Don’t hesitate and purchase your drown now! I can assure you won’t regret it.
If you’ve found this article useful, and the Spark is something you need in your life please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below for my suggested bundles...
MY TOP DJI SPARK AMAZON BUNDLES ON AMAZON
I’ve scoured Amazon and I’m going to share the beast deals. The Spark comes in several colors but I'd suggest going with white as the darker colors will cause the drone to get hotter which means you may get less flight time (electronics don't do very well in the heat). And if I were going to purchase the Spark again I’d go with option 3.
I like that it comes with the range extender, bag, gimbal cover, micro SD card and screen cover. The only thing missing are extra batteries and the landing pad.
The only “must have” accessories missing from this bungle is the multiple battery charger and although not 100% necessary the bag isn’t included. But it’s the best bang for your buck. If you’re willing to shell out a few more bucks I’d go with option 3.
As it’s said: “if you’re going to do something, do it right”. Why not get everything you need in one shot? This is the bundle I’d definitely go with!
THAT'S IT FOR NOW
If you've found this tutorial helpful, please give it a thumbs up and share this with your friends and family. I'll be writing a lot more about drones in the near future so stay tuned for more droney goodness!
🌍 www.colonphoto.com
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📞 917-703-0346
I’m available in New York City, New Jersey, Boston & worldwide!
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colonphoto.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.
No
Mikey!
LOL
Good one.
:D
Those photos looks pretty nice, been considering the Mavic myself, but too many things have come in the way of buying it.
I hear ya! I'm always lusting after new gear. But you have to learn to make do with what you already have and get the most out of it!
@mikeycolon hey i found you first time on steemit i found your post pictures are very adventures and amazing love it upvoted
Thanks - I appreciate it!
Great post! This post has been shared with over 100K followers on Steemit's official twitter account:
Very cool and what a pleasant surprise!
Thanks for the support!
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@steemitbog,
I don't know why this at featured section? I think it's better use for STEEM based notifications and information share!
@mikeycolon,
I didn't offense what you suggested us here! Yeah this is incredible and I like those colorful photography as well! Those are pretty incredible and thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Cheers~
No offense taken brother. You're welcome and thanks for the kind words. :D
Saint Lucia is calling me
Thanks for sharing Drone tutorial
You're welcome - I'd check out the Exuma Islands first!
Goo to see you after long👍
Posted using Partiko Android
Thanks for the love! Life has been hectic to say the least - I hope you're well!
I am sold! I have been contemplating on getting this drone for a while now. This was just the nudge I needed to get things rolling, great review!!
As I mentioned - it's a great starter drone and I'm sure you'll love it! I'm not sure where you live but if you have a winter - now is the time to go buy one.
I live where we get 4 seasons and it gets pretty tough to fly in the winter (but people do it). If I had disposable income I'd be crazy enough to go on trips to the Caribbean just to fly my drone!
I'm glad you enjoyed the review. Stay tuned for my next drone recommendation (for those ready to upgrade). ✌️
It's tropical weather all year round here :D Looking forward to the next post :)
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Hey @mikeycolon!
Great drone post, I want to introduce you to Drone Shot.
I wasn't able to find your great drones contents cause in steemit the tag is variously used, either drone or drones or aerial. If you use the tag droneshot all contents can be easily searchable.
I also launched a tokenbb forum where you can discuss about drones and where upvotes are 100% SP, which is https://droneshot.tokenbb.io/
If you have any questions or anything else, reply me here or on Discord @bafi#8941
Very cool - thanks for sharing and I'll consider using the tag in the future. Greetings from the USA!
I've been looking away buying a drone actually. This is a great review. Have you flown a Parrot drone? If so how do they compare?
Thanks!
If anything Parrot drones are the next biggest competitor to DJI. I believe they just released a mark 2 version.
To answer your question - no I haven't flown a Parrot but I've heard good things. But DJI are the leaders in the drone industry and if I'm going to invest in something I'll go with the best. I hope Parrot gets more market share as competition is a good thing!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the drone post. Would love to have one but I live in a congested area ... Eastern Long Island, NY..They probable have all kinds of restrictions... :-(
I know - NYC and parts of NJ close to NYC are hard.
Long Island isn't a bad place to fly though. Albeit the footage wont be as majestic as opposed to a big city or somewhere tropical. But flying is still so much fun!
Use the AIRMAP app as it will show you where you can fly recreationally. If you're out the circle you're good to go. Just be careful for helicopters (as we share the same airspace) and recreational planes. Use your ears as even in places in NJ where it's ok to fly recreationally - I see and hear recreational planes and helicopters flying low all the time.
Long Island is less restrictive and I'm sure you'll find tons of places to fly. And technically there's a ban on all drones in NYC. Locally it's illegal - but federally it's legal (but that's another story).
Thanks @mikeycolon I'll check the airmap and ask around locally. :-)
Very cool article! Saint Lucia must be a beautiful place to fly. I worked down there years ago. The only thing I didn't like about the Spark is you can't use the FPV goggles with it. So have you decided to step up to the Mavic yet??? :)
Thanks and anywhere tropical is a nice place to fly! The spark is a great starter drone and using FPV goggles is on another level.
It's always best and recommended (if not required to have the drone line of sight). Using FBV goggles can get a bit dicey without a spotter. I will say that I have been daydreaming about getting goggles though!
Yes I upgraded to the Mavic Air. Mostly because of the cost, it shoots RAW and 4K. The Mavic Air will be my next review so stay tuned for that.
Thanks for commenting and stopping by!
