DJI's Mavic 3 caused an early sensation, as leaks indicated that it will be equipped with a large 4/3 sensor and dual camera system, as well as an incredible 46-minute range. However, potential buyers are also shocked to learn that its starting price is US$2,200, while the Mavic 2 Pro's starting price is US$1,449. If you want advanced features such as ProRes HQ video, it can be up to $5,000.

Early lenses show that this camera is really impressive, and the 50% extra flight time is very useful. However, buyers also complained about the price, the too basic Fly app, and ActiveTrack 5 features, which will not be available until the January 2022 update.

I wonder if it is worth that much money, especially if you already have a Mavic 2 Pro. I have had the standard model for a few weeks and have been testing it with licensed drone pilot Samuel Dejours around the French countryside. This is what we found.

As I mentioned, DJI Mavic 3 has two versions: standard model and Cine. Both have the same camera and drone, but Mavic 3 Cine has a built-in 1TB SSD, MicroSD slot and Apple ProRes 422 HQ video support. It also comes with an RC Pro remote control equipped with a screen, while the standard model includes the more basic RC-N1 that requires a smartphone.

ProRes 422 HQ is very suitable for professional film shooting because it can provide higher image quality and better color fidelity, especially for detailed scenes. The disadvantage is that it takes up more space, about 10 seconds of video uses 1GB, and the total SSD recording time is 167 minutes. The only way to get video from the drone is through the USB-C Thunderbolt port and the included cable, but it can be transferred quickly at speeds of up to 700MB/s.

The Cine model is bundled with three batteries, a carrying bag, two sets of ND filters, etc. As mentioned earlier, it also requires $5,000, so you need a good reason to have these features. Since Cine is more aimed at professional filmmakers, we tested the standard model in the $3,000 Fly More Combo. This includes three batteries, a charging hub, a set of ND filters and a beautiful carrying bag that can be converted into a backpack. It is equipped with a MicroSD slot and 8GB of storage space, which is only useful in emergency situations

Very similar to Air 2S, Mavic 3 folds into a compact, easy-to-carry size. The weight with battery is 899 grams, which is slightly lower than the 907 grams of Mavic 2 Pro. It has a slightly larger wingspan because its arms have a long hair to accommodate a larger propeller.

Due to the dual camera system and the larger main camera sensor, the camera module is also larger. Therefore, it slightly protrudes the drone's fuselage, making it more susceptible to damage in the event of a crash.

The camera module itself no longer translates like the Mavic 2 Pro camera, so all translations must be done by moving the drone. However, it can now be tilted up 30 degrees, which is very convenient for certain types of shooting and inspection work. When the drone is turned off, the camera locks and is protected by a seat belt that my colleague jokingly calls a restraint mask.

The battery of the Mavic 3 is much larger than the battery of the Mavic 2 Pro, at 5,000 mAh, compared to 3,850 mAh. Coupled with some aerodynamic adjustments, it increased by 50% in the range of 31 to 46 minutes-a huge and very useful gain. The 65-watt charger now powered by USB-C can charge the battery in approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes.

DJI pointed out that the flight time is 46 minutes and the hover time is 40 minutes. However, as you might expect, this depends largely on the external temperature and how you operate. In a clear sky and a low temperature of 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius), combined with sports, movies and normal flying, we can easily get a flight of about 35 minutes. This is really good, so Samuel doesn't feel the need to rush like he sometimes uses Air 2S or FPV. These numbers should be much higher in summer.

Now, let's take a look at the camera. The main camera was built by DJI in cooperation with Hasselblad, equipped with a 24mm f/2.8-f/11 lens and a 4/3 sensor. For example, as a reference, this is one-third larger than the one-inch sensor on the Mavic 2 Pro and the same size as Panasonic's mirrorless GH5 II camera sensor.

The video specifications are almost as impressive as the GH5 II. It can use the entire width of the sensor to shoot 5.1K at 50 fps or 4K at 60 fps, resulting in clear super-sampled video. If you don't mind about 50% cropping, you can also shoot 4K at 120 fs. For most people, this is no big deal, because 4K 120fps footage is very useful for drone actions, wildlife, flowing water, etc.

