As always Ray gives a detailed review and the rest of them follows. Waiting for your in depth active tracking/ crash test video. Really appreciate your effort.
@m1n1t3 I've had mine since the start of the year so I'm not too upset. It still is a great controller and I haven't had any connectivity issues with it. It will be more fun to get a Mavic 4 haha
Really appreciate your upfront and honest reviews, you see it from the average joe's perspective who is paying for the product (and not just as a sponsored youtuber). I also agree that DJI is just money hungry by making the RC1 remote obsolete after only 1 year 🤦♂️
Man it's because the Air 3 uses DJI's new O4 transmission, it's not their fault, it's just common sense. The RC-N1 and RC were designed to support O3 and O3+. Man do your research before commenting, it'll save you time from complaining.
@@DeanBKK well when the RC was released it didn’t support any drones except for the Mini 3 pro, they added support to all the other drones in a software update. Not very far fetched to say that they would do the same for thr RC2. Btw no I’m not new, I’ve been buying and using DJI drones since a very very long time.
I think you overlooked the significance of one of the most important updates: the ascend and descent speed. They are now 10 m/s, which is unprecedented for DJI drones. Flying them would be so much more thrilling! Several years ago, I think DJI drones were limited to a descent rate of 3m/s, and I always wished they could increase it. Now that it's finally here, I'm thrilled!
@@laksononpy188 I don't think it's anywhere near an FPV drone, but it does save a lot of time and battery. Let's say descending from a height of 300 meters at 3m/s takes 100 seconds and uses 4% of the battery. I would expect that descending at 10 m/s would only take around 30 seconds and use almost no battery as the motors barely need to work.
Great Review on the Air3 Ray!!! You provide a very thorough and unbiased breakdown of this new DJI Drone. The features on the AIR3 comparing to previous DJI Drones are remarkable. But I agree its a bummer that the RC2 controller not having compatible with the other drones. Hopefully DJI is working on that. I have the mini3Pro & Mavic 3 Standard and I only use the RC Pro for both. Great footage too!!!
I have an Air 2s and absolutely love it. For Christmas last year, my wife got me the DJI RC controller, which has been wonderful to use instead of tying up my cell phone. It sucks that the Air 3 isn't compatible at all with the RC and the RC-2 isn't compatible with any other drones. That alone is reason enough for me to not bother with the Air 3, unless DJI reneges and adds Air 3 compatibility to the RC.
Small correction for 13:52: Shooting vertically is NOT the same thing as cropping in post because the Air 3 uses the full height of the sensor if you create a native vertical clip. If you're shooting horizontally, you've already lost the top and bottom of the sensor area.
Another brilliant video, thank you. It's always interesting to keep informed in all the latest tech and innovations even if I am not looking to buy it.
Congrats on a great review! Learned so much more from your video than others chasing around Tesla. Thanks for giving us the positive and negatives as you see them. I am tempted to leave the 2s, but remain steady on the fence. I really hesitate on a step back to the sensors.
I’m especially excited about the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, and, based on previous videos I’ve seen of you, where you are fishing drones out of rivers, you’re just the guy I want to see test that!
All you have to do is disable sideways flight on the Air 2S and it has amazing obstacle avoidance so the Air 3 isn’t getting my attention really on that part. Plus the obstacle avoidance on the Air 3 requires it to move through obstacles a lot slower than the Air 2S.
@@flightriot3454 Disabling that option lets it fly sideways. It very much does not keep it from crashing into things. It'll happily crash into things while flying sideways.
@@Dcrainmaker I bought two thinking the same thing and that I would crash one but it never had and I’ve used it in some crazy places around the world but neither have crashed yet.
Some absolutely horrible drone footage of the alps and windmills but I’ll suffer through it. (Joking) Amazing work here Ray! This looks like a great option for people. Looking forward to all the videos this week! 👏
Excellent and comprehensive review. I will say from a subjective point of view that the tele lens footage looked grossly oversharpened, but I realize that's not something nowadays in the Era of smartphones that most folks haven't already gotten used to. I also found it unfortunate that they choose not to have backwards compatibility with their remote, but that wasn't unexpected either. At any rate, thanks for your work. Cheers!
I said it 2 weeks ago on twitter and I'm gonna say it now... I'm waiting for the Dji Air 3 Pro. 😉 My hunch says it will boast a 1" sensor with a variable aperture. Mark my words.
Thanks a lot. Really appreciated. Hearing that the DCJI RC2 is incompatible to the older Drones is a dealbreaker. I'll just stick with my Mavic3 Classic and Air2S.
for new releases, I always go straight to your channel m8; get into the granular details, keep it objective, and doesn't come off as an ad for DJI (which a LOT of other reviewers seem to be doing). couple questions for you on the 70mm, does it do: - hyperlapses - night mode - D-Log or D-Log M - "vertical" mode like the 24mm showing entire frame while flying, but only recording center/vertical part thx DC, always appreciated!
Thanks! 1) Yes (update, apparently it's in the release-day firmware, woot!) 2) Night - yes. 3) D-Log M 4) Correct, it’ll keep showing entire frame, but only record middle chunk.
I would love to see more on active tracking and obstacle avoidance. I’m looking for a drone that can follow me during my scooter rides, and actually keep up and not lose tracking so easily like the air 2s did.
