Evo or Mavic 2 Zoom

[alekaras]

So I hope I do not get tarred and feathered for posting this, but I am really torn between the Evo and the M2 Zoom.

Zoom Pros

• 2X optical and 4X optical+digital lossless zoom (1080p) and smooth zoom at that, not the jump to 2X that Evo has - I hate flying close to things and in most of the videos I capture with my Spark everything looks really small
• Ocusync 2.0 - by all accounts, it seems to offer the best connection on any of the consumer drones out there
• Better active tracking
• More smart modes
• 360 degree obstacle avoidance

Zoom Cons

• Price
• Geofencing (I live in the DC suburbs - nuff said)
• Sends your data to China (not too bothered about this - it's just flying data not my SSN and bank account number)

Evo Pros

• Apparently more solid construction
• NO Geofencing
• Excellent controler
• Slightly better image quality
• 4k @60 fps (I'm just a consumer, so not critical for me)
• Customer service
• Price

Evo Cons

• Limited smart modes
• Limited accessories
• Props in frame
• RC/AC connectivity not as good as Ocusync

Would like to hear people's thoughts and I know that it's a matter of personal preference whether to get a drone with zoom or not. Anyone with experience with both birds would provide some really good insights.

 

[jmbsmt63]

So I hope I do not get tarred and feathered for posting this, but I am really torn between the Evo and the M2 Zoom.

Zoom Pros

• 2X optical and 4X optical+digital lossless zoom (1080p) and smooth zoom at that, not the jump to 2X that Evo has - I hate flying close to things and in most of the videos I capture with my Spark everything looks really small
• Ocusync 2.0 - by all accounts, it seems to offer the best connection on any of the consumer drones out there
• Better active tracking
• More smart modes
• 360 degree obstacle avoidance

Zoom Cons

• Price
• Geofencing (I live in the DC suburbs - nuff said)
• Sends your data to China (not too bothered about this - it's just flying data not my SSN and bank account number)

Evo Pros

• Apparently more solid construction
• NO Geofencing
• Slightly better image quality
• 4k @60 fps (I'm just a consumer, so not critical for me)
• Customer service
• Price

Evo Cons

• Limited smart modes
• Limited accessories
• RC/AC connectivity not as good as Ocusync

Would like to hear people's thoughts and I know that it's a matter of personal preference whether to get a drone with zoom or not. Anyone with experience with both birds would provide some really good insights.

This is perfect timing.
I just went through the exact thing as you mention and I decided on the EVO.

I currently have and enjoy a DJI Spark and was looking to upgrade basically for more range and better picture video quality. I researched and actually almost pulled the trigger on a Mavic Pro and researched the Mavic2 pro and zoom and was leaning to the zoom primarily for the price and the worrisome issues with the pro's "super camera"

My concerns with the DJI's is primarily the app! It is a resource hungry and intrusive piece of programming that wouldn't run properly on a few devices including my daily phone ( Motorola Z2 play) I dedicated a used, but still decent, tablet to just flying and tried many others (including state of the art top line tablets just to experiment and then return) for the best performance.
I need to run an older version of the app just to have it reliable.
Not a well-written app... but probably because of it's trying to do all the drones and all the "monitoring/sharing" it does?
I am not affected by the imposed NFZ and geo-fencing of the DJI app but I can understand the problems it would cause.

I am also fairly tech savvy and can work through most issues but that DJI GO app is nasty.
I also believe in having competition and will give a decent competing product a chance, for sure.

So, after doing some research on the EVO, I pulled the trigger on one the other day. So far, after aprox 2 hrs total flight time, I can say that I made the right choice!
The Autel Explorer app works perfectly on ALL my devices including my daily cell phone (the Motorola) which is a very pleasant experience!
Just a word of advice..the Autel is an "Android-friendly" device/app as opposed to the DJIs which are primarily " IOS Friendly"! They don't even include a cable to hook to an Apple device in the box! Since I don't use IOS, it is all good. I guess they have a working IOS app now but its development/update is FAR behind the Android app
The flight dynamics are superb and are still being tweaked with updates but the current beta app and firmware are great.
The camera is fantastic! I looked at too many comparisons between the EVO and the Mavic 1 and 2 and I thought the EVO images were better at defaults and that looks to be the case in practice!
The range is comparable to the Occu-sync Mavics and better than the Mavic Air ( which is not Occu-sync...which I was able to test side by side with a Mavic Air pilot at a local park/test area) It appears that under the same conditions, the Occu-sync drones may go another 1/2 to 1 mile farther and be more reliable in the toughest areas (dense urban) but I have had great luck flying over my neighborhood in Phoenix. Much better than the Spark or the Yuneec Q5000!
Waypoints work great and can be set up and saved before the flight... which I see a lot of the reviews missed by saying you have to fly the route first!
No NFZ warnings at all and no intrusive messages about buying a craft or updating before flying!! The initial set up was painless and the updates/firmware have been easy and flawless so far!
Build quality is as good or better than any of the DJI products that I've had occasion examine and it would probably survive a slight crash better.
The gimble/camera mount appears to be a bit "flakey" but I can't comment on it's durability but, I bet it will be easier/cheaper to repair if it needs it! It does function well, though.

