DJI Mavic 3 Review

DJI Mavic 3 Feature and Specs Review

DJI’s latest flagship drone, the DJI Mavic 3, as soon as once more units the Mavic line because the go-to videography drone for freshmen and knowledgeable cinematographers alike. A brand new physique design, digital camera, and battery system flip the Mavic 3 into the brand new top-end prosumer drone that proves it was definitely worth the three-year wait.

Introduction:

DJI’s latest revision of the Mavic line is nothing in need of spectacular. While the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine function a glossy improve to the physique with thinner arms and smoother strains, but it nonetheless retains that iconic Mavic look. DJI boasts the imaging system on the Mavic 3 as its pièce de resistance, stating “Imaging Above Everything” and the digital camera system onboard proves it. Featuring a large 20 MP Hasselblad 4/3rds CMOS picture sensor, extra generally seen in small DSLR and mirrorless cameras than on drones. This sensor captures colours and hues unparalleled in earlier revisions of the Mavic.

Not solely does it function this new bigger digital camera sensor, however the Mavic 3 additionally packs a telephoto digital camera on high of that foremost digital camera. Imaging high quality follows by as nicely, touting 5.1K video at 50 fps or 4K video at 120 fps. All whereas operating DJI’s new ActiveTrack 5.0 (when the software program replace hits in January 2022) for autonomous flight that follows you over, underneath, and thru obstacles. Combine these spectacular options with a brand new battery system that gives as much as 46 minutes of flight time, and you’ve got a professional-level cinematography setup proper out of the field.

Feature Overview of the DJI Mavic 3:

The DJI Mavic 3 ships with the next elements (for $2199 by way of DJI.com):

• 1 DJI Mavic 3
• 1 DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller
• 1 pair of spare DJI RC-N1 Control Sticks (Pair)
• 1 DJI RC-N1 RC Cable (USB Type-C Connector)
• 1 DJI RC-N1 RC Cable (Lightning Connector)
• 1 DJI RC-N1 RC Cable (Standard Micro-USB Connector)
• 1 DJI Mavic 3 Intelligent Flight Battery
• 3 DJI Mavic 3 Low-Noise Propellers (pair)
• 1 DJI 65W Portable Charger
• 1 DJI Mavic 3 Storage Cover
• 1 USB Type-C Cable

Camera System:

The DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine pack a powerful digital camera arrange for an all-in-one drone. As talked about above, the Mavic 3 comes with a dual-camera arrange with the Hasselblad L2D-20c 4/3rds CMOS digital camera as the primary and a 162mm equal ½-inch CMOS telephoto lens because the secondary digital camera. Available within the discover mode, the operator can use the tele digital camera to seek out and plan pictures like by no means earlier than. The Hasselblad digital camera has a 24mm equal wide-angle lens with an aperture starting from f/2.8-f/11.

While each fashions of the Mavic 3 supply a most of 5.1K @ 50fps video recording, solely the Mavic 3 Cine presents the Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding and a built-in 1TB SSD (vs 8 GB within the non-cine version) to retailer all that lovely footage. Meanwhile, the Tele digital camera has a set f/4.4 aperture with as much as 4K @ 30fps video and 4x digital zoom (28x hybrid zoom).

When discover mode is activated on the Mavic 3, the digital camera robotically switches between the Hasselblad and the Tele digital camera when zoom reaches 7x. The hybrid zoom seems to check the primary Hasselblad digital camera to the max zoom Tele digital camera, for a complete of 28x zoom. Photos on these cameras are available at 20MP for the Hasselblad and 12MP for the Tele digital camera, greater than sufficient decision for many customers.

Compared to the DJI Mavic Air 2S digital camera decision, 5.4K @ 30fps on a 1-inch sensor, you will note a big distinction in shade depth and video smoothness favoring the Mavic 3 in a side-by-side comparability. The Mavic 3 boasts a full 10-bit D-Log shade profile, that means over 1 billion distinctive shade variations could be captured, delivering extra pure colours. With such a spread in colours and particulars, post-processing footage from the Mavic 3 presents extra flexibility than ever earlier than.

The foremost Hasselblad digital camera specs are summarized right here beneath.

