Just ordered my Spark today, am soaking up vids like a sponge, so a big thanks to you and all the other guys who took the time to educate us , should have it by Wednesday, cant wait.
Oh man Love my spark. Just hearing it take off makes me want to go fly. I did learn one thing, the pause button, never used it, never needed to use, never read up on it, nice to know how and when to use it now. Cheers mate, love ya work.
@@SteveCoutts check my vid out of the spark just uploaded it i cant give u the link bc it will spam it.. If u have a chance its the latest vid on my page. Thx man
Hey Steve, Just got my spark. You are by far the best for spark how to films. You are concise and straight to the point and you have loads of great tips and knowledge to share. Thank you so much, really appreciate your work.
Steve, my man! I'm so glad you posted this. I just gave my wife the Spark (she uh, suggested I upgrade to the Mavic Air but I suspect she knew she'd get the Spark) and I've been sharing your videos with her. I even made her watch your sad vid about losing your first Spark to prepare her! lol. Thanks so much for this remote video, I always forget that some things I take for granted are things I forget to show her. Rock on!
Just bought the Spark/RC Combo. Was having a ton of trouble with the dozen or so little pamphlets they sent with the kit. This video answered at least 3 lingering questions I had. Thanks a ton!
I didn't know about that CSC thing. Previously I always had to push my finger between the phone holder and the touch screen to get my Spark to lift off. Thanks to the CSC I can now take off (and land) with ease 😎 thank you, sir!
Only one thing I didn't know... And that's take off without using the screen, although I knew of it being used for turning the motors off.. Thanks mate.
Hi Steve, great video, very easy to understand your simple instructions. Do you know if the Spark can be controlled with an app using virtual joysticks? Planning a trip where weight is crucial, thanks again
Thanks! Yes, the Spark can be controlled without a remote. You need the DJI Go 4 app and then you just connect to the Spark's WiFi network. The app will walk you through the process. Cheers!
Hi, awesome channel, really useful tips and tricks. I have a quick question and I’m not sure if you mentioned anything about it in previous videos. Is it possible to shoot he spark straight up in sport mode to a desired height and then in mid-flight switch to tripod mode? Thanks, looking forward to more Spark videos👍🏼
Btw, I have a question. I'm using the remote plus the DJI4 app on my phone. If I press the button on the phone to take a video or photo, will the Spark also record a video to its SD card at the same time? And vice versa -- if I press the record button on the remote, will it record to my phone at the same time? Thanks!
Thanks, Steve, but that's not what I meant. I know you can't do both at the same time. What I wanted to know is that if you press the button on the remote to record a video (on the Spark's SD card), will a video also be recorded to the phone? The same thing in reverse: If I press the button on my phone screen to record a video, will a video be recorded to the SD card on my Spark? The same thing with photos. Will they be recorded to BOTH the SD card and the phone?
Oh, ok, sorry. It doesn't matter how you activate the recording it's the same thing, you will still get the photo/video on your phone. The photo is original size, however the video on your phone is 720p, not 1080p.
Haha! Yeah, white is classy but it does get boring. The skins generally come off easy. The only one I had trouble getting off I had left on for 6+ months. Cheers!
Another great video Steve thanks 👍 best tip I got about using the remote was to hold the joysticks like a pencil between thumb and first finger. It really gives you so much finer control of the drone. Is that something that you practice?
Pause probably won't help in a flyaway situation because either the drone is experiencing a malfunction and cannot respond to controller input or the pilot is not in control of the aircraft. Pause is most useful in interrupting flight under normal operation. Cheers!
Great video Steve. I got my Spark a year or so and use it mainly for tracking while cycling for personal vids. Two Qns, DO you know how to hack/bodge the controller so that the sticks can be removed and added as needed. (makes for easier storage in the bike bar bag), secondly, I have tried using Spark track without controller, and found it to be slow and not as good as with the controller in tracking and keeping pace while riding. Suspect it has to do with lower range directly off phone wifi. Appreciate your input.
Thanks! I don't know of any kind of hack to remove the sticks. My wife bought me a little plastic cover that goes over them to protect them. Makes it easier to stuff in a back or bike bag and prevents damage. You are definitely limited when using just a phone or tablet for connection - not as much power or range. Happy flying!
Appreciate your feedback. Yeah, I'm trying to stuff the spark and controller and two batteries in the rapha bike bar bag, and it's a stretch. I will need to get the Dremel out and do some hack/bodge.
Thanks Steve for the amazing tips! I am just starting off myself, and it is really good to know these tips before flying these expensive drones. Does this apply to the Mavicks also? Great name, I am Stephen.