I got my Air 3 and it is pretty good except that I did not realise all the zoom is digital and it has no optical zoom. Not a single launch video I watched mentioned "Digital Zoom" which of course makes the image quality worse the more you zoom. Carrying it around versus my Mini 3 Pro it is a lot more size and mass with just one battery weighing more than the Mini 3 Pro take off weight. With the longer flight times the RC also needs to be recharged after three 30 minute drone flights. Also it would seem if you set photo mode to 48Mp the digital zoom gets disabled. When video recording it would seem if you want to swap cameras you have to stop and start recording. I noted the battery firmware update can be carried out with no internet connection but the controller describes it as an Aircraft Update.
Air 2 and Airc2 S have upward gimbal angle of 30° - you just have to enable it in settings. Air 2 and Mini 3 Pro BOTH have 48 megapixel resolution as well. Quad Bayer sensors. Mini 3 pro is the SAME sensor as the 2 used here.
Excellent review, as always. Agree that the planned obsolescence on the controller is not the best marketing strategy, but then, revenue plans rarely are. Oh, and btw- Canada is in North America 😮😢
Hey DC, I'm currently an Air 2S owner and the smaller sensor size is a big turn-off for me. I use it mainly for photos, but I also do some videos. What do you think is the quality increased or it's not? Also, I wish to have a real vertical frame...
May as well get the Mini 3 Pro for photos especially if you do lots of 4 x 5. Unless you really need the 70mm lens. A lot easier to carry around and less restrictive
Yeah, if you want a real vertical frame, I'd probably go Mini 3 Pro as well. As for the sensor size thing, it's far too overthought. It has little real-world bearing on whether the end-resultant output is actually good. There's a ton of other imaging pipeline things that can help or hurt. The actual sensor size is frankly the least of the things that matter.
@@DcrainmakerThe sensor uses different light capture being backlit versus fore-lit - so Apples to Kiwi comparison ... either one makes me green with envy only having the Mini 3 Pro.
@@Dcrainmaker I don't agree completely with that. As a professional photographer, I want the best image quality possible for this size and price for a drone. The 1" sensor was good, so I find this a downgrade unless the sensor tech is far superior to compensate for the smaller size. Will wait for a detailed comparison to see how it performs.
@@AnastasTarpanov100% agree with you. The Air2s sensor output is fantastic in dlog (plus the ability to crop to 32mm fov lossless in 4k60p). Wait to see some dlog footage of the air3 on a large 4k monitor to make a choice. I think this 1/1,3" will be decent, but who knows... Its all about personnal taste.
Inquiring about the waypoints mode on the Mavic Air 3, I'm curious whether it supports native/on-board waypoints or if it solely relies on virtual stick waypoints. This is a critical factor in my opinion. Unlike the Mavic Mini 2, which only supports virtual stick waypoints, I'd like to determine if the Mavic Air 3 offers native/on-board waypoint support. A straightforward method to test this is by initiating a pre-planned waypoint mission and then turning off the remote controller in the middle of the mission. If the drone immediately halts the mission and returns to the controller's location, it indicates the use of virtual stick waypoints. Conversely, if the drone continues to complete the mission even without the connection to the controller and returns to the starting point after finishing the mission, it signifies support for native/on-board waypoints. In the past, DJI's previous drones, including the original Mavic Air, all had native waypoint support. However, for some unknown reason, DJI moved away from providing native waypoints. Nevertheless, it seems they have realized the importance of this feature and are possibly returning to support it. I just want to be absolutely sure. Ideally, a Mavic Mini 3 Pro with native waypoint support would be a real winner, and I hope DJI takes this into consideration.
How do the range/signal compare between the Mini 3 Pro, Air 3, and Mavic 3 Pro in real world use (with trees, buildings, etc.)? Does the new controller increase the range of the Mini 3 Pro? My Mini 3 Pro has terrible range and signal compared to my Mavic 2 Pro so I'm looking at getting the Air 3 or Mavic 3 Pro unless the new controller alone will increase my Mini 3 Pro range.
Hey Ray, great review, thanks! One question: what is the video bitrate in 30fps compared to 60fps? Is 30fps limited to 100Mbps? Do you only get 150Mbps with 60fps? Or are they both 150Mbps?
10:25 Yes, finally Active Track support for 4K60!! I've been waiting on this for awhile. This will make it easier doing more solo drone shots. Also the addition of Waypoint support can help even more.
@@aloeisthestuff9622 Those solo drone shots would be similar to ones you regularly see using Active Track online: the drone following a person or car. The one limitation that prevents me from using this now in my Air 2S is the lack of 4K60 support. I shoot all my videos in 4K60.
Thanks for sharing the detailed review, one question I had is the Air 2S had a 1 inch sensor and this one has 1/1.3 inch sensor, how does it impact dynamic range vs Air 2S, specially the bright shots like heading towards the sun, the highlights and shadows?
3:15 The processing power muscle Trumps hardware muscle. Apple and Google have done the same thing. They use the same optics year after year, yet they image quality improves because of the hardware and software leveling up over time.
Insightful, thank you. Used to fly a drone a while back, yet then their were so many restrictions on locations here in Sweden. Guess I can understand that too, private time on a beach or in a garden etc. Yet thought of getting one in the future again, due to being privileged in seeing the world from such dramatic heights. The support for 4K is also a bigger factor now. I did own a 4K monitor way back, yet there were hardly any decent footage available or relevant for me. It´s important to have a decent "Doorstop" for Photography and that I have yet to solve. I have done all the normal routs like photobooks, photo forums, online galleries and home page use. I do still have a New Letter and am considering a blog? I´m often out in the nature on my El Scooter and so tracking would be fun to try. I noticed it was pretty flat for you locally. Q. What is it like in customs with a drone, do they stop you especially? Thanks for your time 👍👌
@@Dcrainmaker Right , thanks . Becos my folks at the DJI shops in China were surprised when I said some reviewers are talking about ND filters in the box during unboxing .
