Drone News

Quick background - I had a cheap Potensic drone a couple years ago, the kind you fly in your backyard and it drifts sideways in any breeze over 3mph. So I'm not a complete beginner but I'm also not someone who's been flying serious equipment for years. The Mini 4 Pro felt like a genuinely big jump for me, and I wanted to write about the first week because I wish someone had done that before I bought mine.

Getting It Out of the Box

The packaging is really clean, which doesn't matter practically but it felt nice. The RC 2 controller that came with the Fly More Combo has the built-in screen and I'm really glad I didn't cheap out and go with the standard RC-N1 that needs your phone. Having the dedicated screen in direct sunlight is just better, full stop. I've used friends' setups with phones attached and they're always squinting and complaining about glare.

First thing I did was charge everything before even thinking about flying. The charging hub that comes with the combo is solid - you stack all three batteries and the hub charges them in sequence. It's slow if you're impatient but it keeps things organized. Took probably four hours to get everything fully topped off.

Then came the firmware update, which I knew was coming but still. As soon as I activated the drone through the DJI Fly app it told me there was a firmware update available for both the aircraft and the RC 2. I did the aircraft first, then the controller. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes and went totally smooth, no issues. I know some people have had headaches with firmware on older DJI stuff so I was nervous, but it was genuinely painless this time.

First Actual Flight

I went to a park near me that has a big open field - no trees in the immediate area, minimal foot traffic on a Tuesday morning. I registered on the FAA DroneZone ahead of time and put my registration number on the drone with one of those label stickers. Class G airspace where I was so no authorization needed, but I checked on both and the DJI Fly map just to be sure.

First takeoff I used the auto takeoff button in the app because I was nervous about stick inputs. The drone went up smoothly to about 4 feet and just hovered there, completely rock solid. Wind was around 8mph that morning and I barely noticed any drift. This is where the difference from my old Potensic hit me immediately - that thing would've been bouncing all over the place.

I stayed in Cine mode for the first flight because I didn't want to get overconfident. Cine mode slows everything down so movements are smoother and it limits your speed to something like 6mph I think. It felt almost too slow at first but honestly it was the right call. I was still getting used to where the sticks were and how sensitive things were.

Battery life was solid. First battery lasted about 26 minutes in my testing, flying around at moderate altitudes and not hovering in one spot the whole time. DJI claims 34 minutes max which is in ideal conditions obviously, but 26 minutes of real mixed flying is still way better than anything I've used before.

The Camera - My Actual Impressions

The 4K footage looks genuinely great even on default settings. I shot in 4K 60fps on the first day and the color looked good straight out of the drone, slightly warm but not badly so. I've since started shooting in D-Log M because I want to try color grading in DaVinci Resolve, which is a whole other learning curve I'm on right now.

The obstacle avoidance is real and it works. I was flying toward a tree line to test it and the drone stopped itself and gave me a warning on the screen. You can override it but it gave me enough time to react. I have APAS 360 turned on which uses the sensors on all sides. It's not perfect - it doesn't see thin branches or wires particularly well from what I've read - but for big obstacles like trees and buildings it seems reliable.

One thing that surprised me was how good the subject tracking is. I used ActiveTrack on my dog during a walk and it kept her in frame pretty reliably even when she randomly stopped to sniff something. Lost her once when she went behind a bush and then picked her back up when she came out the other side.

Small Complaints and Stuff I Wasn't Expecting

The RC 2 controller is great but the joysticks feel slightly loose to me. I think I'll get used to it but coming from gaming controllers they feel different. Also the sticks don't unscrew and store inside the controller the way some other remotes do, so you need to be careful tossing it in a bag.

The DJI Fly app itself is fine but the interface is a little cluttered once you start digging into settings. There are camera settings, gimbal settings, control settings, safety settings - all in different places. I had to watch a YouTube video just to figure out where to change the return-to-home altitude. Ended up being in the Safety menu under RTH Altitude, which makes sense in hindsight.

Also the ND filters that come with the Fly More Combo Plus - there are four of them, ND16, ND64, ND256, and a polarizer. I haven't fully figured out when to use which one yet. I know the general rule about keeping shutter speed at double your frame rate, so 1/120 for 60fps, and you adjust NDs from there. But putting that into practice in changing light conditions is something I'm still working on.

Where I'm at After Week One

Honestly I'm really happy with the purchase. Three flights so far, no crashes, no flyaways, no firmware drama. The Mini 4 Pro feels like a serious piece of equipment even though it's under 249 grams which keeps it out of certain registration requirements in some countries (not the US, where you still register if you fly recreationally over that weight - I had that confused for a bit).

I want to eventually get comfortable shooting in Normal mode and then Sport mode, and actually learn D-Log M grading properly. Also looking at picking up a carrying case because the one that came with the combo is more of a shoulder bag and I want something with hard shell protection.

I'll post more as I learn more. If you're thinking about the Mini 4 Pro and you're coming from nothing or from a toy drone, I'd say go for it. Just do your airspace homework first and charge everything before you get impatient.