Essential DJI Mavic Pro Accessories – The Must Haves – Updated!
March 23, 2018When I went to purchase my DJI Mavic Pro I was so exited. I practically ran to the computer brought up the site and placed my order after all, until now I’ve been using my 2 DJI Phantom 2’s and, I was in desperate need of an upgrade. It didn’t even occur to me that I would need additional items. This realization brought me to yet another exhaustive search for the essential DJI Mavic Pro accessories and, to a degree, limited my use and enjoyment until I acquired them.
You may already have your drone or you may be doing research before you get it but whatever your situation please take time to consider the extras you might want/need. Take a look at the essential DJI Mavic Pro accessories and compare the must haves to your list. If you see anything that you want to check out for yourself simply click on the associated image and it will take you to the relevant pages where you can purchase the item or obtain more information.
Of course, none of this matters if you don’t yet have a DJI Mavic drone. If you’re just browsing and haven’t yet made a decision on which one to get check out my post: DJI Mavic – Which One to Choose.
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Remote Control
Depending on the package you have or are looking at you will either have a separate remote controller or not. The Mavic Pro can be operated via WiFi however this limits your range significantly. If you really want to take full advantage of your drone, get the remote. It’s intuitive, informative and convenient.
Check out my DJI Mavic Pro Quadcopter Remote Controller – Why You Need It post.
- Intuitive – The feel and movement of the control sticks is so much easier than the touchscreen control option.
- Informative – The remote’s display screen shows important statistics in an easy to see and understand format.
- Convenient – With integrated device holder and additional buttons, some of which are programmable, you have easy access to options and features that would otherwise require you to go into sub menus to use.
- If you get a second remote you can pair one for main (directional) control and the other for camera control. That way you have a dedicated pilot and dedicated camera person. It’s an awesome way to get the perfect shot!
Good Phone/Tablet
Don’t skimp on the main brain of your drone! The phone or tablet really is the brains of the device when it comes to features and control. All the flight modes and settings are controlled and configured via apps that run on the phone or tablet. The primary app is DJI Go however there are several other apps out there that can be used to control your Mavic. All of these require decent processing power to work at their fullest. There are good Apple and Android options out there I don’t want to start a which device is better war. That said I’m an Apple guy and have never had any issues with my Mavic or any of the apps I use to control it. Regardless of the way you go make sure the device you settle on has decent specs.
Apps
Although you can fly the Mavic without an app (as long as you have the remote) you’re really limited on what you can do. At the very least get the free DJI Go 4 App. It will unlock so many features. There are 3rd party apps you can look into as well ranging from planning and flying pre-programmed routes to 3D mapping and so much more.
Check out my DJI Mavic Pro Apps – My Top Picks article.
Sun Shade
When I first saw these I thought “What a joke!” but man was I wrong. Reflections, glare, ugh. On beautiful sunny days I swear it was virtually impossible to see my screen. The reflection of the beautiful sky or glare reflecting off a building literally blocked my ability to see the camera view, status indicators and anything else on the screen.
Once I tried a sun shade I was shocked at the clarity it provided. Now and then, I still get an angle where I get a reflection or some glare but I can honestly say that getting a sun shade has cleared up this problem for me by at least 80%. Sun shades are relatively inexpensive and so worth it.
Check out my Mavic Pro Sunshade – Worth It? – A Mini Post article.
Spare Connector Cable
I have not yet experienced this however I have seen over and over where people have been having issues and it comes down to the small connector cable that came with their drone. By simply replacing it all their issues went away. Another concern can be whether the included cable is long enough to reach your devices connector port, etc. I’ve also heard of people having issues with the remote controller’s side port. The remote also has a full USB port however that connector differs from the included cable so it’s never a bad idea to keep a spare around anyway just in case.
Multiple and/or Larger microSD Cards
The Mavic ships with a decent yet small 16 GB microSD card. This is fine if you’re really just flying for fun but if you’re looking to take a ton of pictures or high quality video of any real length then you’re going to want a larger microSD card, possibly several of them. Quality matters. Don’t buy the cheapest one. Do a little research and compare quality and pricing to reach a choice you’ll be happy with. Things to consider are:
- Quality – The build of the card and/or reputation of the brand. Don’t go buy some off brand you’ve never heard of.
- Size – The bigger the better (less swapping). Keep in mind the largest size officially supported is 64 GB.
- Speed – The faster the better however the Mavic will cap out at 60 Mbps.
