DJI Mavic 3 Professional evaluate: Triple lens triumph

The DJI Mavic 3 was already one of many most impressive drones that we have ever examined, so after we bought phrase of a Professional variant, we have been fairly excited.

Now, we’ve got it in our fingers, and the largest change is obvious to see – the digital camera module has expanded in dimension and now options three sizable lenses providing a wide range of focal lengths.

DJI has gone with the smartphone method, multiplying the cameras with a purpose to permit for versatile pictures that swimsuit a variety of situations.

We’ve been flying with it over the past couple of weeks, and right here’s what we realized.

Selecting your choices

• With DJI RC – $2199 / €2099 / £1879
• Fly Extra Combo with DJI RC – $2999 / €2799 / £2549
• Fly Extra Combo with DJI RC Professional – $3889 / €3499 / £3169
• Cine Premium Combo – $4799/ €4599 / £4109

As with the original Mavic 3, and most of DJI’s different choices, there are a number of the way to buy the Mavic 3 Professional. The important thing distinction, this time round, is that the usual distant has been upgraded to the DJI RC, reasonably than the RC-N1 distant that got here as commonplace on the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Traditional.

If you happen to’re not acquainted, the DJI RC was launched alongside the Mini 3 Pro final 12 months. As a substitute of relying in your smartphone, the DJI RC primarily has an Android handset constructed proper into the distant. It is rather more handy to arrange, plus, your cellphone is not tied up during your flight – which is at all times good.

If you happen to favor, you may go for a Fly Extra bundle with DJI’s flagship RC Professional controller as a substitute, and that is the model that we’ve got in for testing. The RC Professional provides quite a few programmable buttons, in addition to a brighter show, 32GB of inside storage, a mini-HDMI output and exterior antennas. It will value you a fairly penny, although.

Elsewhere, the Fly Extra Combo nets you a carry bag, which is far lighter and extra compact than the one included with the Mavic 3, and much more handy to take with you. Nonetheless, it does not really feel fairly as premium because the older mannequin.

The bag appears the half, although, and contains a new magnetic latching mechanism that reminds us of the Peak Design Everyday Backpack. It is purposeful and really satisfying to make use of.

The batteries are the identical because the Mavic 3, to allow them to be used interchangeably, which we at all times wish to see. And the included 3-bay charger is similar, too.

Design and options

• Takeoff Weight: 958g
• Dimensions folded: 231.1 × 98 × 95.4mm
• Dimensions unfolded: 347.5 × 290.8 × 107.7mm
• Storage: 8GB inside + microSD card slot

The Mavic 3 Professional is actually the identical dimension because the Mavic 3, aside from the digital camera unit, which is considerably bigger. Elsewhere the design stays largely similar, so far as we will inform.

The brand new digital camera unit pushes the load over the all-important 900-gram mark, and relying on the rules the place you reside, that might pose a difficulty with the legality of flying it. If you wish to be taught extra about drone rules, we’ve got an in-depth information to the UK and US necessities here.

One other change is discovered with the muzzle that reigns within the propellers and gimbal for protected transport. This was launched with the unique Mavic 3, however because the form and dimension of the digital camera unit are so totally different, a brand new model was developed for the Mavic 3 Professional.

The brand new model works in a lot the identical means, and it is nonetheless simply as efficient at preserving every thing collectively and guarded, however it feels rather more cheaply made than the previous one. This is not going to be a dealbreaker for anybody, we’re certain, however it’s nonetheless a disgrace to see the fabric high quality take successful on this accent.

The flying expertise

• Max pace: 21 m/s in Sport mode
• Max flight time: 43 minutes
• O3+ video transmission

Our check flights have been performed in a wide range of situations, principally delicate temperatures round 15 levels Celsius, and wind speeds starting from 5 to 25mph. These wind speeds are completely nothing to the Mavic 3 Professional, and it remained rocksteady at a hover and nimble in flight.

The specs counsel that this drone ought to fly with just about the identical traits because the Mavic 3, and that has been our expertise to date. The one distinction, so far as we will inform, is that the estimated most flight time has been lowered from 46 minutes to 43 minutes. That is doubtless because of the further weight.

In actuality, your flight time will differ relying on how you’re flying, and the way a lot wind you’re battling. We have been at all times north of half-hour within the air, although, and we’ve not often wanted longer.

One distinction that was instantly obvious was the standard of the video downlink to the RC Professional controller. We personal the DJI Mini 3 Professional and DJI RC controller, so we’re already used to an excellent video hyperlink, however this actually steps issues up a notch.