The only things that I am missing in the operation is a few of the automated modes such as "dronie" and the Panorama picture capture option!
The obstacle avoidance needs some tweaking but that doesn't affect me, personally. It works but needs some tuning! It will never have the same avoidance ( 360 degrees) of the Mavic but I won't miss that just as long as the front is operational and the rear is just currently giving a warning only (except in certain modes, I guess)

If you have any specific thoughts/questions, please let me know? Either way you go it is an investment and you are trying to make the best decision.

 

[alekaras]

This is perfect timing.
I just went through the exact thing as you mention and I decided on the EVO.

I currently have and enjoy a DJI Spark and was looking to upgrade basically for more range and better picture video quality. I researched and actually almost pulled the trigger on a Mavic Pro and researched the Mavic2 pro and zoom and was leaning to the zoom primarily for the price and the worrisome issues with the pro's "super camera"

My concerns with the DJI's is primarily the app! It is a resource hungry and intrusive piece of programming that wouldn't run properly on a few devices including my daily phone ( Motorola Z2 play) I dedicated a used, but still decent, tablet to just flying and tried many others (including state of the art top line tablets just to experiment and then return) for the best performance.
I need to run an older version of the app just to have it reliable.
Not a well-written app... but probably because of it's trying to do all the drones and all the "monitoring/sharing" it does?
I am not affected by the imposed NFZ and geo-fencing of the DJI app but I can understand the problems it would cause.

I am also fairly tech savvy and can work through most issues but that DJI GO app is nasty.
I also believe in having competition and will give a decent competing product a chance, for sure.

So, after doing some research on the EVO, I pulled the trigger on one the other day. So far, after aprox 2 hrs total flight time, I can say that I made the right choice!
The Autel Explorer app works perfectly on ALL my devices including my daily cell phone (the Motorola) which is a very pleasant experience!
Just a word of advice..the Autel is an "Android-friendly" device/app as opposed to the DJIs which are primarily " IOS Friendly"! They don't even include a cable to hook to an Apple device in the box! Since I don't use IOS, it is all good. I guess they have a working IOS app now but its development/update is FAR behind the Android app
The flight dynamics are superb and are still being tweaked with updates but the current beta app and firmware are great.
The camera is fantastic! I looked at too many comparisons between the EVO and the Mavic 1 and 2 and I thought the EVO images were better at defaults and that looks to be the case in practice!
The range is comparable to the Occu-sync Mavics and better than the Mavic Air ( which is not Occu-sync...which I was able to test side by side with a Mavic Air pilot at a local park/test area) It appears that under the same conditions, the Occu-sync drones may go another 1/2 to 1 mile farther and be more reliable in the toughest areas (dense urban) but I have had great luck flying over my neighborhood in Phoenix. Much better than the Spark or the Yuneec Q5000!
Waypoints work great and can be set up and saved before the flight... which I see a lot of the reviews missed by saying you have to fly the route first!
No NFZ warnings at all and no intrusive messages about buying a craft or updating before flying!! The initial set up was painless and the updates/firmware have been easy and flawless so far!
Build quality is as good or better than any of the DJI products that I've had occasion examine and it would probably survive a slight crash better.
The gimble/camera mount appears to be a bit "flakey" but I can't comment on it's durability but, I bet it will be easier/cheaper to repair if it needs it! It does function well, though.

The only things that I am missing in the operation is a few of the automated modes such as "dronie" and the Panorama picture capture option!
The obstacle avoidance needs some tweaking but that doesn't affect me, personally. It works but needs some tuning! It will never have the same avoidance ( 360 degrees) of the Mavic but I won't miss that just as long as the front is operational and the rear is just currently giving a warning only (except in certain modes, I guess)

If you have any specific thoughts/questions, please let me know? Either way you go it is an investment and you are trying to make the best decision.

Thank you for a super detailed response. I do use Android, so that is not a concern about the Evo. And I too have a Spark, but never experienced any issues with the app (perhaps because I am using a modded app), but given a M2 modded app is still quite a ways off, I will have to use the official DJI one and maybe then I too will experience the same problems.

When you fly in Phoenix what range do you typically get in an urban environment? I am planning on flying in some pretty dense urban areas and that is a consideration and why I am thinking about the M2Z.

