DJI Mavic 3 evaluation – Drone Rush

Launched in November, 2021, the DJI Mavic 3 is the type of drone that evokes our work right here at Drone Rush. This DSLR-caliber flying digital camera shoots the very best aerial imagery ever from the Mavic line. That’s a twin digital camera setup that captures as much as 5.1K video, and pushes issues to the restrict with a hybrid 28x zoom.

Some could argue that the Mavic 3 is simply an iterative replace over previous Mavic drones. As true as that’s, the variety of options which have been up to date take issues to new ranges in virtually each method.

Word: We flew the DJI Mavic 3 Cine for our evaluation. This top-tier unit consists of an inner SSD and the brand new DJI RC Professional distant management.

DJI Mavic 3 overview

Selecting up the place the Mavic line left off, the Mavic 3 continues to be a compact, folding quadcopter. Although, this is likely one of the largest within the Mavic collection, significantly when unfolded, because the stance of the drone has modified. The Mavic 3 stands a lot taller, and the entrance propellers now not spin over prime of the drone, as an alternative the arms are longer, and decrease, retaining the highest of the drone utterly away from shifting elements.

The oblong form with digital camera hanging from the nostril stays the identical as earlier Mavic drones, as does the best way the propeller arms fold in.

New bug-eye sensors on the rear sit at 45 diploma angles. Matched with angled sensors on the entrance, the Mavic 3 has all route impediment avoidance. APAS 5.0 places these sensors to work, now in a position to establish objects as much as 200 meters away, to maintain your drone protected and to autonomously plan routes when utilizing the brand new ActiveTrack 5.0 options.

Merely put, DJI as soon as once more took all the things they’ve discovered with earlier Mavic drones to construct the very best Mavic drone thus far!

Updates to the airframe and software program are one factor, the digital camera is one other. The bump as much as a Micro 4 Thirds digital camera immediately makes the Mavic 3 similar to DSLR cameras, the place all earlier Mavic drones had been finest in comparison with smartphones.

The spotlight of the present is the brand new flight time file for Mavic drones. The Mavic 3 is ready to keep airborne for as much as 46 minutes. Outfitted with O3+, (DJI has shortened the title from OcuSync 3 Plus,) the Mavic 3 can also be in a position to stand up to 15km (over 9.3 miles) away from the distant. Whereas most of us aren’t in a position to fly past visible line of sight, that at the very least means one of many strongest connections between drone and distant we’ve seen but.

Whereas airborne, the Mavic 3 is rated for as much as 30 km of floor cowl per cost, which it does at as much as 42.5 mph. Nonetheless, you’ll be cruising at round 33 mph in case your objective is to shoot silky easy video.

We will attest that the drone is rated to handle winds over 25 mph, however doing so did cut back our flight time to about 37 minutes. On a peaceful day, that max 46 minutes of flight time is extra like 42 minutes when you think about typical setup and a security buffer when touchdown.

We had been very impressed with the impediment avoidance sensors. The Mavic 3 affords a well-known auto-halt vary of about 6 toes from objects, and managed to establish a slim, naked tree department that I didn’t see in my yard.

We had a number of video-lag points within the first couple of minutes of our first flight, however haven’t been in a position to replicate any hiccups since then. The 1080p dwell view video appears to be like nice on the built-in show of the RC Professional distant, controls are responsive, and piloting the craft stays as straightforward as ever with acquainted controls and some customized buttons you may program for various actions. We didn’t check the RC-N1 distant with the Mavic 3, but it surely’s the identical distant as utilized by the Air 2S, so we’re assured that it’ll present a stable connection and video efficiency nearly as good as your hooked up smartphone can handle.

DJI MasterShots weren’t out there on our check unit. DJI guarantees so as to add these in a future software program replace. MasterShots consists of issues like panoramic photographs, follow-me modes and extra self-piloted options.

We’re very impressed with the specs of the Mavic 3. There could also be a handful of drones on the market that rank higher on paper, however none which are this compact, and few with this low of a price ticket. Make no mistake, the Mavic 3, significantly the Mavic 3 Cine, is priced in pro-drone territory, out of attain to many shoppers, however, with the spectacular capabilities of the DJI Air 2S, the buyer market is in good fingers already.

The digital camera of the DJI Mavic 3 is your complete level of this drone for a lot of pilots. The primary digital camera is the Hasselblad L2D-20C, which is a Micro 4 Thirds sensor that shoots 20MP nonetheless pictures and as much as 5.1K video at 50fps. When you bump all the way down to 4K video, you may shoot at 120fps. That digital camera shoots at an efficient FOV of 84 levels, with an 24mm equal focal size, and an aperture vary of f/2.8 – f/11. Movies are captured at as much as 200Mbps!

The secondary sensor is a 1/2-inch shooter that takes 12MP stills and shoots video at as much as 4K at 30fps. The worth on this second digital camera is the zoom, with as much as 28x hybrid zoom. A FOV of simply 15 levels at a 162mm focal size lets you see far into the gap.

There are two variations of the DJI Mavic 3, the usual mannequin and the Cine mannequin. The 2 foremost variations are in storage and video codecs.

