Wasn't expecting to find a deal on this so soon after launch! £50 off and a free memory card with voucher WEEKENDSAVE
Available online and in-store!
The DJI Spark is a simple-to-control mini drone that features numerous intelligent flight control modes, a mechanical Gimbal with 2-axis stabilisation, high performance camera with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, wide-angle f/2.6 lens, HD Wi-Fi technology.
Intelligent Flight Modes TapFly: In TapFly mode, just envision your shot and Spark captures it for you. Tap your phone screen and Spark, using vision technology, flies in the direction of your tap or exactly where you tapped while actively sensing obstacles. Capture shot after shot with just your fingertips.
ActiveTrack: Stay on Target With ActiveTrack, Spark automatically recognizes objects of different shapes and sizes then tracks them according to what they are and how fast they move. This makes tracking much easier and more reliable.
Gesture: Deep learning gesture recognition allows you to take dronies with simple hand motions. With PalmControl mode, control Spark’s movement by hand. If you want, leave your remote controller and phone at home.
High-Performance Camera Mechanical Gimbal Stabilization: Shake-Free Shots Spark's 2-axis mechanical gimbal and UltraSmooth technology dramatically reduce shake and rolling shutter effect, keeping shots stable and detailed.
1/2.3-inch Sensor: Record More Details Small and compact, Spark's camera features a 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor, allowing you to shoot stabilized video at 1080p and stills at 12 MP. Larger pixels mean Spark is acutely sensitive to light and records colours precisely.
Powerful Lens: Capture the World All Spark images are consistently sharp and vivid with very little colour aberration and distortion. Spark's camera has an f/2.6 wide-angle lens with a 25 mm equivalent focal length. Five elements are arranged into a single group that fit into a compressed frame.
Flight Performance Powerful Propulsion: Speed and Precision Control With its aerodynamic, lightweight, and slick design, Spark soars through the air with minimal wind resistance. The gimbal and camera are flush with the aircraft, significantly increasing stability. Powerful propulsion offers steady flight in strong winds at up to 31 mph (50 kph) in Sport Mode. And an advanced flight control system means flying is fun and intuitive.
Flight Safety FPV Flight: Switch to Sport Mode and unleash Spark's speed potential. Sport Mode sets the gimbal mode to FPV by default, so the camera moves with you as you fly.
FlightAutonomy: Enhanced Awareness Spark's FlightAutonomy system includes the main camera, vision positioning system (VPS), 3D sensing system, dual-band GPS, high-precision inertial measurement unit, and 24 powerful computing cores. This allows Spark to hover accurately anywhere with VPS assistance at up to 98 ft (30 m), sense obstacles from up to 16 ft (5 m) away, and land safely.
Return to Home: Worry-Free Flight Like all recent DJI drones, Spark can return to its home point automatically with sufficient GPS signal. If the battery gets too low, connection is lost, or you hit the Return to Home (RTH) button, Spark flies back to the preset home point while sensing obstacles in its path. Spark’s downward-facing camera captures images of the area surrounding home point and references these images during RTH for a safe landing.
Flight Protection: DJI’s GEO system lets you know where drone flights may raise safety or security concerns, such as near airports or stadiums. This provides the information needed to fly Spark safely and responsibly.
Really needs the controller for 1.2km range. 75-100m range from a smartphone just isn't good enough.
The extra battery and 3-battery charger in the Fly More pack will come in handy too.
ninjin to soup
14 Jul 174#3
That's because the UK Retail price on them is a joke. Everyone will rather just buy grey. Spark Fly More package: UK £699 US$699 for exactly the same thing.
I'm getting mine in HK when I go in August and its equiv to £550 at todays exchange rate.
Also, the standalone drone is so limiting to what the Spark is actually capable of. Hence, the Spark Fly More combo is what is the big sellor. The Stand alone Spark is just not going to sell well.
You could argue that its UK VAT and Duty making up the difference but we are on HUKD so we are all in the know!
ninjin
15 Jul 174#8
I debated for and against getting a DJI for around 18months now. I nearly bought the Mavic when it was released but had the sense to stand back and see what I would use it for.