Thanks again!

 

[mixchief]

Thank you for a super detailed response. I do use Android, so that is not a concern about the Evo. And I too have a Spark, but never experienced any issues with the app (perhaps because I am using a modded app), but given a M2 modded app is still quite a ways off, I will have to use the official DJI one and maybe then I too will experience the same problems.

When you fly in Phoenix what range do you typically get in an urban environment? I am planning on flying in some pretty dense urban areas and that is a consideration and why I am thinking about the M2Z.

Thanks again!

What app are you using?

 

[alekaras]

What app are you using?

DJI Go 4 mod. I think it's a modded version of the 4.1.15.

 

[mixchief]

DJI Go 4 mod. I think it's a modded version of the 4.1.15.

OK, I HAVE to pick your brain, what are the benefits of this app, who modded it, what bird are you flying with it, did you do the mod yourself? yeah I know lots of questions, there are moreLLOL too bad it's Go4 I can't use it

 

[alekaras]

OK, I HAVE to pick your brain, what are the benefits of this app, who modded it, what bird are you flying with it, did you do the mod yourself? yeah I know lots of questions, there are moreLLOL too bad it's Go4 I can't use it

I use it to fly my Spark. Some of the benefits include OTG support for Spark (when I first started using it the OTG had been discontinued for Spark), no login required, and would not get prompted for any updates. Also supports Google Maps.

More info about it here:
DJI GO 4 MOD 2.0 | DJI GO 4 MOD LITE [ Additional Features | Android | App Ver. 4.1.15 ]

 

[jmbsmt63]

.

Thank you for a super detailed response. I do use Android, so that is not a concern about the Evo. And I too have a Spark, but never experienced any issues with the app (perhaps because I am using a modded app), but given a M2 modded app is still quite a ways off, I will have to use the official DJI one and maybe then I too will experience the same problems.

When you fly in Phoenix what range do you typically get in an urban environment? I am planning on flying in some pretty dense urban areas and that is a consideration and why I am thinking about the M2Z.

Thanks again!

As it turns out, I am using the exact same modded app for the Spark! It is the most stable for me but still is "flakey" on my daily phone but that might be because I have many other things running on that phone. It works the best on the dedicated devices I've tried so I use that version of the app only!
That was my biggest concern if jumping to a Mavic 1 or especially Mavic 2...I would have to use the current "un-modded" version of the DJI GO app and it is terrible and unreliable in my experience!

As for distance, I am going to attach a photo taken from 200 feet up about 3/4 of a mile ( approx halfway) between my house and a condo area with a little lake around it. Just right of center in the picture This will give you an idea of what my immediate neighborhood density is...I flew to that lake which is aprox 1.5 miles (as the crow flies) from my driveway and the EVO's feed/control was fine until just after the lake which I then finally got a weak video transmission warning but still had a feed. I stepped out of my driveway (my house was blocking an actual "straight line" to the EVO until then) to try to get a clearer shot for the signal but I am still in between houses and trees and the EVO...I was happy with that. I am sure that if I got up on my roof, I could've gone farther.LoL
In a local park that has a pretty open shot between some mountains, I got 2.5 miles at aprox 125 feet elevation before the video got flakey. For comparison, the Spark gets to 1,500-1,800 feet in that same park before it completely loses video.
To be honest, if you are concerned about the absolute best range in an urban area, I suspect the Mavic's Occu-sync is best. I am completely satisfied with the EVOs performance in that area because I get nervous flying like that, out of visual contact, over houses,etc
As I mentioned, I am most relieved and impressed by the actual Autel Explorer app than anything at this point...the idea of fighting, optimizing, and experimenting with another version of the DJI app is not something I want to do.
The Autel app just plain works on any device so far!!

 

[alekaras]

.

As it turns out, I am using the exact same modded app for the Spark! It is the most stable for me but still is "flakey" on my daily phone but that might be because I have many other things running on that phone. It works the best on the dedicated devices I've tried so I use that version of the app only!
That was what was my biggest concern if jumping to a Mavic 1 or especially Mavic 2...I would have to use the current "un-modded" version of the DJI GO app and it is terrible and unreliable in my experience!

