DJI Mini 3 review

When DJI launched the Mini 2 again in 2020, it addressed a number of the criticisms levelled on the authentic Mini. Nevertheless it nonetheless lacked some options that might have been fascinating similar to ActiveTrack, which permits the drone to comply with a topic – an individual or automobile, for instance – whereas flying robotically.

Then, DJI launched the Mini 3 Professional which had all of the bells and whistles, however got here at a fairly steep price.

Now, although, the corporate has added a extra reasonably priced possibility: the Mini 3.

It’s related in some ways to the Mini 3 Professional, but in addition lacks a few of its greatest options. And that’s comprehensible: there must be a purpose to nonetheless purchase the Professional.

The query is, do you have to purchase a Mini 3 or not? And that’s a query you’ll be capable to reply by the point you’ve learn the remainder of this overview.

Options & design

• Weighs <249g
• As much as 38 minutes of flight time with ultra-light battery
• Suitable with RC-N1 and DJI-RC remotes

Facet by facet, it’s not straightforward to see the variations between the Mini 3, its predecessor (the Mini 2) and its massive brother, the Mini 3 Professional.

All have the identical type issue with fold-up arms, a three-axis gimbal that retains the digicam regular and a battery that slots into the rear.

All weight lower than the essential 250g threshold, which suggests they’re exempt from registration in some components of the world, and in these the place it does nonetheless must be registered, exempt from pilot exams.

You possibly can fly all three drones way more freely than heavier ones, nearer to individuals and buildings and over individuals.

It’s necessary to know and comply with the foundations in your space, although.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The Mini 3 makes use of the identical batteries because the Professional however can fly for longer: as much as 38 minutes when utilizing the usual battery. In some locations, together with Australia, you should buy a ‘Plus’ battery that extends flying time to 1 minutes, however it’s heavier and means the Mini 3 now not counts as a sub-249g drone.

Similar to the Professional, you possibly can fly it with the RC-N1 distant, which requires a smartphone, or the dearer DJI RC, which has a built-in display and doesn’t want a separate telephone.

DJI additionally sells the Mini 3 by itself, should you occur to have already got a suitable distant.

Lacking options

Importantly, the Mini 3 doesn’t have the impediment sensors of the Professional, which suggests it’s very like the Mini 2 and gained’t cease earlier than crashing right into a tree or the rest.

Jim Martin / Foundry

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The opposite main distinction is that it has no monitoring capabilities, so can not lock onto a topic and comply with them just like the Professional can.

It doesn’t have any automated flying modes in any respect – no Hyperlapse or MasterShots – and might solely carry out a choice of what DJI calls QuickShots. These are automated, and might circle round you, fly straight up, fly away from you, boomerang away after which again, and corkscrew round you.

These are helpful for fast clips to share on social media, however for every thing else, you’ll must pilot and management the place the digicam factors manually.

The Asteroid QuickShot mode, oddly, just isn’t current, simply because it isn’t on the Mini 2.

One other distinction is that the Mini 3 makes use of the lesser O2 video transmission system. This gives a 720p video feed at 30 frames per second as much as 10km away, although in lots of international locations you should fly with the drone in line of sight, so these lengthy ranges aren’t significantly related anyway.

And whereas the digicam is similar because the Mini 3 Professional’s, its capabilities are curtailed.

Jim Martin / Foundry

There’s no choice to report video in D-Cinelike, which Professionals use to allow them to post-process footage, and no choice to shoot at 10-bit.

You wouldn’t anticipate these on an entry-level drone, however it’s a disgrace that DJI has additionally restricted body charge to 30fps at 4K, and 60fps at 2.7K and under. This implies no slo-mo. And with out Hyperlapse, which means you possibly can’t actually get any slowed-down or speeded-up footage from the Mini 3 except you ‘faux’ it in a video editor afterwards. And there’s a restrict to how a lot you possibly can gradual it down even should you drop down from 4K so you possibly can choose 60fps.

Efficiency

Aside from impediment avoidance, flying the Mini 3 is strictly the identical because the Mini 3 Professional. It’s comparatively quiet and hovers properly when it has picked up variety of satellites.

It’s simply as fast and manoeuvrable, and has the identical Cinematic, Regular and Sport modes, and the identical wind resistance. You gained’t wish to fly it on very windy days, however for a light-weight drone, it handles even pretty sturdy winds properly, and higher than the Mini 2 does.

Jim Martin / Foundry

It’s reassuring, too that the return-to-home operate will robotically kick in when there’s solely simply sufficient energy to fly again to the house level, or if the sign from the distant management is ever misplaced. You can even interact it manually utilizing a button on the distant, or within the app.

Should you do lose observe of it, or crash it and might’t see the place it landed, the ‘discover my drone’ operate makes it beep pretty loudly that can assist you.

