I keep in mind ready with bated breath for the discharge of the DJI Air 3. When it got here out, it shortly grew to become one in every of my favorites, sufficient in order that I virtually stopped utilizing my trusty Mavic 3 Traditional for it.
Nicely, no less than for a short time.
Maybe you’ve been in the identical boat, and if not with these two drones, then two others, the place the attract of the shiny and new brought about you to rethink the present drone you’re utilizing.
I’ve had sufficient time with the Air 3 now to offer it a good shake towards the Mavic 3 Traditional. After evaluating my flight hours with each drones, I’m able to declare a winner.
This text will clarify the variations between these two DJI drones and reveal my insights, having flown these drones for a whole lot of hours altogether. You’ll see why I’ve arrived at my decide – the Air 3 – with loads of useful data to encourage your individual alternative.
You need a dependable drone that may transition seamlessly between your industrial and leisure ventures, a companionable piece of tech designed to facilitate ease of use and produce wow-worthy footage.
I’ve obtained the information you want so you may store with confidence, so be part of me as I reveal which drone comes out on prime.
Transient overview
DJI Mavic 3 Traditional
The Mavic 3 Traditional is one other in a protracted line of esteemed Mavic 3 drones. It comes on the heels of the unique Mavic 3, which was launched in late 2021.
The Traditional debuted a few yr later, in November 2022.
The Traditional model may not have the three-camera system of the Mavic 3 Professional, nevertheless it boasts a Hasselblad digicam and plenty of different distinctive options that make it value specializing in in its personal respect.
There’s a cause why DJI declared this drone one in every of its flagship fashions and that it obtained a European C1 certification, the primary drone to take action.
What on the planet is a European C1 certification, you ask? It means it’s categorised as an A1 Open drone underneath European Union Aviation Security Company or EASA guidelines. It may fly extra freely with much less threat.
Apart from these accolades, the Mavic 3 Traditional has many others value discussing, together with:
- An distinctive Hasselblad digicam with a 4/3 CMOS sensor able to taking pictures in 5.1K HD video high quality and 20 MP single-shot picture decision.
- A flight time that can make you do a double-take, because it’s marketed to fly for 46 minutes.
- High-notch picture expertise, together with Imaginative and prescient Detection Auto Focus Know-how, an adjustable aperture, Hasselblad Pure Color Answer, 10-bit D-Log, and night time pictures.
- DJI’s main APAS 5.0 impediment detection for safer flights, even for newcomers. It’s bolstered by multi-directional visible help.
- Superior computerized options, akin to cruise management, RTH, and Waypoint flights for hands-off flying.
» MORE: DJI Mavic 3 Traditional vs. Air 2S (Right here’s My Alternative)
DJI Air 3
The most recent within the line of the Air drones, the Air 3 is the brand new child on the block, launched fewer than six months in the past as of the time of this publication.
It’s no marvel DJI’s tagline for this drone is “double up.” The Air 3 is sort of a cross between the Mavic 3 Traditional and Professional, delivering one of the best qualities of each in a single distinctive drone.
Moderately than three cameras, the Air 3 has solely two. Though you may really feel prefer it’s not the only option to cut back the variety of cameras, you haven’t even heard about how they work but.
This twin main digicam system has one 1/1.3-inch CMOS medium tele digicam and one other 1/1.3-inch CMOS wide-angle digicam.
The previous can zoom 3x, and each cameras ship various focal lengths to enhance the dynamism and high quality of your photos.
Better of all, this drone stays light-weight regardless of the additional digicam!
Let’s overview a few of its different pertinent features:
- 12 to 48 MP picture decision for each cameras, relying in your settings, and 4K video capabilities at 60 frames per second, proving how devoted DJI is to remaining the chief in drone tech.
- A flight time that’s simply so long as the Mavic 3 Traditional, an superior 46 minutes. That may make it simple to get extra duties finished.
- APAS 5.0 omnidirectional impediment sensing for newcomers to launch safer flights and intermediates to fly with fewer worries.
- Clever Flight Modes to take your drone expertise to the highest, together with superior RTH, FocusTrack for monitoring topics, automated modes with QuickShots and MasterShots, and a pair of.7 Vertical Taking pictures with both digicam you want.
- Compatibility with DJI RC Movement 2, DJI Goggles 2, and DJI Goggles Integra to take pleasure in an FPV-like expertise while not having an FPV drone.
» MORE: Does DJI Air 3 Have Return to Residence (Defined)
Fast verdict
I obtained my palms on the Mavic 3 Traditional shortly after launch and used it continuously.