Oh, good question but no, I don't know that one. May be a good question to ask in the DJI Forums. Lots of helpful, knowledgeable folks there. Good luck. Let me know if you find an answer. 😀
yes you will, after you acquire GPS signal (min of 9 sat connections on the spark). i suggest however that you enable dynamic home point and enable GPS in your phone for the application (if you denied it) that way if you are flying around and you forgot to set home point at your feet (tak off to soon to get a quick shot) just open setting up in the app and click on pin point icon with the H and your current position where you are standing becomes the new home point (assuming GPS signal on your phone is acquired).. you can also do that if you are moving around like walking or something and far away from take off spot, just click on that button to set home point where you are.. and if something happens and drone needs to RTH, it will come back to you not its take off point.
I really love my Spark! It's inexpensive, tough, capable, small and easy to fly. If you're happy with the feature list (flight time, 1080p video, etc), yeah, absolutely! It's a great drone.
Hey Steve great review! I have a question actually I have two questions the first one is if the Drone goes into Atti mode, and the Drone begins to drift around because it does not have GPS guidance, and you hit the pause button, will it just stopped in place? Or will it continue to drift? The second question is I am using my iPad Mini 4 with an ogt cable, and whenever I plug it in it says accessory may not be compatible, although it seems to work okay do you think this is a problem? Thank you in advance, Joey
Thanks! in ATTI mode, it relies on its vision system and it will likely drift due to the wind. You can't do much about that. A really strong wind could blow it away quite quickly actually. I get the same message on my iPhone 8 every time I use my OTG cable but it seems to work just fine.
The way you landed at the end, I've gotta try that. I've tried to get it to stay in the air so I can grab it but it keeps going higher on its own and of course I'm not gonna try to shove my hand up to catch it and get my fingers nicked. Buuut landing it on a closed hand, now that'll work.
If you're going to grab it out of the air, you have to be quick or it will pull away - it thinks it's going to make contact with the "ground". Flat palm works pretty good but it can be a little unstable. I prefer to initiate a landing, either auto land or pull down on left joystick (mode 2) and then pinch it with my fingers. That way I know I have it. Takes a bit of practice. 😀
I did a video on prop guards a while ago - th-cam.com/video/2qB2VwZXg20/w-d-xo.html. Honestly, I never use them unless I am flying indoors but that's me. I bought a "Santa" kit from DJI last December and it came with landing gear but I never use them either. I almost 100% launch and land by hand. 😀
As far as the shut off, I think you are just flying the spark too close to the ground, as soon as the spark stars going down when you flip both controls, the bottom sensors dectect the ground and kills your control, to test this function of a shut down and fall you need to be much higher so the sensors do not dectect an obstacle underneath.
Thanks. I did try it a bit higher altitude so the ground detection wouldn't kick in before the 1.5 seconds elapsed. Still no luck. I researched it and it looks like it used to work but was disabled by DJI in a software update.
Well thank God they turned off that function cuz i usually maneuver that type of joystick move which is for cinematic style purposes. But then again, i hope there's another key in which you hold it long then then it will turn-off
Others have tried CSC on spark and it has not shut down the unit. That is okay, because I cannot imagine the case where the drone could be flying out of control into an active volcano. And if it were out of control CSC would not work because it is, well, how can I put it, hmmm, oh yes ‘OUT OF CONTROL’. I have set a limit of 500 m on the distance that the drone can travel from the home point, active volcanos usually not present in this geo limit. Also I set the max height to 60 m (200 ft). Higher than that gets uninteresting. What I really like about the spark over my DJI PHANTOM 3 PROFESSIONAL, is The dark contrast bottom which makes it actually easier to see in the sky than the all white phantom. This really helps in keeping Visual line of sight on the drone even at 500 m. Often times I lose line of sight with phantom, even though I have set these limits. I prefer use sport mode to get to the location that I want to take pictures rapidly. I also use sport mode to return to my home when I’m flying with the sticks. When I get to my location for pictures however, I flip it into the standard mode, which is good because it enables the collision avoidance for the occasional active volcano. The other mode that I really appreciate, is tripod mode. This is the best way to get pans using the left stick yaw or rotation! I find even in the standard mode, yaw pans are to rapid and not smooth. Thanks, for posting I did learn one thing about the controller, in that it has an active shut off for inactivity. Does the spark do the same? I am too impatient to find out. If I have a battery charged I fly!
