The worst thing I did was drop DJI and buy an AUTEL lite+. - I'm going back to dji

[ppina]

DJI is light years away from Autel.

Best support
Best controllers with options
Best drones
Best price

I'm going back to dji

 

[PakNheat380]

I made the same mistake. Bought the Evo Lite +. No waypoints, tracking is a joke, non existent customer service. I’m sure their hardware is solid but I think they are focusing on commercial clientele.

 

[Detritalgeo]

Why did you drop DJI ?

 

[ppina]

Why did you drop DJI ?

I had a Phantom 4 Pro and I liked to bet on a new brand. My mistake.

 

[Detritalgeo]

Yeah, sometimes the bets don't go our way. I assume you tried it and returned it once you realized it's not the drone for you.

In the interest of balance, what did you like about the Lite+?

 

[Eagle928]

DJI is light years away from Autel.

Best support
Best controllers with options
Best drones
Best price

I'm going back to dji

Okay. You knew all this before you bought the Lite+ if you can read specs. DJI is quicker on support for sure but Autel normally responds within a couple of days.

I have 3 DJI drones and two Autel drones. I choose which one to use based on their strengths for a given flight. It's okay to own more than one brand and it's okay to not smack talk a brand on its own dedicated forum.

For the best video quality I reach for the little Nano+ but I would like to get a Lite Standard with the RYYB sensor tech. Just not in the budget right now.

 

[CaptainBry]

I dropped DJI due to its' geofencing. I was often unable to shoot waterfront homes because the navy has most of the Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal "restricted." After a discussion regarding Navel Base Kitsap I learned that the restriction requires drones to stay a distance of 3000' from Navy vessels... It is NOT a no-fly zone.
I loved my EVO ll Pro V1 that I bought 2 years ago and I talked others into buying them because of their superior camera results. Now I have a V3 and it's been a nightmare with the controller battery and COMPLETE lack of service or even communication with the folks at Autel. Sad, but I do still love the images that come out of my EVO.

 

[herein2021]

DJI is light years away from Autel.

Best support
Best controllers with options
Best drones
Best price

I'm going back to dji

My advice to anyone considering Autel these days is to decide if you live in an area with a lot of controlled airspace or if you travel a lot with your drone to locations where there could be a lot of controlled airspace; if you do then Autel with no geofencing might be your best answer. If neither applies to you then DJI is obviously the better choice.

I do think Autel's HW is better than DJI's at least from the last time I bought a DJI drone which was the Mavic Pro. So far the EVO's batteries are lasting longer without swelling, and not a single airframe stress crack. I had major stress cracks in my P4P and to a lesser extent in the Mavic towards the end of their lifespan and their batteries tended to swell within 1yr.

The EVO II's gimbal is also much better than anything I saw from DJI; the Mavic would go into limp mode at times when flying in ludicrous mode. You can read more of my comparisons here which IMO many still hold true to this day. Without question though DJI is light years ahead of Autel in the software department.

I dropped DJI due to its' geofencing. I was often unable to shoot waterfront homes because the navy has most of the Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal "restricted." After a discussion regarding Navel Base Kitsap I learned that the restriction requires drones to stay a distance of 3000' from Navy vessels... It is NOT a no-fly zone.
I loved my EVO ll Pro V1 that I bought 2 years ago and I talked others into buying them because of their superior camera results. Now I have a V3 and it's been a nightmare with the controller battery and COMPLETE lack of service or even communication with the folks at Autel. Sad, but I do still love the images that come out of my EVO.

I keep my fingers crossed every day that my EVO II Pro V1 keeps flying. I have never updated the FW or app and never will because I strongly believe it would only go downhill from there. My V1 in its current state has quirks, but is a perfect fit for my needs. No way would I want a smart controller forced on me with all of the problems that would bring. TBH, if DJI ever provides a way for Part 107 holders to permanently remove the geofencing I would probably switch back but I doubt that would ever happen.

 

[RSands1]

My EVO II Pro 6K has done everything I've asked it to do - so no problems here. Like a lot of people, I bought it due to lack of geofencing. There were too many places I couldn't fly a(ny) DJI - some of those DJI-restricted places were not realistic but DJI nevertheless wouldn't allow. BG plates and 2nd Unit feature shots meant for projection as well as broadcast and its Sony 1" w/log settings grades very well.

 

[nhwhelehan]

Okay. You knew all this before you bought the Lite+ if you can read specs. DJI is quicker on support for sure but Autel normally responds within a couple of days.

I have 3 DJI drones and two Autel drones. I choose which one to use based on their strengths for a given flight. It's okay to own more than one brand and it's okay to not smack talk a brand on its own dedicated forum.

For the best video quality I reach for the little Nano+ but I would like to get a Lite Standard with the RYYB sensor tech. Just not in the budget right now.

Totally agree Eagle928. I have 2 Autels, 2 DJI's and 1 Fimi. Each has it's strengths. each has it's weaknesses. Mission determinate flights work every time.

