Air 3S Released - Two Features I really wanted!

[davidarmenb]

The much-anticipated Air 3S was just released an hour ago and I am sure we all know all the specs by now.

However, reading about the drone on DJI’s website, I noticed two unexpected features that I really wanted to have when I got my Air 3 and felt they should have been there!

The first one is called Free Panorama. This seems like an incredibly powerful feature that allows you to take custom panoramas yourself and then have the drone stitch it automatically! More importantly, this opens up limitless opportunities for panoramas on the telephoto lens! Currently with the Ajr 3, as we all know, you can only do a 360 panorama and it does not stitch them in the drone. With Free Panorama, you can stitch as many or as few photos as you want with the telephoto lens!


The second feature is an update to the Vision Assist which finally ALLOWS THE DOWNWARD FACING CAMERA TO BE SEEN! This is revolutionary! No longer will I need to constantly tilt down my main camera to see what is underneath me. With this new Vision Assist, I can see under my drone the entire flight if I want to, while never needing to tilt down my gimbal.


The best part is that these are software upgrades, meaning if DJI pleases, they can absolutely implement these two features for the Air 3 and maybe even the Mini 4 Pro.

 

[VenomXts]

good catch

 

[GFields]

The main feature I was looking for, and it doesn't have it, was variable aperture.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I've been puzzled that the downward cameras weren't included when they added the lateral 4-direction vision assist to the A3 and M4P.

Nice they added this.

The two features that have got my motor running are the 14-stop dynamic range of the 1" camera (no doubt in 12mp mode), and the new path recording allowing for daylight RTH without GPS!!!

Will this capability ever get used? Probably not, but I'm really glad it's there.

 

[Erk1024]

@davidarmenb
I agree those are great features, and I wish I had them on my Mavic 3 Pro. Also agree it seems like they could update the Air 3 and Mavic 3 software to support them.

@GFields
Just curious. You want variable aperture for depth of field reasons, more flexibility with exposure time, or because it's sharper if you stop down a bit?

 

[ryguy80]

I think variable aperture and 4/3" sensor are reserved for the Mavic line in order to differentiate product lines.

 

[Suren]

I picked mine up this morning. Home now and charging it all up.

 

[davidarmenb]

I picked mine up this morning. Home now and charging it all up.

Where did you get it??? I couldn’t buy it anywhere so had to order from DJI. What I didn’t like at all is that it is being chipped from China. Maybe I should’ve waited a couple of days for it to appear in retailers??

 

[davidarmenb]

@davidarmenb
I agree those are great features, and I wish I had them on my Mavic 3 Pro. Also agree it seems like they could update the Air 3 and Mavic 3 software to support them.

@GFields
Just curious. You want variable aperture for depth of field reasons, more flexibility with exposure time, or because it's sharper if you stop down a bit?

Regarding the variable aperture, we already have the lens wide open so I don’t believe it’s about depth of field, I think the main reason is exposure control; being able to control all three values of the entire exposure triangle, as opposed to the current two values. Its mainly about being able to stop down in order to use a slower shutter speed to avoid the choppy effect of very high shutter speeds.

 

[waynorth]

Just curious. You want variable aperture for depth of field reasons, more flexibility with exposure time, or because it's sharper if you stop down a bit?

For me, all the three points you list are good reasons for wanting a variable aperture. Being able to stop down from f/1.7 to f/5.6 gives a better overall sharpness, and it also increases depth of field a bit - often we want that.

 

[JunePH]

The much-anticipated Air 3S was just released an hour ago and I am sure we all know all the specs by now.

However, reading about the drone on DJI’s website, I noticed two unexpected features that I really wanted to have when I got my Air 3 and felt they should have been there!

The first one is called Free Panorama. This seems like an incredibly powerful feature that allows you to take custom panoramas yourself and then have the drone stitch it automatically! More importantly, this opens up limitless opportunities for panoramas on the telephoto lens! Currently with the Ajr 3, as we all know, you can only do a 360 panorama and it does not stitch them in the drone. With Free Panorama, you can stitch as many or as few photos as you want with the telephoto lens!
View attachment 178312

The second feature is an update to the Vision Assist which finally ALLOWS THE DOWNWARD FACING CAMERA TO BE SEEN! This is revolutionary! No longer will I need to constantly tilt down my main camera to see what is underneath me. With this new Vision Assist, I can see under my drone the entire flight if I want to, while never needing to tilt down my gimbal.
View attachment 178313

The best part is that these are software upgrades, meaning if DJI pleases, they can absolutely implement these two features for the Air 3 and maybe even the Mini 4 Pro.

lol. Sorry, but Vision Assist has been available in Air 3 since the December 2023 update.

 

[davidarmenb]

lol. Sorry, but Vision Assist has been available in Air 3 since the December 2023 update.

I’m pretty sure you either skimmed or you didn’t read correctly. lol. This is with regards to DOWNWARD vision assist. Please show me that on your Air 3.

 

[davidarmenb]

lol. Sorry, but Vision Assist has been available in Air 3 since the December 2023 update.

Also, welcome to the forum!

 

[Erk1024]

For me, all the three points you list are good reasons for wanting a variable aperture. Being able to stop down from f/1.7 to f/5.6 gives a better overall sharpness, and it also increases depth of field a bit - often we want that.

Agree. When I've tried to put things in the foreground with the Mavic 3 Pro, I've had to stop down the aperture so that I have enough Depth of Field (DOF) to keep the foreground in focus. Have to go to f/5 or higher.

This is not one of my best photos, and one of the problems I was having was getting everything in focus. I was really close to these rocks. Also my Mavic kept drifting in the wind, so stitching was a problem.

 

[Droning on and on...]

lol. Sorry, but Vision Assist has been available in Air 3 since the December 2023 update.

Yes, but the new addition is being able to view the downward sensors now, to me valuable.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Nice, @Erk1024, but fuzz up that lighthouse a bit and it becomes a SpaceX rocket launching

 

[Erk1024]

For me, all the three points you list are good reasons for wanting a variable aperture. Being able to stop down from f/1.7 to f/5.6 gives a better overall sharpness, and it also increases depth of field a bit - often we want that.

A 1" sensor has a crop factor of 2.7. And the aperture is 2.8. So the depth of field should be f/7.5 full frame equivalent.

 

[Suren]

Where did you get it??? I couldn’t buy it anywhere so had to order from DJI. What I didn’t like at all is that it is being chipped from China. Maybe I should’ve waited a couple of days for it to appear in retailers??

The local Dji retailer in NZ

 

[ryguy80]

I couldn’t buy it anywhere so had to order from DJI. What I didn’t like at all is that it is being chipped from China. Maybe I should’ve waited a couple of days for it to appear in retailers??

Political move. The Air 3S isn’t available at U.S. retailers due to an import block.

DJI says US customs is blocking its drone imports

“A customs-related issue is hindering” drone shipments, DJI claims.

www.theverge.com

 

[davidarmenb]

Political move. The Air 3S isn’t available at U.S. retailers due to an import block.

DJI says US customs is blocking its drone imports

“A customs-related issue is hindering” drone shipments, DJI claims.

www.theverge.com

Yes I read this story early this morning and it answered my question of why, for the first time, the drone isn’t available anywhere other than their website. There are even individual orders direct from the DJI website that are being held up at customs for 30 days. YouTuber OriginaldoBo put out a video explaining why he didn’t put out an Air 3S video on the release date, and it was because his drone (which was shipped to him via DHL Express on around October 3 or 4) is STILL being held up at customs over at Florida.