Wow, thanks for all the information! Yeah, good point about the midair CSC. In the case of my flyaway, the Spark was still responding to my joystick movements, at least up/down. At the time I didn't know what was happening and mistakes were made and off it went, never to be seen again. There is a possibility that a midair CSC could have brought it down and at the very least I would have been able to recover the video I had not yet backed up. Oh, well. My Spark is really never very far away from me and tripod mode is one of my best friends. Tried sport mode once but never thought about it as something to get to a particular location quicker - great idea! I don't believe the Spark powers down automatically.
this is a real issue i had with the spark.. had mine replaced 2x now. have to really pay attention, the spark tends to flip to Atti mode quite easily, Atti mode = altitude hold mode, its a very basic and dumb mode, it will not compensate for wind, or anything, its only goal is simply to keep a constant horizon and set distance from the ground. so it blows around alot and drifts off too even without wind sometimes if you have poorly balanced props. if the spark is still responding to stick inputs but its just drifting around aimlessly or blown off with the light wind its likely in Atti mode even if the app doesn't tell you so. i suggest strongly to land the drone asap... dont CSC it out of the sky! the bottom camera should start to lock onto the ground at around 30 feet sometimes need to be a bit lower, but should get a ground lock around that point assuming flying during the daylight not when darker out... and you should see a VPS icon on bottom of the screen telling you how far from the ground you are, once that happens it should be able to position lock itself switching over from Atti to Opti mode... so it wont drift off, then you can click land button or pause button then go run after it and save it.. only time you should consider CSC is emergencies.. maybe random low flying helicopter in your flight path and no chance of saving it manually.. CSC it to drop it.. i cant think of too many reason to CSC a drone out of the sky..although the spark you cannot disable VPS sensors... so maybe if the drone is caught in rain of fog and causing it to climb up into the sky forever out of your control, you can CSC it before gets too high up.
Steve Coutts Don't know if this works for spark as I don't have one, but on my phantom both sticks down n out or in start n stop motors for take off or land. Using just the throttle stick, down n out stops the motors in flight. Saved my drone from being snatched by a hawk few yrs back, landed in a tree, broke a prop. Might work for the spark.
Thanks! Haha! Not sure I have an tricks for that one. Honestly I gave myself so many heart attacks in the beginning learning how to fly it. But over time and with more flight experience I just became really comfortable with it. And, having a few crashes, which are almost inevitable broke down some of the fear too. The Spark is pretty forgiving when it comes to crashes. Also, my Spark is never out of my sight and usually quite close, which I think helps too. I don't take many risks. Practice lots in wide open spaces and you'll be fine. Happy flying and safe landings! 😀
Fantastic video then warning at this bar for a while just not sure if I should buy one now or in the new Mavic air or just wait till the new spark comes out which should be sometime with this year but love the original spark definitely still thinking about getting one for a job
Yeah, that's the thing. Something better is always around the corner. I really felt DJI was going to release a Spark 2 this spring. So many good choices...
Hi Steve,, I have a question on a, semi-related, topic. The controller "arms" which hold the phone,,, is there a way to tighten these arms? The right one seems ok, but the left arm seems loose / "wobbly",,, any help would be appreciated. Oh, I do have a 6-star screwdriver which fits the tiny screws perfectly... again,, thanks for any help.
I was flying my spark in the backyard at about 50 feet when it just took off straight up, even though I was pushing down on the stick it kept climbing up till it was out of sight. Tried csc, nothing. 45 seconds later it came slowly back down, no response to stick movements and landed. End of flying for that day. Never did figure out what happened. Had a similar situation with my P3P taking off and crashing into the back of the house, no response to sticks.
I have gone down to about -8 degrees Celsius with no problems. I did a video on winter flying which goes in to much more detail - th-cam.com/video/lnPRgNCActs/w-d-xo.html
@@SteveCoutts I hesitate to fly in lower temperatures which might cause condensation within the multi-lens optics, between the final optic and the imaging sensor, and condensate within the craft itself. That being said, the Spark does run "hot", so perhaps not an issue.
Honestly, I have never even contemplated that. My focus has been on achieving the best video results and growing my pilot skills. Might be a good question for the Spark forum on DJI's site. Lots of helpful folks there.
Lol, just inherited one from a coworker. Cannot wait to see what he brings tomorrow. Apparently he's knocked down 3 different one's trying to peep in his windows.
You can't cut the motors mid flight like the Mavic (it used to, they may have fixed it) unfortunately... I learned something the other day about that. If it's windy the gps positioning try's to keep you from drifting, which makes it hard to lose altitude...
hallo i want to ask how to do when i fly i want to take the object from left to right and vice versa but with fine I try it can not even the camera shake fast but when made slowly he can not walk
I am not sure I completely understand what you're attempting to do. The Spark only has a two axis gimbal, which smooths out pitch and roll but not yaw. That means you have to be more controlled and precise with your movements to get the smoothest possible footage. Using tripod mode may help as well as just practicing the movement until you can get it just right. Good luck.
![TIMETHAI - ไม่อยากให้เป็นเขา (Why tho?) [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/o2qYlGVVtOw/mqdefault.jpg)
I am late to the Spark party but finally ordered one with the remote. Your vids have been a great learning tool thanks!
