As a Pro are you still (unexpectedly to yourself!) NOT buying Mavic 3?

[christangey]

Very intereting read, you guys! I use my MP2 mainly professionally and love it, but the kind of shots I normally do would be so much easier if I could see separately where I'm flying, and what I'm filming. So something that I'd been hoping for and got VERY excited about when news broke of the second camera on the M3, was an additional FPV camera, like on the Inspire 2. On launch day I enquired with DJI about any customizability of that zoom camera to be used as FPV, or future firmware etc, but no, nout, nada, niente. And without that feature the MP3 is only marginally cheaper than the Inspire 2, and not really much better thanb my MP2, so I think for me I'll eventually go Inspire instead.

Yes there is no one answer for our individual needs but that is why it would be great if DJI could give us all the information, even what they are thinking, so we have all the facts for our decision. They shouldn't be trade secrets, it's already released!

 

[Crashdummytest]

Let me provide some positive feedback about the M3 amidst all the negativity. Hopefully all the complaints will make DJI provide the advanced functionality of Go4 in the Fly app after a while. It is sorely missed by all M3 owners I would guess.
Some positive points about the new M3 FMC:
- Great increase in flight-time. It's not a hype, maybe 50% increase compared to my M2P.
- The bag is great in terms of formfactor and capacity.
- The facemask solves the gimbal protector problem once and for all.
- Top speed is now 75kph, an increase from 72kph compared to M2P.
- Range is improved.
- Flight characteristics are improved, now snappy, similar to Air2/Air2S or better.
- USB-C charging directly on the drone is convenient.
- Build quality seems to be improved, hard to tell so early in the relationship.
- The camera seems epic, but not thoroughly tested yet due to missing features.

 

[MRomine]

I am relatively new to the world of drones compared to many of you other pilots, I've only been flying with my part 107 for 2.5 years but I've been in the photo industry for 40 years or so. I personally have found that DJI is a company that chooses not listen to customers and their needs and their requests for important improvements and fixes. I find their software to often be buggy especially on the Mac platform, i.e. sensor calibration. My list of issues is long so I won't bore anyone any further with those things.

My biggest complaint and the reason why I will not be buying the M3, is the incompatibility of the original Smart Controller. I have the original version that I love and it works very well. To find out that they have purposely not made it compatible with the M3, even with less functionality, turns that $750 piece of equipment into a brick after only two years. Instead I have to spend another $1,200 to have something similar to work with the M3. Yes I know that it comes with a standard controller but I have no desire to go back to a phone or tablet for my work. This is a breaking point for me along with all the other things mentioned in this thread. In my onion this makes this drone way over priced and for only a little more you can get an inspire with an even better camera.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

My biggest complaint and the reason why I will not be buying the M3, is the incompatibility of the original Smart Controller.

Mine too.
There's simply no real comment on why or when but I guess, even if they would, I would still not believe it.
It is more likely, that maybe in 6 months or so, the RC Pro may work with older drones, foremost the Air 2S, but not even this is sure. It really seems, they got used to the idea to charge about 1k of money with every release then.

Not talking about environmental impact ...

 

[MRomine]

Mine too.
There's simply no real comment on why or when but I guess, even if they would, I would still not believe it.
It is much more likely, that maybe in 6 months or so, the RC Pro may work with older drones, foremost the Air 2S, but not even this is sure. It really seems, they got used to the idea to charge about 1k of money with every release then.

Not talking about environmental impact ...

Yeah, I wish the competition would catch up a little more. I am so over DJI and their super annoying GEO Fencing system.

 

[Crashdummytest]

I am relatively new to the world of drones compared to many of you other pilots, I've only been flying with my part 107 for 2.5 years but I've been in the photo industry for 40 years or so. I personally have found that DJI is a company that chooses not listen to customers and their needs and their requests for important improvements and fixes. I find their software to often be buggy especially on the Mac platform, i.e. sensor calibration. My list of issues is long so I won't bore anyone any further with those things.