I've noticed a serious issue with DJI video output and that is that it looks like it jumps frames or skips them. I thought it was maybe just me, but I've just seen it a few times in this video if you look closely enough (CAT digger and windmill scenes as an example) or anytime it's rotating around an object. It might be the fps in the video editor compared to the DJI video? It seems to go away when you slow the video down. But it's definitely there...
Do you have have any way to test whether Air 2/2S accessories, like droppers and the Insta360 Sphere, will fit onto the Air 3? My hopes for this are low, but it seems possible… I’m also interested in knowing whether the cross0section of the 3 is smaller than the 2/2S, because then the gaps could just be padded to strap the older accessories onto it.
This is a lovely drone, I'm really curious on how much stronger the range is, @DC Rainmaker, if you're comfortable could you do a range test? I'm really tempted to buy this drone to replace my Mini 2 and this would help so much, if you don't want to do it that's ok! Keep it up!
Wind resistance test done in 60KPH winds, probably posting today! Range I found far better than Mini 3, I included snippets above in video. But I won't be doing a range test till 10KM or something, just illegal.
I don’t think it matters. Far too many people get hung up on the mythical 1” sensor size thing, yet forget there’s a vast number of other important things that are part of the imaging pipeline that greatly change final output. No better example of that was Insta360’s 1” action cam, which gets trounced for image quality and stability compared to the not 1” GoPro units.
Super video thank you! Between 2 waypoints, if for instance point 1 you are at 100m high. Point 2 you put at 200m high. Will it smoothly move from 100m to 200m between both waypoints or will it stay at 100m high all the time and once it reaches point 2, suddenly go up to 200m?
@@Dcrainmaker Thank you very much! So it does it progressively? If for instance the 2 points are 500m apart, going from 100m high on point 1 to 200m high on point 2, means at 250m on the way, the drone should be at 150m high, correct?
@@theresortcollection Yeah, it's simply smoothed over the entire distance between the two points, linearly. But there's also a little bit of ramping it does at the beginning/ending so it looks really smooth.
A few observations - you say it's a really small price increase, however there are no ND filters or 100w charger in the fly more kit. The photos, to my eye, look horribly over-sharpened out of the box. You say the weight increase is insignificant, but when you consider the larger bag size and heavier batteries, carrying an air 3 fly more kit vs the air 2s is going to be a really big difference for travelling light on e.g. on aircraft with hand luggage. It would be good to see some actual comparison photos and video from the air 2s to judge if this is a true upgrade - after all, when you leave out all the bells and whistles the main aim here is to capture great photos and video.
I'm really interested on getting the 3 but I really think dji gonna launch 3S within One year with a triple lens camera... Updating the camera quality like they did with the air 2 to the 2S
I have a Mini3 pro. Air 3 uses the same sensor size but with two. Also I have an Air 2S with obviously the larger 1”sensor. Photo quality with the Air 2S is noticeably better than the Mini3 Pro. I need to see convincing proof that the Air 3’s smaller sensors can outshoot the Air 2s’s in photo situatiations. Has DJI improved it’s smaller cameras since the Air 2s’s introduction over two years ago.? We shall see.
Interesting to see if o4 really works as stated on paper ie 10km in CE mode. Currently on my mini3pro I can do 2km max. That allways been something to do with transmitter power being limited by CE rules.
@@Dcrainmaker I live in the UK and there aren’t any restrictions built into the drone to restrict distance from the controller, so the only limit is the signal strength, although under CAA rules you technically have to maintain VLOS at all times
@@Dcrainmaker Im with you, lets follow the rules and the law. Will wait for someone to test on land test ie someone with the drone up the hill and second person cycling away with the remote, or with team of watchers on the route, still possible to do range test without braking the rules.
Absolutely love your reviews but I have to take issue with you on one thing. The 20 Megapixel photo of the Air 2S is far superior to so called "48 megapixel" photo of the Air 3. In reality, it's a 12mp photo like the Mini 3 Pro. Except for low light, any comparison video of those the Mini 3 Pro and Air 2S cameras, ranks the Air 2S better. I think an explanation of how they get to 48 megapixels through binning is warranted. Thanks again for all your great content!
The Air 3 actually doesn't use pixel binning for photos, it uses a pixel demosaic algorithm to combine the layers together from the front-side and backside-illuminated sensors. The Air 2S used just the backside, whereas the Air 3 uses a stacked CMOS sensor instead. They sent over a crazy detailed PowerPoint on it, I'll see if I can use parts of it or not. Either way, I tend to put things like this in the camp of 'Here's the photos, judge as you see fit." I should have my written review up shortly, which includes a bunch of samples people can download at full res.
I wouldn't expect an Air 3S, ever. The Air 2S was basically an in-between thing to burn time while DJI sorted out their lineups. I suspect from here on out we'll likely see the three lines kept in sync: Mini 4 series, Air 4 series, and Mavic 4 series.
@@Dcrainmakeragree also I think the air 3 was to close in the gap in-between the air series and mavic 3 series and an air 3s would literally kill the mavic 3 series if they added like adjustable aperture or like 1 inch sensor with the tech that the air 3 already has and plus the air 3 almost does everything that the mavic 3 series does of course the adjustable aperture but if they put that in the air series they would literally end the mavic 3 series and Dji basically put almost everything from the mavic 3 into the air 3 except like the large hassleblad camera and like the adjustable aperture like I said earlier but in my opinion the air series were never to go over the mavic series and the air 3s would take over the mavic 3 series
People are comparing about the sensor size..which no one is bringing up about how its a "stacked" sensor..which if you know your cameras is a great thing to have..even if its smaller in the size...it still has better quality and can read the data so much quicker..hence the improved quality over a 1" sensor..