Great! That's nice to hear, thanks! 😀
Just ordered my Spark today, am soaking up vids like a sponge, so a big thanks to you and all the other guys who took the time to educate us , should have it by Wednesday, cant wait.
That's super exciting! Enjoy your Spark! 👍
This was 6 months ago but two days ago i got my spark and im doing the same 😂😂😂 ah and btw happy christmas
Oh man Love my spark. Just hearing it take off makes me want to go fly. I did learn one thing, the pause button, never used it, never needed to use, never read up on it, nice to know how and when to use it now. Cheers mate, love ya work.
Who needs manual when we have you Steve Coutts! Plus who has time to read those things. :)
Hey Steve... its Joey, any truth to DJI summiting flight info to the FAA? If you accidentally fly in a no-fly zone?
I hear ya!
Didnt need to think i like you both you both are awesome
I have neither the time nor the microscope to read the included manuals.
@@ZachkiddAgent Yeah, you need at least a magnifying glass to read those LOL !!!
Finally a video that doesn't make me watch for 20 minutes and i learned nothing - this vid fast and to the point and i leanred 2 new things
Awesome! Glad to hear it was useful.
@@SteveCoutts check my vid out of the spark just uploaded it i cant give u the link bc it will spam it.. If u have a chance its the latest vid on my page. Thx man
Hey Steve, Just got my spark. You are by far the best for spark how to films. You are concise and straight to the point and you have loads of great tips and knowledge to share. Thank you so much, really appreciate your work.
Hey, thanks for watching and taking the time to leave some feedback. I really appreciate it! 😀👍
Steve, my man! I'm so glad you posted this. I just gave my wife the Spark (she uh, suggested I upgrade to the Mavic Air but I suspect she knew she'd get the Spark) and I've been sharing your videos with her. I even made her watch your sad vid about losing your first Spark to prepare her! lol. Thanks so much for this remote video, I always forget that some things I take for granted are things I forget to show her. Rock on!
Haha! Awesome Chris, thanks for sharing that! Happy flying! 👍
Just bought the Spark/RC Combo. Was having a ton of trouble with the dozen or so little pamphlets they sent with the kit. This video answered at least 3 lingering questions I had. Thanks a ton!
Awesome! Glad to hear it was helpful! 👍
Getting my Spark tomorrow.... great tips :)
Awesome! Happy flying and safe landings! 😀👍
I always learn something from your videos. Thank you! 😊
Terrific! Good to hear and thanks for watching.
Thanks man, I need all the help I can get, I learned something.
nice to see some Canadian drone content. I have a Spark and live in Toronto - love your videos!
👍😀🇨🇦
i learn a lot hahaha already had my spark with me for more than 3yrs and yet, only now I watch your YT, great one info man 🤔👍👌♥️👏👏👏
That video is pretty old now but I'm happy to hear you learned something new. Cheers!
Nice videos Steve great editing
I barley got my spark an learn alot from your videos
Awesome! Thanks for watching! 😀
Thank you so much for this video! I'm buying a Spark here very soon, and I've been trying to learn all I can. Thank you again--SUBBED!
Welcome. Glad it was helpful! Good luck with your Spark! 👍
Great, simple instruction. Thanks AJ
Great tips! Especially the take off function using the controller!
Terrific! Glad it was helpful.
thanks for the advice with the antennas :)
Awesome. Glad it was helpful.
Sometimes the simplest things make great videos, thanks!
I didn't know about that CSC thing. Previously I always had to push my finger between the phone holder and the touch screen to get my Spark to lift off. Thanks to the CSC I can now take off (and land) with ease 😎 thank you, sir!
Awesome, glad it was helpful.
Only one thing I didn't know... And that's take off without using the screen, although I knew of it being used for turning the motors off..
Thanks mate.
Thanks for your time :)
I love my Spark and just learned about the Pause button LOL.
keep it up and Happy 2019
You're welcome! The pause button is my best friend. 😀
Awesome tutorial and info. This helps a lot.
Terrific! Glad to hear it was helpful.
Thank you. Love from India
Namaste. 😀
another nice informative video. Thanks!
I'm thinking on buying a Spark this weekend. My local Target store has them on sale for $299!
Good stuff! Love my Spark! Built like a tank, fun and easy to fly and just so small and portable. Get lots of spare batteries too! 😀
Brick Cave pick me up one and I'll send ya PayPal! 💷
Mike Weiner sorry, they were sold out by the time I went back. And when they did restock they were back up to $350.00
Did you pick it up?
As of my post, they're available at Walmart for $350 standalone, or $400 with a controller.
Awesome tips! Learned a few new things! Thanks!
Good to hear! Thanks!
Good vid. The "Pause" option will come in handy for me, as I'm a novice.