My biggest complaint and the reason why I will not be buying the M3, is the incompatibility of the original Smart Controller. I have the original version that I love and it works very well. To find out that they have purposely not made it compatible with the M3, even with less functionality, turns that $750 piece of equipment into a brick after only two years. Instead I have to spend another $1,200 to have something similar to work with the M3. Yes I know that it comes with a standard controller but I have no desire to go back to a phone or tablet for my work. This is a breaking point for me along with all the other things mentioned in this thread. In my onion this makes this drone way over priced and for only a little more you can get an inspire with an even better camera.

Certainly a good point. The SC V2 is almost the exact same as V1..

 

[globetrotterdrone]

DJI claims faster internals, yet nothing more so far.
You can screenrecord with 1080p, which is nice, but I could very well live with 720p and the old SC v1 too.
And we know, as in the specs, that for the controls, only OC 2 is used and necessary.

 

[Surge]

No! I bought the M3 and it's the first compact drone I can use for pro work. I shoot mainly still images (with a Leica M), usually weddings. I couldn't get the quality to be comparable with the M2P, so I never used it professionally.
The M3 is a game changer. Worth every penny. Do I wish the Cine version was about $1k less... sure.

M3 Advantages in my view:
1. improved dynamic range/ low light/ sharpness - yes, the image quality improvements are obvious from the first flight
2. ProRes output - largely for ease/speed of editing
3. Quieter! - not many talk about this but it's a big deal, especially if you are flying close to people
4. battery life
5. range
6. flying stability - feels more stable and more responsive

DJI knocked it out of the park here, folks! And with a starting price of just over $2k, it's a no brainer.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

And with a starting price of just over $2k, it's a no brainer.

You don't get the Pro Res for that price though...

 

[globetrotterdrone]

@Surge
Because you more or less doubleposted your reference to Leica: if you think, that the M3 is so much closer than the M2P to the quality of 35 mm stills, than I really doubt the one of your M2P (which is quite possible with all the problems in QA DJI had and still has).

I've been using Canon for nearly 30 years now and having worked with Canon's top of the line TS-E lenses for approx. 20 years, now using their latest 24 mm II, 50 mm and 90 mm on are regular basis which are the undisputed primes in their field among 35 mm (besides macro and some new RF lenses) on nearly all models, we are either miles away or already close to that quality before the M3.

It all depends on the purpose.
If it is mainly online media, it is simply hard to believe, that M2P drone footage is considered not pro but M3 is.
If you are into large scale printing, I am also unable to see, huge benefits from same resolution. In borderline situations (night, low light, high ISO, high dynamic range) the later FT-sensor is unarguably better on the paper, most possibly 1 EV of DNR/dynamic range ahead, that means ISO 200 on M2P, ISO 100 on M3, or 3200/1600, or the same with aperture or times ... you get the idea.

That sure does come in handy, but I've not even seen any shot even in DJI's promotion, that I could say, that wasn't possible before.

And while the sensor plays an important role, you already know from the SLR/SLM world, that the lenses on the hardware side, light, composition and framing are key to pictures.

And with art and taste in general, everything in this field is subjective.
I respect your opinion, that your result of the M3 are better than before, and feel glad for you. On my part, I've not seen any dramatic change, the Air 2S is even closer and I certainly can quite tell the quality of a traditional SLR/SLM, which is still, no surprise, ahead with 35 mm (like medium format is to 35 mm). But these are not airborne, so no point in arguing from my side. I personally think Inspire II's image quality is probably what some may have expected with the M3 (which is more of the mix between drone and SLM with interchangable lens and its own category anyway).

Besides that:
M3 features some good points, you mentioned.
I would be pleased, if you could record a sound sample.
From all clips on YT I've found (most reviews mute them), it sounds quite similiar to the M2P, maybe a pitch darker.

What you didn't mention is listed on page 1 and here: Mavic 3 Cine : fair and critical review about the missing features & settings for Pro Pilots

The best drone will not help, if the software is just early access.

 

[khabbi]

DJI claims faster internals, yet nothing more so far.
You can screenrecord with 1080p, which is nice, but I could very well live with 720p and the old SC v1 too.
And we know, as in the specs, that for the controls, only OC 2 is used and necessary.

