DJI Spark Obstacle Avoidance Review Trail Test! Can it dodge a tree?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- I've gotten a few requests to try and see how well the new DJI Spark can track on an actual trail. Today we're going to see how well does the DJI Spark actually works when it comes to obstacle avoidance. Can the DJI Spark actually avoid obstacles during an intelligent mode flight?
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I had similar experience with my Spark and a tree. Still happy it didn't crash into a tree but if I'm riding my bike and not paying attention I might leave the Spark behind haha
+Mitch Wilmarth I know right? 😂 I only knew something was amiss when it started making high pitched whirring noises, otherwise I might have left it on the trail!
That's how baby drones cry for their owners. It's a survival instinct.
+Jimmie Lynch that's hilarious! I can promise I'm going to start using that line!
The Everyday Dad n
You will always leave it behind if you travel for more than 100 meters of your initial takeoff point. It auto-stops following when it is further than 100 meters from the Home point.
Make sure you stop the video manually before shutting down the Spark. Otherwise the file gets corrupted.
Thanks so much for the tip!
David Casler Not if you shut it down. If you were to yank the battery it will.
Avery Kucan actually he is right this just happened to me
Good job on the spark video. I was going to buy the spark today but figured I'd search some videos before I buy it. Now I'm second guessing buying the spark because it stops. Anyway you seem like the type of person I want to follow and see what I can learn. Always willing to learn at the age of 52. Thanks!!
+Mark Schaffer I think my test was a little unfair to the spark, I don't know that there is any drone on the market that really does what I asked it to do in this video. I have a whole range of videos about the Spark and overall I'm a pretty big fan of it.
Thanks for the comment!
Just picked up my Spark today. Absolutely fantastic piece of kit!! Great video, liked and subscribed ;)
+dan kidd it really is! I'm positive you'll love it!
The Everyday Dad Getting the controller today. Cannot wait. Im in the British Army and I'm looking at making some videos on military exercise. It's amazing what you can shoot from above (in the photography sense) lol
+dan kidd that's awesome, I bet an exercise would look fantastic from drone level. So long as there's no rotary wing aviation in the exercise. Are you a public affairs type person? I don't know British Army rules but U.S. Army rules are pretty strict on drone use.
The Everyday Dad It would look unreal. Hopefully I'll get the chance to carry out some kind of military shoot with the Spark. No I'm a soldier in the communications Corps so I'm pretty tech savvy. I strapped a Go-Pro to my rifle during a live firing range once but it didn't record! Was so gutted.
+dan kidd that would be pretty awesome I hope it goes well for you!
Thanks for the series. Trying to decide between the spark and the mavic and your videos has been very helpful. Keep it up and looking forward to future reviews.
+David Shih thanks for the comment! I've had both and they are both great, for what I need (convenience, smallness, better phono interface) the spark is what I'm sticking with.
Yes, I saw your latest video with the unpacking of the Blue Spark (nice color choice by the way)! I am still so torn, leaning towards the Mavic and then when Spark 2 comes out - switch to that (heard in the next version that the legs will fold for the Spark like the Mavic which hopefully will make it even smaller).
+David Shih I would recommend purchasing what works for you now. If that's the mavic by all means get the mavic, I would caution against waiting for the next version of something you want. With how fast the technology is developing there will always be something on the horizon that will be better and you'll always be waiting.
And I don't know, I like that the legs don't fold in. It gives it a stronger (I think) frame without the joints. I've wrecked mine 3 times now with active track and it jumps right back up.
I am in the market for a spark. I have a hubsan and a bugs 5 w and now want a spark. I have seen many videos on it and I am sold on its features. thanks for the review
Should be called Automatic Braking System. Loved this video, thanks!
That’s an awesome name for it 😁👍
Just got a Spark! I appreciate this information and you testing this!!
+Peyton Krell that's awesome I'm sure you're going to love it! My spark is my favorite all time drone! You'll have to let us know how you're enjoying it.