Yeah, stacked CMOS cameras have been used by Sony, Panasonic, and others for years. People just shout all day about a 1" sensor, but frankly don't understand it. Likewise, we've seen countless crappy 1" sensor implementations over the years. The sensor is merely one piece of the puzzle, but there are many other components in the imaging pipeline that matter just as much (if not more).
hey Ray really good review about the air 3 .. Its a pity the controller cant be used for the other drones. Do you think they will do a firmware update to make it compatible . looking forward to see more video about this drone. Its like a baby from a mavic 3 with all the cool tech and features . Hope all is well
@@Dcrainmaker thanks ray looking forward to the next few videos you put out. On a side note did you enjoy the tour this year. I thought it was one of the best . Hope all is well
DJI's lack of backwards compatibility is super frustrating. I put it partially down to them being a Chinese company. A western company would never do this for Enviornmental reasons alone.
It's a media loaner like any other media entity, I don't keep the drone and it goes back to them shortly. No different than The Verge or other publications. Note, there are some sponsored DJI UA-camrs out there that do keep the units or receive payment. That's not me.
Looks interesting but is it C1 certified and I guess it has Remote ID :) I spent a lot on their Crystalsky screen based on it working with future models which of course it was not 😢
Hi, nice review, but do you have any first hand confirmation the Air3 sensor is a 'stacked' type? From all the official specification sheets this is not mentioned and it is listed as identical to the Mini3 one...
Yup, check out my written review on it here, where I include the exact specifications/slides on the stacked sensors that the DJI engineering team sent over: www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/07/dji-air-3-in-depth-review-with-sports-tracking.html
That’s fair, panos are forced back to the main lens. I think I have that in my written review, but didn’t make the title in the video. Would be nice to seem them support it on tele lens.
As always Ray gives a detailed review and the rest of them follows. Waiting for your in depth active tracking/ crash test video. Really appreciate your effort.
Thanks!!! And ActiveTrack video soon!!!
@@Dcrainmakerwaiting with baited breath for this Active Track Video-can it keep pace, finally , with skydio?!
hahaha i love this guy.hes faster than DJI. hats off man. really appreciate your work. i am watching his video first and after that DJI.🤣🤣🤣
Thanks!
Really love my Mini 3 Pro, but really surprised my RC is already outdated. Great review overall!
Same here, just got it 2 weeks ago and now I feel sad the RC is basically out.
@m1n1t3 I've had mine since the start of the year so I'm not too upset. It still is a great controller and I haven't had any connectivity issues with it. It will be more fun to get a Mavic 4 haha
loved my Mini 3 Pro too until I saw this video... that zoom function looks so handy
@@bushmanphotos If I could do it again, I still would get the Mini. It's either the mini or a Mavic haha
Really appreciate your upfront and honest reviews, you see it from the average joe's perspective who is paying for the product (and not just as a sponsored youtuber). I also agree that DJI is just money hungry by making the RC1 remote obsolete after only 1 year 🤦♂️
Thanks - appreciate it!
Awesome Ray
Thanks man, appreciate it!
The incompatible RCs issue is ridiculous.
I’m sure a software update will follow. There is no reason why not to do it
@@DigitalicaEG you must be new to DJI 😂
different transmission protocol
Man it's because the Air 3 uses DJI's new O4 transmission, it's not their fault, it's just common sense. The RC-N1 and RC were designed to support O3 and O3+. Man do your research before commenting, it'll save you time from complaining.
@@DeanBKK well when the RC was released it didn’t support any drones except for the Mini 3 pro, they added support to all the other drones in a software update. Not very far fetched to say that they would do the same for thr RC2. Btw no I’m not new, I’ve been buying and using DJI drones since a very very long time.
I think you overlooked the significance of one of the most important updates: the ascend and descent speed. They are now 10 m/s, which is unprecedented for DJI drones. Flying them would be so much more thrilling!
Several years ago, I think DJI drones were limited to a descent rate of 3m/s, and I always wished they could increase it. Now that it's finally here, I'm thrilled!
means you could do like a dive manuever 🤔 or no?
@@laksononpy188 I don't think it's anywhere near an FPV drone, but it does save a lot of time and battery.
Let's say descending from a height of 300 meters at 3m/s takes 100 seconds and uses 4% of the battery. I would expect that descending at 10 m/s would only take around 30 seconds and use almost no battery as the motors barely need to work.
The 10 m/s in my testing though was only when going straight down. If I had any forward or backwards movement, it was drastically slower.
@@Dcrainmaker That is disappointing 😐
Probably they keep wanting people to crash their drones like older models without sensors
Was looking forward to this review. Thanks for sharing. As always, kelp the awesome videos coming DC! 👍👌🙏
Incredible review as always !!!
Great Review on the Air3 Ray!!! You provide a very thorough and unbiased breakdown of this new DJI Drone. The features on the AIR3 comparing to previous DJI Drones are remarkable. But I agree its a bummer that the RC2 controller not having compatible with the other drones. Hopefully DJI is working on that. I have the mini3Pro & Mavic 3 Standard and I only use the RC Pro for both.
Great footage too!!!
having waypoint is huge! a game changer! it deserved more then a few second mention
I have an Air 2s and absolutely love it. For Christmas last year, my wife got me the DJI RC controller, which has been wonderful to use instead of tying up my cell phone.
It sucks that the Air 3 isn't compatible at all with the RC and the RC-2 isn't compatible with any other drones. That alone is reason enough for me to not bother with the Air 3, unless DJI reneges and adds Air 3 compatibility to the RC.