Previously I have worked as a Part Time paid photographer and have well over £10k of Nikon gear. So my expectations of photography results is very high.
The drone seems like the natural progression of the SLR work (which I no longer do paid work, out of choice not lack of offers). As I am getting older, I find my holiday destinations tend to be more bucket list places and a drone makes sense. (wish I had it for Santorini and Sicily).
The Mavic results are stunning and I could not ask for more. But ultimately I could not justify £1300 on something that would be used 4 times a year at most. I don't need it to fly 8km away, 1km is more than enough for me. I won't be chasing cruise ships with FPV nor landing on my holiday home roof terrace from 8km away (crazy guy did this, check it out on youtube!)
The Spark will enable me to capture my holiday memories in what seems like very good 1080p (from the youtube posts) with a drone that is small enough to carry within my Cabin Luggage allowance and my clothes.
In conclusion, you are right that the Spark is at the pinnacle of the 'Toy Drone' market and the Mavic is 'Mid Level' Amateur. But you always buy for your needs and requirements rather than what is the best on the market.
gavin1
15 Jul 173#9
Anyone flying a drone has to maintain unaided visual contact (Unaided means you can have spectacles but not binoculars). For my Phantom 2, thats about 100m to 125m. The Mavic is a bit smaller so probably you'd be looking at 100m or so.
Basically if you cant see the drone your breaking the law.
Latest comments (32)
davidlck
26 Jul 17#31
Has anyone managed to apply the discount code? Doesn't seem to update the price?
The DJI Spark weighs 300g so according to today's news will eventually need registering and for the user to take a safety course. Seems like a sensible idea to me. Thought it may be of interest to those purchasing.
x80ssm
16 Jul 17#29
any deals on combo?
n9801904
16 Jul 17#28
I've got one - it's ace even without the remote! The range seems good to me - I'd be too scared to send it much further!
gavin1
16 Jul 17#27
I'm not trying to tell poeple how they can fly, only pointing out what is permitted within the law, if someome chooses to break those laws thats their look out but people should at least be aware what is and is not permitted..
Jeez this little spark is doing to rounds,must admit I'm gagging for one. :smile:
As for seeing drones at distance I'm not going into figures but I have never really flown out of site but have had my GoPro at some serious altitude and can still see it but the butts on these are black which I suppose helps.
Problem with laws it's hard to implement them but I'm guessing it will get stronger as more accidents happen.
To many folk can't actually fly these properly and expect GPS to be fool proof...it is not!
Learn to fly these the right way and you can have great fun and looking at the vid's this spark looks ace!
Picard123
15 Jul 17#24
Camera on this seems a bit limited - max 1080p/30 - and only a 2 axis gimbal.
Maximum 15 min fly time also seems a bit short.
ec9wrr
15 Jul 17#23
Great deal. Thanks op. Ordered. I chatted with dji the other day and they said you can buy the care package in a separate transaction if you wish. Ideally within 48 hours of activating the drone. If not you have to make a little video to prove the drone works at time of purchasing care. I haven't decided if the care package is worth it or not.
Dones are typcially 30 to 40mm wide, and often white. Very, Very few people would be able to see that beyond 200m without any help from binoculars and so forth. The LED's on the drone may make it more visible for futher distances in low light, as we as humans are good at detecting movement in our field of view (because we used to have to be good at spotting predators) but at distances over 150M if you look away from the craft for a second you will have problems picking it up again.
TonyP72
15 Jul 17#21
Such a shame it doesn't have a 4k camera, with TV's getting bigger and bigger nowadays the difference is quite noticeable on 50inch and larger screens.
gaz_anthony
15 Jul 17#18
I fancy a drone, but living in England it`ll either get wet or blown away...... or knicked
calel360 to gaz_anthony
15 Jul 17#20
The wind won't bother this.
manapausejp
15 Jul 17#19
I really want to do this, any sites you'd recommend based in UK for parts and build guides, everything is so US centric?
happenstance
15 Jul 17#17
I'd just buy the mavic when abroad for a bit more. It's about the same size when folded and isnt so limiting. This is just a selfie drone.