I think the intention is that it avoids *hitting* the obstacle... It would require a heck of a lot of built-in intelligence to have it fly around anything it comes across. For one thing, the way you describe it, flying sideways to get around the tree, what if there were another tree to its right? It only looks forwards, so it would have to turn to the side - hence losing the lock on the subject it is following...I suspect the fault is not with the drone, but just in your interpretation of what 'obstacle avoidance' is!
+Phil Buglass I can't argue with you there, I agree and that's what I stated at the end of the video. However words have meaning and if it's going to be called avoidance in my mind that means something other then obstacle protection or something similar. At the end of the day I'm still in love with this drone and think it's one of the best pieces of technology on the market right now. Thanks for commenting!
Actually I am unsure of this drone but the DJI Mavic does have an option in the obstacle avoidance options of the DJI Go app that is 'Horizontal Obstacle Avoidance' or something to that effect.. Putting it on gives the drone permission to try and navigate horizontally around obstacles in its path. They leave this disable by default because it doesn't have obstacle avoidance on its sides, just like the ability for the drone to back up during active track is disabled.
Good video mate! About the obstacle avoidance, the DJI Spark already have the ability to avoid objects in its path (Horizontal) as Mavic. Its active when in RTH. Its all matter of software, for safety in mind they made it disabled when on active track. The Spark already have the tech ond computer power to fly all around objects but as Phil stated its risky when you don't have 3D sense 360 around the drone.
Yes word have meaning and avoid means "Keep away from or stop oneself from doing (something), Prevent from happening or Not go to or through". It always mean "stop hitting something" not to go around it.
I guess to make everyone happy it should be called "Accident Avoidance". If it were obstacle navigation, that would prob raise the cost above most consumers wallet, more sensors, more cameras ect.
Do it! Everyday DJI spark dad 😆 love your spark videos, just got one myself
+kelvin long that's awesome! I'm a serious fan of the spark. Which color did you get?
Something oddly addictive about this video and the music! Great YT personality you've got.. Looking forward to more vids.
+Rob Johnson thanks so much for the comment!
FYI the P4, P4-pro also another quad has avoidenc on all 4 sides and it is supposed to negotiate it's around obstacle, as well and remember where those obstacles on the reverse course back.
+Tank 62 that's awesome! I knew the p4 pro had 4 sided detection but I'm not exactly sure how it works, I wouldn't mind getting one but it's way overkill for what I need, that camera is super awesome though! Thanks for commenting!
If you understand about the actual sensors and the coding for the visual tracking, all combined with various lighting and color setups, this is still incredibly impressive.
+Jaun Van Heerden I completely agree! I think the things they've put into this little drone are amazing! Thanks for the comment!
What I gather from the settings in the app, is that it will only ‘avoid’ in RTH mode. Regular collision avoidance mode only brings the spark to a stop when a forward object is detected...
Yeah I learned that after making this video. This was about 6 or 7 months ago.
Thanks so much for the comment! 😁👍
good video. as far as the obstacle avoidance feature, its just misleading marketing on DJI's part. if you stop and think about it, with only one front facing sensor devoted to it, how would it know when it navigates far enough to the side or above an obstacle to actually fly around it? this is why the phantom has sensors front, back, both sides and on the bottom. trouble is the phantom is a bit bulky for those trails.
Sorry if someone has covered this point but the user manual says obstacle avoidance works during return to home (RTH). It's meant then to stop and ascend for five seconds and then continue flying to the home point.
Definitely worth watching to the end. Really enjoyed your positivity! You don't often hear people say good things about TH-cam comments! 😄
+Matt Rollins thanks for commenting! Yeah the community that's growing here has seriously impressed me with everyone's maturity and even if there are disagreements they are handled well. When first making a TH-cam channel one of my biggest hesitations was due to the reputation the TH-cam comments get.
Great Review, good to see different review. Keep up the good work
+JR12Farias thanks so much for the comment! 😁👍
I did a test of the DJI Spark on my channel and agree with you that the hand gestures are a bit dodgy. They are not reliable and take some practice to master.
+Drones and Electric Unicycles yeah I’m not a big fan of them even after about 5 months of use.
Thanks for all your videos with the Spark! They were very helpful when I was deciding whether to get one or not. Keep making awesome videos!