Small correction for 13:52: Shooting vertically is NOT the same thing as cropping in post because the Air 3 uses the full height of the sensor if you create a native vertical clip. If you're shooting horizontally, you've already lost the top and bottom of the sensor area.
Another brilliant video, thank you. It's always interesting to keep informed in all the latest tech and innovations even if I am not looking to buy it.
Thanks!!!
It's a wonderful video. I'm looking forward to the next video.🎉
Thank you for your reviews can’t wait for your tracking video with it!
this review blows out any mainstream reviewer like TheVerge out of the air. thx!
A true review here. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Congrats on a great review! Learned so much more from your video than others chasing around Tesla. Thanks for giving us the positive and negatives as you see them. I am tempted to leave the 2s, but remain steady on the fence. I really hesitate on a step back to the sensors.
Can’t wait to see your real life test that you do like obstacle avoidance and such!
You live in an absolutely beautiful area. Great video. It's been very insightful.
I’m especially excited about the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, and, based on previous videos I’ve seen of you, where you are fishing drones out of rivers, you’re just the guy I want to see test that!
Hang tight! Went out today to run through the usual gauntlet!
All you have to do is disable sideways flight on the Air 2S and it has amazing obstacle avoidance so the Air 3 isn’t getting my attention really on that part. Plus the obstacle avoidance on the Air 3 requires it to move through obstacles a lot slower than the Air 2S.
@@flightriot3454 Disabling that option lets it fly sideways. It very much does not keep it from crashing into things. It'll happily crash into things while flying sideways.
@@Dcrainmaker I bought two thinking the same thing and that I would crash one but it never had and I’ve used it in some crazy places around the world but neither have crashed yet.
@@flightriot3454 I'll leave this here: ua-cam.com/video/pUsFGWpirGg/v-deo.html
Some absolutely horrible drone footage of the alps and windmills but I’ll suffer through it. (Joking) Amazing work here Ray! This looks like a great option for people. Looking forward to all the videos this week! 👏
Haha, thanks Matt!
Excellent and comprehensive review. I will say from a subjective point of view that the tele lens footage looked grossly oversharpened, but I realize that's not something nowadays in the Era of smartphones that most folks haven't already gotten used to. I also found it unfortunate that they choose not to have backwards compatibility with their remote, but that wasn't unexpected either. At any rate, thanks for your work. Cheers!
Thanks - appreciate it!
The normal mode is always oversharpened on dji products. Using the dlog mode solves this problem on my Air2s. I guess it'll be the same on the air3.
When money is involved, backwards compatibility doesn't work. haha .... it's all about innovative ways to literally get the bucks from consumers.
I said it 2 weeks ago on twitter and I'm gonna say it now... I'm waiting for the Dji Air 3 Pro. 😉
My hunch says it will boast a 1" sensor with a variable aperture. Mark my words.
Air 3s that’s what I am waiting for
Thanks a lot. Really appreciated. Hearing that the DCJI RC2 is incompatible to the older Drones is a dealbreaker. I'll just stick with my Mavic3 Classic and Air2S.
We are waiting for AT vs skydio. Your AT comparison is by far the best on whole UA-cam:)
Was waiting for your review
for new releases, I always go straight to your channel m8; get into the granular details, keep it objective, and doesn't come off as an ad for DJI (which a LOT of other reviewers seem to be doing).
couple questions for you on the 70mm, does it do:
- hyperlapses
- night mode
- D-Log or D-Log M
- "vertical" mode like the 24mm showing entire frame while flying, but only recording center/vertical part
thx DC, always appreciated!
Thanks!
1) Yes (update, apparently it's in the release-day firmware, woot!)
2) Night - yes.
3) D-Log M
4) Correct, it’ll keep showing entire frame, but only record middle chunk.
I would love to see more on active tracking and obstacle avoidance. I’m looking for a drone that can follow me during my scooter rides, and actually keep up and not lose tracking so easily like the air 2s did.
Another video coming up!
Wheres that laugh emoji?
Great job. Very comprehensive.
I got my Air 3 and it is pretty good except that I did not realise all the zoom is digital and it has no optical zoom. Not a single launch video I watched mentioned "Digital Zoom" which of course makes the image quality worse the more you zoom. Carrying it around versus my Mini 3 Pro it is a lot more size and mass with just one battery weighing more than the Mini 3 Pro take off weight. With the longer flight times the RC also needs to be recharged after three 30 minute drone flights. Also it would seem if you set photo mode to 48Mp the digital zoom gets disabled. When video recording it would seem if you want to swap cameras you have to stop and start recording. I noted the battery firmware update can be carried out with no internet connection but the controller describes it as an Aircraft Update.
Air 2 and Airc2 S have upward gimbal angle of 30° - you just have to enable it in settings. Air 2 and Mini 3 Pro BOTH have 48 megapixel resolution as well. Quad Bayer sensors. Mini 3 pro is the SAME sensor as the 2 used here.
Not the same sensor at all, the Air 3 uses a new stacked CMOS.
@@Dcrainmaker Stacked what? do you Know anything about real cameras and the Lens/Filter arrays?
We have all been waiting on this
Thanks for the nice review! This might be my first new DJI mavic after the 2016 original one ;) (even tho this isn't even a mavic)
Sounds like this would be a good one to get for a first drone. I don't have to worry about the RC incompatibility if I don't have the first one lol😅
Excellent review, as always.
Agree that the planned obsolescence on the controller is not the best marketing strategy, but then, revenue plans rarely are.