In fact, the one function the Mini 3 shares with the Professional however is missing from the Mini 2 (and all different earlier Mini fashions) is vertical capturing. Within the app or utilizing a button on the distant, you possibly can rotate the gimbal so the digicam sits vertically, which is what you want if you wish to report vertical video and never lose a great deal of decision.

It’s helpful for a similar purpose when taking portrait pictures, too, though the automated panorama creation on the Mini 2 means it could possibly maintain its personal for vertical pictures because it merely takes a number of and stitches them collectively, resulting in even greater decision.

Listed here are some pictures I took on the Mini 3. It doesn’t assist you to entry the total 48Mp mode, however you possibly can shoot in JPEG + RAW concurrently.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Jim Martin / Foundry

Jim Martin / Foundry

Jim Martin / Foundry

Sadly, the panorama modes didn’t work for me: all I discovered have been the person pictures in a Panorama folder on the microSD card, however no precise panoramic picture. This appears to be all the way down to testing utilizing early software program and {hardware}.

The digicam has autofocus, however there’s a restrict to how shut it could possibly focus. Should you’re making an attempt to take pictures of individuals or objects up shut, they may find yourself blurred. You possibly can faucet on the display to concentrate on a particular space, however the distant has a half-press for focus lock as properly.

With virtually similar video specs to the Mini 2, you may marvel if there’s any level in spending extra on the Mini 3 when the older, cheaper drone can even report 4K at 30fps, has the identical most bitrate of 100Mbps, affords the identical ranges of digital zoom and information in the identical H.264/MP4 format.

The distinction is that the Mini 3’s digicam has a bigger sensor and a lens with an even bigger f/1.7 aperture. What this implies is it could possibly seize extra gentle than the Mini 2’s digicam, which in flip means higher high quality video – cleaner, crisper and with higher colors – and an analogous improve in high quality in low gentle, making night time pictures and movies sharper and extra detailed.

I didn’t have a Mini 2 to seize any comparability pictures, however listed here are a few pictures taken at night time on the Mini 3:

Jim Martin / Foundry

Jim Martin / Foundry

Plus, the Mini 3 can report HDR at its prime decision, however the Mini 2 doesn’t provide HDR in any respect.

Don’t overlook, too, that the Mini 2 can not shoot vertically just like the Mini 3 can, and it’s price noting that QuickShots are supported within the Mini 3’s vertical mode.

One other distinction is that the Mini 3’s gimbal can rotate upwards by 60°, which is much more than the Mini 2’s 20°, and it could possibly additionally transfer additional in different instructions, which suggests video is extra steady even in greater winds.

As I mentioned in my Mini 3 Professional overview, it is advisable to know what you’re doing and benefit from the D-Log capturing mode to get the absolute best high quality out of it.

The very fact the Mini 3 removes these choices means it’s a lot easier to make use of: you simply select the decision and body charge and hit the report button. As a facet word, it’s irritating that the default video mode is 1080p, so the very first thing you’ll wish to do is alter the settings when your first fly the Mini 3. The decision for QuickShots must be set individually: you may in any other case assume you’d already performed it, and marvel why they didn’t look pretty much as good as your common 4K footage.

One factor I seen when flying the Mini 3 at night time was that the LEDs, that are solely on the entrance arms, are virtually invisible except it’s dealing with you, and so they flash so slowly that it may be fairly tough to maintain tabs on it in opposition to a darkish sky.

Worth & availability

You should purchase a Mini 3 for $469 / £439, which sounds low-cost, however that’s the drone solely, with no distant.

With the RC-N1 (the identical distant you get with the Mini 2), it prices $559/£519, or $110/£100 greater than the Mini 2.

You possibly can as a substitute go for the DJI RC, under, which could be very handy in comparison with utilizing your telephone, however this prices $699/£669.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Then there are Fly Extra bundles, once more with the choice of each distant controls. These include a complete of three batteries, a charger that holds all three, plus a carry bag that holds the drone, distant and batteries.

With the RC-N1, that prices $718/£768, and with the DJI RC prices $858/£828.

You possibly can buy all of these from DJI directly, however you’ll additionally discover them at different retailers for precisely the identical costs.

For different choices, learn our roundup of one of the best drones.

Verdict

The Mini 3 could also be a comparatively massive enchancment over the Mini 2, however it comes at the next value. With the RC-N1 distant, it’s much more costly, which can little question trigger some to determine to avoid wasting their cash and go for a Mini 2 as a substitute.

It’s not clear how lengthy DJI will hold the Mini 2 in its vary, however on the time of writing, there have been some tempting reductions on the Mini 2 and Mini 2 Fly Extra bundles that made it much more interesting.

It’ll be some time earlier than there are any offers on the Mini 3 however if you would like 4K HDR video, the power to shoot vertically, and have longer flying time, all with out paying a good greater value for a Mini 3 Professional, then DJI’s latest sub-250g drone affords an ideal all-round bundle.

In fact, should you can afford extra, the Mini 3 Professional is a way more succesful drone and is actually price it.