+Zach Minnich thanks so much for the comment!
like its said on dji board, avoiding system works in "return home" command and after connection is lost when spark returns also to starting point. In free fly it only stops before to avoid crash ;)
I am trying to pick which one I want the mavic air are the dji spark, but i really think that the mavic is the best. How much did the mavic air cost, the one that you got
Normally *obstacle avoidance* is considered to be distinct from *path planning* in that one is usually implemented as a reactive control law while the other involves the pre-computation of an obstacle-free path which a controller will then guide a robot along.
+Wogs in Tokyo thanks for the explanation!
nice video and congrats on hitting 20k views
I have a brand new DJI Mavic Pro, and it has the same issue with "obstacle avoidance". When it encounters a tree or some other object while following me, it just stops and hovers in place. It may be the case that this happens when it completely loses sight of the target, as it did in my case, or when enough of the target gets obscured so that the drone is no longer able to recognize it, but that will take a lot more testing to determine.
Great test. Is the obstacle “avoidance” just forward or on the side? Bottom? back? Also how high up did the Spark crash and fall down fall?
Great work love it keep the videos coming
+Dean Boland thanks so much for the comment!
Suppose it depends how you interpret 'avoidance'. Stopping in front of an obstacle does mean it's avoided hitting it.
To add to my argument, if it swerved around an obstacle, it could hit an adjacent one - especially a tree branch. Stopping in front makes perfect sense to me.
+geoffphuket I can't argue with you on your points I actually agree with you in part. I think words matter however and in my mind avoidance means avoiding but continuing to go. I think a better description for this setting would be obstacle protection or something. That wouldn't be as ambiguous. Thanks for commenting!
So you're driving your car and an old lady steps out in front. Do you, A: slam on the brakes and stop, B: swerve to one side and risk hitting another vehicle? Both are examples of 'avoidance', but one makes more sense than the other :-)
+geoffphuket I agree what the term means is the judgement of the person interpreting it. I think calling it obstacle avoidance is a stretch but I think you've got totally valid reasons to disagree. I really appreciate the back and forth!
I gotta agree with Everyday on this one. This is not for first person flight. The intention is for it to follow you. It could easily get left behind or even lost for that matter if it just stops. A better example would be if a guy told you to follow him and avoid tripping. If you see something to trip on, would you just stop and let him find out about it later? At the very least you would yell out that you stopped. That should be something the Spark should do when ir stops and realizes its target has moved further away. It should beep loudly or make your phone ring
Great video! v entertaining.. Definitely need extra batteries.. i have 5 now ;p love the spark, ill be going on the trail soon with it also.. agree gestures are tricky i havent managed to get the wave away working either yet but will perservere,.. keep up the vids cheers!
Thanks so much!
Even almost 6 months afterwards I’m still having issues with the gesture controls 😂
Thanks for the informative video! I'm thinking of getting a drone for mtb'ing. Just looking for a little bit of follow me mode in an open area and some cinematic landscape aerial shots. Do you find it to be fast enough to follow you when you're riding downhill? Trying to decide between the spark and the mavic, but would like to save a couple hundred bucks.
+Cassy Samel I haven't done any serious downhill segments (I don't have any here) but I've gotten it to follow my motorcycle at about 15mph
Maybe I am wrong, but the spark was never listed as having APAS (Advanced Pilot Assistance System) which would be required to actively follow and avoid obstacles. It's doing exactly what its designed to do. Stop when an obstacle is detected to keep it from crashing. You want the Mavic Air if you want it to attempt to avoid, or if you wallet is deep enough for the purchase you need a completely autonomous drone such as the Skydio R1.
Great video!! By the way, what do you ride? It was pretty cold knowing you MTB as well.
I think it only does OA during RTH, it will fly backwards a few meters, then up and over the obstacle on it's way back to the RTH point.
+Jason Davis awesome thanks for the info!
In the app there is a setting that says avoid obstacles when active tracking turn this on and it works :)
Whats rth
OMG you are hipnotized me on the reenactment... LOL
+BanG IgO 😁👍🤣
This is very interesting, thought about taking mine for downhill, now I know
Great functionality video. Not quite in agreement about the "obstacle avoidance" critique, avoid means avoid. Sounds like it worked at least sometimes.