Oh, and btw- Canada is in North America 😮😢
Hey DC, I'm currently an Air 2S owner and the smaller sensor size is a big turn-off for me. I use it mainly for photos, but I also do some videos. What do you think is the quality increased or it's not?
Also, I wish to have a real vertical frame...
May as well get the Mini 3 Pro for photos especially if you do lots of 4 x 5. Unless you really need the 70mm lens. A lot easier to carry around and less restrictive
Yeah, if you want a real vertical frame, I'd probably go Mini 3 Pro as well. As for the sensor size thing, it's far too overthought. It has little real-world bearing on whether the end-resultant output is actually good. There's a ton of other imaging pipeline things that can help or hurt. The actual sensor size is frankly the least of the things that matter.
@@DcrainmakerThe sensor uses different light capture being backlit versus fore-lit - so Apples to Kiwi comparison ... either one makes me green with envy only having the Mini 3 Pro.
@@Dcrainmaker I don't agree completely with that. As a professional photographer, I want the best image quality possible for this size and price for a drone. The 1" sensor was good, so I find this a downgrade unless the sensor tech is far superior to compensate for the smaller size. Will wait for a detailed comparison to see how it performs.
@@AnastasTarpanov100% agree with you. The Air2s sensor output is fantastic in dlog (plus the ability to crop to 32mm fov lossless in 4k60p).
Wait to see some dlog footage of the air3 on a large 4k monitor to make a choice. I think this 1/1,3" will be decent, but who knows... Its all about personnal taste.
Inquiring about the waypoints mode on the Mavic Air 3, I'm curious whether it supports native/on-board waypoints or if it solely relies on virtual stick waypoints. This is a critical factor in my opinion. Unlike the Mavic Mini 2, which only supports virtual stick waypoints, I'd like to determine if the Mavic Air 3 offers native/on-board waypoint support. A straightforward method to test this is by initiating a pre-planned waypoint mission and then turning off the remote controller in the middle of the mission. If the drone immediately halts the mission and returns to the controller's location, it indicates the use of virtual stick waypoints. Conversely, if the drone continues to complete the mission even without the connection to the controller and returns to the starting point after finishing the mission, it signifies support for native/on-board waypoints.
In the past, DJI's previous drones, including the original Mavic Air, all had native waypoint support. However, for some unknown reason, DJI moved away from providing native waypoints. Nevertheless, it seems they have realized the importance of this feature and are possibly returning to support it. I just want to be absolutely sure. Ideally, a Mavic Mini 3 Pro with native waypoint support would be a real winner, and I hope DJI takes this into consideration.
How do the range/signal compare between the Mini 3 Pro, Air 3, and Mavic 3 Pro in real world use (with trees, buildings, etc.)? Does the new controller increase the range of the Mini 3 Pro? My Mini 3 Pro has terrible range and signal compared to my Mavic 2 Pro so I'm looking at getting the Air 3 or Mavic 3 Pro unless the new controller alone will increase my Mini 3 Pro range.
Hey Ray, great review, thanks! One question: what is the video bitrate in 30fps compared to 60fps? Is 30fps limited to 100Mbps? Do you only get 150Mbps with 60fps? Or are they both 150Mbps?
Even I want to know about this as dji is known to advertise things in cryptic manner hiding few specs.
10:25 Yes, finally Active Track support for 4K60!! I've been waiting on this for awhile. This will make it easier doing more solo drone shots. Also the addition of Waypoint support can help even more.
So, Where are all these Solo drone shots at?
@@aloeisthestuff9622 Those solo drone shots would be similar to ones you regularly see using Active Track online: the drone following a person or car. The one limitation that prevents me from using this now in my Air 2S is the lack of 4K60 support. I shoot all my videos in 4K60.
Awesome, thank you
Compatible with the RC Pro controller?
Thanks for sharing the detailed review, one question I had is the Air 2S had a 1 inch sensor and this one has 1/1.3 inch sensor, how does it impact dynamic range vs Air 2S, specially the bright shots like heading towards the sun, the highlights and shadows?
Absolutely love mine
Good video 😊
3:15 The processing power muscle Trumps hardware muscle. Apple and Google have done the same thing. They use the same optics year after year, yet they image quality improves because of the hardware and software leveling up over time.
Insightful, thank you. Used to fly a drone a while back, yet then their were so many restrictions on locations here in Sweden.
Guess I can understand that too, private time on a beach or in a garden etc. Yet thought of getting one in the future again, due to
being privileged in seeing the world from such dramatic heights.
The support for 4K is also a bigger factor now. I did own a 4K monitor way back, yet there were hardly any decent footage available or
relevant for me. It´s important to have a decent "Doorstop" for Photography and that I have yet to solve.
I have done all the normal routs like photobooks, photo forums, online galleries and home page use.
I do still have a New Letter and am considering a blog? I´m often out in the nature on my El Scooter and so tracking would be fun to try.
I noticed it was pretty flat for you locally.
Q. What is it like in customs with a drone, do they stop you especially?
Thanks for your time 👍👌
What are the things included in the box please? could you list them please? DOES IT COME WITH ND FILTERS FOR THE COMBO PACK?
No, it does not come with ND filters in the box. That was a mistake that some DJI review units received and presumed were included.
@@Dcrainmaker Right , thanks . Becos my folks at the DJI shops in China were surprised when I said some reviewers are talking about ND filters in the box during unboxing .
Hope the obstacle avoidance this time is much better compared to skydio 😅
Thank you
Great review, thank you! Does it support panorama mode using the 70mm lens with 48 megapixel setting?
Not at the moment.
@@Dcrainmaker Thank you!