Larger sensors also provide better low-light performance, more detail, improved dynamic range and a more cinematic appearance. At the same time, the variable aperture from f/2.8 to f/11 makes the camera more flexible in different lighting conditions. However, if you often shoot in very bright sunlight, I suggest you buy a neutral density filter kit.

Shooting at ISO 1600 and 3200, we got a clean shot with some noise in shadows and dark areas. However, the noise is well controlled and organic, so it is not troublesome and can be suppressed by some gentle noise reduction. The noise level of ISO 6400 is starting to become too high, but if you don't need a lot of shadow detail, this setting can still be used for night scenes.

DJI significantly increased the H.264 data rate from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps, and introduced H.265 capture up to 140 Mbps. This is an important update because the aerial footage captured by the drone may contain details that confuse the long GOP (MP4) compression. Therefore, in most cases, the quality has been improved, especially for detail shots.

Considering the high price difference, this raises the question of whether you even need the ProRes option and 1TB SSD. I would say that this is a valuable feature for broadcast shooters because it pushes drones into the professional field. For others such as YouTube users or industrial users, H.264 quality is good enough.

Mavic 3 uses Hasselblad's color profile, which should provide accurate tones. In general, whether we are shooting in the city, coastline or countryside, it performs very well on the entire color spectrum. The skin tone is warm. Although you may think that this is not very important for drones, Mavic 3 can be used in weddings, documentaries and even movies. It is very smooth and can replace cranes or trolleys for certain shots.

To maximize dynamic range and editing flexibility, you can shoot 10-bit D-Log footage. Directly shooting the sun and other difficult situations, I found that it allows me to preserve the dynamic range and bring extra detail in the highlights and shadows.

One of the main new features of Mavic 3 is a 162mm equivalent telephoto camera with a half-inch sensor. I saw some confusion about zooming on Mavic 3, so here is how it works.

The main camera without digital zoom is equivalent to a 24mm full-frame lens, or what DJI calls 1x zoom. To zoom in further, you can switch the drone to browser mode on the Fly app. From there, you can choose discreet zoom settings (1X, 2X, 4X, 7X, 14X, and 28X) or use the slider for intermediate settings. The main camera is used to digitally zoom four times, but the 4 times zoom is very pixelated and cannot be used for any production work.

The 161mm, 12-megapixel f/4.4 telephoto camera starts with 7x zoom and provides 4K video at up to 30 fps. It can perform up to 28x digital zoom, but the quality will also be affected. In order to get the best picture, you need to keep between 1x and 2x zoom, or accurate to 7x.

In contrast, Mavic 2 Zoom (non-professional version) has a 24mm-48mm lens with 2x zoom, while Mavic 2 Pro has a fixed 28mm equivalent lens. Mavic 3's 7x zoom is more extreme, but it does open up some interesting creative possibilities. However, considering the smaller sensor size, the optical quality of this camera is not surprising. So, in terms of professional use, its value is limited.

On the subject of JPEG, it is also a solid photo drone. When I heard that the Mavic 3 has the same 20-megapixel sensor and a smaller dynamic range than the Mavic 2 Pro (12.8 stops compared to the claimed 14 stops), I was a little disappointed. However, larger pixels far compensate for the improved light sensitivity and lower noise levels.

In other words, you need to make sure that your shots are properly exposed. Mavic 3 usually takes exposure in automatic shooting mode, but if you shoot in the sun, it may trip over. It helps to shoot with RAW DNG files, which gives you more freedom to adjust the image in Lightroom.

The photo quality with a telephoto lens is better than the video quality, providing clear photos and good color accuracy, but there is a key caveat. You can only shoot JPEG but not RAW files, which limits your ability to adjust photos in post. Again, this makes telephoto lenses less useful for professionals. On the other hand, it may be very convenient for other types of work, such as inspection, search and rescue, bird watching, etc.

Thanks to improved obstacle avoidance and other functions, Mavic 3 is DJI's easiest drone to fly. It provides three flight modes: movie, a slow flight mode for capturing smooth shots, normal and sports, the fastest settings.