Got me thinking though, probably something DJI could improve on and that would be the interaction between Tracking and Obstacle avoidance.
So what if tracking was not the main function at the time but lets say "Return to home", then the drone has a location it needs to get to and would be great to see how it then avoids obstacles. For sure will be testing this when I finally get mine. thanks for the video
+Leon Botha thanks for commenting! I feel like I had to sacrifice some weight of my argument when all of my trail drone video corrupted. It was able to follow along as best it could if nothing got directly in front of it, but even if a few hanging leaves were in front of it it would come to a stop and not move around it.
I like the interaction idea of return to home and avoidance. Kind of like the tap to fly function but avoiding things in the meantime. I hope as the firmware continues to update these functions get better.
Don't get me wrong I am absolutely infatuated with the DJI Spark, it's almost the perfect drone for me and the best one currently on the market. I have to restrain myself or I'd film everything on it😂
Good job on the video!
+Max Moreno Jr. thanks a lot for commenting!
Great video, thanks. Do you think it might avoid an obstacle and carry on with its journey if it was on 'return to home' as it knows to the destination?
+Matt Beaven I don't know but I'll definitely try it out and let you know what happens. Thanks for commenting!
Great video I liked it. I couldn't stop laughing 😂 I'm looking to get a Spark with controller. Now go find some real trails with your MTB and get some good shots with that killer little dude.
+Matthew Plummer yeah I know, we don't have the best trails out here. It makes me miss my time living in Arizona!
Enjoyed the video! I just got the spark as a present from the wife. Can't touch it till Christmas 😩 Been using my Phantom 4 for a couple of years now and feel this will fill the gap for my TH-cam scooter adventures. Great content👍🏻
Thanks so much!
Wow that would really stink waiting that long, the spark is fantastic! I had a phantom 4a for a little bit and really enjoyed it but I REALLY like the portability of the spark.
I’ll have to check out your scooter adventures 😁
I believe that you have to activate the Gesture Control in the app first. I have not tried this yet but it could be the case.
I'm enjoying your vid's about the Spark :-) I've got one too and I'm having a heap of fun flying it.
I think you have a good point re "Obstacle Avoidance".
From the promo videos it shows that when Return to Home is activated the drone will aim to FLY AROUND obstacles while heading back to the home point. So...what if the "Home Point" was re-set to your position while you are in Active Track mode...would it then fly AROUND obstacles instead of just hovering???
Of course it would then come out of tracking mode...but It would make an interesting experiment.
+Andrew Devonshire this is the second comment I've gotten about trying it out with return to home also. I'll give that a shot and let you guys know what it does.
And that's awesome that you've got a spark! I seriously like mine and I really don't understand the vitriol around it. What color did you end up getting?
I ride trails similar to the first trail. How did it do there? I want the drone for my upcoming vacation but also for mountain biking and snowboarding.
+Merc_NYC it does great if there are no trees around. I wish I still lived in Arizona because it would be amazing out there.
I'm watching all your spark videos today. I got one at Christmas. What a great channel. Seems like your into alot of stuff that I am :). Anyways I was wondering. Once you auto track yourself do you just put your phone in your pocket turned on still? If you do are you worried you might inadvertently press a button in your pocket? Thanks and happy New year :)
Thats exactly what I do. I usually put my phone facing away from my body that way theres less of a chance of it accidentally hitting a button.
Happy New Year to you too!
Great review
im thiinking about ordering the DJI. I'll definitely keep an eye out when i take it on my quad
I tell you it takes a big pair of .... to fly a first generation drone in the woods.. I am sure it will get better as firmware up dates, I hope very soon. Again well done!
+Chris Robbins thanks so much for the comment! Yeah there were a few nerve wracking moments riding through the woods 😂 I agree I think it will just get better and better, I'm such a big fan of this drone.
I too will have one I am sure. Just can't rationalize it right now. Keep up the great work.
I have a question for you. I just bought a Spark and plan to use it for some of our Jeeping adventures. Have you done any more trail tests, if so, how did they come out? Can you "active track" at like the same level and not at an elevated level? I played with the active track today and it didn't follow me, it just stayed stationary and kept me in frame. In case you're wondering, yes, my firmware is current. Thanks in advance!