As for distance, I am going to attach a photo taken from 200 feet up about 3/4 of a mile between my house and a condo area with a little lake around it. Just right and forward of center in the pictureView attachment 2801 This will give you an idea of what my immediate neighborhood density is...I flew to that lake which is aprox 1.5 miles (as the crow flies) from my driveway and the EVO's feed/control was fine until just after the lake which I then finally got a weak video transmission warning but still had a feed. I stepped out of my driveway (my house was blocking an actual "straight line" to the EVO until then) to try to get a clearer shot for the signal but I am still in between houses and trees and the EVO...I was happy with that. I am sure that if I got up on my roof, I could've gone farther.LoL
In a local park that has a pretty open shot between some mountains, I got 2.5 miles at aprox 125 feet elevation before the video got flakey. For comparison, the Spark gets to 1,500 feet in that same park before it completely loses video.
To be honest, if you are concerned about the absolute best range in an urban area, I suspect the Mavic's Occu-sync is best. I am completely satisfied with the EVOs performance in that area because I get nervous flying like that, out of visual contact, over houses,etc
As I mentioned, I am most relieved and impressed by the actual Autel Explorer app than anything at this point...the idea of fighting, optimizing, and experimenting with another version of the DJI app was not something I want to do.
The Autel app just works on any device so far!!

Thanks for the post and the pic. I am looking to fly in a somewhat denser area, and although I may not take it very far (I'm a bit scared to send it too far in an environment with a lot of interference), it's good to know that the connectivity is rock solid. So based on your experience, I'll probably get about a mile, which I think should be plenty enough.

And good to know about the Explorer app! Sometimes we don't really pay attention to these apps when evaluating our purchase, but they are very important to consider.

 

[Gsa103]

The Evo's link is almost as good as Occusync. It will take you well beyond legal line of sight limits in any conditions.

The Evo app on Android is good, and you don't have to deal with DJI.

 

[alekaras]

The Evo's link is almost as good as Occusync. It will take you well beyond legal line of sight limits in any conditions.

The Evo app on Android is good, and you don't have to deal with DJI.

The original Ocusync, or the 2.0 version, which seems to be much improved?

 

[yunsin]

Into The Cloud

 

[Gsa103]

The original Ocusync, or the 2.0 version, which seems to be much improved?

It's close to Occusync 1.0, 2.0 isn't really more than a minor upgrade. 2.0 extends the range slightly and allows for 1080p downlinks.

 

[m0j0]

The Evo's link is almost as good as Occusync. It will take you well beyond legal line of sight limits in any conditions.

The Evo app on Android is good, and you don't have to deal with DJI.

Just for clarification - the EVO's connection is very likely to carry just as far or at least close to the same distance that occusync 1 carries. What makes occusync a little different is the stability of the connection and the ability to wirelessly use DJI goggles without introducing lag.

 

[macoman]

Just for clarification - the EVO's connection is very likely to carry just as far or at least close to the same distance that occusync 1 carries. What makes occusync a little different is the stability of the connection and the ability to wirelessly use DJI goggles without introducing lag.

Don't know about that but saw a YouTube video about the Evo reaching 5 miles without issues. That's better than occusync.

 

[m0j0]

Don't know about that but saw a YouTube video about the Evo reaching 5 miles without issues. That's better than occusync.

The distance was not my point but since you bring it up 5 miles can be accomplished with stock occusync 1 Occusync 2 is hitting 7 miles stock. That again is not my point. The difference is not only range it is what can be accomplished witin that range.

 

[m0j0]

Just in case someone wanted to doubt me on what I just said. Here is the flight record of stock 14 mile flight flown at 200ft AGL

Oct 23rd, 2018 06:57AM | General / Overview | Drone Flight Log from SDK App app, version 4.3.1 on iOS | Total Mileage: 74,950 ft | United States | Airdata UAV

 

[m0j0]

The distance was not my point but since you bring it up 5 miles can be accomplished with stock occusync 1 Occusync 2 is hitting 7 miles stock. That again is not my point. The difference is not only range it is what can be accomplished witin that range.

To be completely transparent - that still isn't a deal breaker. It is just not a checkmark in favor of the EVO. What is a checkmark is NO FN GEO. Occusync isn't worth the paper it is written on if you can't launch. DJI is getting better but they are overly restrictive on the NFZ's. I guess that's a good thing but I want that to be my choice. My backup has always been to carry the XSP in the event I couldn't launch.

 

[macoman]

To be completely transparent - that still isn't a deal breaker. It is just not a checkmark in favor of the EVO. What is a checkmark is NO FN GEO. Occusync isn't worth the paper it is written on if you can't launch. DJI is getting better but they are overly restrictive on the NFZ's. I guess that's a good thing but I want that to be my choice. My backup has always been to carry the XSP in the event I couldn't launch.

I guess that's one of DJI most weak points is the restrictive NFZ. But I think is that they try to pleased governments around the world with these restrictions.

 

[UnRanged]

That was my dilemma. I chose EVO over the MAV2Zoom for all of the same reasons. It has it's quirks and limitations, but they all do. And for my needs, the EVO will do what I need, and at about a $600 cheaper then what I could have done with a comparable M2Z package or Bundle. I got a GREAT Deal, but it is also a better built craft with a lot more potential.