Oh yeah. I had never tried it until I made this video. Since then it's saved me a couple of times. 👍
Hi Steve, yes I did learned a couple of new things. Thanks for your valuable info!
Great! Thanks for watching!
Oh sweet! I was having trouble getting the CSC for takeoff working, but now I see what I was doing wrong!
Thanks Steve!
Awesome! Glad it was helpful!
very good video with some new informations for me! =) Thanks.
Awesome! Always good to learn a new trick or two. 😀
Thanks man I just bought a spark and this actulky helped me put
Awesome! Good to hear! Happy, safe flying. 👍
@@SteveCoutts thanks man keep up the good work on TH-cam
Hi Steve, great video, very easy to understand your simple instructions. Do you know if the Spark can be controlled with an app using virtual joysticks? Planning a trip where weight is crucial, thanks again
Thanks! Yes, the Spark can be controlled without a remote. You need the DJI Go 4 app and then you just connect to the Spark's WiFi network. The app will walk you through the process. Cheers!
Nice video! Dint know about the pauss button.
Neither did I. Comes in handy.
Thanks, Steve. I’d forgotten about the joystick startup. I like that one and will try it.
Yeah, I honestly had not been using it much but I like it much better.
Steve Coutts, went out to practice today and used it. Very cool!
Hi, awesome channel, really useful tips and tricks. I have a quick question and I’m not sure if you mentioned anything about it in previous videos. Is it possible to shoot he spark straight up in sport mode to a desired height and then in mid-flight switch to tripod mode? Thanks, looking forward to more Spark videos👍🏼
Yes, absolutely. Another viewer just said that a day or so ago. He uses sport mode to quickly get to a location and then slows down for the shots.
Great vid, helped a lot
Awesome, glad it was helpful! 👍
Great, informative video. Thanks.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful.
Btw, I have a question. I'm using the remote plus the DJI4 app on my phone. If I press the button on the phone to take a video or photo, will the Spark also record a video to its SD card at the same time? And vice versa -- if I press the record button on the remote, will it record to my phone at the same time? Thanks!
No. You can only shoot video or take a picture. You can't take a picture while shooting video or vice versa. 😀
Thanks, Steve, but that's not what I meant. I know you can't do both at the same time. What I wanted to know is that if you press the button on the remote to record a video (on the Spark's SD card), will a video also be recorded to the phone? The same thing in reverse: If I press the button on my phone screen to record a video, will a video be recorded to the SD card on my Spark?
The same thing with photos. Will they be recorded to BOTH the SD card and the phone?
Oh, ok, sorry. It doesn't matter how you activate the recording it's the same thing, you will still get the photo/video on your phone. The photo is original size, however the video on your phone is 720p, not 1080p.
love the background music
All of those tips were new to me so thank you🙂
Thank you I didn't know the pause button stops the flight. Might help preventing crashes for me lol.
that's right. l had a crash today l would not have had, had l known that the pause bottom stops RTH.!!
oh thank goodness! I need all the flight help I can get!
Haha! Go slow, keep it close and practice, practice, practice. You'll get there! 👍😀
Wow!! Great Video!
Very helpful thank you🙂
Terrific! Thanks for watching!
good informative videos! Thanks! Are the different colored "skins" easy to change! My simple white is getting boring, lol
Haha! Yeah, white is classy but it does get boring. The skins generally come off easy. The only one I had trouble getting off I had left on for 6+ months. Cheers!
Nice video....Thanks
Thanks and thanks for watching!
Another great video Steve thanks 👍 best tip I got about using the remote was to hold the joysticks like a pencil between thumb and first finger. It really gives you so much finer control of the drone. Is that something that you practice?
Nope, haha, I'm all thumbs. Seems to work good for me. 😀
thanks a lot, Steve!
Thanks for watching!
Dude!!! Great video!!!
Great video
Glad it was useful and thanks for watching! 😀
thanks, good to know this..what about pauze button if Sparky fly away? Will the pauze button stop my drone from fly away too ?
Pause probably won't help in a flyaway situation because either the drone is experiencing a malfunction and cannot respond to controller input or the pilot is not in control of the aircraft. Pause is most useful in interrupting flight under normal operation. Cheers!
Great video Steve. I got my Spark a year or so and use it mainly for tracking while cycling for personal vids. Two Qns, DO you know how to hack/bodge the controller so that the sticks can be removed and added as needed. (makes for easier storage in the bike bar bag), secondly, I have tried using Spark track without controller, and found it to be slow and not as good as with the controller in tracking and keeping pace while riding. Suspect it has to do with lower range directly off phone wifi. Appreciate your input.