Mavic 3 is used with DJI's simplified Fly app instead of the Go 4 app used with Mavic 2 Pro. Camera settings such as shutter, ISO, and video resolution can be adjusted on the main flying screen at the bottom right. The recording button and various video/photo settings (QuickShot, Hyperlapse, etc.) are located on the right. For more advanced settings such as security, control, camera, and transmission, you must go deep into the three-point menu.

After launching the app and connecting your smartphone to the RC-N1 controller, you can turn on the drone. It plays a brisk three-note tune when it starts, and it takes less time to be ready than Mavic Air 2S or 2 Pro.

When you take off, it will remember your home position (return function). It can be manipulated perfectly, helping pilots to easily capture smooth shots under manual control. It is not quieter than Mavic 2 or 2 Pro, but it has a slightly lower pitch and is unlikely to disturb people or wildlife.

It is also faster, up to 42 MPH in sports mode. Remember that obstacle avoidance is disabled in this mode, so you need to be careful to avoid (high-speed) collisions.

The front, back, top and bottom of Mavic 3 are covered with omnidirectional sensors. The app displays potential obstacles to help you avoid them, and the APAS 5 system allows you to program Mavic 3 to stop or bypass it when encountering obstacles.

We let it pass through a series of dangers, including rough trees, electrical wires, and so on. It will either stop or avoid them, depending on the options we set. It did pass a leaf when descending in RTH mode, although it did not phase adjust the drone. However, this may indicate a potential problem with the lower sensor array of the drone. If you dare, you can disable obstacle avoidance in all modes.

The RTH function allows the drone to return when the battery is low and choose the most effective route. We found it effective in all situations, even in tricky terrain and miles away. The only drawback is that it will not bring the drone back at extremely fast speeds, so many pilots may prefer to return manually in normal or sport mode.

Unfortunately, ActiveTrack 5 is a key feature that will only be launched in January. Like DJI's previous tracking system, it is designed to follow you when you ride a bicycle, windsurf, and other activities. The latest version is designed to track objects, no matter how they move, they can continue to track even if they move out of the frame. Since this is an important feature, I may update this review once I get it.

Other missing features include QuickShots, which can perform fancy camera operations like circles and boomerangs, and MasterShots, which are designed to make quick video clips for social media users. It also lacks the popular panorama mode for creating stitched photos, and QuickTransfer for fast WiFi video and photo transfer. 

These missing features are not ideal, but delaying them at least allowed DJI to release drones. Cameras from Sony, Canon, and other companies usually add key features after firmware updates, so DJI is not alone. Buyers may forgive the delay, but only if the update arrives in January as promised.  

Mavic 3 starts at US$2,200 and is designed to shoot great videos and photos for professional and professional users. It performs well in this regard, thanks to the professional-grade sensor, which provides amazing image quality and the stability that can achieve exceptionally smooth shooting. ProRes video and 1TB internal SSD are also important features of professional shooting games.

However, this is not perfect. These same users may find the telephoto camera a bit useless because it cannot even provide the same level of quality as the main camera. Considering the relatively high price, they may also want to know why the standard model comes with a basic controller and limited Fly application. Missing features such as ActiveTrack 5 are disappointing, but once they arrive, everyone will quickly forget that they did not exist when they were released.

In terms of competition, DJI does not have any peers in terms of image quality (Mavic 3's slogan is "Imaging above all else"). In other words, it focuses on the camera, as it has recently demonstrated with its crazy and amazing Ronin 4D. However, other companies like Skydio can be said to provide better flying drones with excellent obstacle avoidance capabilities.

Will these factors affect your purchase decision? I will leave the final decision to Samuel, a professional photographer and certified pilot who has multiple DJI drones and assisted in this review.

“I’m definitely interested in buying it because it has a larger sensor and higher performance, so it’s a big step in terms of image quality. The extra battery life also makes planning easier, and the drone is also very effective even in the wind. Very stable and makes you feel like an "air tripod." It must have some flaws, but for me, the image quality advantage outweighs these flaws."

Update ET on January 12, 2021 at 3:15 am: This post has been updated to indicate that it is Mavic 2 Zoom, not Mavic 2, which has a 2x 24-48mm zoom lens. Thank you Leis!

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