To active track the drone has to be at a certain height. (I believe its 10 meters off the top of my head)
Hey there, nice video. An off topic question ... how did you stabilize the parts at minute 1 and 6 ... looks a bit like a slow hyperlapse?!
+reserveschirm it's only stabilization is what's built into the camera itself. The Sony fdrx3000 has optical image stabilization that does an amazing job giving a nice clean stable image!
impressive, thanks!
Hi, I`ve seen some of your vids, and like them enough !.
About the obstacle avoidance, you didn`t mention what happens with the Mavic. It performs the same way, or what ?. Would be good to know.
By the way, when you got your controller for the Spark and performs the Sport mode, I`m quiet sure you´re gonna put this wonderful drone on a pedestal !.
Can`t wait to see your reaction !.
Thank you so much for your vids and many greetings from Chile ! (South America).
John.
+jhonny1392 I assume the mavic works the same way. I'm more careful with it because it costs twice as much as the spark 🤑
I'm pretty excited for the controller, I think that's the last piece I'm missing to make this my favorite drone ever.
It would be cool if you could upload the trail to the drone and it could be precise enough to follow through turning with you
It is tracking you, no set direction, but when the object blocks its view it cannot see you anymore so how would it know where to you have gone to continue to track you. I would say that the avoidance would work in the event of a return to home and it faces an obstruction. In this case it knows where to go.
+stupest that's absolutely true, the obstacle avoidance only works on a return to home flight.
I noticed at the start you where trying to use a hand gesture to get it to follow you from behind. Is that an option. As i am looking for a drone that i can control without a phone or controller. To follow me while running
+Gareth Finlay I was just trying to get it out of the way while I set up the phone app. I would suggest the spark for what you are looking to do, that's exactly what I wanted out of a drone.
You can't use it exclusively with hand controls and record it but what I do is have it take off then set it to active track with my phone. I then put the phone away and can tell by just looking at the Spark whether it is following or not.
The whole process takes about 30 seconds (without any dedicated practice).
ok cheers :)
what a nice video!by the way I panned to buy this drone, but is it worthy to buy the combo package?
If you want to use it for more then just a selfie drone you definitely need the controller. If you just want to use it really close to you for fun or just tracking then the base model would be fine. Thanks for the comment!
Cool review
Is it a coincidence or not? I got a dji ad on the video?
I had trouble getting the wave to work until I found to keep my arm straight and wave from my shoulder. Works every time now.
looks like you launched it initially with gesture control. I can't find anywhere that it is able to initiate video record only in gesture mode?? ?
+Tou Thor I like to launch it with gesture control but then connect it to the app for video capture. I also set it back to gesture control to hand catch it. It helps so much to not land it on the ground in the woods.
The Everyday Dad . I didn't know you could pair it Mid flight.thanks! I'm considering returning mine because it cannot record using gestures which defeats the purpose of being practical.
+Tou Thor I've heard that dji is going to add that functionality in a future firmware update. I can't confirm that but it would be really cool. I don't find it too bad to have it do the hand take off, pair it with the phone, set active track how I want it, put the phone away and go. It's way faster and easier then my Mavic, I really like my spark
the mavic could essentially do that also, correct? connect to phone, track and follow? i suppose the only difference is taking off your hand vs on the ground.. ?
thanks for replying.
+Tou Thor yep the mavic can do the same thing, but if you watch my active track comparison video the mavic is harder to work with just your phone. Getting the mavic to active track with the remote makes it really hard to then stow the remote and let it just follow you. You'll need a separate bag or something to store the remote in while you do whatever it is you are trying to get the mavic to film.
Like anything that DJI makes, this will get better with software updates. Hang in there.
+logan S I completely agree if you watch the rest of my videos about the spark you'll know I absolutely love this drone! Thanks for the comment!
Hi, where is your video on test of obstacle avoidance related to Dji Mavic Pro? I watched your latest on Dji Mavic Pro 2, well it is not that good at all.