Thanks! I don't know of any kind of hack to remove the sticks. My wife bought me a little plastic cover that goes over them to protect them. Makes it easier to stuff in a back or bike bag and prevents damage. You are definitely limited when using just a phone or tablet for connection - not as much power or range. Happy flying!
Appreciate your feedback. Yeah, I'm trying to stuff the spark and controller and two batteries in the rapha bike bar bag, and it's a stretch. I will need to get the Dremel out and do some hack/bodge.
Love your videos they've sure helped me out with my spark :) , also what do you use to edit your videos?
Thanks! I use Final Cut Pro X.
Thanks, take off will really help me. I will no longer have one hand freeze because I normally just talk off a glove to take off/land.
Awesome! Yeah, I know all about cold hands - haha! 😀
Thanks Steve for the amazing tips! I am just starting off myself, and it is really good to know these tips before flying these expensive drones. Does this apply to the Mavicks also? Great name, I am Stephen.
Haha! Great name indeed! I think many of the tips will apply across all DJI drones but I have only tested on the Spark.
Thanks Steve
Thanks for watching!
Hey man I am getting the spark this week is it true there is an accessory that can connect the phone to the controller
Yes. It's an OTG cable. DJI sells them on their website or you can grab one from Amazon - amzn.to/2G4eIPv
I have mine set up in mode 1, so I use my right stick for take off and landing, but same thing though.
For some reason you remind me of Les Stroud. Subscribed.
Haha! Awesome!
I thought he is John Malkovich in RED
Hey Steve do you know if there is any way to silence the beeping noise on the remote when the aircraft is returning home?
Oh, good question but no, I don't know that one. May be a good question to ask in the DJI Forums. Lots of helpful, knowledgeable folks there. Good luck. Let me know if you find an answer. 😀
Great vid!
Nice job! Thanks! Using the startup motors technique.... do you still get the "The home point has been set" message?
yes you will, after you acquire GPS signal (min of 9 sat connections on the spark).
i suggest however that you enable dynamic home point and enable GPS in your phone for the application (if you denied it) that way if you are flying around and you forgot to set home point at your feet (tak off to soon to get a quick shot) just open setting up in the app and click on pin point icon with the H and your current position where you are standing becomes the new home point (assuming GPS signal on your phone is acquired).. you can also do that if you are moving around like walking or something and far away from take off spot, just click on that button to set home point where you are.. and if something happens and drone needs to RTH, it will come back to you not its take off point.
Would you recommend the spark still Steve? I'm an rc pilot with a lot of dust on my controllers. Itching to get the spark
I really love my Spark! It's inexpensive, tough, capable, small and easy to fly. If you're happy with the feature list (flight time, 1080p video, etc), yeah, absolutely! It's a great drone.
@@SteveCoutts Thank you!
Hey Steve great review! I have a question actually I have two questions the first one is if the Drone goes into Atti mode, and the Drone begins to drift around because it does not have GPS guidance, and you hit the pause button, will it just stopped in place? Or will it continue to drift? The second question is I am using my iPad Mini 4 with an ogt cable, and whenever I plug it in it says accessory may not be compatible, although it seems to work okay do you think this is a problem? Thank you in advance, Joey
Thanks! in ATTI mode, it relies on its vision system and it will likely drift due to the wind. You can't do much about that. A really strong wind could blow it away quite quickly actually. I get the same message on my iPhone 8 every time I use my OTG cable but it seems to work just fine.
I noticed you caught the drone with your palm. I though you could only do that when you are flying in gesture mode. Did you switch modes?
Nope, you don't not have to be in gesture mode. Just initiate a normal, automated landing and make sure your hand is underneath. 😀
The way you landed at the end, I've gotta try that. I've tried to get it to stay in the air so I can grab it but it keeps going higher on its own and of course I'm not gonna try to shove my hand up to catch it and get my fingers nicked. Buuut landing it on a closed hand, now that'll work.
If you're going to grab it out of the air, you have to be quick or it will pull away - it thinks it's going to make contact with the "ground". Flat palm works pretty good but it can be a little unstable. I prefer to initiate a landing, either auto land or pull down on left joystick (mode 2) and then pinch it with my fingers. That way I know I have it. Takes a bit of practice. 😀
thanks Steve!
what do you think of adding the landing gear and/or prop guards??
I did a video on prop guards a while ago - th-cam.com/video/2qB2VwZXg20/w-d-xo.html. Honestly, I never use them unless I am flying indoors but that's me. I bought a "Santa" kit from DJI last December and it came with landing gear but I never use them either. I almost 100% launch and land by hand. 😀
Thank you sir!!
As far as the shut off, I think you are just flying the spark too close to the ground, as soon as the spark stars going down when you flip both controls, the bottom sensors dectect the ground and kills your control, to test this function of a shut down and fall you need to be much higher so the sensors do not dectect an obstacle underneath.