I have the M3 with new smart controller, as well as the old Gen1 smart controller that I used with my mavic 2 pro.

I can say that it is a substantial improvement overall and once you see the beauty and clarity you get in your hands with the new transmission, you'll be sold! I knew it was going to be better, but WOW did it impress me! The details you see now with the new controller are worth it to me. I had been using the old controller for so long that I was so used to it.. the new one's video detail just pops! Again, surprised me at how good it is compared to my old one!

I also confirmed that I am getting much better distance with the M3 and new controller, I am very familiar with where my limits are at some of my favorite spots and the M3 was able to explore a good distance past my old "out of range" location.

And while we're on the subject of the M3 and whether it's worth it, I also found the extra battery life to be a very nice addition... I kept on checking to see where I was at with battery life, and I was consistently surprised to always find myself with a nice chunk of battery left where before I'd have to RTH. I was able to keep the drone up in the air to explore further and get more done. While some may not find this to be a big deal, it was very nice to keep flying when I was conditioned to be sending the drone home much earlier with my old drones.

Just my $0.02.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Well thanks for that @khabbi .
DJI says nothing detailed about the resolution or the used panel, but the size and brightness with 1000 nits stayed the same. So I wonder, what they changed here without any marketing note.

Personally, I like the old antenna mechanism better for stowing, yet the new one gives you more flexibility with adjusting.
Still wouldn't buy the controller for 1000 Euros as the drone. Anyway going to what how the C marking for Europe turns out before investing such a large amount.

 

[Surge]

Well thanks for that @khabbi .

DJI says nothing detailed about the resolution or the used panel, but the size and brightness with 1000 nits stayed the same. So I wonder, what they changed here without any marketing note.

Personally, I like the old antenna mechanism better for stowing, yet the new one gives you more flexibility with adjusting.
Still wouldn't buy the controller for 1000 Euros as the drone. Anyway going to what how the C marking for Europe turns out before investing such a large amount.

DJi does say the transmission resolution is improved.

The M3 flies better than the M2P. It’s both more stable and more dynamic - seemingly opposing qualities!

And having two cameras basically combines the M2P and M2Z into one.

Range is about 100% better for where I normally fly.

 

[Crashdummytest]

They blew it with the SC V2, I have to concur. It's the same small display as V1, and no standout new features. Its a rehash of V1 with little new to it. It is simply a slightly old and iffy design. DJI have some severe competition in the smart controller area, but not much in the drone department.. Almost all the competitors have better smart controllers.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Well thanks for that @khabbi .

DJi does say the transmission resolution is improved.

The M3 flies better than the M2P. It’s both more stable and more dynamic - seemingly opposing qualities!

And having two cameras basically combines the M2P and M2Z into one.

Range is about 100% better for where I normally fly.

Some wishful thinking here and there ...
OC 3.0+ has more bandwith and lower latencies which could be used for more commands/s I reckon. But I've not seen reliable data on that and how it effects stable flight as OC 2.0 is still used for the inputs. Anyway, depends highly on software implementation and how DJI likes to have it or likes the user to modify it (if not, they don't).

And no, M3 does not combine M2P and M2Z: the M2Z has a 24 - 48 mm variable zoom, the M3 has 2 fixed lenses with 24 mm and 162 mm and separate sensors, no optical zoom in between. Completely different worlds.

Range is nice, never bothered even with the M2P's one, because VLOS.

 

[maven4336]

Wow I haven’t pulled the trigger myself and that was one of my questions why are they using this fly app instead of Dji go 4 you’ve answered a lot of my questions are and I totally trust you that you’re a professional I’m just a hobbyist and I have three DGI drones they all use Dji go -4, I knew the app was cheesy when I had my friend buy the air -2, he had never flown before so I loaded it up for him from the App store and I thought to myself what a cheesy App that might just keep me from buying this drone just that alone I just don’t get it and you’re right about keeping us in the loop also all the people that have purchased I’ve not read one article about someoneRaving how great the drone is how much more it can do pretty sad I’ve been waiting long time for this drone I’m sure after a little time I’ll probably go ahead and squeeze the trigger