Hi.I follow your videos specially those about Dji Spark because I know that you are a Spark lover. I am going to buy a Spark but I have a question to do. I am asking this stupid question because I just lost my Dobby drone. So my biggest fear is to loose my little pet.1) Imagine your Spark is far 1 mile from you and suddenly you loose both GPS and wifi signal? Will Spark return to home or you will loose your Spark? 2) What happens if during flight you turn of your mobile phone? Is it possible to RTH by pushing RTH function of controller?
I would appreciate if you could answer to these 2 questions.Thank you and best regards.
More Spark Videos please, helps first time dronies a lot :)
+Mikahl757 absolutely more spark videos! I love the spark and am not getting sick of talking about it! I plan on release my full review of the spark on Saturday!
Are you sure you have the setting on in the app where it goes around stuff in activetrack, I’ve seen people do it with the dji spark
I so need this drone. A bit out of my price range though.
Its a really fantastic drone. Keep an eye out for deals they go on sale from time to time. There was a fantastic deal over the Black Friday weekend!
Yeah I bought a cheap drone that is awesome for what I paid but the spark looks fun.
Oh yeah? What drone did you get? I'm always looking for new things to check out.
I have been looking for a drone for awhile but could see spending the big money for a DJI so I found a drone at Walmart made by promark. It's call the promark shadow GPS drone. They have other models but they had this one for $99 at Walmart on black Friday. The camera is garbage but I'm happy with it over all.
That's all that matters is that you're happy with it! I think we get too wrapped around whatever is the latest and greatest and its whatever works for the person that's the best piece of gear!
One question where did u put the Controller .Still nice video👍
wow you have David Casler in your comments he really knows his stuff. has an awesome ham radio channel on here too incase you don't know him. nice video from W9DES.
did you just learn bicycling recently? You rode the bicycles just like my 10t son :) lol hheheehhe
So should I get the DJI Spark or Air? I'm from 3D RC helicopter (tired of being sport 3D helicopter) ,,,now moving on the darkside the Drone! :)
DJI Air performs well Spark maybe for the beginner (never fly drone before)...couple more hundreds to get DJI Mavic Pro better? I thought about Spark Fly More combo remote controller included like $455, for the first drone and cheap to own to learn/feel (1080p video/photos are good for me at this time as I ain't professional photographer...just fly and see things scenes around for fun during the Covid19 stay-at-home)
Suggestion?
How long does it take to be good at flying the spark for somebody who has never flown a drone. Want to get good vacation shots in March up in Toronto and Montreal.
It takes almost no time at all. These DJI drones basically fly themselves so it gives you time to learn how to operate the camera.
It does take some practice syncing up flying with camera control but actually flying the drone around is really easy. 😁👍
200k views nice job tedd
Thanks 😁 first time that’s ever happened
The Everyday Dad nice man
The Everyday Dad haha
Too bad you lost your footage from the trail. Really nice video!
You need to enable it in the app setting. Because it is a risc to dodge objects, so you need to turn it on yourself
+Flix Productions you are 100% correct, I should have mentioned in the video that I did in fact enable this setting. Thanks for commenting!
What can I do when the drone disconnects with the iphone? It has happened. Also what's the tune u used for the video. Thanks
+Tony Seow when I've lost connection with my phone it always just hovers or starts to return to home. And I wish I could remember the song but it's from youtubes stock song library.
The Everyday Dad Thanks. I got the song . "Locally Sourced"
Well, the P4P has obstacle avoidance if its in a RTH cycle .. it will fly either up and over or around obstacles on the way back. Not sure if the same applies to the Spark. My Fly More pkg. with a 3rd battery and a 3rd set of props arrives next Mon (7/10). Should fit easily in my bike pack which sits over my rear tire. The trail I ride is a "Rails to Trails" paved one, which goes thru woods and has a lot of neat little streams and pastures, etc. on either side of it, so I'll be taking it along. The Gesture control is pretty finicky if you don't do the gestures correctly with your hand held the right way. DJI has a video showing how to do the gestures correctly .. they also show examples of doing them incorrectly, which of course, doesn't work. Cheers.
