Author: ADMIN

DJI Mavic Mini Round 2 Review

DJI Mavic Mini
Round 2 Review

Take an in-depth look into
DJI Mavic Mini’s performance specs with AlteX

By YIFEI ZHAO

Pre-Launch Recap

In Oct 2019, we were invited to test the DJI Mavic Mini with Vistek just before DJI’s product launch. For a drone that weighs only 249 grams, DJI certainly delivered in terms of camera specs and flight performance. The Mavic Mini shoots 2.7k video with a max flight time of 30 minutes, in theory. We also came to the conclusion that as a small entry level drone, the Mavic Mini is certainly not one on the professional level but rather a backup or B-roll unit.

Since then, we’ve had several hours of flight time with the Mavic Mini Fly More combo and the public version of DJI FLY App. Now let’s take you into our Round 2 Testing with a more in-depth look into DJI Mavic Mini’s performance specs.

AlteX Drone Testing Stages

Duration: 1-3 days.

ROUND 1

Pre Launch: Initial Impression and Product Performance Testing

Duration: 1-3 days.

Duration: 2-4 weeks.

ROUND 2

In-depth Product performance and specifications testing.

Duration: 2-4 weeks.

Duration: Over 6-8 months.

FOCUSED TESTING

Individual testing in focused areas. i.e., battery test, crash test, speed test, etc.

Duration: Over 6-8 months.

Duration: Over 6-8 months of actual product use.

ROUND 3

Workflow and User experience testing.

Duration: Over 6-8 months of actual product use.

Round 2 Testing

We conducted 10 flights over 2 weeks’ time with the Mavic Mini. Then another week analyzing hardware design and footage back in the studio. In temperatures ranging from 0 to 10 C, we had an average of 24 minutes of flight time comparing to DJI’s maximum 30 minutes flight time. We also shot side-by-side footage with the Mavic 2 Pro to show comparison. Other areas tested include hardware design, camera settings, flight performance, and DJI’s new Fly App.

https://youtu.be/gqOLHArjlhc

AlteX Test Footage

Did you know, AlteX shares sample footage from our testing. The sample footage is intended for anyone who wants to test post-workflow or evaluate detailed product performance.

DJI Mavic Mini Test Footage

DOWNLOAD

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: All footage is provided “as is”. Use of the footage is for internal testing purposes only, and may not be used for any other purposes, whether commercial or non-commercial. AlteX retains all copyrights in the footage.

If you’d like to share workflow feedback or have further questions, feel free to contact us at training@altexacdemy.com

January 22, 2020
Imaginahome ~ Drones for Real Estate

IMAGINAHOME
DRONES FOR REAL ESTATE

AlteX Training Takes Business to New Heights!

By YIFEI ZHAO

Professional Design coupled with High-End Photography, Imaginahome has been providing Real Estate marketing services in Toronto for over 10 years. Whether it’s as simple as designing a business card or as complex as a complete virtual reality walk-through of luxury homes, Imaginahome does it all.

[video src="https://altexacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/AlteX_IMAGINAHOME_Land_001.mp4" /]

Back in 2007, Imaginahome became particularly specialized with capturing high-perspective views of luxury properties. With limited technology at the time, Bilal, owner of Imaginahome came up with his own solution: using a massive, 60-foot telescoping pole with a lightweight camera to get a wide-angle shot. While this solution produced interesting results, it had many limitations. The setup time took more than 15-minutes. Unlike traditional camera setup where you can simply move the camera to a different location, the telescoping pole required a complete reset every time it’s being moved. The other restriction is camera movement, because there was none. The vantage point was static so there was little room left for creative video capture.

With all the limitations, Bilal began to explore other options.That’s when he was introduced to Drones.

“I tried a Parrot AR drone, a Styrofoam-based build that connected to smartphones via WiFi. Had to modify it, so the camera would point 45 degrees down. But the first time I flew it I could see the whole neighbourhood and the whole street,” Bilal says. “It was pretty amazing.”

With many of Imaginahome’s clients in Toronto near Pearson International Airport, Bilal was concerned with legal aspect of using drones in Canada. He also knows that most realtors managing luxury homes want to ensure safety and insurance when it comes to hiring service providers. But navigating through Transport Canada’s drone regulations wasn’t an easy task. Bilal then realized the most important thing to acquire wasn’t a new drone, it was knowledge.

In 2014, Bilal chose AlteX Drone Pilot Training, largely because the company is a partner with public colleges, and more importantly, AlteX instructors brought professional background in filming. They knew capturing a quality still or video required more than simply putting a drone in the air.

“How many people teaching a drone course really know about filming?” Bilal asks. “The filming background gave AlteX more credibility, especially because I was looking to do photography and video capture. Plus, they were highly experienced pilots in a field where many people were offering courses without much real-world experience. They were doing operations, not just teaching about it.”

Between 2014 and 2016, Bilal and two of his photographers completed AlteX Drone Pilot Training. As a business, Imaginahome also hired AlteX consulting services to receive SFOC and manage flights in controlled airspace. Since new regulations were released in January 2019, Imaginahome’s pilots continued to receive training and support form AlteX and acquired advanced drone pilot certificate as well as workflow, and technology updates. Today, drone aerial service is an integral part of Imaginahome’s offerings.

