Sorry the Skydio 2 is clearly the winter when it comes to tracking,,, it's actually not even close 😂 it really is like having your own personal camera man follow you around,, truly impressive 💯
The Skydio 2 still seems the best option for this type of tracking, and by that I mean tracking yourself. You don't need the bulky controller in your hands, and its gets closer for a more immersive feel. I would choose the Mavic 3 if I was following something else besides myself. Great testing, and thanks for sharing.
My experience using the Skydio for 2 years now is that the obstacle avoidance is nearly impeccable. Tracking can be hit and miss. Often when in remote locations where GPS is weak the beacon almost refuses to work. Since I mostly use it to follow me off road in my truck, I mostly use it with the controller and then have the option to mix up my shots within the same flight much more easily. Also the jerky footage you noticed is mostly a beacon problem. Much smoother when tracking with the phone or controller. For that type of footage, no way I would go with DJI. But the Skydio is extremely limited with manual flight, which is why I may pick up a mini 3 pro
For the most part, I agree with you. The only caveat is that DJI doesn't necessarily intend Active Track to be used to follow the pilot. It is geared towards being an aid to assist the pilot in keeping a subject in frame. For example, if I were following and filming you on your One Wheel, I'd be able to adjust the drone's following distance/speed manually. You can also adjust the subject's position in the frame if you wish. On the other hand, the Skydio 2 is set up to be operated without any input from the pilot. Basically, your "Beacon in the pocket/ not looking at the drone" scenario... which is against FAA regulations, just saying. I've had my issues with Skydio, but It's still my opinion that it's the best "autonomous" drone you can buy... Heck, when you try to fly it manually, you're only allowed to make suggestions. It won't necessarily do what you want it to do. Kinda annoying! As far as "value" goes... that's tough because the Mavic 3 Classic is $1600, but to get the same flight time and a controller from Skydio, it would be very close in cost. There's zero doubt in my mind that the Mavic 3 Classic is a far superior drone in every other way. It's not even close. Good comparison! DJI is catching up, but Skydio still takes the crown for autonomy, in my opinion. .
I am absolutely loving the Mavic 3C Active tracking and obstacle avoidance. Trees, small branches, pavilions, people and cars lol it avoids it all and never loses track of me. It did take some practice to make it stay closer while tracking. But love it
Outstanding comparison! I have the M3Pro. For up close tracking over IQ, the Skydio is the winner! But when video quality is priority 1, the Mavic reigns supreme. I would use the Skydio when riding my jetski no question. Too bad they are out of stock! Again, great job in this analysis!
I'll take my Skydio 2+ any day over any other drone when it comes to active tracking! The beacon and the ability to change drone location, height and distance without a bulky controller is huge. DJI has better video, but has a LONG way to go to compete with Skydio as an adventure tracking drone.
I have yet to order the Mavic 3 Classic. Indecision. Waiting to see if an Air 3 appears in May or June. I hope you had as much fun making the video as I did watching it.
Skydio 2 is the far superior autonomy drone if tracking a subject, but agree that the Mavic 2 has a better cinematic view. The following of you by the Skydio drone was clearly the winner hands down. DJI has more work to do to put it on par autonomously with the Skydio 2. You are at your best when you make these type of videos. Good job!
Great video! I would love to do this with my Mavic 3, but I just don’t trust the technology enough and with the drone being relatively expensive I just don’t dare. Could you imagine doing this with the Inspire 2?😅😮
Overall, it's hard to go against the Mavic 3. And for the average person, the tracking seems fine. But it seems like you still have more confidence in the Skydio. One thing I like about the Skydio video is that it is a bit more immersive for the viewer, especially as the speeds increase. I think a comparison video during your ski trip would be awesome.
Great test! Was waiting for something like that - thank you so much! - I would say that the Mavic 3 is for artists (and mainly flying behind you, because it sucks at any other direction) and the Skydio is for work-related things, because the snappiness is certainly sth I would miss, if I had to do client work (I assume; I don't have any such work...). - This is a beautiful area where you are flying/one-wheeling. Where is that? And which drone made it with you on the skiing tour? Will you make a video on that, too?
Sure wish Autel would throw some research/dollar bills at their tracking software. It's probably the lowest hanging fruit for improvement of their line of drones.
