Right time to buy M3?

[Darkabaz]

Hi drone m8s,

I was looking for a M3 to replace my M2P and M2Z. But read a lot of negative messages on this forum.
Is it the right time to replace the M2's or is it better to wait for further updates?

Thnx

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Depends on your intended usage.

 

[Saladshooter]

The Mavic 3 is improving all the time. The GPS issue is still the biggest stumbling block for many people. It can take a from a short to a very long time for the first boot of the day to let you fly in any location. If you are a person who is in hurry to take off the M3 is probably still not for you. There is no indication as to whether this will be fixed completely. The update this week made it better but not enough.

 

[The_Gregors]

I sure hope DJI is reading this board….I was about to order a M3, but am holding off because of the issues identified recently. Now there are rumors of a M3S to be released this fall. This is a serious public relations disaster, the questions is, will DJI support it’s customers who have spent a fair bit of money for a drone that has serious issues?

 

[Meta4]

I sure hope DJI is reading this board

They aren't (and they pay very little attention to their own forum).

Now there are rumors of a M3S to be released this fall.

So far they are just rumours.
But there's a lot of room to improve the Mavic 3 so it would make sense for them to bring out a revised version at some stage.

the question is, will DJI support it’s customers who have spent a fair bit of money for a drone that has serious issues?

We can only wait and see.

 

[slup]

...Is it the right time to replace the M2's or is it better to wait for further updates?

From your earlier posts I figure that you live in Europe ... so a totally different perspective than various flaws with the M3 right now ... is the question about Europe's drone classification that will hit us sometime in a near future.

Are you prepared to spend big money on a M3 ... if it will be a "Legacy" drone only allowed to be flown in very limited areas ... like a year from now?

 

[Bussty]

If I dropped $4500 New Zealand dollars now and within a year they brought out a 1" sensor for the tele lens and sorted the GPS I would be gutted. But it is rumour only so I could wait only to find I have had a year without a much upgraded drone and no newcomer on the horizon, then that would be frustrating. I could just spend the next year seeing what the maximum is I could push out of the Mini. It is still an excellent drone for 360's when using Litchi. Decisions, decisions... There is a very heated and potentially revealing thread about the GPS issue and Mavic 3s over on DJI Mavic 3 forum.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

You're buying consumer products folks. There is always going to be a newer. better version on the horizon. The longer you wait to buy the newest product, the closer it will be to the next version's release. Don't try to win the game.

 

[millbah]

Well, I'm on the other side of the fence. I have not had any sat issues with my M3 since purchase at beginning of year. I suspect ithe issue relates to geographic location. Or it could be I read the instructions.

 

[Meta4]

I have not had any sat issues with my M3 since purchase at beginning of year

You are one of the lucky ones, but many aren't.

I suspect the issue relates to geographic location. Or it could be I read the instructions.

Your understanding of how GPS works could be improved.
GPS should be effective in any location - the G stands for Global.
And there's nothing in the instructions that could help you to get faster satellite acquisition.
All that's required is to switch it on in an open area and wait.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I for one decided NOT to upgrade and have spent that money on something else.

As for the rumored new version, if it looks as if this might happen THIS year, then it's worth waiting on, for my part. Normally, consumer drones (Mavics) do not see a hardware upgrade (with a new model name/number) within the first year of the original.

Chris

 

[Ralph thompson]

There are amazing alternatives to DJI on what you use the drone for. If yr a photographer and like me with an old Inspire, the Olympus lenses all work on the XDynamics Evolve 2. for a similar price u end up with a much better camera for stills & video.

 

[millbah]

You are one of the lucky ones, but many aren't.

Your understanding of how GPS works could be improved.
GPS should be effective in any location - the G stands for Global.
And there's nothing in the instructions that could help you to get faster satellite acquisition.
All that's required is to switch it on in an open area and wait.

 

[millbah]

Well I have been using survey grade gps with mission planning GNSS etc since 1996 until now & besides I don't have an issue. So what's there to be improved?

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Well I have been using survey grade gps with mission planning GNSS etc since 1996 until now & besides I don't have an issue. So what's there to be improved?

Besides the fact that the improvements would be for the collective we, not the individual you...

Have you upgraded your firmware since your initial purchase? Do you know which firmware version introduced the GPS acquisition problem for most people?

 

[wco81]

Would there be a new Mavic Pro before the Air 3 or something like that?

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Would there be a new Mavic Pro before the Air 3 or something like that?

Wouldn't that be the Mavic 3 Cine?

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Wouldn't that be the Mavic 3 Cine?

The Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine were released together at the same time.

The Cine is not a newer model nor is it a "Pro" version of the basic Mavic 3, as it is simply the same aircraft with the same camera with bumped-up video features (encoding and storage). And it includes the RC Pro (which you can get for the basic Mavic 3) rather than the standard controller.

I don't believe anybody here can say what the successor to the Mavic 3 / 3 Cine is, or what its release schedule is compared to the Air models.

Chris

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

The Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine were released together at the same time.

The Cine is not a newer model nor is it a "Pro" version of the basic Mavic 3, as it is simply the same aircraft with the same camera with bumped-up video features (encoding and storage). And it includes the RC Pro (which you can get for the basic Mavic 3) rather than the standard controller.

I don't believe anybody here can say what the successor to the Mavic 3 / 3 Cine is, or what its release schedule is compared to the Air models.

Chris

I was referring to the Mavic Pro not the standard Mavic 3.

 

[Crashdummytest]

The Mavic 3 is improving all the time. The GPS issue is still the biggest stumbling block for many people. It can take a from a short to a very long time for the first boot of the day to let you fly in any location. If you are a person who is in hurry to take off the M3 is probably still not for you. There is no indication as to whether this will be fixed completely. The update this week made it better but not enough.

The GPS locking issue is still not fixed, after latest firmware upgrade. It behaves slightly different now, and is slightly faster. But the drone is still horribly unstable for the first few minutes of flight, which needs to be taken into account at lift-off. Other than that the drone is just great. Some wobbling in hyperlapse in windy conditions which I did not have with my M2P or Air2S. I cannot recommend the M3 to beginners, but for seasoned pilots it's great. Just don't expect a stellar camera. It is not a camera like a modern mirrorless or DSLR, but better than the M2P and most of the competition in that price range.