The DJI Air collection of drones has all the time been small however mighty — and the most recent addition to the DJI Air Household is by far essentially the most highly effective but. DJI at the moment launched the Air 3 drone, which primarily stands out for its twin main cameras. Scroll on for my DJI Air 3 assessment, a comparability of this drone versus different prime contenders, and the official Drone Lady tackle whether or not the brand new DJI Air 3 drone is value it.
Watch me unbox the DJI Air 3 right here:
The DJI Air 3 drone, in a nutshell
The 2 cameras on the brand new DJI Air 3 drone are a wide-angle digicam and a 3x medium tele digicam, each of that are able to delivering 48MP photographs and 4K/60fps HDR movies. And it’s not simply the digicam {that a} huge deal, however the construct of the drone itself, able to providing vital enhancements to flight, equivalent to:
- As much as 46 minutes flight time
- Omnidirectional impediment sensing
- O4 HD Video Transmission System
The DJI Air 3 extends a historical past of DJI Air merchandise that began with the unique Mavic Air (which launched in 2018), and since concerned to supply the improved Air 2 and later the spectacular DJI Air 2S. The Air lineup gives a type of center value level for digicam drones, offering the best-of-both-worlds when it comes to value versus high quality.
And now, the DJI Air 3 marks the primary drone in DJI’s Air collection to supply skilled options like twin main cameras and omnidirectional impediment sensing, whereas on the identical time retaining its light-weight capabilities with a weight of simply 720g for extra freedom and adaptability.
Given its value level (it begins at simply $1,099), the DJI Air 3 is an accessible possibility for a critical photographer who doesn’t need all of the bells and whistles of one thing just like the DJI Mavic 3 Professional (and its excessive value level at $2,200) however needs a higher-end, extra sturdy and extra highly effective decide than one thing on DJI’s more-affordable finish (just like the $759 Mini 3 Professional).
With all that (and extra), it’s unsurprising that the brand new DJI Air 3 has steadily climbed into the highest spot of finest drones for photographers of 2023 looking for a high-quality digicam. So with that, this DJI Air 3 assessment gives a deeper dive into all of the options, advantages and tradeoffs:
DJI Air 3 assessment: the twin main cameras
(I’ll add photographs shot in digicam shortly! Please bear with me as I simply received my arms on this drone, however wished to get a assessment up as quickly as attainable!)
DJI doesn’t wish to accept one when it may provide two. Following the lead of a lot higher-end drones just like the DJI Mavic 3, the DJI Air 3 takes on a dual-primary digicam system, which means one drone has two cameras built-in with it. This makes the DJI Air 3 the primary of the Air collection to supply such a characteristic.
The specs on these two cameras are:
- A 1/1.3-inch CMOS wide-angle digicam
- 24mm format equal
- F1.7 aperture
- A 1/1.3-inch CMOS 3x medium tele digicam (can obtain 3x optical zoom)
- 70mm format equal
- F2.8 aperture
Each cameras provide the identical specs when it comes to:
- 2.4μm pixel measurement
- 48MP photographs
- 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensors
- Put up-cropping help for straightforward secondary composition.
- Help for twin native ISO for direct output of 4K/60fps HDR video at excessive body charges and as much as 4K/100fps max
- Help for 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit HLG coloration modes
The 2 cameras have the identical sensor measurement (throughout two totally different sensors) however totally different focal lengths, which isn’t solely environment friendly when it comes to measurement and price financial savings, however is also considered as a plus for photographers because it gives a constant picture high quality throughout each cameras.
Why are two cameras necessary? The straightforward reply is that you just don’t have to decide on between the aesthetic you need for that shot. That medium tele digicam can put a single topic, like an individual, ito the middle of the body, creating a robust sense of spatial compression. With a wide-angle digicam, you may higher seize the entire panorama.
Sometimes somebody wanting each a large shot AND a tele shot would wish to land their drone and manually change the lenses. Having two lenses can be costlier.
The digicam, apart from the plain two sensors, can be an enormous standout over its predecessor, the DJI Air 2S, for a couple of different causes. They provide video specification now even with out FOV cropping in comparison with its predecessor, the DJI Air 2S. Additionally, the DJI Air 3 is the primary drone of the Air Sequence to help 2.7K vertical video taking pictures (9:16), which suggests the pictures you movie can simply and be instantly shared throughout horizontal codecs as is the case on most social media websites like Instagram Reels and TikTok.