Then once you get it look forward to all the agro you get even just walking with it and flying in the middle of nowhere from crazy daily mail types...
calel360
15 Jul 171#16
It's not visual contact, It's line of sight. Not the same thing. You can fly 500m away, legally.
itsdavidjones1984
15 Jul 17#15
Last thing I heard is they only have ios app for this. Not android?
whelan189
15 Jul 17#14
why oh why would you buy this
wlowry
15 Jul 17#13
I'd love to know peoples opinions on Spark vs Phantom 3. The spark looks a lot more fun but is the quality from the phantom much better?
spaceinvader
15 Jul 17#12
Been flying for a year and some, just built an FPV racing quad and I'm looking for a drone for filming but I think I'd much rather have a Phantom 3 Standard (super cheap on Amazon warehouse sometimes), I know this is way more portable and easy to use, but are there any other benefits to the Spark? Portability and ease of use aren't really that important for me personally.
Harun
15 Jul 17#11
Good deal if you really just want the drone but the controller is £159, spare battery is £55 and multicharger £60 so the fly more is still better value. Comes with extra props, carry case and things as well.
ninjin
15 Jul 17#10
Thanks for that info, something I didn't know. I guess thats UK law. Doubt I'll be using the spark much in the UK.....
gavin1
15 Jul 173#9
Anyone flying a drone has to maintain unaided visual contact (Unaided means you can have spectacles but not binoculars). For my Phantom 2, thats about 100m to 125m. The Mavic is a bit smaller so probably you'd be looking at 100m or so.
Basically if you cant see the drone your breaking the law.
ninjin
15 Jul 174#8
I debated for and against getting a DJI for around 18months now. I nearly bought the Mavic when it was released but had the sense to stand back and see what I would use it for.
Previously I have worked as a Part Time paid photographer and have well over £10k of Nikon gear. So my expectations of photography results is very high.
The drone seems like the natural progression of the SLR work (which I no longer do paid work, out of choice not lack of offers). As I am getting older, I find my holiday destinations tend to be more bucket list places and a drone makes sense. (wish I had it for Santorini and Sicily).
The Mavic results are stunning and I could not ask for more. But ultimately I could not justify £1300 on something that would be used 4 times a year at most. I don't need it to fly 8km away, 1km is more than enough for me. I won't be chasing cruise ships with FPV nor landing on my holiday home roof terrace from 8km away (crazy guy did this, check it out on youtube!)
The Spark will enable me to capture my holiday memories in what seems like very good 1080p (from the youtube posts) with a drone that is small enough to carry within my Cabin Luggage allowance and my clothes.
In conclusion, you are right that the Spark is at the pinnacle of the 'Toy Drone' market and the Mavic is 'Mid Level' Amateur. But you always buy for your needs and requirements rather than what is the best on the market.
w_orbit
15 Jul 171#7
I wouldn't buy without the controller. The smartphone control is limiting and unreliable. More than one video on YouTube where people have lost their Spark when controlling with smartphone, connection disrupted and it's decided to go off on its own merry little way. It's an expensive toy to lose! Mr mobile loses spark
GSMGuy
15 Jul 17#6
TBH, range and camera on this aren't the best - Also the gimbal is only a 2 axis. IF you can afford it, the Mavic is a MUCH better drone, yes a lot more ££ BUT if you are serious about them..
The Spark is pretty much in the "toy drone" category IMHO.
I LOVE my Mavic Fly More Combo...
6ixFoot1
14 Jul 17#5
Not really a fab of flying drones with phones and wifi. Definitely best with the controller
furq
14 Jul 175#4
Shame there's not £50 off the Fly More combo.
Really needs the controller for 1.2km range. 75-100m range from a smartphone just isn't good enough.
The extra battery and 3-battery charger in the Fly More pack will come in handy too.
soup
14 Jul 17#2
A lot of deals going on for those drones!!!! this is so far the best!
ninjin to soup
14 Jul 174#3
That's because the UK Retail price on them is a joke. Everyone will rather just buy grey. Spark Fly More package: UK £699 US$699 for exactly the same thing.