Extra Batteries
Lete’s face it, when you first take this baby out you’re going to want to try everything. Everything takes time and if you only have 1 battery it’s going to take a lot more time as you wait for that battery to charge. Besides, you really shouldn’t charge your batteries while they’re warm so now it’s going to take even longer as you wait for them to cool before charging. Do yourself a favor and get 1 if not 2 more batteries. You’ll be happy you did. Although there are after-market solutions, in my opinion, use genuine DJI batteries. It’s not worth a few bucks to find out that battery X was is total junk and now that crash because power failed isn’t covered by your warranty.
Mutli-Charger
This one for me is a must. Yes your Mavic came with a charger and if you opted for one of the bundles that includes it, a multi-charger as well. Great I’m good to go! Well, not quite. The multi-charger will charge 4 batteries but it does so one-at-a-time. For a relatively small cost you can get a true multi-charger that not only charges 3 batteries but has 2 USB ports to charge your remote control and phone or tablet all at the same time! I can pop everything on this charger and be good to go in an hour or less!
Check out my Mavic Pro Multi Battery Charger – Indispensable post.
Car Charger
If you’re planning ongoing places and won’t have an electric outlet available then get a car charger. Of course if you’re going places on your bicycle then a car charger won’t do it but if you’re traveling by vehicle get one. I have heard some cases where the car charger doesn’t work as expected and it has something to do with available voltage or amperage from the accessory port in your car. If that’s the case for your vehicle then get an inverter and use the regular plug-in charger.
Extra Props
This one is a no no-brainer. If you only have 1 set of props and 1 breaks you’re down for the count until you can get more. You might be lucky and your local Best Buy has them in stock but then again you might not be near a place that has them. Now you’re stuck waiting until you can get another set. Do yourself a favor and get them now. A crash isn’t the only way to break a prop. I’ve seen cracks and chips from simply hitting a bug. The last thing you want is to find out that 2 hour hike to the top of the mountain with the awesome views, although worth it, won’t be giving you those awesome shots you thought you were going to get because you have a broken prop. Again I prefer DJI branded props over after-market options.
Launching/Landing Pad
I wasn’t sure on this one at first but after a few launches from various locations it became a must. Sure you can launch off of concrete or some other solid surface just fine but what about sand or grass and so on? Well a folding launching/landing pad has you covered. It provides protection from throwing up debris as you take off and land. You should have seen the sand storm I created once. They are light, relatively compact and worth every penny.
Lens Filters/Protectors
If you’re really looking for great shots then lens filters are a must. There are several options out there from simple lens protectors, designed to simply protect the camera lens from scratches to neutral density (ND) filters and polarized filters. I personally use polarized ND filters because they offer the following benefits:
- They act as a lens protector.
- They act as sunglasses for your camera – this allows you to adjust frame rates, shoot in brighter conditions, etc.
- They reduce glare which is great, especially for water shots.
Camera Gimbal Lock/Cover
Yes the Mavic comes with separate camera gimbal lock to prevent the camera from moving during transport and a camera cover to protect it from getting pushed around or knocked when not in use. Unfortunately the lock is cumbersome to use and can be frustrating to install at times. Luckily some quick thinkers created integrated locking cover that performs both tasks in 1 simple movement. They are inexpensive and, after messing around with the stock lock and guard, a pleasant experience to use.
Get this better solution here!
Bag or Case
So now you have all of these “necessities”. How do you keep them all organized and together? A bag or case obviously. Sure you can use a drawer but then you’d have to lug that around with you. Depending on your situation a good bag or case should fit the need perfectly. If you’re a photographer with a bag already that has extra space in it then go for a small case or 2 (1 for the drone and 1 for the remote) and simply place them in your bag. If you don’t already have a bag with extra space or want to transport your drone in a more compact way, then I recommend a small shoulder bag or similar. Then there are those who, like I was with my underwater camera gear, will accept nothing but a hard case with foam and whatnot to keep everything protected. That’s fine too. In the end all that matters is you choose something that works for your situation.
Things to keep in mind when considering a bag or case are:
- Will this be a stand-alone solution or will it be going in or on another item?
- Does this solution carry everything you need it to?
- Is the cost of the particular item you’re considering “worth it”? There are a lot of options out there.
- Does it provide reasonable protection for the drone and accessories?
Pick-up the bag here or the case here!
Training/Read the Manual
Sure you can unbox your shiny new drone, charge it up and go for a flight but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve answered the “Why can’t I do this?” or “Why do these show up on my screen?” question because someone hasn’t taken the time to at least skim the manual. Do yourself a favor and take the time. You’ll discover features you didn’t know about but most importantly how to enable them in the first place.