IMHO, Skydio 2 is the real winner. Tracking is intended for closer shots of extreme sports (facial expressions, wheels spinning, snow/water spray, etc.), not just a distant cinematic shot that also includes the subject in the frame. Because of that, object avoidance should not slow the camera down to a crawl. Real-time positioning is also important, capturing that perfect background that may only be a moment's opportunity. It may also be interesting to point out that most of the footage in this video didn't require the use of the beacon (as indicated on the screen of that arrow circling around you). The Skydio was using visual object tracking the whole time. The beacon is critical for quick changes in camera positioning, landing, etc., but it didn't need the beacon to keep you in frame. But if you went behind a large obstacle for a period of time it would use the GPS positioning of the beacon to find you again. Great video though, and an interesting comparison of the Skydio/M3C tracking abilities. Thank you for doing this!!
I just recently got the S2+ for Orthomosaic Mapping, I thought it would be an amazing drone for mapping because of its class leading obstacle avoidance, and upgraded battery & antennas. However, even though the obstacle avoidance is amazing, the upgraded battery has only given me 20-24 minutes of real mapping time in the air. Which is strange because Skydio claims 28 minutes of flight time. I was completing a mission through Drone Deploy when my battery dropped from 26% to 2% in a matter of seconds, then the S2+ was forcing me to land all while I was trying to get it home, ultimately it landed way out in the desert in a secluded area because it took me a few hours to find it. When I found it and turned it on it was showing 18 percent battery, so I quickly flew it to make sure it was fine. It flew perfectly, I will probably be selling my S2+ because of the bugs Skydio still has to iron out. I most likely will go to an Air 2S or a Mavic 3 instead until Skydio makes a better drone, with their own controller, and more reliability.
Billy this was a good video and I enjoyed it. I actually own both of these drones myself and use them extensively horse riding in the deserts and forests and mountains in all kinds of terrain and vegetation etc. most of my rides range in speeds from 4 mph - 30 mph. I've used both of them on over 100 rides each. With this experience I have found the skydio to be far superior in terms of not crashing and keeping up with me and tracking me. The mavic 3 is a better drone for flying with my controller and doing aerial photography of the scenery and also filming other people riding. But when I am the one riding trying to film myself the skyview is so much Superior that the DJI it's not even worth my time. Your little trip up a sidewalk along a park was cute and shows that both drones can be used for such a filming event. But when you go fast and through much more tricky things the DJI doesn't hold a candle to skydio. Also the skydio is pitiful in comparison to DJI when you are trying to fly with the remote controller and do beautiful scenic shots or film anything further away. In my opinion they are just very different drones that each have a little bit of the feature that the other one excels at. Have a good one!
I am pleasantly surprised with the smoothness of the DJI. I have flown the Skydio 2 numerous times in tracking mode for documentary filmmaking, and the drone doesn't always fly smoothly. As Skydio has exited the consumer market, it is great to know that we have an alternative available. DJI's algorithms will only get better and if they introduce a beacon, the differences will be even less between the two drones. Thanks for a great video. It was very informative.
Do you guys think the Skydio 3 is near release? I feel that if I buy the Skydio 2 now I will probably see the Skydio 3 release and regret it big time. It's been 4 years!
Like always. it will depend on each induvials needs, the skydio has always been for the action cam group compared to the Mavic3 group will primarlly flight
If your going skiing the skydio 2 with the beacon a better choice than the large controller no contest . It seems everyone on DJI mailing list for products never talk bad about them . The only one that gives correct views are the ones not on the list sorry Billy you are not the only one .
DJI’s sideway tracking tends to end up following. Also when I used Air2 following me skiing it won’t go down hill with me and would stop instead. Haven’t tried Mavic 3 and mini3 pro though
Great comparison video Billy! Looks like the Skydio is a more robust, responsive tracker, while the DJI has superior video quality and smoother cinematic moves.
What are you recording audio on to (Your phone ?) I noticed you got it synced up where as some would just narrate the info in an action shot like this. what settings are you using for the exposure on both drones .the Mavic is obviously brighter and more crisp but the Skydio appears to still be superior in tracking although it looks like DJI is getting closer.
DJI used to have the "Follow Me" flight mode. Has this gone away? If that flight mode was used, wouldn't it fair better at tracking and be virtually the same as the beacon for the Skydio? I am currently using a Mavic Pro (1st Gen) and looking to upgrade. I have been going back and forth between these 2 drones since the Mavic 3 Classic was released. This comparison video is EXACTLY what I have been waiting for. Thanks Billy!
DJI these days only offers optical active-track. I think it is absurd they don't add GPS follow-me as well. But maybe follow-me cannot work in combination with obstacle avoidance? So it's a warranty issue.
@@antoniohagopian213 So using GPS follow-me in Litchi a DJI Air should still have obstacle avoidance? Well I ordered a C-Fly Faith Mini. Maybe I will regret not getting a DJI Mini 2 SE with Litchi or Maven? But with extra battery it was double the price. Would be another story if I had the money for a DJI Air 2. In that I could have active-track and follow-me with obstacle avoidance. Why DJI does not provide follow-me is beyond me. People only crash their drones more often using tricks.