I'm getting mine in HK when I go in August and its equiv to £550 at todays exchange rate.
Also, the standalone drone is so limiting to what the Spark is actually capable of. Hence, the Spark Fly More combo is what is the big sellor. The Stand alone Spark is just not going to sell well.
You could argue that its UK VAT and Duty making up the difference but we are on HUKD so we are all in the know!
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Opening post
Available online and in-store!
The DJI Spark is a simple-to-control mini drone that features numerous intelligent flight control modes, a mechanical Gimbal with 2-axis stabilisation, high performance camera with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, wide-angle f/2.6 lens, HD Wi-Fi technology.
Intelligent Flight Modes
TapFly: In TapFly mode, just envision your shot and Spark captures it for you. Tap your phone screen and Spark, using vision technology, flies in the direction of your tap or exactly where you tapped while actively sensing obstacles. Capture shot after shot with just your fingertips.
ActiveTrack: Stay on Target With ActiveTrack, Spark automatically recognizes objects of different shapes and sizes then tracks them according to what they are and how fast they move. This makes tracking much easier and more reliable.
Gesture: Deep learning gesture recognition allows you to take dronies with simple hand motions. With PalmControl mode, control Spark’s movement by hand. If you want, leave your remote controller and phone at home.
High-Performance Camera
Mechanical Gimbal Stabilization: Shake-Free Shots Spark's 2-axis mechanical gimbal and UltraSmooth technology dramatically reduce shake and rolling shutter effect, keeping shots stable and detailed.
1/2.3-inch Sensor: Record More Details Small and compact, Spark's camera features a 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor, allowing you to shoot stabilized video at 1080p and stills at 12 MP. Larger pixels mean Spark is acutely sensitive to light and records colours precisely.
Powerful Lens: Capture the World All Spark images are consistently sharp and vivid with very little colour aberration and distortion. Spark's camera has an f/2.6 wide-angle lens with a 25 mm equivalent focal length. Five elements are arranged into a single group that fit into a compressed frame.
Flight Performance
Powerful Propulsion: Speed and Precision Control With its aerodynamic, lightweight, and slick design, Spark soars through the air with minimal wind resistance. The gimbal and camera are flush with the aircraft, significantly increasing stability. Powerful propulsion offers steady flight in strong winds at up to 31 mph (50 kph) in Sport Mode. And an advanced flight control system means flying is fun and intuitive.
Flight Safety
FPV Flight: Switch to Sport Mode and unleash Spark's speed potential. Sport Mode sets the gimbal mode to FPV by default, so the camera moves with you as you fly.
FlightAutonomy: Enhanced Awareness Spark's FlightAutonomy system includes the main camera, vision positioning system (VPS), 3D sensing system, dual-band GPS, high-precision inertial measurement unit, and 24 powerful computing cores. This allows Spark to hover accurately anywhere with VPS assistance at up to 98 ft (30 m), sense obstacles from up to 16 ft (5 m) away, and land safely.
Return to Home: Worry-Free Flight Like all recent DJI drones, Spark can return to its home point automatically with sufficient GPS signal. If the battery gets too low, connection is lost, or you hit the Return to Home (RTH) button, Spark flies back to the preset home point while sensing obstacles in its path. Spark’s downward-facing camera captures images of the area surrounding home point and references these images during RTH for a safe landing.
Flight Protection: DJI’s GEO system lets you know where drone flights may raise safety or security concerns, such as near airports or stadiums. This provides the information needed to fly Spark safely and responsibly.
What's Included:
Spark Drone
Propeller pair
1x Intelligent battery
Charger
Micro USB cable
Storage box
Top comments
Really needs the controller for 1.2km range. 75-100m range from a smartphone just isn't good enough.
The extra battery and 3-battery charger in the Fly More pack will come in handy too.
I'm getting mine in HK when I go in August and its equiv to £550 at todays exchange rate.
Also, the standalone drone is so limiting to what the Spark is actually capable of. Hence, the Spark Fly More combo is what is the big sellor. The Stand alone Spark is just not going to sell well.
You could argue that its UK VAT and Duty making up the difference but we are on HUKD so we are all in the know!