Remote Outlet
This one is not a necessity but, it does make having your Mavic ready to go whenever you want much easier. Simply leave your remote and batteries attached to the charger and then plug the charger into a remotely operated outlet. When you’re sitting at school or the office and decide “I’m going to fly my drone when I get home.” you can simply log into your app and turn the outlet on, charging your remote and batteries so they’re good to go when you get home.
PolarPro – Katana
Until now, I hadn’t considered using my Mavic as a standard video camera. With the Katana you can take advantage of the Mavic’s gimbal and create stabilized footage without having to buy a whole other setup! It offers 2 handles and a holder for your phone to act as your viewfinder for the camera. If you’re into videography and want to get smooth stabilized shots you should really check this out.
Battery Terminal Dust Covers
When traveling on an airplane or storing your batteries you really should consider the terminal connector dust covers. They will help prevent damage to the terminals as well as keep everything nice and clean.
Propeller Clips
Keep those props in place when moving and storing your drone. These clips help to keep your props secured and damage free and help to reduce movement when transporting.
Waterproof Sleeves
This isn’t so much for the waterproof part, although that’s nice, but more for the extra layer of protection and slickness it provides for sliding your Mavic and Remote into a bag of your choice. I found that this helps me to slide the Mavic and remote easily into the Fly More bag with virtually no resistance.
Conclusion
There you have it, my essential DJI Mavic Pro accessories, the must haves. Before you go taking this as gospel please remember this list is what I consider to be essential and is in no way exhaustive of all the accessories available for the DJI Mavic Pro. What I use my drone for and what you use your drone for may be very different things. I just hope that it helps someone somewhere answer a nagging question or lets them know of an item they hadn’t considered.
I will be posting reviews on the items I actually use from the list above. Remember, most of the images are clickable so you can simply use them to get to the relevant sites to purchase, download or obtain more information.
If you feel I’ve missed anything, disagree with my list or have additional items you think should be included please comment below. I do review comments and, once approved, they will be visible on this post for others to see.
Thank you,
Scott Hinkle
MavicManiacs.com
I have the mavic pro and absolutely love it. The accessory that caught my attention was the sun shade. I really need to purchase one after having trouble seeing the screen out in direct sunlight. I also really want to look into the landing pad. Does this still work with the automatic landing feature? Wasn’t sure how accurate a landing on a pad like that would be.
Hello JD,
You can’t go wrong with a sunshade. In fact, I dedicated a mini-post to it and in that post you can click on the image or the ad at the bottom to be taken to Amazon to buy one. You don’t have to use my link or the ad, it just takes you to a seller that sells the one I have where you have various size options depending on the device you’re using and they’re relatively inexpensive. You can find that post here:
https://mavicmaniacs.com/mavic…
As for the landing pad, it’s a great accessory. To address your specific concern it will work fine with the automatic landing and, in fact, if you’re using the Precision Landing setting, and you hovered for a few seconds during take off, the pattern on the landing pad will assist with a more accurate landing when the drone returns to it’s home point (provided you didn’t change it in flight).
Here’s a snippet from the Mavic Pro’s manual regarding precision landing:
“Precision Landing
The Mavic Pro automatically scans and attempts to match the terrain features underneath during Return
to Home. When current terrain matches home point terrain, the Mavic will start landing immediately to
achieve precision landing. The DJI GO app will show a terrain feature mismatch prompt if matching fails.
Precision Landing performance is subject to the following conditions:
a. Home point is recorded upon take off, and cannot not be refreshed during flight.
b. Aircraft must take off vertically. Take off altitude must be greater than 10 meters.
…”
Thank you,
Scott Hinkle
Hello there!
This post was really interesting to read as I would love to get a drone. I was always in love with remote controlled cars, and this just took everything to a whole new level!
It is also interesting to see how many different things you can buy to add to your drone. I did not know this.
If i finally decide to buy one I will be sure to come back to your website.
Thanks for the info,
Mia
Thank you! You are not obligated to come back to my site to buy your drone but I do appreciate the thought. I just want to provide a place where people can come, talk about their drones, ideas, experiences and so on. If you get a drone in the Mavic family please come back (come back even if you don’t) as I’ll keep writing more posts and hopefully help and/or inspire someone.
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Thanks for the thumbs up man!
A good read. Have you created another page with links to items that will work on the Mavic 2 Pro?
Hello Allen,
I have not yet, but it’s on my to do list. I’ll try to get it up by the end of next week. Come back and hold me to it!
Scott
Hey man,
I just wanted to follow up and let you know I made it! The DJI Maic 2 Accessories – The Essentials post is up. I know I was cutting it close but I did get it posted by week’s end.
Let me know what you think,
Scott