Thanks. I did try it a bit higher altitude so the ground detection wouldn't kick in before the 1.5 seconds elapsed. Still no luck. I researched it and it looks like it used to work but was disabled by DJI in a software update.
@@SteveCoutts
Yeah, I heard the latest dji update (well, the one in July, 2018, I think) took out that feature.
Well thank God they turned off that function cuz i usually maneuver that type of joystick move which is for cinematic style purposes. But then again, i hope there's another key in which you hold it long then then it will turn-off
Really tanks for this imnfomation 😊👍👍👍👍
Others have tried CSC on spark and it has not shut down the unit. That is okay, because I cannot imagine the case where the drone could be flying out of control into an active volcano. And if it were out of control CSC would not work because it is, well, how can I put it, hmmm, oh yes ‘OUT OF CONTROL’.
I have set a limit of 500 m on the distance that the drone can travel from the home point, active volcanos usually not present in this geo limit. Also I set the max height to 60 m (200 ft). Higher than that gets uninteresting.
What I really like about the spark over my DJI PHANTOM 3 PROFESSIONAL, is The dark contrast bottom which makes it actually easier to see in the sky than the all white phantom. This really helps in keeping Visual line of sight on the drone even at 500 m. Often times I lose line of sight with phantom, even though I have set these limits.
I prefer use sport mode to get to the location that I want to take pictures rapidly. I also use sport mode to return to my home when I’m flying with the sticks. When I get to my location for pictures however, I flip it into the standard mode, which is good because it enables the collision avoidance for the occasional active volcano. The other mode that I really appreciate, is tripod mode. This is the best way to get pans using the left stick yaw or rotation! I find even in the standard mode, yaw pans are to rapid and not smooth.
Thanks, for posting I did learn one thing about the controller, in that it has an active shut off for inactivity. Does the spark do the same? I am too impatient to find out. If I have a battery charged I fly!
Wow, thanks for all the information! Yeah, good point about the midair CSC. In the case of my flyaway, the Spark was still responding to my joystick movements, at least up/down. At the time I didn't know what was happening and mistakes were made and off it went, never to be seen again. There is a possibility that a midair CSC could have brought it down and at the very least I would have been able to recover the video I had not yet backed up. Oh, well.
My Spark is really never very far away from me and tripod mode is one of my best friends. Tried sport mode once but never thought about it as something to get to a particular location quicker - great idea!
I don't believe the Spark powers down automatically.
this is a real issue i had with the spark.. had mine replaced 2x now. have to really pay attention, the spark tends to flip to Atti mode quite easily, Atti mode = altitude hold mode, its a very basic and dumb mode, it will not compensate for wind, or anything, its only goal is simply to keep a constant horizon and set distance from the ground. so it blows around alot and drifts off too even without wind sometimes if you have poorly balanced props.
if the spark is still responding to stick inputs but its just drifting around aimlessly or blown off with the light wind its likely in Atti mode even if the app doesn't tell you so. i suggest strongly to land the drone asap... dont CSC it out of the sky! the bottom camera should start to lock onto the ground at around 30 feet sometimes need to be a bit lower, but should get a ground lock around that point assuming flying during the daylight not when darker out... and you should see a VPS icon on bottom of the screen telling you how far from the ground you are, once that happens it should be able to position lock itself switching over from Atti to Opti mode... so it wont drift off, then you can click land button or pause button then go run after it and save it..
only time you should consider CSC is emergencies.. maybe random low flying helicopter in your flight path and no chance of saving it manually.. CSC it to drop it.. i cant think of too many reason to CSC a drone out of the sky..although the spark you cannot disable VPS sensors... so maybe if the drone is caught in rain of fog and causing it to climb up into the sky forever out of your control, you can CSC it before gets too high up.
Mark Occhionero I put bright orange stickers on the underside of my P3P
Steve Coutts Don't know if this works for spark as I don't have one, but on my phantom both sticks down n out or in start n stop motors for take off or land. Using just the throttle stick, down n out stops the motors in flight. Saved my drone from being snatched by a hawk few yrs back, landed in a tree, broke a prop. Might work for the spark.
@@ng-iq4kx
I'm toying with the thought of puting one or more aftermarket mini-strobes on the craft when I get my Spark (on layaway)
midair CSC is still in the Mavic Zoom manual as an emergency counter measurement. Did not work either but didnßt go higher than 1,5 meter.
Interesting. I have a feeling that DJI shut it off a while back. Perhaps too many people were triggering it accidentally?
can you launch the spark from your palm in gesture mode and then from the controller take over control and continue flying?
Yes
Awesome video! Any ideas or tricks to stop being afraid of losing or hitting my spark?
