Drones are becoming boring

DJI Air 3 comes with two lenses, has a flight time of 46 minutes and looks familiar.

The drone world’s worst-kept secret has been revealed. It’s called the Air 3 and yes, all the rumors were true. DJI’s new drone, starting at $1,099, features two cameras, 46-minute battery life, improved connectivity with Occusync 4, updated controllers, and an all-new design similar to the recently launched Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Pro. I have a question for you here. Are any of these changes very exciting? same here.

Before you offend me with this hot comment, let me be clear: the Air 3 is a great drone. This is a capable flying camera with some improvements over its predecessor, but with a smaller image sensor. Did DJI sacrifice image quality for versatility?

That was my first worry here, and it may be the same for you. But don’t worry. Image quality is still excellent. Both lenses can capture beautiful aerial images. A larger f/1.7 aperture lens allows the main sensor to perform better in low light. This is similar to the Mini 3 Pro’s camera with the same 1/1.3 inch sensor and the same maximum aperture as his.

The second 3x telephoto lens has a small aperture of f/2.8 and is the same telephoto lens found on the recently launched Mavic 3 Pro. And at this point, I think it’s becoming clearer why this drone is a little underwhelming. This is a combination of old ideas that we have already seen. But don’t get me wrong. I’d rather pay $1,099 than pay $2,199 for the Mavic 3 Pro. I was less than impressed with his third lens on the Mavic 3 Pro, his 7x telephoto zoom.

However, I have two minor complaints about the Air 3’s telephoto camera. it’s not practical. Let me explain.

First, the footage may look a little flat. There is some separation between foreground and background, but not much. Don’t expect spectacular bokeh here. But just compressing the image is worth it, and the parallax effect is great. His usual 24mm drone footage has become more repetitive, so I’m happy to see more variations these days.

Second, being desperate to get the best image quality possible from any camera, I aim to shoot at the lowest possible ISO while maintaining a decent shutter speed (twice the frame rate). This means that if you switch from an f/1.7 main lens to an f/2.8 telephoto lens, you’ll probably need to increase the ISO, resulting in more noise in your clip.

It’s a minor complaint, but one that detracts from the shooting experience. What I’m hoping for is an aftermarket ND filter of hers that will compensate for that aperture difference and seamlessly switch between the two lenses. Even better, it’s something we’ve all wanted for a long time: a built-in ND filter.or flat Would a variable aperture be better? It’s time, DJI.

The Air 3 can shoot in 4K 60 and compared to the Air 2S, this drone doesn’t crop the footage. It takes full advantage of both sensors. In fact, almost every feature (including Active Track, Night mode, 4K 60, and 4K 100fps) works with both lenses, except for vertical mode (which is to be expected). And no, this drone can’t flip the camera 90 degrees to shoot true his 4K vertically. Instead of simply cropping horizontal footage, you’ll be able to shoot an open gate. It’s a compromise for sure, but I wish I had flipped the camera.

As for photos, this drone takes 12MP photos and looks great. You will be satisfied with what you get here. DJI RAW files leave a lot of information that can be manipulated during the editing process. DJI also lists a 48MP photo mode, but I couldn’t find it in its usual place in the menu. Perhaps it will come later in a firmware update. I have contacted DJI regarding this matter.

And if you’re familiar with DJI’s existing lineup, there isn’t much to discuss other than these two lenses. I have a new controller and it is just as good as the previous one. DJI’s OcuSync connection system has been upgraded and we haven’t had any major connection issues in years. The Air 3 has a rated range of 20 km (12 miles), but in practice (and legally) you can’t take advantage of that. Battery life is now about the same across the lineup, more or less around 45 minutes. I didn’t find any major issues here like I had with the battery during my review of the Mini 3 Pro.

DJI has also replaced the D-Log color profile with a less flat version called D-Log M. It’s easier to color grade and doesn’t have to shoot as high ISO as D-Log, but it also has a significantly lower dynamic range. I wish DJI offered both options. Through a recent software update, DJI has quietly replaced the D-Log with the D-Log M in the Air 2S drone as well. A DJI representative said on the company’s forums that this was just a “naming convention issue,” but it still pissed off many pilots.

Night Mode, which was introduced to the Mavic 3 at the end of 2022, has also made its way to the new Air 3. You can increase the ISO from the usual 6400 limit in normal shooting mode to 12800. Apart from the shooting settings, it seems that noise reduction in the camera is also applied to the video.

One piece of hardware you’ll immediately notice is the audible noise of drones. With a rated output of 81 dB, it’s still loud, but the larger propeller size produces a lower frequency bass that’s not as harsh as it used to be.

That’s the Air3. It’s still a very capable drone and does a lot of things right, just a little less exciting. Between $1,099 (with the new controller) or $1,349 (Fly More Combo), it fits nicely between the Mini and the Mavic 3. But it’s up to you to decide whether you want a sub-250g drone with decent vertical shooting capabilities like the Mini, better image quality with the Mavic 3’s larger sensor, or the Air 3’s versatility.

At its core, Air 3 is just a re-use of old ideas already seen in other DJI products. There’s not a lot of new stuff here that makes it incredibly exciting to go out and fly. I want to see something new next year. Can you build in an ND filter? Will a 360-degree camera be here? Or will we start with a single rear camera? What about the adjustable aperture that is gradually being introduced with the Mavic 3 series?

Photo: Vjeran Pavic/The Verge

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