+Bill Somrak from what I found out after publishing this video it should be the same. The avoidance happens on rth. I love rails to trails! There's a 90 mile one about two hours from my house that I rode last year and I'm waiting for it to cool off to do another trip. The spark would be perfect for that!
After two weeks or so of practice I'm getting better with the hand movements, but I'm still having issues getting the wave to work(it's probably user error😁)
How do you like the p4p? I'm thinking about having a p4p and spark be my drone setup instead of a Mavic and spark.
I'm trying to remember exactly how long the Rails to Trails route is here. It starts in Ashtabula City (Ashtabula County, OH.) and goes South down into Trumbull County, I think to Warren, OH. .. about 60 miles. I generally do a quick ride from Austinburg to Rock Creek & back (16 mi.) or sometimes Rock Creek to down past Orwell, OH., which is abt. a 26 miler. I know, not much of a ride for a true biker, but I'm an old fart and over weight to boot, so I think I'm doing pretty well. Just did a 14 mile this AM from Madison (home) to Geneva State Park & back. Lots of stuff to shoot on bike rides.
I don't have a P4P. I have a 2yr old P3A and a XK X380 which I outfitted with a Gitup Git2 action cam, VTX & OSD (that was my 1st camera bird). Also have a bunch of toy quads, and a bunch of racers. Working on my oldest ZMR250 racer, which I ran into a goal post out at the field the other day. Sheared the mounting hardware for the PDB and FC boards, but almost have it back together. I'd been considering a Mavic, but I think the Spark will do me okay .. and for less $$$.
Stop by my channel sometime and peruse my video list. You might enjoy my "project" from last Summer, shooting all the "Covered Bridges of Ashtabula County" (19 of them). Lots of nature stuff mostly, and a little racer and toy grade stuff thrown in for fun. ... Cheers.
+Bill Somrak no kidding! I'm originally from Ohio (Wayne county) I wish I'd gotten more into bike riding back when I still lived there, I've seen some really awesome bike paths opening up there and I'm pretty jealous of it.
Ouch to running your drone into some goal posts!
I totally think the spark is great for the majority of people unless they are trying to get more manual control over their video/photos and if you want the best quality they should get a phantom series drone.
I'll definitely check out the videos oddly enough I'm a big fan of old bridges.
The Dji Spark and the Hover drone need to have a baby.
Did you stop video recording before shutting down the Spark? I think this may be the issue. It's happened with mine as well...
Honestly I don’t remember this video was a long time ago 😁 but probably not.
Was really hoping to find a follow me drone that I could use in a forest. Would add a different dimension to my videos. Looks like the tech is a long way off 😕
Try waving or the other gestures with more definition or by doing it for 2 seconds or more. It seems to work similar with my friends spark.
+ItzFrosty thanks for the advice I'll have to look into that!
Most welcome, The Everyday Dad , just try to keep the movements slow as well.
Nice video thanks
Thanks so much! 😁👍
Great analysis! You've one more subscriber
+smdani thanks so much I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great video
+C.L. Davis thanks so much for the comment!
I total agree about second battery
+NickSpace yeah the second battery is basically a requirement! 😁👍
I saw from another youtuber that a recent firmware update came out. Have you done that and has it helped with the obstacle issue?
+TONY LARIOS I've gotten the new firmware but the obstacle issue I talked about in the video I don't know any drone on the market can do. But I think the new firmware has done awesome things for the spark in my minimal time running it.
Nice video! I think the issue you are coming across there is less the obstacle avoidance and more that active track is loosing you behind the trees, so the Spark just hovers waiting for you to come back in to sight.
+Drone Buyers Club I think it's a combination, if you see one of the last times it stops in front of the tree it's still tracking me but won't go forward, I do think the active track loses me a couple times after it stops to not hit the tree. Thanks for commenting!
Can you suggest a free video editing software for beginners?
Does the obstacle avoidance feature was meant for RTH?
You know that on the phone you can make the spark go backwards when finding an object and then going around it. This application is turned of by standard but you can simply turn it on to enhance the obstacle avoidance
+Swedish Trail Sampler sorry but that is not the case. Apparently the only way the spark will actually go around (or above) an obstacle is when it's on a return to home flight.