Thanks! Haha! Not sure I have an tricks for that one. Honestly I gave myself so many heart attacks in the beginning learning how to fly it. But over time and with more flight experience I just became really comfortable with it. And, having a few crashes, which are almost inevitable broke down some of the fear too. The Spark is pretty forgiving when it comes to crashes. Also, my Spark is never out of my sight and usually quite close, which I think helps too. I don't take many risks. Practice lots in wide open spaces and you'll be fine. Happy flying and safe landings! 😀
Fantastic video then warning at this bar for a while just not sure if I should buy one now or in the new Mavic air or just wait till the new spark comes out which should be sometime with this year but love the original spark definitely still thinking about getting one for a job
Yeah, that's the thing. Something better is always around the corner. I really felt DJI was going to release a Spark 2 this spring. So many good choices...
Thank you very much will this also improve the connection and provide better connection distance away
Hello man!! I have a question, Is working your H boton in your spark remote control? I have tried a few times and it didn't work
Yeah, mine is working although I think I've used it twice.
Hi Steve,, I have a question on a, semi-related, topic. The controller "arms" which hold the phone,,, is there a way to tighten these arms? The right one seems ok, but the left arm seems loose / "wobbly",,, any help would be appreciated. Oh, I do have a 6-star screwdriver which fits the tiny screws perfectly... again,, thanks for any help.
Yeah, sorry, I don't have any experience with it. Definitely try the DJI Forums, lots of knowledgeable, helpful folks there.
Steve Coutts. Thanks Steve,,,,, will do
If the left-arm alone seems "wobbly", and, if you haven't stressed those arms with an oversized phone, than it's a warranted manufacturing issue.
Thanks WU,,,,
nice
I was flying my spark in the backyard at about 50 feet when it just took off straight up, even though I was pushing down on the stick it kept climbing up till it was out of sight. Tried csc, nothing. 45 seconds later it came slowly back down, no response to stick movements and landed. End of flying for that day. Never did figure out what happened. Had a similar situation with my P3P taking off and crashing into the back of the house, no response to sticks.
what has been the lowest temperature in which you have exposed the spark?
I have gone down to about -8 degrees Celsius with no problems. I did a video on winter flying which goes in to much more detail - th-cam.com/video/lnPRgNCActs/w-d-xo.html
@@SteveCoutts
I hesitate to fly in lower temperatures which might cause condensation within the multi-lens optics, between the final optic and the imaging sensor, and condensate within the craft itself.
That being said, the Spark does run "hot", so perhaps not an issue.
Wow, pretty damn cool the Michael Stipe (R.E.M. lead singer) is into drones. Whats Your Frequency Kenneth is such an underrated song.
Haha!
good job
Can you use a tablet with this? Looking at using a nexus7
You can but the remote itself can't hold a tablet. DJI and other manufacturers make add-ons that will hold a tablet.
which option is better 2.4 or 5.8 in remote option ?
Honestly, I have never even contemplated that. My focus has been on achieving the best video results and growing my pilot skills. Might be a good question for the Spark forum on DJI's site. Lots of helpful folks there.
Lol, just inherited one from a coworker. Cannot wait to see what he brings tomorrow. Apparently he's knocked down 3 different one's trying to peep in his windows.
LOL. That's funny!
Cool info tks
Thank u
👍
Love it
thanks
Thanks for watching!
Nice
THANKS
You can't cut the motors mid flight like the Mavic (it used to, they may have fixed it) unfortunately...
I learned something the other day about that. If it's windy the gps positioning try's to keep you from drifting, which makes it hard to lose altitude...
Interesting. Always something new to learn, hey?
What if my phone died while flying? Can I still control the drone without the phone? Or can I control the drone with only the controller alone?
hallo i want to ask how to do when i fly i want to take the object from left to right and vice versa but with fine I try it can not even the camera shake fast but when made slowly he can not walk
I am not sure I completely understand what you're attempting to do. The Spark only has a two axis gimbal, which smooths out pitch and roll but not yaw. That means you have to be more controlled and precise with your movements to get the smoothest possible footage. Using tripod mode may help as well as just practicing the movement until you can get it just right. Good luck.
Steve Coutts okee thank you i will try it
sorry sir i want to ask again for spark drones make cinematic or better movies in 2.4 ghz or 5.8 ghz
What's the song called from 0:12?
Game Livet Bort by Baretruls
Description updated with music.
Great, position of the antenna
I like the stock Google photos music at the intro...
Me too. 😀
❤🎉😮😊. ไฟไฟไฟแอดพ์. ไฟไฟไฟแอดพ์.
Great video but to turn off the motors you just need to hold down the left joystick
Good one! It's a little faster than the CSC movement too.
I have tried the midair csc with my Mavic air in the house and it crashed into my sofa.
LOL.