Then, when the Air 3 got here out, my curiosity obtained the higher of me, and I needed to have it. I’ve used these drones extensively, studying all their options in and out and testing them in numerous circumstances.
That’s our promise to you at Droneblog, to solely recommend a drone based mostly on expertise. You want a reliable alternative for work and play, and we try to supply that for you.
Based mostly on my in depth flight time, the DJI Air 3 is the superior drone. Because the Mavic 3 Traditional and Air 3 are related in lots of areas, together with flight time, impediment detection, superior imagery capabilities, and Clever Flight Modes, it needed to come all the way down to a nostril. The Air 3’s medium tele and wide-angle cameras put it a lower above the Mavic 3 Traditional’s single-camera system.
That’s not to remove from the superb accomplishments of the Traditional. This drone is outstanding in some ways, nevertheless it doesn’t fairly compete on the identical stage because the Air 3.
Nonetheless, it’s a sensible choice as a go-between for the Air 3’s dual-primary digicam system and the Mavic 3 Professional’s triple-camera system.
» MORE: DJI Air 3 vs. Mini 3 Professional (Right here’s My Alternative)
What are the primary variations?
Whereas the Mavic 3 Traditional and Air 3 are spitting photos of each other in some ways, they’re not equivalent drones by any means.
This part may appear to be it’s splitting hairs in its specificity, however that’s solely as a result of these drones share a lot in frequent.
Let’s take a look at these particulars.
- Variety of cameras: The Mavic 3 Traditional cuts it all the way down to just one digicam, a Hasselblad. It’s a improbable digicam all throughout the board, nevertheless it’s the one one the Traditional has obtained. By comparability, the Air 3 has two cameras: a 3x medium tele digicam that zooms and a wide-angle digicam. This expands your pictures and videography recreation in comparison with utilizing the Mavic 3 Traditional.
- Weight: Each DJI drones require you to register them if utilizing them both commercially or recreationally as a result of they’re effectively over the 250-gram threshold. The Mavic 3 Traditional weighs 895 grams at takeoff, and the Air 3 is 720 grams.
- Picture high quality: The 2 cameras constructed into the Air 3 produce picture high quality at 12 to 48 MP. The 12 MP decision is for simulated lengthy publicity photographs, so most footage will come out within the wonderful 48 MP. As for the Mavic 3 Traditional, it shoots in 20 MP max.
- Video high quality: There’s a small distinction within the video decision between the 2 DJI drones. The Air 3 has a satisfactory 4K video high quality, whereas it’s 5.1K HD for the Mavic 3 Traditional.
- Sensor measurement: The sensors are in another way sized between these two drones. The Hasselblad digicam within the Mavic 3 Traditional has a 4/3 sensor versus the 1 1/3-inch sensors for each cameras within the Air 3. Why does realizing the sensor measurement matter? The bigger the sensor, the extra gentle that will get in. That improves the drone’s nighttime and low-light pictures capabilities.
- Zoom: One of many two cameras included with the Air 3 can zoom, however the Mavic 3 Traditional’s digicam? No such luck. You may have focal size choices, together with VDAF, however that’s not fairly the identical.
» MORE: DJI Air 3 vs. Mavic 3 (Right here’s my Alternative)
DJI Mavic 3 Traditional
The Mavic 3 Traditional, launched after the OG Mavic 3 however earlier than the Mavic 3 Professional, additional legitimized the legacy of the Mavic line.
Its Hasselblad digicam with the 4/3 CMOS sensor remains to be magical to this present day, as its 5.1K HD video is among the many greatest DJI has achieved with its client drones.
The Traditional additionally dazzled with its flight time, which is effectively over what you’ll anticipate for a drone of its measurement and stature.
DJI outdid itself with the Mavic 3 line, and the 46-minute flight time is one shoppers need whether or not utilizing a drone commercially or recreationally.
In spite of everything, who needs to curtail their drone adventures due to a dying battery? Definitely not I, and I’m certain not you, both.
It’s particularly necessary to have a drone with a great battery life in the event you’re utilizing yours professionally, as you want extra time to get duties finished.
Let’s return to the digicam, because it’s the crowning achievement of the Mavic 3 Traditional if I do say so myself.
I do know its 20 MP picture high quality isn’t the best anymore, nevertheless it’s definitely satisfactory. It’s not even beginner-level picture high quality. It’s adequate for skilled initiatives like information and actual property pictures.
Apart from, you’ll uncover there’s a lot extra to this Hasselblad digicam than its picture decision. The 12-bit RAW photos you’re taking can be filled with depth, coloration, richness, and element.
I like working with RAW recordsdata, as do quite a lot of photographers.