• The DJI Mavic 3 Customary comes geared up with 8GB of inner storage.
• The DJI Mavic 3 Cine comes with a 1TB inner SSD, and the flexibility to file within the Apple ProRes 422 HQ format.

With or with out the superior recording format, the Mavic 3 shoots incredible imagery from the sky. DJI has achieved properly to stabilize the digital camera, and their partnership with Hasselblad is yielding some spectacular cameras.

The brand new RC Professional distant management is a nice replace from the everyday remotes that include Mavic drones, and even a pleasant improve from the DJI Good Controller. Specifically, a microSD slot and HDMI port are welcome additions.

RC Professional is a chargeable controller with a 5,000 mAh battery and built-in show. In essence, this can be a small Android pill with a number of DJI goodies included, but it surely runs the DJI Fly app identical to your telephone.

There are not any surprises right here, you get your left and proper detachable joysticks, separate emergency cease and House buttons, navigation buttons for the Android OS, top-mounted dial to regulate the gimbal, two customized buttons on the again facet, and a customized d-pad on the entrance for customized controls. The USB Kind-C port is sandwiched between the microSD slot and HDMI port on the underside.

That is robust. When it comes to measurement and portability, the Mavic 3 competes with all the bigger Mavic drones prior, in addition to machines just like the Autel Robotics Evo collection. When it comes to digital camera capabilities, the Mavic 3 competes towards high-end machines such because the Yuneec Hurricane H3 and DJI Encourage 2. Certainly, the Encourage 2 can also be geared up with a Micro 4 Thirds digital camera, however Encourage advantages from interchangeable lenses, which the Mavic 3 doesn’t.

Lastly, when it comes to value, the Mavic 3 customary competes with top-end Phantom drones, top-end Evo drones, and is in Hurricane H3 territory. The Mavic 3 Cine is one other story, that SSD and the RC Professional distant add up, firmly inserting the Mavic 3 Cine in the identical price-bracket because the Encourage 2, Matrice drones, the lower-end FreeFly Alta drones and extra.

Backside line, contemplating your complete bundle, there is no such thing as a direct competitor to the Mavic 3 presently. Drones with competing cameras are far bigger machines, and equally moveable machines can’t compete with the brand new digital camera.

Allow us to first say that we expect the DJI Mavic 3 is the very best drone in the marketplace as we speak, significantly for the discerning aerial photographer that values portability of their plane. We expect it is going to be some time earlier than an inexpensive competitor comes alongside. As incredible as we expect this drone is, there’s a hefty price ticket to think about. The DJI Mavic 3 begins at $2,199, and it’s potential to get that value up over $5,000.

If the value doesn’t scare you off, the query turns into one among worth for the greenback. My solely hesitation is the fastened lens. The Mavic 3 prices the identical as my DSLR, which can also be a Micro 4 Thirds digital camera, however the capability to swap lenses is what makes my DSLR able to maintaining with my wants. DJI included a full secondary digital camera on the Mavic 3 so as to overcome among the shortcomings of a single fastened lens, however that second digital camera seems to be the identical as on the Mavic Air 2, which is sweet, however not the highly effective Hasselblad shooter we’re paying for right here.

After the digital camera consideration, there is no such thing as a doubt that the Mavic 3 is the smallest and maybe probably the most succesful drone of any machine with a digital camera of this caliber. Ease of use comes into play as properly, as a machine just like the Encourage 2 is finest when operated by two individuals, one pilot and one digital camera operator. The Mavic 3 is as straightforward to handle as each Mavic drone earlier than it, permitting one individual to seize enjoyable movies from the sky.

As an general bundle, the Mavic 3 is a superb flight system, significantly the Cine model with that in-built 1TB of storage. Ease of use is the secret, in order for you a incredible digital camera drone that “simply works,” The Mavic 3 may be your finest wager.

DJI Mavic 3 customary for $2,199

• Airframe
• One battery
• RC-N1 controller (no show)
• Spare joysticks
• 3 pairs of spare propellers
• USB Kind-C, Lighting, and Micro USB cables
• 65 watt charger
• Storage cowl

DJI Mavic 3 Fly Extra combo for $2,999

• Airframe
• Three batteries
• RC-N1 controller (no show)
• Spare joysticks
• 6 pairs of spare propellers
• USB Kind-C, Lighting, and Micro USB cables
• 65 watt charger
• 3-port battery charging hub
• ND filters (4/8/16/32)
• Storage cowl
• Convertible carrying bag

DJI Mavic 3 Cine for $4,999

• Airframe
• 1TB inner SSD
• Three batteries
• DJI RC Professional controller (with show)
• Spare joysticks
• 6 pairs of spare propellers
• USB Kind-C, Lighting, and Micro USB cables
• 65 watt charger
• 3-port battery charging hub
• ND filters (4/8/16/32/64/128/256/512)
• Storage cowl
• Convertible carrying bag

(9.9)

• 46 – Minutes
• 5.1K – 20MP
• 42.5 – MPH

November 4, 2021

Launch Date