I learned how to fly with a Tiny Whoop and FPV goggles. For some reason I can't fly line of site. My brain doesn't work when the drone is going the opposite way on the sticks. Can't wait to see your review on the Mavic!
Posted using Partiko Android
LOL - I hear that I can see how not using it would be a crutch. Plus it's SUPER EASY to lose sight of it once it's in the air. It's hard to keep looking down, then up, then down, then up...
Hey, my friend @mikeycolon nice to see you are still in Steemit.
Great post on drones.. I remember when you posted your first drone video. My husband would love to have one.. some of us are on a budget. I need other photography gear first. LOL
!tip and resteem
Thanks for the love and support as always! I hope you're doing well! Everyone is on a budget (especially me). But certain things are investments. Or in this case dipping your toes to see if you want to invest in further.
As for investing in photography - buying lenses is always better than investing in camera bodies. New bodies come every year while lenses don't get updated as frequently (perhaps every 5ish years). Any camera is good nowadays but lenses will help you capture better images.
I have 3 monster posts I'm currently working on, but the 4th will be about lenses and which are the best ones to get. If I wanted to invest in only one lens or if I were stuck on an island it'd be the 24-70mm lens. But there are other "budget"prime lenses you can look into as well.
Thanks for the tipu and resteem.
Have a nice weekend - hugs!
🎁 Hi @mikeycolon! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @rebeccabe!
@rebeccabe wrote lately about: Catching Up With Groups And Friends And A Hf 21 Question Feel free to follow @rebeccabe if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide :)
+1$
i still don't understand this steemit
Yes it's a bit complicated but there's a great community here and I encourage you to learn as much as you can and stick with it!
Those are magnifique shots! Interesting review based on your experience!
Thank you! Even if you're not into photography / videography just flying a drone is tons of fun. I hope I inspired to get a drone so I can say "I told you so!".
Thanks for commenting!
Haha! One day If I get the remote control on my hand i will remember that sentence" I told you so!" Thanks for sharing such nice post @mikeycolon
;D
The post is great but I would like to hear why they put it in the featured section.
Because Newsteem?
I shared it in a chat as a great post, something I try to do often for undiscovered exceptional content. A few people said they think we need stuff like this on trending.. I guess Steemit Inc. was trying to get it seen?
I also agree that the “featured” section can be a bit confusing sometimes and many seem to prefer it to be Steem focused, but maybe they are just testing out some different concepts of how to use it specifically.
Just throwing in a bit of an explanation of how I saw it anyways.
For those in Canada, Walmart seems to have better pricing than Amazon.ca.
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/DJI-Spark-Portable-Mini-Drone-Quadcopter-Alpine-White-DJI-Spark-Remote-Controller-EVERYTHING-YOU-NEED-Starter-Bundle/PRD277UOCGVAYYC
Yes - you're always better off making purchases in your own country. When the Euro was doing well a lot of people visited NYC just to shop! Plus drone laws in Canada just got a lot stricter. Be sure to look into it!
By sheer coincidence, two friends of mine completed their drone licenses this week. It's an online exam, but it required a lot of Google searching to find all of the answers.
It's not hard - you just have to put in the time!
One of those two friends also bought the DJI Spark for his trip to Hawaii next month. He's loving it so far!
Hawaii & drones - I can't even imagine!
@mikeycolon hey i found you first time on steemit i found your post pictures are very adventures and amazing love it upvoted
Thanks for your support - I appreciate it!
Great shots. Sure it is great fun to fly a drone, and then watch your work in the form of beautiful views.
Thanks!
wow ty sooo much ! i was looking for drone and thx god i found this post! such a good quality!!!
My pleasure - I'm glad you got something out of it!
Downvoted and muted for spamming my feed.
Sorry you feel that way - but I don't know how this post would be spamming your feed.
Please don’t take offense. Your post was featured as it is phenomenal. @drutter seems to hate the “featured” option and instead of using another front end or simply pushing the “X” to close them out, he likes to downvote and complain on the authors post 🙂
Keep doing what you are doing, this post is amazing.
No offense was taken - I'm a big boy! But thanks for sticking up for me anyway. ✌️
What on earth? Why are you projecting ignorant hate and irrelevant toxic commentary on an innocent author? There isn't a single good reason I can think of. Sorry, @mikeycolon. Your post was top notch.
I told you why I downvoted and muted this post - for spamming my feed. Didn't you bother to read my comment before replying?
I sure did, and I see it as how 99.99% of decent Steemians would... which is precisely why I spoke up. This author didn't choose to have their post featured (STINC did), so an over-reactive flag/toxic comment directed at the author that could only bring them down makes no sense to most. I'm not sure if you understood my comment, but if you can still stand behind this rationale, there's no need to waste more of our time.
Actually, I had no idea Steemit forces various articles to be featured. What a horrible idea. Anyway, I've removed my vote since it wasn't the author's decision to spam my feed.
No worries - thanks for your support!
Wow! Those pictures are just stunning. Also love when the photographer shares what they think they see in the landscape😀. Glad to have come across your content here!
Thanks man! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and show some love!
Wow! I love this post, encouraging. We have 3 drones, but, until now, I do not know how to use it.
Posted using Partiko Android
There are tons of YouTube tutorials out there. That's how I got up to speed.
thank you for the tips...
Posted using Partiko Android
How and why is this at the top of my home page and under a 'featured' tab?
Hello!
This post has been manually curated, resteemed
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Much love to you from all of us at @helpie!
Keep up the great work!
Manually curated by @steemflow.
Thanks for the support ✌️
Really great review, thanks for this! The photos are stunning btw. 😍
Thanks! Like in real estate it's about location - location - location!