In fact, RAW recordsdata can take up quite a lot of area, and this drone solely has 8 gigabytes of cupboard space, so take into account shopping for an SD or microSD card to make your life simpler.
» MORE: DJI Mavic 3 Traditional vs. Mini 3 Professional (Right here’s My Alternative)
The 24-millimeter equal focal size and Imaginative and prescient Detection Auto Focus Know-how allow you to residence in on a topic.
It’s a great factor, too, contemplating this digicam has no zoom functionality. I do know I discussed that within the part prior, nevertheless it’s value reiterating.
What the Mavic 3 Traditional does have is HNCS by way of its L2D-20c lens to calibrate pixels and convey out essentially the most stunning coloration palette you maybe have ever achieved from a drone digicam.
It’s so necessary to have a leg up within the aggressive drone market, and HNCS might be yours.
That’s not even all. The Traditional’s digicam has supersampling for crisper movies, pictures coloration gradations by way of the 10-bit D-Log, an distinctive dynamic vary, and a nighttime mode.
As you most likely might have guessed, I might go on all day in regards to the distinctive pictures and videography options this drone is able to.
Whenever you discover their full depths, it doesn’t make you thoughts almost as a lot that the Mavic 3 Traditional solely has one digicam.
So let’s transfer on, as you may already see how the Hasselblad digicam will put you in a extra advantageous place as a drone photographer and videographer, whether or not you’re knowledgeable or a rising social media star.
Its omnidirectional obstacle-sensing system can be A+.
Geared up with DJI’s newest Superior Pilot Help System (APAS 5.0), this drone has a Horizontal Omnidirectional Imaginative and prescient System, a Downward Imaginative and prescient System, an Upward Imaginative and prescient System, and four-way multi-directional visible help.
Moreover, it boasts stabler hovering, superior RTH, Cruise Management, Waypoints, Panorama, Hyperlapse, QuickShots with 4 auto modes (Circle, Dronie, Helix, and Rocket), ActiveTrack 5.0, and MasterShots.
These Clever Flight Options put the management in your palms.
You’ll be able to take the sorts of movies that rack up tens of millions of views on YouTube, even in the event you’ve by no means flown a DJI drone a day in your life!
DJI Air 3
I do know I heaped reward on the Mavic 3 Traditional, so it’s solely truthful to offer the Air 3 the identical type of consideration.
This drone was eagerly anticipated by pilots akin to me and seemingly everybody else. Individuals had been predicting its launch date, after which bam, it hit.
Most of the options of the Mavic 3 Traditional are replicated within the Air 3, which matches to point out how high-quality the Traditional is.
It flies for a similar period of time, it has an equally high quality omnidirectional impediment sensing system with APAS 5.0, and it makes use of superior RTH.
However the Air 3 boasts but extra Clever Flight Modes, together with MasterShots with automated drone motion and the liberty to edit on the go along with the results and music.
It’s such as you’re an all-in-one social media-producing machine.
Talking of social media, the Vertical Taking pictures possibility allows you to produce footage prepared for Fb, TikTok, and Instagram in 2.7K high quality.
Though this high quality isn’t the max that the Air 3 can obtain, and though it’s low for a drone launch in 2023, it nonetheless helps you produce content material that might go viral.
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You don’t should be a drone knowledgeable to make use of QuickShots, an automatic mode that performs dependable flight actions whereas capturing video.
Level of Curiosity 2.0 and ActiveTrack 5.0 are superior options for monitoring the topics you care most about, whether or not automobiles or individuals.
Your social media followers will marvel once you grew to become so proficient at drone flight! These options are additionally nice for information footage you may promote and make some money.
Let’s discuss that digicam system, lets?
The Air 3’s twin digicam system features a medium tele zooming digicam with an aperture of f/2.8, a format equal of 70 millimeters, and a 2.4 um pixel measurement.
Its wide-angle digicam has an f/1.7 aperture, a format equal of 24 millimeters, and a 2.4 um pixel measurement.
These cameras are the last word for sweeping panorama photographs or a packed enviornment for a information occasion you’re overlaying. The optical zoom and spatial compression lend you a superb perspective and improve your total high quality.
Head-to-head comparability
Digital camera system
Winner: DJI Air 3
Contemplating what number of unimaginable image-enhancing options each drones have, the winner right here in the end got here all the way down to which had the superior digicam. That’s the Air 3.
Its twin digicam system has a wider body of view and unimaginable zoom capability. I like the Hasselblad digicam included with the Mavic 3 Traditional. I might virtually wax poetic about it.