 

[christangey]

Wow I haven’t pulled the trigger myself and that was one of my questions why are they using this fly app instead of Dji go 4 you’ve answered a lot of my questions are and I totally trust you that you’re a professional I’m just a hobbyist and I have three DGI drones they all use Dji go -4, I knew the app was cheesy when I had my friend buy the air -2, he had never flown before so I loaded it up for him from the App store and I thought to myself what a cheesy App that might just keep me from buying this drone just that alone I just don’t get it and you’re right about keeping us in the loop also all the people that have purchased I’ve not read one article about someoneRaving how great the drone is how much more it can do pretty sad I’ve been waiting long time for this drone I’m sure after a little time I’ll probably go ahead and squeeze the trigger

Yes while this post is directly aimed at Pros (people who get paid to operate) let's not forget people like you who don't mind spending the extra dough to get one. Time ticks on but I am still a long way off ordering one personally.

 

[Lister]

.. but the kind of shots I normally do would be so much easier if I could see separately where I'm flying, and what I'm filming.

I agree. Flying and photographing are disparate tasks. That's why in many pro situations (movies) the minimum crew is two. Pilot and photographer. It was true in helicopters and it's true in drones.

Waypoints would solve this. I want to place the aircraft somewhere in space, hit WP#1, move the aircraft, hit WP#2, repeat as needed. Then, tell the drone to move through the various WPs and the flying job can be left to automation. The photographer can then focus solely on that job with guaranteed repeatability.

So, the lack of waypoints is a huge disappointment, especially since they've been implemented elsewhere.

I do like the M3's reported long endurance. Much of the stress of flying is the necessity to implement both pilot and photography gigs while under time/battery pressure. Several reviews mention this more relaxed aspect. Safer, too, I'll bet.

Even though I've not flown one, I agree with those who've said that the ten-bit MP2 image quality from its one inch chip is more than adequate. I've shot quite a bit with a one inch camera and the results from these "little" chips are impressive.

 

[christangey]

I agree. Flying and photographing are disparate tasks. That's why in many pro situations (movies) the minimum crew is two. Pilot and photographer. It was true in helicopters and it's true in drones.

Waypoints would solve this. I want to place the aircraft somewhere in space, hit WP#1, move the aircraft, hit WP#2, repeat as needed. Then, tell the drone to move through the various WPs and the flying job can be left to automation. The photographer can then focus solely on that job with guaranteed repeatability.

So, the lack of waypoints is a huge disappointment, especially since they've been implemented elsewhere.

I do like the M3's reported long endurance. Much of the stress of flying is the necessity to implement both pilot and photography gigs while under time/battery pressure. Several reviews mention this more relaxed aspect. Safer, too, I'll bet.

Even though I've not flown one, I agree with those who've said that the ten-bit MP2 image quality from its one inch chip is more than adequate. I've shot quite a bit with a one inch camera and the results from these "little" chips are impressive.

I think what people forget is that the new battery time is not necessarily about breaking distance/VLOS rules, many times we have to do circuits or just hover in place for extended periods and that is the real win. I've never used waypoints but can definitely see how they could be a great asset on certain shoots.

 

[JoelP]

I think what people forget is that the new battery time is not necessarily about breaking distance/VLOS rules, many times we have to do circuits or just hover in place for extended periods and that is the real win. I've never used waypoints but can definitely see how they could be a great asset on certain shoots.

I am nowhere nearly as skilled at drone videography as you, and do not consider myself a pro despite my Part 107 certificate. That said I am surprised that you never used waypoints. Clearly your skill at smooth flying is better than most. Your videos are amazing!

I never fly as smoothly as I can fly a Litchi mission, especially if I cannot access exp controls. Perhaps the Cine mode does that well enough in the M3 which nobody has yet said in any post that I have seen. As a Pro videographer it would seem that you might want to preplan a flight with Virtual Litchi to tune it to optimum. Or, perhaps you might want to repeat a flight after tweaking some settings. That said, it is hard to argue with your results.