Late to the show but thought I'd throw this out there. The Skydio website shows all versions of the S2+ out of stock. Did some digging and a guy on another YT channel contacted them and they responded by saying they are moving away from the consumer drone market. You can still get some accessories however the drones are gone, apparently for good. Bummer. I have the original S2 and was thinking of upgrading to the S2+. Might be prudent to buy a few extra batteries while they're still in stock. Billy have you heard of this change of heart from Skydio ??
I actually found the Skydio video to be more immersive and cinematic. The Mavic just couldn’t keep up. The Mavic may be a more well rounded drone, but this round goes to Skydio.
@@CAMTechChris I'll look into that. I am looking closer and believe he's using a DJI Mic, I think I see the magnet on his hoodie. So he might be recording audio on that and then laying it over the video.
I thought you were asking how to get the drone sound out of the background. For that the sound suppression in FCP or Premier would work well. For recording the sound, definitely the DJI Wireless mic. Use an audible and visual hand clap at the beginning of the clip to make it easy to sync in post. The DJI Wireless mic is absolutely amazing, definitely worth $329 even if it’s just for personal projects. Plug the receiver into your DJI RC or RC Pro, if you have one, to record sound to your screen record.
Great video as usual. I agree that while the Skydio is agile, a piece of video with sudden course corrections is not really usable, so what’s the point? Hopefully they will continue to optimize their firmware to smooth out the video. It certainly is great for more action sport stuff, as long as there are no obstructions
I think you’re the last person I follow who still reviews skydio! Personally, I’ve not even tried using tracking on any of my drones. I should give it a try
Sorry to sound so ignorant but does Kyle mention which apps he uses for tracking? Thanks. -John (Licensed drone pilot for Fire & Rescue New South Wales Australia)
Hey BK, what audio setup did you utilize when you were on the 1 wheel doing your tests with the Drones??? Loved the absence of wind noise or anything like that while you were in motion throughout the recording 👌🏽
Informative video! I'm new to the world of drone cinematography and was curious how you captured your audio without the buzz of the drones? It looks like it was live audio to me. Thanks!
The skydio seems like better tracking, but I don't wanna be limited to tracking. I know you can get the bundle with the controller but I still would prefer the m3 for it's other pros over the skydio. But I also don't do any sort of sports where skydios tracking would benefit me so that's personal use case.
Basically no real change between the two, despite the obvious cheerleading of the compromised pro DJI crew of yourself, Jake, Jevon etc. From a film making POV, the DJI drones are clearly superior, not even close and shame on Skydio for lagging; portability, again clearly DJI. But for tracking which is what many want, esp. those on motorcycles, mtn bikes and 4x4, the Skydio 2 is clearly superior. I also thought it a bit disingenuous not to compare the deluxe state of the art DJI Classic Pro to the Skydio 2+ vs using the lesser Skydio 2
I think the Skydio would create better skiing videos. I just bought the classic for ‘waypoints’…this feature produces way better videos when programmed right, than I can fly.
DJI just needs to come out with a spark 2 with a focus on pilot controlled active track (with a beacon or a waterproof controller watch) - maybe with an avata like hardware setup with prop guards for safety I also have some ethical questions for skydio and their BlueUAS lobbying but that’s another story and unrelated to product performance
@@billykyle oh haha yes of course you are right - maybe it should be called DJI Mini4Follow instead haha - an active track focused waterproof drone with a waterproof beacon to compete with skydio. I suspect they might not have done that yet to prevent Skydio from screaming and trying to sanction them even more but who knows
@@billykyle No it's not. Unless you use Litchi or Maven you don't have either active-track or follow-me. I can make a whole list of what a true tracking drone could, should, and should not have. The fact alone they cripple their products by leaving out follow-me shows they the people at DJI clearly aren't hikers or bikers. If they were they would understand how such a drone is used in real life. Not that a Mini 2 or something is bad for the job. Much can be done flying manually. But it could be so much better with just a little more effort. And no obstacle avoidance and pure video quality are not the important things. What you want is a small safe reliable pocket drone with small split or one hand controller that you can launch instantly 20 times a day for some selfie shots. A Tello with dedicated controller and GPS and SD card so you don't need the phone. You throw it in the air and ride 50 meters regardless if there are people around or in a no-fly zone. That's what I want. The current Tello takes to long to get ready with the phone. Although I do intend to use my Tello more often. It's so small nobody complains even if you fly it in the middle of town. Try that with a Skydio or Mavic 3!
