Operation of these little technical works of wonder is fairly easy, even for beginners, you silenty grow with the possibilities they offer. Nevertheless, you should not be too careless when handling them. In any case, applying the necessary prudence and a bit of practice will quickly demonstrate that the fear of embarking on something new, in this case the new drones, is ungrounded. Therefore, attention will be drawn here to some plain speaking on the subject of drones for skippers.
Since May, SeaHelp’s ”flying transport fleet‟ had an addition to the family: A DJI Mavic 2 Pro equipped with a Hasselblad optics had to prove its capability under tough conditions. The results can be looked up in the SeaHelp area guide. There is one result in advance: Even experienced photographers were surprised by the quality of the shots. The reason is that the Mavic 2 Pro is using as a key part a sensor as big as usually used by customary consumer cameras made by Sony, Canon, Nikon & Company. Or, in more comprehensible language, it is similar to taking photos or shooting a film with your ”normal‟ camera from a plane. Only that in case of the drone, the flying object is replacing the plane and the user is operating camera and plane equally by remote control.
It is only mentioned in passing that Mavic 2 Pro is a highly intelligent drone, providing a wide range of functions, from obstacle detection to the input of waypoints, reliable tracking of objects, circling around objects to a safe ”return home‟ feature which is a lot more than beginners might expect in the matter of drones.
Once having completed some dry runs ashore, among which a safe hand landing is essential, (switch off landing protection before), allow the small copter to start from board. Talking about hand landing: SeaHelp does not promote any operations and does not give any recommendations. We just do it at our own risk. However, there was a test done with Mavic 2 Pro: First we grasped into the propeller with work gloves, then with an unprotected finger. There was hardly anything felt through the work gloves, with the unprotected finger a soft blow was felt, but no bruise or blood was detectable. This exclusively holds for the Mavic with its foldable rotor blades (original) but in no way for any other models and it is definitely not recommended for imitation.
Conclusion: The latest generation of DJI copters, and especially the Mavic, is not only a reliable means against boredom on board but, as well, is providing photographic material (photos and videos) at the highest level, quite similar to customary consumer cameras. Thanks to its extensive automatic features, the flying ”gateway drug‟ into the world of drones is suitable , both for beginners and for advanced users as, in the course of time, they may discover the manifold settings and, therefore, will be able to continually increase the quality of already first-class shots. The new generation of DJI drones is perfectly suitable to record unforgettable holiday experiences from a completely different angle. But please remember one thing: Even in the heat of the battle, the privacy of others should always be respected.
