DJI has countless drones of all kinds, the least known are the professionals aimed at companies, and then there are the consumer ones. In the latter we can find three variants, the Air, the Mavic, the Mavic Mini and the FPV, each one of them is adapted to a type of use.
the star is the Mavic 3, which we have already tested intensively, a drone for photography professionals, robust and that in any circumstance will obtain good images. Of course, due to its 900 grams of weight and its volume, it is not a small and portable device. The double camera that DJI has installed is one of the best we are going to see in a drone, a Hasselblad camera with 4/3 CMOS and 20 megapixels, 5.1K video and a second camera as a telephoto lens with a 28x hybrid zoom.
Stabilization in three axes makes the images are perfectly aligned with the horizon regardless of the drone’s tilt. But that’s not all, its construction allows it to reach great altitudes and distance, in addition to withstanding almost hurricane winds, we say this from experience.
But if we are talking about consumption, for a casual user, that is, the one who thinks, “I’m taking the drone just in case” and not, “I’m going to take the drone to take pictures”, the Mini 3 Pro is perfect thanks to its 249 grams of weight, small size and its level of automation; a great drone for any use.
Many have criticized the Mini 3 Pro for not bringing much improvement over the Mini 2. It is true that in image we will not notice much difference, nor in autonomy and the weight is the same. But the design has changed radically, it shows that DJI has redesigned the Mini from scratch. Even the propeller mounts can be unfolded interchangeably in no predetermined order, not like on the Mini 2.
Without much improvement in the camera and little autonomy
Although its extremely light construction, to avoid AESA regulation and do not need a license, it could seem a bit flimsy, it is only in appearance. In these weeks that we have used it, we have crashed it a few times and it has withstood the falls perfectly. Of course, the weight works against him with the wind and it has nothing to do with the 3, the strong gusts will probably drag him.
Image captured with the drone
The 2,453 mAh battery is supposed to give 34 minutes of autonomy, but then in practice slightly exceeds 20 minutesAs with other drones, the wind, in addition to the safety margin, greatly reduces autonomy.
The sensor is a 1/1.3-inch CMOS that provides 12.1 or 48-megapixel images and 4K 60fps video. Somewhat better than the Mini 2, but not a substantial jump. The DJI Mini 3 Pro has a professional mode and RAW format, but the best are the automatic shots such as Quickshots or Mastershots, which by focusing on an object will make a series of videos, with very good results. Both the video and the images have pleasantly surprised us, although we expected a little more from the HDR in photography and backlit video.
Technology to follow you
One of the newest aspects that DJI has included that we have enjoyed the most with respect to the Mini 2, is the ‘tracking’, ‘follow me’ or tracking technology, where the DJI Mini 3 Pro does a good job, but what remains away from the Mavic 3.
Many of the complaints of the Mini 1 and 2 were the lack of the drone tracking option, that is, selecting an object would be able to follow it while recording video. The Mini 3 Pro is capable of doing so thanks to the anti-collision system made up of two front cameras and two lower ones, so it only covers when going forward.
This APAS 4.0 system will stop avoiding collisions in manual mode, but it will also stop in automatic and tracking modes. Plus, he dodges obstacles, and he does it surprisingly well. If the Mini encounters branches, trees, or other items on the road, it will circle around them, as long as the target doesn’t disappear for too long, and the light is adequate. In places of low light, or with the sun in front, the tracking system is not as effective. During the tests we followed people on bikes or boats, and the result was good, even at medium / high speed, with curves and in the forest, the Mini 3 Pro did not detach from the target.
That’s the control
The DJI Mini 3 Pro comes in two options, one that includes the DJI RC Smart Controller, with a 5.5-inch screen, 700 nits of brightness and 390 grams for 999 euros, and another with the RC-N1 that already included the Mini 2 for 829 euros. The DJI RC is a fairly bulky controller but it saves you from having to connect your phone, and that means you can be using the drone much faster.
The range is several kilometers, but in practice, in addition to the fact that it is illegal to lose sight of the drone, it translates to a few hundred meters. The DJI RC Smart Controller, a novelty in the Mini series, has left us with a bittersweet feeling, it is a convenient control, but at the same time complicated to handle. We miss things like the key lock or a tutorial to pass the images from the drone to the controller.
If you are an active person, having a drone in a tiny format with 249 grams of weight and intelligent tracking, can make those shots riding a bike, sailing, hiking or skiing something unique, almost professional. A new point of view different from the classic GoPro, with excellent image quality, stability and extreme ease of use.