I heard they are going to come out with a Mavic 3 Pro and it will completely replace the Mavic 3 flagship then come out with an Air 3 and then have leaks of a mini 4 Pro. Lol hi Billy, hi just watching what's now an older video.
I'm curious if you've testes both drones where there's more people already. My experience with the Active Track is that it gets confused when there's lots of moving objects around. Wondering if they've solved this yet. Skydio is the winner for this with it's beacon.
Which is why "follow me" was so much better then active track. Everything after the p4p can't do it to my knowledge. Using the remote as a beacon is so much better then relying on ai nonsense.
Imo when it comes to strictly tracking, Skydio still has it. It's just a faster and snappier drone as you say, not to mention the beacon or your phone. If DJI could figure out a way to be as smooth as they are with their tracking while: flying faster, being more responsive, and having something like the beacon of the skydio, it would be an absolute monster of a drone. To have the speed and responsiveness of the skydio but the smoothness of DJI software while having the better range, better dynamics, better image quality, etc? Bonkers
Great video, but I get confused about your final opinion, the Skydio followed way better than the Mavic, you didn’t even had the chance to compare a front following with Mavic because it never would have get there Yeah yeah, maybe cinematically the Mavic is smoother but you are comparing tracking Sorry I don’t agree with you
It was messed up what Billy did to powervision power egg 2 and parrot anafi usa..I havnt heard much from either company after Billy reviewed there drones lol.. I mean he did really had reviews of both them drones..his dji reviews are great tho lol..
tracking goes to the skidoo for the simple reason of the beacon. while dji has improved the tracking on the 3 it just can't keep up with motion of the skidoo. all directions move much better the dii. the video is better on the dci. I can see where you would be cutting many clips for either to use in a video. I would take either if I have the chance.
But I also have five DJI drones as well as the DJI RC Pro remote and the DJI RC remote so the Mavic 3 would fit right in with my collection that I have the most of. Hmm 🤔
DJI's smoothness and quality is still ahead. DJI's features and control are still way ahead too. Skydio's tracking is still much better, especially when using the beacon.
The Skydio is way better. The footage from the Skydio is better for use and the ability to zip to each location and stay close or far with the user’s preferences makes the Skydio the king. The Skydio camera footage is great too no editing needed. The footage from the DJI is too far away and really doesn’t do what you want it to do. It does just enough to get by. I am definitely going to be upgrading to the Skydio 2+ soon also. Wanted to watch this video to give DJI a chance to become my next purchase instead of the Skydio 2+ but got to go with Skydio.
Does the Mavic three have a limit for speed when tracking because I know if you have the drone in normal mode and you start active track it follows slower but when you put it into sport mode and start active track, it flies as fast as it needs to
Both are the same. If Mavic 3 had beacon(visual+GPS tracking) and set in nifty mode I think it will be the same but Mavic 3 will be cinematic too. I don't know why DJI refuses to give this type of tracking even by using the remote GPS as beacon
The Skydio 2 is by far the better tracking drone without question. In terms of tracking the Skydio 2 is in a much higher class. Perhaps you’re a paid sponsor of DJI. If not I don’t understand your conclusion on tracking. Some of the other variables perhaps DJI might have an advantage but it’s NOT tracking.
Skydio 2's AI program is running on a NVIDIA Jetson TX2 modules. This powerful modules has 50 mm*90 mm size, 85 gram weight, 7.5 watts of typical energy usage, and 400 dollars price. That's the reason that Skydio 2 is not foldable, expensive, and has less flight time.
The Skydio 2 is far more responsive, but as you say, the Mavic 3 is so much smoother and cinematic. Without the comparison, a viewer would be impressed by either one. I think that since I already have the Mavic 3, I will stay with it... 🤔 🙄
I'm always scared when Billy do comparisons cause he will take a drone company out when they start getting close to competing against dji. He will compare dji advantages to other drones disadvantages to destroy other drones sales and company. I like Billy but he a true dji fan..
"Mavic 3 is the winner" -Billy Kyle Also Billy Kyle, " I told the mavic 3 to be on my side and its behind me." I'm just saying based on that test the skydio won but of you want to say the Mavic is better you shouldve done a test the Mavic would win at.
Skydio 2 is better because of the beacon. I'd like to put the beacon in my pocket, and have the drone follow me instead of a bulky controller. No thank you to a bulky controller.
I thought the video was about tracking. Stop sitting on the fence DJI was garbage it could not keep up was not responsive ( dynamic) and then you revert to video quality... why would video matter if the subject cannot be seen you cannot get creative shots or the angle you want the drone to be in. Make up your mind and give an honest review.