Re-enactment killed fun. If we had to imagine, sleeping n dreaming was better
there are 3D printer files out there for the blade guards. git you some...
+Percy Jackson are there really? Do you have a link to some? I'd print those in a heart beat!
www.thingiverse.com/thing:2389945
+Percy Jackson holy cow you are my hero, I'm going to start printing those today!
Did those work out for you?
It's moves when u r controlling it when it gets to an obstacle it stops then you have to move it manually ( with your controller or smartphone)
+Beast mode 5 yep that's exactly what it does! Thanks for the comment!
LOL there is a significant difference to using active track in a woods with dense trees vs a wide cycle path with tree coverage on the edges of the path
But you should realize in settings on Mac you can set it to navigate around a obstacle there's probably a setting in menu your not turning on
+bob hope I should have mentioned I did have the obstacle avoidance on, from the comments I've gotten obstacle avoidance works only on return to home
At 8:45 when you tried to give this feature a name that you think is better, you weren’t able to. Which if you think about it, is because it’s he correct term or description of the feature. Just saying.....
I have pre ordered was hoping it would be good for mountain biking and snowboarding. maybe not now, shame
+Nubs I still think the spark is the best action camera type drone. I'll continue using it mountain biking, I just won't be able to use it on super wooded trails. And in all fairness I don't think there is a drone on the market that could really easily weave between obstacles. The spark definitely still has a big thumbs up from me! Thanks for commenting!
The "follow me" mode is the problem... Avoidance is working like in the tech demo in "return home" mode
How are the latest firmware updates on this issues?
I made this video about 6 months ago and in that time I think I was rather hard on the obstacle avoidance. I personally think the spark is one of the best pieces of tech released this year 😁👍
Thanks for your reply. Reason for me to ask is that I'm kinda waiting on the perfect companion for my journeys and some of them involve woods 😊 Spark seems like a great piece of gear, but it seems like it has some limitations yet.
I think it’s just the area that you’re in. The obstacle avoidance is probably made for everyday obstacles...i think
+Steveniswhat ?? That's a good point, they probably envisioned a low number of big obstacles and not a large amount of small obstacles when designing the system.
Have you got a tree avoidance test in the woods with mavic?
No I haven’t and I doubt I’d have the courage to do it. My Spark is a tank and while I love my Mavic I don’t think I want to test it against that as I think it would break 😳
Thanks for the comment 😁👍
The Everyday Dad thank you, what I really need is if I can use the mavic to follow me on a low speed 20ml/h dirt bike riding with the occasional tree. See my channel for an idea of what I mean. Thank you
Damn,.. hope they fix the avoidance firmware by Saturday (tomorrow) when I am supposed to get mine .... LOL
+Khalid I wouldn't say the firmware is broken, it's just not where I hope drones can be someday. And frankly no drone on the market can do what I hope drones can. But I do think the spark is the best most convenient drone out there right now.
I'm sure you'll love the spark! Thanks for commenting!
OK got it... Here is my experience: I had ordered the Spark with fly more combo. I had planned to use the drone with my iPhone to get used to the drone. However, after I turned on the drone I could not find the Spark wifi link on my phone. I turned on and off the Spark few times with no success. This is where I was beginning to panic that I may have a bad unit. Tried few more time and I think in one of those I held on the power switch long to hear a beep. Then the Spark showed up finally. I went through the set up process.
Looking back now I think I know what happened. If you buy a fly more combo, the controller is already connected to Spark. So you need to hook your iphone to the controller, not the Spark drone. I wish they had mentioned in a start up document. In any case all is well now and I love my drone so far :-)
do you have a drone giveaway??
+RI tech I wish I did! if you have a drone to send me I'll give it away 😂
i do have
I have sjrc drone i almost crashed it 50 times it is still working perfectly.
Great demonstration of teh obstacle avoidance feature. I have a GPS drone (Autel X-Star Premium) which I really like but it doesn't have obstacle avoidance....you are really tempting me here...of course the last thing I need is another $500 toy : )
+ecuamojo the dji spark is such an awesome drone I would fully recommend it 👍thanks for commenting!