Air 3S photo quality analysis with comps M2Pro and iPhone 15Pro

[wco81]

Which is the other RAW engine on the market?

 

[Split-Infinitive]

Which is the other RAW engine on the market?

Quite a few.
DxO and Capture 1 are 2 common ones, both significantly better.

 

[wco81]

Quite a few.
DxO and Capture 1 are 2 common ones, both significantly better.

I'm familiar with those, though I'd never tried them.

But DJI is using DNG, which I thought was Adobe's format so it's using Adobe Camera Raw processor?

 

[BingBong]

So that's the one good thing about the Air 3S, with the free pano, it gives you way more flexibility than the pano modes on the M2P, which limited you to either 180 or 360 panos in automated modes.

My Air 2S is the same, but at least has the 3:2 sensor like yours, plus the 22mm lens. If I want a wide pano, I just manually overlap about half a frame for 3 or 4 frames and merge Raws in Lightroom Classic. That gives you more flexibility about the merge geometry, and gives great results with no stitching errors. Spinning the drone keeps the vertical alignment the same. Obviously if you want to stitch more than one row, the free pano mode on the Air 3S comes into its own.

 

[wco81]

My Air 2S is the same, but at least has the 3:2 sensor like yours, plus the 22mm lens. If I want a wide pano, I just manually overlap about half a frame for 3 or 4 frames and merge Raws in Lightroom Classic. That gives you more flexibility about the merge geometry, and gives great results with no stitching errors. Spinning the drone keeps the vertical alignment the same. Obviously if you want to stitch more than one row, the free pano mode on the Air 3S comes into its own.

Yeah I've tried manual panos too but I like how the automated panos are put into their own folders.

The main issue now is whether panos shot in 12 Mp mode on the Air3S -- assuming the Free Pano mode allows it -- are good enough in image quality compared to shooting panos with the 20 Mp camera on the M2P.

 

[Split-Infinitive]

I'm familiar with those, though I'd never tried them.

But DJI is using DNG, which I thought was Adobe's format so it's using Adobe Camera Raw processor?

DNG is basically just an envelope with standard "handles" where you dump the raw file. Its not processed by Adobe - its merely a container (and an open source standard at that).

The actual maths is still performed by whoever made the camera.

 

[wco81]

Just checking, no firmware updates to improve the QB RAW output?

Or updates to Adobe Light Room?

With the uncertainty about tariffs, the Air 3S may be the "latest and greatest" DJI drone you can get for awhile in the US, assuming you find sellers with some kind of inventory left, which they received before tariffs were applied.

For people with old drones like myself, they may have no options but to get the Air 3S, to use for a couple of years at least.

 

[Split-Infinitive]

I doubt they'll fix it. Its been an issue since at least the mini 3. DJI obviously dont see an issue with it.
Lightroom cant fix the problem as its baked in via the hardware itself.

PureRAW4 now has Air3s profiles now which do a better job with noise, sharpness and colour but cant do anything about the QB rainbow.
To be fair, its not restricted to DJI. My Pixel 9 Pro has the same issue with the 50mp mode. QB is often a quality compromise.

 

[wco81]

I was going to wait to see what the Mavic 4 or Mini 5 Pro would be like. Mini 5 Pro would probably do the same dumb Quad Bayer thing, on a smaller sensor than the 3S.

Mavic 4, maybe it will be QB, maybe it won’t.

But with the tariffs situation, I may have no choice but to pick up an Air 3S, if someone has it in stock at pre-tariff prices because my Mavic 2 Pro is barely alive at this point.

So I mostly shoot panos than single shot photos. Maybe Air 3S Freestyle panos in 12 Mp mode will be “good enough” avoiding most of the QB color artifacts?

And still produce panos with enough details in comparison to the 20 Mp panos from my old M2P?

Anyone getting good results shooting mostly panos at the “low-res” 12 Mp mode with the Air3S?