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any opinions/experience with Autel Evo II or Parrot ANAFI--for mapping missions?

PhilC

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Hi. For reasons that I'll spare you, I'm considering alternatives to my P4Adv, and would like to know if any of you who fly professionally have experience with planning mapping missions on either the Evo II or ANAFI? I'm not trying to do surveying or selling mapping services; just trying to find a $$ feasible way to teach students how to fly mapping missions and have an alternative for ecological research photography on Federal Lands ... Thanks in advance for any insights.
 
I think for your use case (educating others) it is a good choice. Parrot owns Pix4D so the Anafi integrates into Pix4D seamlessly. The Evo 2 will work great too as it has its own data acquisition built in.

Anafi Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Small, not likely to seriously hurt people or damage property
Not too noisy, at 100' AGL if there is background noise, its hard to hear it
Integrates into Pix4D, use Pix4D Capture to obtain images
21 MP camera
A lot of repairs can be done by user
Batteries are nicely priced at $100
Surprisingly good in winds up to 20 mph
Battery charging options and times are very good (USB, Auto DC)
Current Deal on Anafi Work Package contains Pix4D Cloud for 1 Year Free ($1989 by itself!!!)


Cons
Although 21 MP, sensor size is small
Inconsistent Customer Support on warranty issues
Battery Management problems, % on controller may not match voltage on older batteries
No Voltage is shown to batteries on mapping software
Controller can have phone pop out where it likes to land on control sticks
Possible loss of Manufacturer Support as Parrot has moved onto the commercial Anafi USA
Small size makes it so you must remain close to keep VLOS
In my uses, small size invites birds to investigate very often (My area, your may differ)
Controller connection to drone distance can be very limited
Not supported in other mapping data acquisition software


If your use case can afford a small fleet of Evo 2 Pros, I would go that route. With its own mapping software built in and its 1" sensor it is going to make better maps as the 1" sensor is going to have more data in it than Anafi's smaller sensor at 21 MP. The flight times too will really help you.
 
We would recommend the EVO II because of the mission planning software built into the app. The mission planning is intuitive and easy to use with a lot of features. It would be a very good, and reliable teaching tool.

Also, if you add an Autel Live Deck to the set-up you would be able to live stream what the App/drone camera sees to a larger display like a TV with an HDMI input.
 
Aloha,

I agree with @jaja6009 and @Empire Drone .I have both of these aircraft and use them alot. I have the thermal version of the Anafi.

But, I can say flying it a year and some months, I have yet to experience technical issues with it really. The camera is outstanding for it's size. There are tons of "hidden" features in it also.

-Dolly zoom
-The upward 90deg camera angle
-Ability to download maps prior to going to areas with no reception
-Unique "special" flight modes (360, sprial, reveal, epic, orbit, parabola)
-Haven't had any issues using it with Pix4d as of late. I've also used my images in MME and they came out fine.

I'm VERY gentle with it though, so I guess that helps.

Basically, it's a fun fly, I've also used this thing in -10deg of Canada to 105deg of California with no issues. It was also sweet to be able to have it as a carry on for traveling, keeping the batteries in a separate LIPO bag of course.

The Evo2Pro is obviously it's own beast though.

-High winds, no problem
-Mapping software works very well. (I think they are still giving a 1 year subscription to Pix4Dreact for new buyers) It's a pretty sweet addition.
-Great special flight modes also.
-Also works well in below freezing and very hot environments so far.
-LiveDeck is sooo nice also.
-The controller has a built in screen, so phone or tablet is not always needed. It will be highly beneficial to use one though. Especially mapping... BUUUUUT, the controller cannot hold an iPad mini or above. You have to get a separate adaptor. :(

I guess in a nutshell, you can't really "lose" with either one. Just depends on your use case. For educational purposes, I'd say go hard and get a couple of EVO2Pros!!

This is a vid with Parrot Anafi:

This is a vid with EVO2:
 
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I fly the EVO II and love it. Mapping is great, 8k camera with good digital zoom and stable. It outflies my P4P and Mavic 2ED in windy conditions, and the obstacle avoidance is nearly flawless.
Batteries are bit pricey but they last almost 40 mins...so better for longer missions.
 
I would definitely recommend the Evo pro 6k. I have used it for mapping , and it’s software integration is the reason why I picked up an Evo. That was the addition that I needed to complete my package. The other great part of the Evo is I can swap out for the dual thermal camera as well. One bird 2 cameras that fits my agenda. I learned on my MP and that will alway be my baby, but I’m very happy with my decision and go with EP2 6k. The quality is superb and CS is top notch. We all know how DJI treats us owners ..great product though.as for the anafi , never had the privilege of flying one. Most of my buddies fly DJI and now Evos. Happy flying. ?
 

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