Imaginahome is now looking to expand their services, making it more accessible to Realtors across the GTA and surrounding areas. Much like AlteX, Bilal Jamous clearly has a Vision and, as an AlteX graduate, now has the skills to realize it!

September 14, 2019
How to Improve Your Drone Operations with Flight Training

How to Improver
Your Drone Operations
with Flight Training

Taking a Drone Flight Course is an essential step
to improve your drone operations and skills.

By YIFEI ZHAO

Drone technology has become more and more automated in recent years. These automated machines made pilots wonder why you would need drone training. The answer to this is simple – with high level automation, there is a bigger need to understand the equipment and workflow so pilots can manage the automated process. With professional-led training, you can improve pilot skills more efficiently and put that learning time towards effective operations.

Taking a Drone Flight Course is an essential step to improve your drone operations and skills. It is also an opportunity to learn from other pilots’ experiences, answer any operational questions and apply real-world scenarios to make application in the field significantly easier.

Conduct Basic Flight Dynamics

A main part of flying is control. Whether it is thrust, pitch, yaw or roll, these basic flight dynamics may seem easy on paper but surprisingly difficult to achieve precisely in-flight. Most beginner pilots find the drone drifting in-flight as they are directed to fly straight. This is because the drone’s joystick controls are designed to control multiple flight dynamics with a single joystick. Without practice and direction, pilots can easily move the joystick in undesired direction without knowing.

Apply Regulation and Safety Procedures

Flight Training also allows pilots to apply regulations and safety procedures in a practical environment. This can help pilots better understand the theory knowledge and what they mean for flight operations.

Interpret and Manage Flight Control Settings

In addition to basic flight control and air law, professional drone training provides detailed flight control training. This helps pilots to accurately understand the various system settings on a drone and make necessary adjustments to achieve desired results. A thorough understanding of flight control settings makes for smooth flight operations.

Using Automated Flight Modes

As drone technology advanced, many useful automatic features have been introduced to improve flight performance. Knowing when and how to use these automated flight modes enables pilots to achieve professional results such as dynamic film shots or precision surveys.

Analyze Data Processing

Capturing drone data is only the first step. Being able to process and use the data to make important business decisions is just as important. With AlteX Flight Training, students are introduced to professional software and see how drone data is processed to produce results. Data-processing also allows drone pilots to analyze their flight settings to understand areas needing improvement.

Take a Drone Flight Training Course with AlteX is a great start to becoming a professional drone pilot. Investing in drone flight training is setting the foundation for your drone career, providing you with valuable knowledge and skills that will benefit for years to come.

Structured, professional training is designed to assist drone pilots learn essential skills, improve flight performance and avoid potentially costly errors.

September 12, 2019
Northland Power ~ Drones for Solar Inspection

Northland Power
Drones for Solar Inspection

The Crosby Site alone has 45,000 panels spread over 100 acres…

By YIFEI ZHAO

AlteX provided complete Drone Training to Northland Team, including an intensive Drone Ground School Online and Customized Flight Training and Equipment Setup on Northland Power’s solar site. The company wanted to learn how to safely and efficiently use drones to inspect hundreds of thousands of solar panels – a task that has, until now, involved a staggering amount of manual labor.

[video src="https://altexacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ALteX_NortlandPower_M2P_001.mp4" /]

“Previous inspections were carried out by ground with a hand-held IR (Infrared) camera,” explains Conrad. “We would either walk the grounds in uneven areas, or with an ATV and a driver while the passenger scanned the modules.”

The Crosby Site alone has 45,000 panels spread over 100 acres. Northland Power has 12 other similar sites which together provide power for 26,000 homes. Imagine scanning all that by hand. The value proposition was clear, drones would be able to do this more effectively and efficiently. It was just a matter of finding the best instruction with a solution tailored to Northland’s specific needs.

“We didn’t know anything before training with AlteX,” says Conrad. “We (just) wanted to make sure that we adhere to all laws and safety regulations required to fly drones.”

In fact, Northland has sites close to airports and within military airspace. Northland Power wasn’t even certain they’d be able to fly drones in those areas before taking up training with AlteX.

“Now we know we’re able to – it’s just a question of the right process,” says Conrad.

Northland is a perfect example of AlteX’s training vision, which goes beyond regulatory requirements and ensures students achieve Safety, Efficiency and Results from their drone operations. Drone technology improves traditional inspection work substantially. But to achieve results, drone pilots need to understand how to work with the equipment and manage workflow. AlteX provided customized flight training including a 4-hour equipment setup session to ensure the team is ready to take off with their DJI Matrice 210 and XT2 Thermal Camera, both legally and professionally.

“The balance of power has shifted. With the ability to program automated flights, we can create missions, save and use them year after year to scan our sites”, says Conrad.

Already, Northland is looking ahead to other areas in which DRONES might be put to use. With AlteX’s post-training support, companies like Northland are seeing their visions with drones take off with confidence!

August 28, 2019