 

[phantomrain.org]

You also have the Best Accessories for DJI Drones as well.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water and Fly with our Cinematic Control Pods

 

[Lowrider]

I dropped DJI due to its' geofencing. I was often unable to shoot waterfront homes because the navy has most of the Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal "restricted." After a discussion regarding Navel Base Kitsap I learned that the restriction requires drones to stay a distance of 3000' from Navy vessels... It is NOT a no-fly zone.
I loved my EVO ll Pro V1 that I bought 2 years ago and I talked others into buying them because of their superior camera results. Now I have a V3 and it's been a nightmare with the controller battery and COMPLETE lack of service or even communication with the folks at Autel. Sad, but I do still love the images that come out of my EVO.

Hey CaptainBry,
Off the subject...I know that area, Hood Canal and Kitsap. Very beautiful and I can understand the Geo fencing problem around there.
I am near Olympia.

 

[FreedomFlight]

I have DJI and Autel drones. I primarily fly the DJI drones, but like others who've posted here, I got the Autel specifically because of its no geofencing. This can come in handy in some instances. I haven't personally come across many of those, but I like to be prepared in advance.

As just one example: there are people who live within certain Federal lands, who wouldn't be able to fly a DJI drone in their own house or yard, because of geofencing that (wrongly) encompasses the whole area, including their property. With Autel they wouldn't have this hassle.

 

[GFields]

I have five drones in my fleet and each one has its place in my business. I must add that when I'm doing a basic real estate shoots, the Evo Lite+ is my go-to drone.

 

[YuKay]

I still think that my original 4k Evo1 produces the best images in its class but after Autel cut off support for it only two years after I bought it, I switched to DJI and got a Mini 3 Pro which has a spec to die for and will continue to benefit from DJI's much superior support. I still think it just loses out to the Evo1 in image quality - and definitely comes up short in signal range and autofocus - but it wins every other race.

 

[Eagle928]

I still think that my original 4k Evo1 produces the best images in its class but after Autel cut off support for it only two years after I bought it, I switched to DJI and got a Mini 3 Pro which has a spec to die for and will continue to benefit from DJI's much superior support. I still think it just loses out to the Evo1 in image quality - and definitely comes up short in signal range and autofocus - but it wins every other race.

Every time I look at the video footage from my little Nano+ I'm impressed with the clarity and definition along with the natural looking color science.

My Mini 3 Pro is a fine flyer and I like it quite a bit but it's nowhere as good as the Nano+ when it comes to image quality. It's fully acceptable of course and usable for rec and real estate work.

In fact, if I could put the N+ camera on the Mini 3p, it could be the perfect mini drone with the tech available today. Oh, and slap the geofencing out of it.

 

[YuKay]

Every time I look at the video footage from my little Nano+ I'm impressed with the clarity and definition along with the natural looking color science.

My Mini 3 Pro is a fine flyer and I like it quite a bit but it's nowhere as good as the Nano+ when it comes to image quality. It's fully acceptable of course and usable for rec and real estate work.

In fact, if I could put the N+ camera on the Mini 3p, it could be the perfect mini drone with the tech available today. Oh, and slap the geofencing out of it.

I think Autel profited by starting from scratch as primarily a flying camera whereas DJI built flying machines.

 

[mixchief]

My advice to anyone considering Autel these days is to decide if you live in an area with a lot of controlled airspace or if you travel a lot with your drone to locations where there could be a lot of controlled airspace; if you do then Autel with no geofencing might be your best answer. If neither applies to you then DJI is obviously the better choice.

I do think Autel's HW is better than DJI's at least from the last time I bought a DJI drone which was the Mavic Pro. So far the EVO's batteries are lasting longer without swelling, and not a single airframe stress crack. I had major stress cracks in my P4P and to a lesser extent in the Mavic towards the end of their lifespan and their batteries tended to swell within 1yr.

The EVO II's gimbal is also much better than anything I saw from DJI; the Mavic would go into limp mode at times when flying in ludicrous mode. You can read more of my comparisons here which IMO many still hold true to this day. Without question though DJI is light years ahead of Autel in the software department.



I keep my fingers crossed every day that my EVO II Pro V1 keeps flying. I have never updated the FW or app and never will because I strongly believe it would only go downhill from there. My V1 in its current state has quirks, but is a perfect fit for my needs. No way would I want a smart controller forced on me with all of the problems that would bring. TBH, if DJI ever provides a way for Part 107 holders to permanently remove the geofencing I would probably switch back but I doubt that would ever happen.

There are options (not factory) to remove geofencing and restrictions from DJI drones

 

[Eagle928]

I think Autel profited by starting from scratch as primarily a flying camera whereas DJI built flying machines.

That's the impression I get too.

 

[Eagle928]

There are options (not factory) to remove geofencing and restrictions from DJI drones

I used one of those options on an Air 2s and it worked very well until I got a job using the Air 2s as a mapping machine coupled with DroneDeploy. In order to make it work I had to update the Air 2s which removed the software that kicked the geofence out. I guess in a perfect world I'd have one Air 2s that was hacked and one that wasn't. It's unfortunate these 3rd party companies insist on using certain DJI drones for their referred jobs. I guess the mapping software is geared toward DJI files and their editors are trained to use DJI color science. They probably run all the photos through batch editors then pass them along to the client.

Kind of a non issue right now though. The jobs all but dried up in my area. A sign of the times I guess. Good thing I only used it as a side hustle and not as a main source of income.