• Sensor: 4/3 CMOS
• Resolution: 20 MP, 5280×3956 max picture dimension
• Lens: 24 mm (equal), 84° FOV
• Aperture: f/2.8 to f/11
• Focal distance: 1 m to ∞
• ISO: 100 – 6400
• Shutter Speed: 8 – 1/8000 s
• Photo Modes: Single shot (20 MP), Auto Exposure Bracketing (20 MP, 3/5 bracketed at 0.7 EV), Timed (20 MP, 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s)
• Video Resolution: H.264/H.265
• 5.1K: 5120×/25/30/48/50fps
• DCI 4K: 4096×/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps
• 4K: 3840×/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps
• FHD: 1920×/25/30/48/50/60/120*/200*fps
• Video Resolution (Cine Edition solely): Apple ProRes 422 HQ
• 5.1K: 5120x/25/30/48/50fps
• DCI 4K: 4096×/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps
• 4K: 3840×/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps
• Video Bitrate (max): 200 Mbps (H.264/H.265)
• File Formats: JPEG (picture), DNG (RAW picture), MP4 (video), MOV (video)

The secondary Tele digital camera specs are summarized right here beneath.

• Sensor: ½-inch CMOS
• Resolution: 12 MP, 4000×3000 max picture dimension
• Lens: 162 mm (equal), 15° FOV
• Aperture: f/4.4
• Focal distance: 3 m to ∞
• ISO: 100 – 6400
• Shutter Speed: 2 – 1/8000 s
• Photo Modes: Single shot (12 MP)
• Video Resolution: H264/H.265
• 4K: 3840× fps
• FHD: 1920× fps
• Video Bitrate (max): Not acknowledged
• File Formats: JPEG (picture), MP4 (video), MOV (video)
• Digital Zoom: 4x
• Gimbal, ActiveTrack, and GNSS:

The digital camera system is mounted on a 3-axis motorized gimbal to make sure each shot is clean and regular. While the physique of the Mavic 3 is roofed with six fisheye and two wide-angle avoidance sensors, aka Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance, to guard the drone from unintentional collisions and help with autonomous flight. Like most any world navigational satellite tv for pc system as of late, the Mavic 3 accommodates a number of receivers for various satellite tv for pc positioning techniques. The GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou receivers make sure the drone’s positioning requiring techniques work successfully throughout the globe. Intriguingly, choosing the EU Galileo system over the Russian GLONASS system like within the Mavic Air 2S or the DJI FPV drones. Could this must do with altering EU drone regulations? EU drone classification legal guidelines haven’t but been finalized, so it’s onerous to say for sure.

Collectively with the GNSS sensors onboard and the ActiveTrack 5.0 software program (replace popping out in January of 2022), the Mavic 3 can use these sensors in flawless mixture to trace a topic with the primary Hasselblad digital camera. DJI’s promotional video encompasses a mountain biker ripping down a path by the woods because the Mavic 3 weaves by bushes to effortlessly observe alongside. Compared to earlier variations of the ActiveTrack software program, this appears to be a significant upgrade- we’ll see come January.

The Mavic 3 makes use of each GNSS and imaginative and prescient positioning to calculate hover peak. Using the imaginative and prescient system, the Mavic 3 has a vertical accuracy of ±0.1 m and a horizontal accuracy of ±0.3 m. While the GNSS is much less correct at ±0.5 m vertical accuracy and ±0.5 m horizontal accuracy, it’s nonetheless ok and the redundancy on this system will imply the Mavic 3 will all the time have a sturdy consciousness of the place it’s relative to the bottom and protecting stationary shot regular. DJI calls this Extreme-Precision on DJI.com and I’d must agree that it’s exceedingly exact for a client drone.

The gimbal is controllable within the pan (left and proper) and tilt (up and down) instructions from -5° to five° for the pan and -90° to 35° for the lean. However, the Mavic 3 can transfer the 3-axis gimbal a lot additional robotically to maintain a gentle shot. Able to pan from -27° to 27°, tilt from -135° to 100°, and roll from -45° to 45° all at a most pace of 100°/s. These numbers imply the gimbal can do its job in wind speeds of as much as 12 m/s or 43.2 km/h.

Obstacle Avoidance and Flight Speeds:

The sensing system consists of 5 completely different directional sensor pairs. The ahead directional sensors have a max efficient detection vary of 200 m and may precisely measure impediment distances to twenty m at speeds as much as 15 m/s or 54 km/h. The backward directional sensors present measurements to 16m at speeds as much as 50.4 km/h, the lateral directional sensors present measurements to 25 m at 54 km/h, and the upward directional sensors present measurements to 10 m at 21 km/h.

