The very first DJI Mavic Pro was announced in September 2016 and launched in the latter half of 2016. The compact size and foldable design made me amused. I had Mavic Pro for two years. Mavic Pro for 2 years and was satisfied with its capabilities. I also was awarded the architectural photography competition in Hungary by capturing an image with the drone.
In the time that Mavic 2 Pro was released Mavic 2 Pro was released it was such an impressive upgrade that I could not resist. I immediately purchased it! The addition of more sensors, a longer flight time and one” CMOS sensor was the perfect fit to my bag of gear. I flew with it for more than 100 hours, and produced some of my top aerial photographs. I never heard any complaints from my customers. If the light is strong, you can make stunning images and video footage using this device, which is what a lot of you are doing.
Mavic 3, specs, and initial impressions
There are three major improvements that got me thinking about DJI’s latest drone for photography : Mavic 3. Mavic 3:
1. larger sensor
2. 2. Secondary lens, telephoto
3. bigger battery, with longer flight time
1. A bigger sensor will provide greater ISO capabilities. If you use Mavic 2 Pro for photography, Mavic 2 Pro for photos I’d recommend using ISO100 most of the time. I would use ISO400 only during the late blue hour.
Thanks to the Mavic 3, I am capable of boosting up to ISO800 with extremely usable results.
There’s a downside that I observed during my initial shoot at twilight with Mavic 3 Mavic 3: the larger sensor can produce blurry images faster when exposed for longer durations. Mavic 2 Pro Mavic 2 Pro had no problems with exposures of 2 seconds however Mavic 3 Mavic 3 has to stay at a minimum of one second to capture sharp images. But, I felt at ease with Mavic 3. Mavic 3 about 10-15 minutes later into my evening time than using Mavic 2 Pro. Mavic 2 Pro.
2. The telephoto lens I used on the first two flights to be unusable. It simply wasn’t sharp enough. Following DJI’s software upgrade in the beginning of in the calendar year (FIRMWARE v01.00.0500) The Mavic 3’s telephoto lens got dramatically sharper. This lens was among the primary reasons I was so excited about the brand new drone. The perspective that the 162mm lens can provide from the air is something we would have had only with larger and larger and more expensive equipment prior to. I absolutely love the photos when I see them on a tiny screen. And in my opinion , if you add a couple of images to your collection of a structure. If you examine each image on a large screen , they appear like smartphone images. Why? The DJI Mavic 3 only shoots images created using the telephoto lens JPEG. This is something I’d like to see DJI will modify in the near future.
3. It’s battery replacement is massive! I’d definitely buy it to supplement mine Mavic 2 for the battery by itself. The duration of flight has increased, however, it offers much more flexibility in the air than you thought initially. Imagine you require three minutes to reach the correct position to capture the first shots and then return the drone to the final. Mavic 2 Mavic 2 can spend about 20 minutes in the air. I generally fly with batteries lasting around 18 minutes. So, calculate by that. From that you subtract six minutes of positioning time and return time, we have 12 minutes for the actual task. When using the Mavic 3, I’ve spent between 27-30 minutes flying without the battery (it can hold more however I’ve never used the Mavic 2’s battery empty, which expand after 70-80 times which is why I’m trying to avoid this when I get the latest drone). That means that even though we have only 1.5 times the flight time, we have nearly two times more time to do creative tasks that is noticeable. When it comes to leisure usage, I particularly like taking top-down panoramic photos (Mavic 2 images below) In this case, it usually takes about five minutes for me to be in a location, and I usually do that considerably before I take the drone back home. The actual time of shooting to around 8-10 minutes. In this 30 minute flight time you get 20 minutes of time for creativity which I haven’t had the chance to test yet however I’m looking forward to the experience.
Apart from the battery upgrade we now have more sensors along with the sensor on the sides. They are operational in the normal flight mode, and not just when in tripod mode, as they did on Mavic 2. Mavic 2. The drone is more steady in the air. It is more able to handle wind and is able to ascend quicker.
Mavic 3 video
Our team has been making numerous short films in recent times and videos on the Mavic 3 are just as important to me as its photography capabilities. I believe that Mavic 2 Pro was a great camera. Mavic 2 Pro made amazing quality videos, with the exception of the late blue hour footage that is available in the majority of cases. However, with Mavic 3, this is not a problem anymore. It can be used for as long as it’s absolutely necessary. If it’s dark, then we won’t even create video.
One of the biggest changes to the video specs is framerates. While I could fly at a slower speed prior to it, I was too fast for an even outcome. Now , I can shoot at 50fps and post, we can reduce it by 50% and still get the 25fps we require. This isn’t a game changer however it is a helpful tool to use. You can also capture slow-motion videos however I believe it’s not necessary for us.
The only issue I could find to be it was the Mavic 3 only has digital zoom. Mavic 2 Pro has a digital zoom. Mavic 2 Pro had an option known as “HQ” that allowed us to record 4K video by simply scanning the sensor’s center 1:1. This resulted in the equivalent focal length of 38-40mm that we were able to use often. By using this method we could get even better and higher quality images over the wide-angle images. The Mavic 3, if we require a more narrow viewing angle we have only digital zoom until we change cameras. Telephoto lenses are equivalent to a 7x zoom, and lets us use the parallel effect with great success. But, the video from this camera is only utilized in 4k at 30fps and an auto mode that is fully automated, which limits its use However, the angle of view is so distinctive that this compromise is worth it in the right lighting and for the correct “task”.
Conclusion
Through this test, I’m not looking to persuade anyone else to rush out and purchase a brand Mavic 3. Mavic 3. The goal was to provide a piece of information that can assist you in deciding whether you really need the drone or not. There are a lot of unique advantages that we can enjoy with this latest drone, however there are some issues. I’m hoping it is possible that Mavic 3’s problems will be fixed with software updates later on like they have so to date.
As the Mavic 2 Pro had been up in the air for more than 120 hours, I decided it was finally time to replace it. For me I felt that choosing the DJI Mavic 3 was a simple purchase. After I been able to add it into my kit it’s now the Mavic 2 Pro has retired from my cabinet. However it is essential to consider your personal preferences. If you own an Mavic 2 Pro or the new DJI Air 2S and you make use of it to obtain general views then you don’t need to upgrade. However, for me Mavic 3 was worth the price! Mavic 3 was worth the cost!
