dji mini 3 camera drone

DJI Mini 3 Unboxing, First Impression and Review)

The Mini 3 is a light weight flying drone. It involves similar airframe as the 3 Pro (without the obstacle sensors), so it folds down to slide all the more effectively into a camera bag. When folded, it is no bigger than a standard 24-70mm lens or a thermal water bottle, measuring 2.4 by 3.5 by 5.7 inches (HWD).

The nose-mounted camera upholds 4K30 video, similar to the Small scale 2. Even though it uses the same Quad Bayer cameras as the Pro version, you can only take still images at 12 megapixels (48 megapixels are not available). Even with clip-on ND filters, 16:9 landscape and 9:16 vertical video, and ample upward tilt, the 24mm f/1.7 lens still works. It can be 60 degrees higher or straight down (-90 degrees).

Options for the DJI Mini 3 Remote and Battery:

DJI sells the drone in various configurations. If you already have a DJI RC-N1 (which comes with the Mini 2) or a DJI RC built-in-screen remote, you can get the Mini 3 without a remote for $469. It's the only way to get the drone for less than $500, so it's a good option for Mini 2 owners looking to upgrade.
However, we anticipate that the majority of pilots purchasing a Mini 3 will be looking for a remote. The DJI RC-N1 and drone are available together for $559. For the RC-N1 to work with the Mini 3's camera, you need to connect an Android or iOS phone.

You can upgrade to a bundle that includes the DJI RC and Mini 3 for $699. There is no need to connect your phone because the RC has its own flight control app and built-in touch screen. The RC has a 5.5-inch display with a maximum brightness of 700 nits. On bright days, especially when the sun is overhead, it can be hard to see.

The DJI RC is a nice decision for pilots with subpar smartphones; however, if you already have a good phone with a bright screen (iPhones exceed 1,000 nits), the RC may not be an improvement. The use of the built-in screen remote from DJI comes with one more drawback: Live maps are unavailable, but you can tether it to your phone's hotspot to make up for it.

Additionally, extra-battery bundles should be considered. The Mini 3 comes with a small Intelligent Flight Battery that can keep the device flying for up to 38 minutes. Although an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus increases the drone's airtime to a staggering 51 minutes, its weight puts it outside the 249g weight range.

Best Flying Terms:

The best-case estimates for these flight times are based on how the drone is flown. Battery life will be reduced if you battle the wind or rely heavily on the high-speed Sport mode. Even so, the standard battery provides sufficient flight time. The Plus is available for pilots who want to fly their Mini 3 multiple times throughout the day without having to charge it in between flights or for longer flight times.

Safety and Control:

DJI Fly is the drone's control app, regardless of whether you use a smartphone or the DJI RC. It has a touch interface for adjusting settings, accessing various flight modes, and configuring various safety features, and it sends a view from the camera to the display on your phone (or the remote). Before taking off, the Mini 3 needs to be turned on; To accomplish this, you will need to create a DJI account, but you can do so from within the app itself.

The orientation, current airspeed, and altitude of the drone are all displayed in telemetry data, and the app can switch to a map view to show its location in relation to nearby roads and landmarks. However, if you lose track, there is a return-to-home function included, so don't worry too much. It guides the Mini 3 back to its takeoff point and rises to a safe height when activated. The remote will inform you if the drone has successfully connected to GPS before you take off. During my test flights, getting a lock took about 30 seconds.
FlySafe is a geofence system that DJI incorporates into its drones. If you try to take off or enter restricted airspace, the system will notify you. In practice, it works well; The app alerts me when I'm about to enter the airspace of a small local airport, which is close to where I live. A custom geofence distance can also be set in the app to ensure that the drone stays within a certain distance.