While the ahead, backward, lateral, and upward directional sensors use an omnidirectional binocular imaginative and prescient sensor, the downward sensor makes use of an infrared sensor to measure distances downward. This infrared sensor offers the Mavic 3 with higher suggestions than an imaging sensor for touchdown and has an efficient vary from 0.3-18 m at speeds of 21 km/s. Compare the sensor pace limitations to the charges every flight mode can max out at within the subsequent paragraph to see that C mode and N mode are inside or on the limitations of the sensors, whereas S mode is just too quick for the sensors to maintain up with. Use further warning when flying on the S mode speeds as your Mavic 3 is unable to make use of the impediment avoidance sensors.

In S mode, you may hit speeds of as much as 19 m/s (or 68.4 km/h) with ascent speeds of 8 m/s (28.8 km/h) and descent speeds of 6 m/s (21.6 km/h). While C mode is restricted to five m/s (18 km/h) with ascent/ descent speeds of 1 m/s (3.6 km/h) and N mode restricted to fifteen m/s (54 km/h) with ascent/ descent pace of 6 m/s (21.6 km/h). Compared to the S mode on the DJI FPV, it’s a bit slower, however understandably given the vastly completely different functions of these two drones.

Other limitations between flight modes are the lean angles of the Mavic 3, aka how far ahead the drone rotates to supply ahead thrust. In C mode, the lean angle is restricted to 25° whereas N mode strikes to 30° and S mode to 35°. What do these angles inform you? In mixture with gimbal tilt angle limits, you’ll lose as much as 35° of uptilt on the gimbal to counteract the flight tilt angle. Remember you solely have 35° of controllable uptilt on the gimbal, maxing out S mode speeds will maintain that digital camera pointed straight ahead. If your shot requires a extra upward angle, it’ll be greatest to go slower and pace up the shot in post-production than fly all out.

DJI Mavic 3 Video Transmission:

The video transmission system on the Mavic 3 makes use of DJI’s latest replace, O3+, which will get a 15 km vary with 1080p @ 60 fps in optimum, unobstructed situations. Compared to the O3, which will get a super vary of 12 km with 1080p @ 30 fps, it’s a good improve. Although most laws is not going to permit for flights previous line-of-sight, it does imply your sign shall be extra dependable for flights in suboptimal, obstructed, or interfered environments. Video transmission additionally varies by the controller used for each latency and video bitrate.

The customary RC-N1 distant controller will obtain video at 5.5 MB/s with a 130 ms delay, whereas the RC Pro distant controller will obtain the video feed at 15 MB/s with a 120 ms delay. New with the Mavic 3 is WiFi 6 and the power of the distant controller to robotically select WiFi 6 over the usual transmission protocol if transmission speeds shall be higher. So, in case you are inside vary of WiFi 6 streaming, your bitrate shall be a blazing quick 80 MB/s, with no modifications in latency. Both DJI distant controllers function video transmissions on the usual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, so watch out in dense residential areas as a normal residence router could cause a lack of video. Hopefully the power to change transmission protocols to-and-from WiFi 6 robotically will cut back this risk.

Battery:

A bigger 5000 mAh 4S LiPo battery offers loads of energy for the Mavic 3 and with new RTH (return to residence) performance making certain you by no means critically discharge your batteries. This new RTH performance takes wind pace into its calculation and improved the flight path calculations as nicely, all whereas nonetheless retaining the Auto-RTH features in earlier Mavic drones (like sign loss).

Size and Weight:

Coming in at 895 g (and 899 g for the Cine version), the Mavic 3 is barely lighter than the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. Still one of many heavier drones in DJI’s client lineup after the Phantom series drones. The Mavic 3 measures at a dimension of 347.5 x 283 x 107.7 mm and folded dimension of 221 x 96.3 x 90.3 mm, sans propellers. For a full-sized drone, it’s fairly transportable and measures solely 41 x -0.7 x 13.3 mm bigger than the Mavic Air 2S when folded. The new gimbal cowl appears ok to guard the Mavic 3 when in a backpack. Much just like the inclusion of a Galileo GNSS receiver, the burden was doubtless influenced by EU’s new drone rules, however it makes the Mavic 3 extra transportable than ever earlier than.