DJI additionally individually sells a set of ND8/16/32/64 filters, which is especially helpful in producing smoother footage at slower shutter speeds.
Good taking pictures modes
Like most DJI drones, this one comes with what DJI calls “Clever Options.” These are computerized movie modes the place the drone both flies a preset route or follows a delegated object by its route, whereas additionally executing sure video kinds mechanically, like time lapse model movies. Among the many standout video modes are:
- FocusTrack (Tracks the topic within the heart of the body)
- MasterShots (Robotically carry out various digicam actions, shoots a number of clips, edits the clips, and provides music)
- Evening mode
- Hyperlapse (Movies 4K horizontal or 2.7K vertical timelapse footage)
- Gradual Movement (Choose 4K/100fps or 1080p/100fps to instantly report a 4x slow-motion video)
And that’s simply among the flight modes. There are various extra with albeit goofy names like Rocket, Droie, Helix and Boomerang that execute numerous flights mechanically for extra exact footage, too.
DJI Air 3 assessment: the drone itself
The 2 cameras are highly effective, however the drone itself is a powerhouse.
Battery life
DJI Air 3 stands out particularly because it gives as much as 46 minutes flight time. That’s 48% greater than the DJI Air 2.
Together with improved battery life comes a brand new and improved charging hub with a extremely good characteristic: an influence accumulation operate. You possibly can press and maintain a button on the charging hub, which then transfers the remaining energy from a number of batteries to at least one single battery with the best remaining energy. That’s handy when you have three batteries on you every with, say, 15% battery life left. If you happen to had been unable to truly cost your battery into an influence outlet (maybe you had been out within the area) however you had the hub with you, you possibly can then theoretically switch three batteries value of 15% juice to a single battery with sufficient energy to take one other flight.
DJI additionally individually sells a DJI 100W USB-C Energy Adapter which may cost the battery and distant controller concurrently, or cell gadgets by the USB-C ports. There’s additionally a DJI 65W Automobile Charger which makes use of a common port to cost not solely the battery and distant controller, however your different gadgets like your smartphone and laptop computer.
Omnidirectional Impediment Sensing
The DJI Air 3 is the primary drone within the Air Sequence to incorporate omnidirectional impediment sensing. Its most up-to-date predecessor, the Air 2S, gives four-way directional impediment sensors. However, this drone gives even higher consciousness — in all instructions past simply 4.
That’s because of a pair of fisheye lenses mounted to the entrance and the again of the drone which detect obstacles in all instructions. These provide up that commonplace ahead, backward, left, proper and upward sensing. In the meantime, the underside is supplied with binocular lenses and a 3D TOF, that are what contribute to the total, omnidirectional impediment sensing.
However it’s not sufficient to only see the objects. It has to then keep away from objects in its method. The DJI Air 3 achieves this through APAS 5.0, which is expertise to actively keep away from and easily bypass obstacles by mechanically arising with a brand new, higher route.
According to that can be Superior RTH (return to house), which mechanically sends the drone house (all of the whereas avoiding obstacles) whenever you interact it or if it in any other case detects an issue.
O4 Video Transmission
New to the DJI Air line can be O4 Video Transmission, the next-generation O4 video transmission system that gives a transmission distance of as much as 20 km.
Different upgrades with this model embody extra transmission stability to keep away from stuttered dwell view for safer flight. It helps as much as 1080p/60fps dwell feeds.
DJI Air 3 controller
Once you buy the Air 3, you may have a pair choices of which controller you get, both the cheaper DJI RC-N2 or the pricier DJI RC 2.
The package with the DJI RC-N2 is least expensive, getting you the drone and controller for $1,099. If you would like the DJI RC 2 (the higher-end controller), you’ll pay $1,549 for that underneath the even-upgraded Fly Extra Combo. You possibly can choose to additionally buy the DJI RC 2 individually for $369, which you may do if you happen to begin with the lower-end controller and resolve to improve sooner or later.
How does the DJI Air 3 evaluate to different drones?