The spec sheet tells us that the Mavic 3 Professional transmits to the RC Professional at as much as 15 MB/s, in comparison with simply 5.5 MB/s on the DJI RC and RC-N1. This large distinction within the bitrate might be the largest promoting level for the RC Professional controller. There’s additionally 10ms much less latency, however we might be shocked if anybody might inform the distinction in the actual world.

As with the usual Mavic 3, the drone’s monitoring skills are extremely spectacular. We put it by way of a little bit of a torture check, asking it to observe us biking by way of a woodland path and it outperformed our expectations.

There was a variety of foliage to dodge, and since there was an honest breeze, the branches have been transferring about too. The Mavic 3 Professional was unfazed, it weaved elegantly between the branches, at all times preserving us within the shot.

One factor to notice is that ActiveTrack solely works utilizing the principle digital camera, you may nonetheless observe a topic with the opposite cameras, however the drone will not autonomously observe them

Cameras and picture high quality

• 24mm equal f/2.8-f/11 with 4/3 sensor
• 70mm equal f/2.8 with 1/1.3-inch sensor
• 166mm equal f/3.4 with 1/2-inch sensor
• As much as 20MP stills
• As much as 5.1k 50fps movies

The cameras are the place the actual distinction is made with this mannequin. The excellent foremost digital camera with its whopping 4/3 sensor and variable aperture stays unchanged from the usual Mavic 3, however the telephoto digital camera will get a lift, and an middleman 70mm equal is added.

The 70mm digital camera boasts a sensor dimension simply shy of 1 inch, or roughly equal to the iPhone 14 Pro‘s foremost shooter, in addition to a large f2.8 aperture to help with low-light capturing.

The telephoto lens nonetheless has a smaller 1/2-inch sensor, however its attain has been elevated barely, from 163mm to 166mm, and its aperture has been opened as much as f/3.4, from f/4.4 on the earlier mannequin. It is nonetheless the weakest of the bunch, however it’s an enchancment.

The capturing codecs and picture resolutions stay unchanged from the Mavic 3, the important thing distinction is that you simply now have extra choices to your focal size, which may unlock some very fascinating and artistic pictures.

The photograph and video high quality from the principle digital camera is indistinguishable from the usual Mavic 3, it is the auxiliary lenses that get our consideration this time round. The brand new 3x 70mm equal digital camera is our favorite – it is a very helpful focal size, and the picture high quality is fairly nice. After all, it does not fairly match the supreme high quality of the principle sensor, however it’s adequate for many productions and offers a drastically totally different look to the usual wide-angle drone shot.

The 7x telephoto is enjoyable to play with, even when it does verge on feeling barely creepy with the ability to punch in to date. It actually has its makes use of, however we discovered that the constancy nonetheless is not fairly as much as the usual set by the opposite two cameras. For severe work, we might keep on with the principle and the 70mm.

One factor that we discovered barely irritating is the truth that every digital camera helps totally different resolutions, body charges and film profiles – which implies that may be exhausting to make use of them interchangeably. The 7x telephoto is probably the most restricted, with no log profiles out there, whereas the principle digital camera can shoot in DLog and the 3x can shoot in DLog-M.

In consequence, you may’t swap cameras on the fly – it’s important to select your focal size earlier than hitting file, and cease and begin the recording to modify cameras. It is not the top of the world, you may get the most effective outcomes by planning your pictures rigorously anyway, however it’s rather less handy than we might like.

Verdict

We expect the Mavic 3 Professional is the most effective shopper drone that cash can purchase, identical to the Mavic 3 that got here earlier than it. It does not make the usual Mavic 3 out of date, by any means, they’re primarily the identical drone, in any case. However, for those who like the thought of a further focal size, the Mavic 3 Professional justifies its value nicely.

We’re actually happy to see the DJI RC controller turn into the usual possibility, too. It’s miles superior to the phone-clamp type distant that was commonplace with the usual Mavic 3 and it provides to the worth of the brand new packages.

To us, the fancier DJI RC Professional distant is not price the additional outlay, however we will think about situations the place it could be. Some skilled shoots will want issues like an HDMI output, and in these situations, the distant turns into a necessity. For most individuals, although, it does not do sufficient to justify spending round $900 further on it.

As we stated in our Mavic 3 evaluate, that is extra of a prosumer drone, and we might steer informal customers in the direction of one thing just like the Mini 3 Professional or Air 2S – that are each extra reasonably priced and fewer intimidating.

However, for those who’re extra severe about your aerial pictures, it is a drone that may take your work to new heights. It is pretty much as good because it will get with out leaping as much as one thing like an Encourage – and that prices over seven instances as a lot – which makes the Mavic 3 Professional appear to be a discount, comparatively.