As unimaginable as it’s – and it’s, very – it’s solely a single digicam. It doesn’t zoom, and it doesn’t have the wide-angle functionality of the Air 3’s digicam.
In any other case, that little Hasselblad digicam can accomplish that many unimaginable feats that it’s nonetheless a sensible choice in the event you don’t have a necessity for wide-angle pictures and zooming.
Nonetheless, I’m of the mindset that it’s all the time higher to have than haven’t.
When you’re new to drone work, you by no means know the place and the way you’ll should diversify your profession and the way these options will come in useful.
That’s true, even in the event you’re flying a drone for enjoyable or keen to get monetized on YouTube. Extra options are virtually all the time higher!
» MORE: Digital camera Know-how in Drones (Defined)
Efficiency
Winner: Tie
These drones carry out about the identical. They weigh inside 100 grams of each other, and – wouldn’t it – they’ve the identical diploma of wind resistance.
Each drones can deal with no less than 25 miles per hour of wind once I examined them, which isn’t too shabby!
They’ve top-notch impediment avoidance due to the newest version of DJI’s APAS, so that you gained’t have to fret about your drone smashing into something and the whole lot round it.
Actually, these two fashions are evenly matched on the subject of efficiency. That’s normally a deciding issue for me once I purchase a drone.
However fear not.
There are many different components to come back that can affect your alternative.
» MORE: The right way to Fly DJI Air 3 Drone (With DJI RC 2)
Portability
Winner: DJI Air 3
As an illustration, there’s portability.
Now, neither of those drones is precisely what I’d name ultra-portable. They’re fairly heavy, however not a lot that you simply’re going to really feel dragged down.
Not less than they fold so you may extra simply stow your DJI drone in your bag.
Though possibly touring with them isn’t as handy as bringing a Mini drone, it’s nonetheless not that a lot of a problem with both, and value your whereas.
The unparalleled pictures and videography capabilities of those two drones are constructed for adventuring.
When you don’t journey with one in every of these drones, you’ll want you had, particularly the Air 3.
You’ll be able to reward your self for climbing a summit by capturing breathtaking footage from the highest, and the zoom perform means you may safely take movies and images with out having to get near your topic.
That’s tremendous necessary if you wish to take viral social media footage of a deadly cliffside!
» MORE: Do I Need to Register My DJI Air 3 (All You Have to Know)
RC compatibility and long-range flights
Winner: DJI Air 3
The Mavic 3 Traditional makes use of the DJI RC-N1, which is suitable with the OG Mavic 3, the Mini 2, the Air 2, and the Air 2S.
It’s a easy controller with a box-like form and no display. You should have no alternative however to make use of your smartphone because the display when working this DJI distant.
Unsurprisingly, the Air 3 has the higher controller because of its newer age: the DJI RC 2. You’ll be able to go away your telephone in your bag or your again pocket, as you gained’t want it with this distant.
It has an FHD show with O4 video transmission and an upgraded processor.
The display is massive too, 5.5 inches!
You’ll recall that the Air 3 can be suitable with FPV controllers. When you’ve ever needed the FPV expertise with out all of the simulator coaching and studying that flying FPV requires, right here is your probability.
The Mavic 3 Traditional makes use of DJI’s O3+ transmission, which may ship movies dwell to your social media or work viewers in 1080p high quality at 60fps as much as 15 kilometers away.
It’s completely satisfactory by itself, however the Air 3 one-ups the Traditional with its O4 HD video transmission system.
Though the dwell video transmission high quality doesn’t change, the transmission distance does, because it’s now as much as 20 kilometers.
These further 5 kilometers may not be a lot of a dealbreaker, however the Air 3 has a greater transmission system throughout.
» MORE: How Drone Controllers Work (Defined for Novices)
Battery life
Winner: Tie
The Mavic 3 Traditional and Air 3 boast impressively nice battery lives of over 45 minutes, no less than in accordance with DJI’s promoting.
These drones each logged in over 40 minutes however underneath the proposed 47 minutes once I examined them.
Nonetheless, that’s nonetheless actually nice.
It’s longer than many drones can fly and may offer you ample time to finish your undertaking earlier than it’s important to recharge the battery.
Conclusion
The DJI Mavic 3 Traditional and Air 3 are two unimaginable drones in their very own proper, with many shared options between them.
Nonetheless, it’s the Air 3’s dual-camera system – one which has 3x zoom and one other that helps wide-angle pictures and videography – that makes it the winner.
I had have a blast flying the Air 3.
It felt acquainted proper out of the field because of the shared options it has with the Mavic 3 Traditional, but it carves out sufficient of its personal distinctive path that it makes me excited for what DJI will do subsequent!