Every of DJI’s drone households — the Mini, the Mavic and now the Air — are on their third technology. Inside these generations are subtypes of drones, of kinds (just like the Mini 3 Professional versus the Mini 3).
For this comparability, I’ve pitted one consultant from every third-generation DJI household in opposition to one another (choosing the particular subtype based mostly on which had the closet value level to the DJI Air 3. So with that, right here’s a rundown of how the most recent of those new DJI drones evaluate to one another:
| DJI Mavic 3 Traditional | DJI Air 3 | DJI Mini 3 Professional | |
| Beginning Value | $1,599 | $1,099 | $759 |
| Takeoff Weight | 895 grams | 720 grams | <249 grams |
| Onboard digicam(s) | Hasselblad digicam | Large-angle digicam Medium tele digicam |
DJI digicam |
| Max Picture Decision | 20 MP | 48 MP | 48 MP |
| Video Decision | 5.1K: 5120×2700 @ 24/25/30/48/50 fps 4K: 3840×2160 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps |
4K/60fps HDR movies | 4K/30 fps HDR movies |
| Sensor | 4/3″ CMOS | 1/1.3″ CMOS (wide-angle) 1/1.3″ CMOS (medium tele) |
1/1.3″ CMOS |
| Aperture | f/2.8 to f/11 | f/1.7 (wide-angle) f/2.8 (medium tele) |
f/1.7 |
| Impediment Avoidance Tech | APAS 5.0 | APAS 5.0 | APAS 4.0 |
| Impediment sensors | Omnidirectional binocular imaginative and prescient system, supplemented with an infrared sensor on the backside of the plane | Omnidirectional binocular imaginative and prescient system, supplemented with an infrared sensor on the backside of the plane | Ahead, backward & downward impediment sensing |
| Max Flight Time | 46 minutes | 46 minutes | 34 minutes (with Clever Flight Battery), 47 minutes (with Clever Flight Battery Plus) |
| Transmission System | O3+ | O4 | O3+ |
Is the DJI Air 3 value it?
Given its small measurement, lengthy flight time, spectacular options and decrease value than one thing like a Mavic 3 or Encourage, this drone is right for somebody on the lookout for one thing higher and extra sturdy than the Mini line, however who nonetheless needs one thing simple to care that received’t break the financial institution.
Which involves the important thing determine in deciding whether or not the DJI Air 3 is value shopping for, and that’s the value tag itself. The DJI Air 3 is offered in three configurations based mostly on the controller you go for, a nicely as whether or not you go for the Fly Extra Combo (which throws in all kinds of additional equipment). The DJI Air 3 configurations and their costs are:
DJI additionally sells some equipment individually. They embody:
- DJI RC 2: $369
- DJI Air 3 Battery Charging Hub: $69
- DJI Air 3 Clever Flight Battery: $159
- DJI Air 3 Low-Noise Propellers (Pair): $12
- DJI Air 3 Gimbal Protector: $12
- DJI 65W Automobile charger: $59
- DJI 65W charger: $59
- DJI 100W charger: $90
Who’s the Air 3 finest for?
The DJI Air 3 drone is right for somebody who is consistently on-the-go, pursuing outside adventures or taking part in sports activities. It’s additionally a pleasant candy spot drone for skilled photographers who may not essentially want the highest-end cameras, and particularly those that worth versatility. That features people like marriage ceremony photographers, who have to shortly alternate between large pictures and zoom pictures — and who can particularly profit from zoom cameras (equivalent to with the ability to movie a bride and groom on the alter with out getting the drone too near disrupt the ceremony).
The Air 3 can be simply that good joyful medium between the Mini 3 Professional and the Mavic 3. It’s cheaper than the Mavic 3, maybe unsurprising given the picture high quality extra carefully aligns with the even-cheaper Mini 3 Professional.
However it’s total a much more highly effective drone than the Mini 3 Professional, given a battery life that matches the Mavic 3, plus smarter tech inside like that omnidirectional binocular imaginative and prescient system. And naturally, there are these two cameras, which unlock way more filming choices. This drone is moveable however versatile, and nonetheless fairly highly effective.
As soon as once more, DJI has delivered.
What’s your Air 3 assessment? What options do you suppose are lacking or might be higher? What options are you most enthusiastic about? And is it well worth the value? Depart a remark beneath!