I've noticed a serious issue with DJI video output and that is that it looks like it jumps frames or skips them. I thought it was maybe just me, but I've just seen it a few times in this video if you look closely enough (CAT digger and windmill scenes as an example) or anytime it's rotating around an object. It might be the fps in the video editor compared to the DJI video? It seems to go away when you slow the video down. But it's definitely there...
Does the RC 2 have an option to download maps like the RC Pro? Would be nice when flying offline or without cell service
Yup, it does.
@Dcrainmaker Amazing! Hopefully it becomes compatible with the Mavic 3 Pro soon😁
Very nice drone 👌
I hope the RC2 will eventually get updates to be compatible with other drones as well, just like the first RC did.
Sadly doesn’t sound like it.
Is the new RC brighter than the previous RC controller? What the nits comparison?
Do you have have any way to test whether Air 2/2S accessories, like droppers and the Insta360 Sphere, will fit onto the Air 3? My hopes for this are low, but it seems possible… I’m also interested in knowing whether the cross0section of the 3 is smaller than the 2/2S, because then the gaps could just be padded to strap the older accessories onto it.
Really welcome the increase in speeds
This is a lovely drone, I'm really curious on how much stronger the range is, @DC Rainmaker, if you're comfortable could you do a range test? I'm really tempted to buy this drone to replace my Mini 2 and this would help so much, if you don't want to do it that's ok! Keep it up!
Wind resistance test done in 60KPH winds, probably posting today! Range I found far better than Mini 3, I included snippets above in video. But I won't be doing a range test till 10KM or something, just illegal.
I was thinking of getting a Mini 3 Pro RC but now it looks like the RC is obsolete... guess I'll wait for something else to come along!
The best thing about the Air 3 is the Air 2s is selling a lot cheaper now.
Thank you, great Video!
What do you think about the sensor size?
Because the air 2s have 1", does it matter?
I don’t think it matters. Far too many people get hung up on the mythical 1” sensor size thing, yet forget there’s a vast number of other important things that are part of the imaging pipeline that greatly change final output. No better example
of that was Insta360’s 1” action cam, which gets trounced for image quality and stability compared to the not 1” GoPro units.
@@Dcrainmaker thank you very much. You really help me.
Super video thank you! Between 2 waypoints, if for instance point 1 you are at 100m high. Point 2 you put at 200m high. Will it smoothly move from 100m to 200m between both waypoints or will it stay at 100m high all the time and once it reaches point 2, suddenly go up to 200m?
Yup, all transitions are smooth. Be it altitude changes, directional/heading changes, or...well..anything.
@@Dcrainmaker Thank you very much! So it does it progressively?
If for instance the 2 points are 500m apart, going from 100m high on point 1 to 200m high on point 2, means at 250m on the way, the drone should be at 150m high, correct?
@@theresortcollection Yeah, it's simply smoothed over the entire distance between the two points, linearly. But there's also a little bit of ramping it does at the beginning/ending so it looks really smooth.
A few observations - you say it's a really small price increase, however there are no ND filters or 100w charger in the fly more kit. The photos, to my eye, look horribly over-sharpened out of the box. You say the weight increase is insignificant, but when you consider the larger bag size and heavier batteries, carrying an air 3 fly more kit vs the air 2s is going to be a really big difference for travelling light on e.g. on aircraft with hand luggage. It would be good to see some actual comparison photos and video from the air 2s to judge if this is a true upgrade - after all, when you leave out all the bells and whistles the main aim here is to capture great photos and video.
I'm really interested on getting the 3 but I really think dji gonna launch 3S within One year with a triple lens camera... Updating the camera quality like they did with the air 2 to the 2S
I can see a spring release with dual 1 inch sensor Air 3s and a Mavic 4 with dual 4/3 sensor.
As usual, thanks for making me wanna buy shit I shouldn't be spending money on.
Good video - does it have an EU certifcation? If so what is it?
Yes its C1 zertificated
I have a Mini3 pro. Air 3 uses the same sensor size but with two. Also I have an Air 2S with obviously the larger 1”sensor. Photo quality with the Air 2S is noticeably better than the Mini3 Pro. I need to see convincing proof that the Air 3’s smaller sensors can outshoot the Air 2s’s in photo situatiations. Has DJI improved it’s smaller cameras since the Air 2s’s introduction over two years ago.? We shall see.
Interesting to see if o4 really works as stated on paper ie 10km in CE mode. Currently on my mini3pro I can do 2km max. That allways been something to do with transmitter power being limited by CE rules.
See the video. While I’m not going to fly 10km, I’m in the EU and am getting far better performance than the Mini 3 Pro would get.
I’ve had 3.7km in the past with my Mini 3 Pro. You need to get out into the countryside away from interference and have clear line of sight.
@@scotthunter4 CE or FCC rules? I’ve never heard of anyone getting anywhere near that for CE.
@@Dcrainmaker I live in the UK and there aren’t any restrictions built into the drone to restrict distance from the controller, so the only limit is the signal strength, although under CAA rules you technically have to maintain VLOS at all times
@@Dcrainmaker Im with you, lets follow the rules and the law. Will wait for someone to test on land test ie someone with the drone up the hill and second person cycling away with the remote, or with team of watchers on the route, still possible to do range test without braking the rules.
better photos then mini 4 pro?
Absolutely love your reviews but I have to take issue with you on one thing. The 20 Megapixel photo of the Air 2S is far superior to so called "48 megapixel" photo of the Air 3. In reality, it's a 12mp photo like the Mini 3 Pro. Except for low light, any comparison video of those the Mini 3 Pro and Air 2S cameras, ranks the Air 2S better. I think an explanation of how they get to 48 megapixels through binning is warranted. Thanks again for all your great content!