Previously I have worked as a Part Time paid photographer and have well over £10k of Nikon gear. So my expectations of photography results is very high.
The drone seems like the natural progression of the SLR work (which I no longer do paid work, out of choice not lack of offers). As I am getting older, I find my holiday destinations tend to be more bucket list places and a drone makes sense. (wish I had it for Santorini and Sicily).
The Mavic results are stunning and I could not ask for more. But ultimately I could not justify £1300 on something that would be used 4 times a year at most. I don't need it to fly 8km away, 1km is more than enough for me. I won't be chasing cruise ships with FPV nor landing on my holiday home roof terrace from 8km away (crazy guy did this, check it out on youtube!)
The Spark will enable me to capture my holiday memories in what seems like very good 1080p (from the youtube posts) with a drone that is small enough to carry within my Cabin Luggage allowance and my clothes.
In conclusion, you are right that the Spark is at the pinnacle of the 'Toy Drone' market and the Mavic is 'Mid Level' Amateur. But you always buy for your needs and requirements rather than what is the best on the market.
Basically if you cant see the drone your breaking the law.
Latest comments (32)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40684581
The DJI Spark weighs 300g so according to today's news will eventually need registering and for the user to take a safety course. Seems like a sensible idea to me. Thought it may be of interest to those purchasing.
https://techtablets.com/2017/07/deals-xiaomi-mi-drone-4k-452/
£370 inc delivery.
As for seeing drones at distance I'm not going into figures but I have never really flown out of site but have had my GoPro at some serious altitude and can still see it but the butts on these are black which I suppose helps.
Problem with laws it's hard to implement them but I'm guessing it will get stronger as more accidents happen.
To many folk can't actually fly these properly and expect GPS to be fool proof...it is not!
Learn to fly these the right way and you can have great fun and looking at the vid's this spark looks ace!
Maximum 15 min fly time also seems a bit short.
Dones are typcially 30 to 40mm wide, and often white. Very, Very few people would be able to see that beyond 200m without any help from binoculars and so forth. The LED's on the drone may make it more visible for futher distances in low light, as we as humans are good at detecting movement in our field of view (because we used to have to be good at spotting predators) but at distances over 150M if you look away from the craft for a second you will have problems picking it up again.
Then once you get it look forward to all the agro you get even just walking with it and flying in the middle of nowhere from crazy daily mail types...
Basically if you cant see the drone your breaking the law.
Previously I have worked as a Part Time paid photographer and have well over £10k of Nikon gear. So my expectations of photography results is very high.
The drone seems like the natural progression of the SLR work (which I no longer do paid work, out of choice not lack of offers). As I am getting older, I find my holiday destinations tend to be more bucket list places and a drone makes sense. (wish I had it for Santorini and Sicily).
The Mavic results are stunning and I could not ask for more. But ultimately I could not justify £1300 on something that would be used 4 times a year at most. I don't need it to fly 8km away, 1km is more than enough for me. I won't be chasing cruise ships with FPV nor landing on my holiday home roof terrace from 8km away (crazy guy did this, check it out on youtube!)
The Spark will enable me to capture my holiday memories in what seems like very good 1080p (from the youtube posts) with a drone that is small enough to carry within my Cabin Luggage allowance and my clothes.
In conclusion, you are right that the Spark is at the pinnacle of the 'Toy Drone' market and the Mavic is 'Mid Level' Amateur. But you always buy for your needs and requirements rather than what is the best on the market.
Mr mobile loses spark
The Spark is pretty much in the "toy drone" category IMHO.
I LOVE my Mavic Fly More Combo...
Really needs the controller for 1.2km range. 75-100m range from a smartphone just isn't good enough.
The extra battery and 3-battery charger in the Fly More pack will come in handy too.
I'm getting mine in HK when I go in August and its equiv to £550 at todays exchange rate.
Also, the standalone drone is so limiting to what the Spark is actually capable of. Hence, the Spark Fly More combo is what is the big sellor. The Stand alone Spark is just not going to sell well.
You could argue that its UK VAT and Duty making up the difference but we are on HUKD so we are all in the know!