The DJI Air sequence of drones has all the time been small however mighty — and the most recent addition to the DJI Air Household is by far probably 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 price 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, corresponding 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 affords a kind of center worth level for digicam drones, offering the best-of-both-worlds when it comes to price versus high quality.

And now, the DJI Air 3 marks the primary drone in DJI’s Air sequence 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 worth level (it begins at simply $1,099), the DJI Air 3 is an accessible choice 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 worth level at $2,200) however needs a higher-end, extra sturdy and extra highly effective choose 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 in search of a high-quality digicam. So with that, this DJI Air 3 assessment affords 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 bought my arms on this drone, however needed to get a assessment up as quickly as doable!)

DJI doesn’t need to accept one when it will probably supply 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 sequence to supply such a function.

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 supply the identical specs when it comes to:

• 2.4μm pixel dimension
• 48MP photographs
• 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensors
• Put up-cropping assist 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 dimension (throughout two completely different sensors) however completely different focal lengths, which isn’t solely environment friendly when it comes to dimension and price financial savings, however is also seen as a plus for photographers because it affords a constant picture high quality throughout each cameras.

Why are two cameras necessary? The simple reply is that you simply 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 powerful sense of spatial compression. With a wide-angle digicam, you possibly can 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 also be dearer.

The digicam, apart from the plain two sensors, can also 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 assist 2.7K vertical video capturing (9:16), which implies 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.

Sensible capturing modes

Like most DJI drones, this one comes with what DJI calls “Clever Options.” These are automated movie modes the place the drone both flies a preset route or follows a delegated object by means of its route, whereas additionally executing sure video kinds robotically, like time lapse fashion movies. Among the many standout video modes are:

• FocusTrack (Tracks the topic within the middle of the body)
• MasterShots (Routinely carry out numerous digicam actions, shoots a number of clips, edits the clips, and provides music)
• Night time mode
• Hyperlapse (Movies 4K horizontal or 2.7K vertical timelapse footage)
• Sluggish Movement (Choose 4K/100fps or 1080p/100fps to instantly document a 4x slow-motion video)

And that’s simply a few of the flight modes. There are lots of extra with albeit goofy names like Rocket, Droie, Helix and Boomerang that execute varied flights robotically 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 affords 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 sensible function: an influence accumulation operate. You may 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 very best remaining energy. That’s handy when you have three batteries on you every with, say, 15% battery life left. In case you 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 would then theoretically switch three batteries price 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 might cost the battery and distant controller concurrently, or cellular units by means of the USB-C ports. There’s additionally a DJI 65W Automotive Charger which makes use of a common port to cost not solely the battery and distant controller, however your different units 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, affords four-way directional impediment sensors. However, this drone affords even better consciousness — in all instructions past simply 4.

That’s due to a pair of fisheye lenses mounted to the entrance and the again of the drone which detect obstacles in all instructions. These supply up that commonplace ahead, backward, left, proper and upward sensing. In the meantime, the underside is provided with binocular lenses and a 3D TOF, that are what contribute to the complete, omnidirectional impediment sensing.

But it surely’s not sufficient to only see the objects. It has to then keep away from objects in its means. The DJI Air 3 achieves this through APAS 5.0, which is know-how to actively keep away from and easily bypass obstacles by robotically arising with a brand new, higher route.

According to that can also be Superior RTH (return to dwelling), which robotically sends the drone dwelling (all of the whereas avoiding obstacles) once you have interaction it or if it in any other case detects an issue.

O4 Video Transmission

New to the DJI Air line can also be O4 Video Transmission, the next-generation O4 video transmission system that provides a transmission distance of as much as 20 km.

Different upgrades with this model embrace extra transmission stability to keep away from stuttered reside view for safer flight. It helps as much as 1080p/60fps reside feeds.

DJI Air 3 controller

While you buy the Air 3, you’ve got 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 most cost-effective, getting you the drone and controller for $1,099. If you need the DJI RC 2 (the higher-end controller), you’ll pay $1,549 for that below the even-upgraded Fly Extra Combo. You may decide to additionally buy the DJI RC 2 individually for $369, which you would possibly do in the event you begin with the lower-end controller and determine to improve sooner or later.

How does the DJI Air 3 examine 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 towards one another (choosing the precise subtype based mostly on which had the closet worth level to the DJI Air 3. So with that, right here’s a rundown of how the most recent of those new DJI drones examine to one another:

Is the DJI Air 3 price it?

Given its small dimension, lengthy flight time, spectacular options and decrease price than one thing like a Mavic 3 or Encourage, this drone is right for somebody in search of 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 price shopping for, and that’s the value tag itself. The DJI Air 3 is bought in three configurations based mostly on the controller you go for, a properly 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 embrace:

Who’s the Air 3 finest for?

The DJI Air 3 drone is right for somebody who is continually on-the-go, pursuing outside adventures or taking part in sports activities. It’s additionally a pleasant candy spot drone for skilled photographers who won’t essentially want the highest-end cameras, and particularly those that worth versatility. That features people like wedding ceremony photographers, who have to shortly alternate between large pictures and zoom pictures — and who can particularly profit from zoom cameras (corresponding 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 also be simply that excellent completely happy 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 intently 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 much more filming choices. This drone is transportable 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 assume are lacking or could possibly be higher? What options are you most enthusiastic about? And is it definitely worth the worth? Go away a remark under!

Associated