Advanced pilots may resent having to unlock authorization to takeoff close to an airport or other similar no-fly zone, but it is a good system for keeping novice pilots out of trouble. However, due to the absence of an AirSense ADS-B sensor that would alert you to manned aircraft in the area, the Mini 3 would not be my first choice for pilots who perform UAV work near airports. That feature can only be obtained by purchasing an Air 2S or Mavic 3 Classic upgrade.
The Mini 3 also does not have obstacle sensors. Three-way obstacle avoidance is one of the main differences between the base model and the more expensive Mini 3 Pro. The ActiveTrack subject tracking and APAS autopilot features of the Pro are also absent from the Mini 3, which makes sense given that they function alongside obstacle detection.

A Quality Camera for Content Creators:
Even if you only looked at the basic specs, you wouldn't know that the Mini 3's camera is significantly better than the Mini 2. It has the same 24mm field of view, but its fixed f/1.7 aperture lets in more light and produces better video at twilight and magic hour.

If you are concerned enough about shutter angles to use them, clip-on ND filters are available. You can set the lens for visually appealing 1/60-second (30 fps) or 1/48-second (24 fps) video by cutting out incoming light.
The Mini 3's gimbal is a significant improvement over the Mini 2. Up slant and double direction catch reinforce the super smooth, three-pivot adjustment. The Mini 3 can take photos with the camera pointing straight down, as we are accustomed to seeing in drone videos; however, its 60 degrees of tilt upward is a useful addition. I attempted it for low-point shots under tree limbs and dish up to uncover the sky — shots you can't get with the Smaller than normal 2.
The other significant change is vertical video. The Mini 3's camera rotates 90 degrees to record at 9:16, allowing you to incorporate drone footage into your Instagram Reel or TikTok post. Even though the difference between squarer 4:3 (or 3:4) aspect images isn't nearly as significant, photographers can benefit from changing up their photos.

Regarding the video itself, the camera records at 4K with a high dynamic range (HDR) response at 24 or 30 frames per second, giving you more detail in the shadows and highlights without sacrificing color over the Mini 2's camera. The footage looks great in practice, with no signs of oversharpening effects and crisp detail. There is only one available color profile; The Mini 3 Pro is a good choice for a 249g drone with a flat profile that is good for color correction.

Professional editors should be aware that although the footage appears to be HDR, it is not saved in an HDR format. H.264 video, on the other hand, uses an 8-bit Rec.709 color space. For projects that mix in video from the Mini 3, it is a good idea to set your phone to SDR mode if your phone supports HDR video, as iPhones do. This will allow for better color matching between the two videos. The Air 2S or any Mavic 3 model with support for 10-bit HLG can record in a Rec.2020 HDR profile; however, in order to get the most out of those drones, you will need a solid editing knowledge base.

The Mini 3's camera has the same hardware and optics as the Mini 3 Pro, but it lacks a few features that depend on processing. The 48MP photo mode, hyperlapse, and 4K60 recording options are not available. The robot actually utilizes a 48MP sensor, in any case, and keeping in mind that it downsamples photographs and video, you can use its Quad Bayer design with a gorgeous 2x computerized zoom for 4K video and 4x at 1080p.
Although it does not support Hyperlapse, the Mini 3 does support Quick Shots. You can get away from manual control with these automated camera movements, which produce results worthy of a feature film. There are options for the Dronie (a selfie taken by a drone), Helix, Rocket, Circle, and Boomerang. You will need a lot of clear space for the Helix and Boomerang shots, so you will need to keep an eye on the drone when it is doing them. Also, be ready to press the big Pause button on the remote if it looks like the Mini 3 is going to hit a building or tree.

The camera also takes still images. The Small scale 3 backings 12MP shots in prepared to-share JPG or altering cordial Crude DNG design. There's just a single variety profile accessible for the JPG mode, so you'll have to shoot in Crude to push clear tones or go refined with a highly contrasting alter. Aside from that limitation, the quality of the photos is generally good. The Crude documents are most certainly editable; I had no issue applying a highly contrasting shift focus over to an edge I thought functioned admirably in monochrome. In Nik Silver Efex Pro, I created the edit with an Ilford HP5 look.