DJI Mavic 3 Pricing:

The Mavic 3 customary version is available in at $2199 with the usual gear, over twice the price of a Mavic Air 2S. If you go for the Fly More equipment, count on to pay $2999 to get 2 extra DJI Mavic 3 Intelligent Flight Batteries, 3 extra pairs of spare DJI Mavic 3 Low-Noise Propellers, 1 DJI Mavic 3 Battery Charging Hub, 1 DJI Convertible Carrying Bag, and 1 DJI Mavic 3 ND Filters Set (ND4/8/16/32). With the DJI Mavic 3 Intelligent Flight Batteries costing $209 every and the Convertible Carrying Bag at $319, the Fly More equipment is an efficient deal.

Once you soar to the Mavic 3 Cine version, the fee jumps up dramatically as nicely, coming in at 4959 €. Whether or not the worth distinction is definitely worth the improve is so that you can resolve, however you get an improve in options on the drone and in gear that comes included as nicely. Instead of the usual RC-N1 distant controller, the Cine version consists of the larger DJI RC Pro controller with a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080, 1000 nit, 10-point multi-touch display screen. A major improve from the RC-N1 controller and one that will value you 1029 € to do separately- if you happen to may even discover one in inventory.

You additionally get a ten Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable and one other set of darker DJI Mavic 3 ND Filters (ND64/128/256/512) to go together with the upgraded Mavic 3 Cine. The most substantial improve, nonetheless, is inner with that 1 TB SSD constructed into the Mavic 3 Cine. While a hack may come out finally on add the inner SSD your self, you’d doubtless threat your guarantee and threat breaking the Mavic 3 itself within the course of. Plus, solely the Cine version can shoot the Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoded video. If you’re shopping for the Mavic 3 to shoot cinema-quality movies, upgrading to the Cine version is one of the simplest ways to perform that.

With a big worth distinction between the Mavic Air 2S and the Mavic 3, there may be hypothesis about one other new Mavic drone coming to fill that hole. If your funds doesn’t permit for such a lavish improve, it is perhaps price ready just a few months to see if extra rumors come out. There is not any assure of this mid-level Mavic, it’s all conjecture, however DJI may have needed the Mavic 3 to face by itself as the very best transportable drone there may be and the worth to go up together with it. It is also a byproduct of the worldwide provide shortages that appear to plague each trade this 12 months. Without DJI confirming any of this, solely time will inform.

January 2022 Updates:

Intrudingly, 3 of the important thing software program upgrades usually are not out there on the Mavic 3, but. ActiveTrack 5.0, as talked about above, is launched in January; however WiFi 6 QuickTransfer and MasterShots are additionally delayed till then. WiFi 6 QuickTransfer is DJI’s protocol for transferring photographs and movies captured on the drone to your machine rapidly.

Available on the smaller Mavic drones at speeds of 20 MB/s, the Mavic 3 will doubtless be as much as 80 MB/s with WiFi 6- however it’s unspecified by DJI right now. MasterShots is an autonomous performance that creates professional-looking cinematography-type pictures on the click on of a button. Why these options obtained delayed from the preliminary launch of the DJI Mavic 3 is unknown and feels a bit disappointing. With the Mavic 3 being DJI’s flagship machine, I might count on the discharge of those options to be able to go for the launch. Is it going to delay me from buying a Mavic 3 or Mavic 3 Cine? No, doubtless not, however lacking these promoting factors could also be an indication that the Mavic 3 may need some performance bugs and may make some much less more likely to soar on the Mavic 3 till then.

Allegedly, the particular launch date for these updates is January 22, 2022.

DJI Mavic 3 Conclusion:

The DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine are certain sport changers to the world of transportable, skilled videography drones. Boasting an unbelievable dual-camera system with a 12 MP telephoto digital camera on high of the cinema-quality 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad digital camera on a drone weighing lower than 900 grams, the Mavic 3 will go wherever you do- after which some.

The upgraded battery system, with 46 minutes of flight time, ensures you may fly longer and get each shot in. The glossy new physique provides new, fashionable strains whereas protecting the enduring form true to its roots. Capable of autonomously recording movies at 5.1K or 120 fps gradual movement at 4K with DJI’s new ActiveTrack 5 and new Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance system. Upgrade to the Mavic 3 Cine for Apple ProRes 422 video encoding onto the inner 1 TB SSD and get the skilled DJI RC Pro distant controller in the identical field.

For newbie pilots and videographers, the Mavic 3 is probably going much more drone than you’ll want. The Mavic 3 appeared ideally suited for individuals who already use a drone for work; with the Cine version posed to be a step between the older Inspire line and the common Mavic 3.