The Air 3 actually doesn't use pixel binning for photos, it uses a pixel demosaic algorithm to combine the layers together from the front-side and backside-illuminated sensors. The Air 2S used just the backside, whereas the Air 3 uses a stacked CMOS sensor instead. They sent over a crazy detailed PowerPoint on it, I'll see if I can use parts of it or not. Either way, I tend to put things like this in the camp of 'Here's the photos, judge as you see fit." I should have my written review up shortly, which includes a bunch of samples people can download at full res.
As an Air 2S owner.... I will wait for the Air 3S. Its the only logical update. Either that or the mavic 3 classic.
I wouldn't expect an Air 3S, ever. The Air 2S was basically an in-between thing to burn time while DJI sorted out their lineups. I suspect from here on out we'll likely see the three lines kept in sync: Mini 4 series, Air 4 series, and Mavic 4 series.
@@Dcrainmakeragree also I think the air 3 was to close in the gap in-between the air series and mavic 3 series and an air 3s would literally kill the mavic 3 series if they added like adjustable aperture or like 1 inch sensor with the tech that the air 3 already has and plus the air 3 almost does everything that the mavic 3 series does of course the adjustable aperture but if they put that in the air series they would literally end the mavic 3 series and Dji basically put almost everything from the mavic 3 into the air 3 except like the large hassleblad camera and like the adjustable aperture like I said earlier but in my opinion the air series were never to go over the mavic series and the air 3s would take over the mavic 3 series
Fantastic review! Would you know the wind resistance specs? :)
Yup, included in the video - 12 m/s. Reality is far higher.
People are comparing about the sensor size..which no one is bringing up about how its a "stacked" sensor..which if you know your cameras is a great thing to have..even if its smaller in the size...it still has better quality and can read the data so much quicker..hence the improved quality over a 1" sensor..
Yeah, stacked CMOS cameras have been used by Sony, Panasonic, and others for years. People just shout all day about a 1" sensor, but frankly don't understand it. Likewise, we've seen countless crappy 1" sensor implementations over the years. The sensor is merely one piece of the puzzle, but there are many other components in the imaging pipeline that matter just as much (if not more).
hey Ray really good review about the air 3 .. Its a pity the controller cant be used for the other drones. Do you think they will do a firmware update to make it compatible . looking forward to see more video about this drone. Its like a baby from a mavic 3 with all the cool tech and features . Hope all is well
No, I don't expect a firmware upgrade. I asked DJI, and they said it's a hardware difference. :-/
@@Dcrainmaker thanks ray looking forward to the next few videos you put out. On a side note did you enjoy the tour this year. I thought it was one of the best . Hope all is well
Does the new Rc controller has streaming capabilities?
DJI's lack of backwards compatibility is super frustrating. I put it partially down to them being a Chinese company. A western company would never do this for Enviornmental reasons alone.
What’s the name of that mountain refuge in the Alps? Looks like an incredible place
Refuge du Col de Balme, sitting atop the border of France and Switzerland near Chamonix.
My thing is that we're few weeks away from drone ID requirement and still don't have good option.
Nice review, however how you say it wasn't sponsored if you got a drone way before sale started. Don't you think that's already a benefit?😉
It's a media loaner like any other media entity, I don't keep the drone and it goes back to them shortly. No different than The Verge or other publications. Note, there are some sponsored DJI UA-camrs out there that do keep the units or receive payment. That's not me.
Is the RC2 capable of live streaming? The RC1 can't and thats a real bummer
Is the aperture variable? I'm mostly interested in this for photography reasons.
Nope fixed iris... Only way is ISO/SS/external ND filters
You could place a secondary bussiness of just astonishing views taken from drones on "the Low Countries"
(I mean you got the knack to take the amazing footage)
How do u enable 8k hyperlapse on the air2s?
if I could use this controller to update my mini 3 pro I would be totally in but with having to carry another controller on trips forget it I'm out!
Looks interesting but is it C1 certified and I guess it has Remote ID :)
I spent a lot on their Crystalsky screen based on it working with future models which of course it was not 😢
Yes, C1 certified, and Remote ID too.
Nice
Dji are taking the piss!!!!
Mavic3 owners probably feel suicidal
Mini3pro owners still feeling content 😂
What brand & model phone is that? I need to buy one. Chuck
Hi, nice review, but do you have any first hand confirmation the Air3 sensor is a 'stacked' type? From all the official specification sheets this is not mentioned and it is listed as identical to the Mini3 one...
Yup, check out my written review on it here, where I include the exact specifications/slides on the stacked sensors that the DJI engineering team sent over: www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/07/dji-air-3-in-depth-review-with-sports-tracking.html
@@Dcrainmaker thanks! Great and informative writing, you should always link the articles in the video description.
But, can you drop ied's with it?
Can air 3 shoot 9 shot wide panorama looking - 90 downwards or it restricted. Air 2s can do that easily.
Nice but not for me, I have adequate coverage with my other drones that cover all and anything I could need at this stage.
🇺🇸 📡 💪
According to the manual, the 3x lens does NOT support automatic panoramas. So, there is no 1:1 functionality between both Cameras.
That’s fair, panos are forced back to the main lens. I think I have that in my written review, but didn’t make the title in the video. Would be nice to seem them support it on tele lens.
Where was the biking with mountain in the background? Dolomites?
Close, backside of Mont Blanc on the Italian side.
Will the RC-N2 support a Tripletek 8 inch tablet without an adapter? Thanks
Don't think so.