TL;DR. Which of the DJI drones would you buy if you were a semi pro who values an amazing camera (and good stills perhaps being even more important), and you know you wanted/needed the Mavic Cine eventually, but a Mavic Mini 3 might honestly be enough for now (For another year at least).
The Mavic 3 Cine:
The Regular is probably the drone I need for today, but I kind of WANT the Cine ($7200) for the Pro-Res. So the standard is 98% of what I need, but I'm torn because I'm all about camera quality, and even if I never made a cent I might regret the purchase.
The Mavic 3 Pro:
($4200au for the combo), looks to still be "professional", but it's not so much better than the Air 2S in the real world, is it? (Or does the big sensor make more difference than I give it credit for?). Having said that, stills photos are incredibly important to me, and I think the 2S would disappoint (or maybe not, but my old regular Air 2 did).
The Air 2S:
($2100) is great, but is it getting a little dated now when you consider how close the Air, Air 2, then Air 2s came out. So I might wait for a 3 and/or 3S? (Any Rumours circulating about when that could happen?)
The Mavic Mini 3 Pro ($1300),
Seems to be impressing a lot of people. With it's camera upgrades, it seems to be pretty close (on paper) to the Air 2S, with some extra things (like the tilt up) that open up some cool possibilities. I don't need to worry about weight in Australia, but it seems like a bonus to be that small (provided it can penetrate the wind and has a few good KM of range).
I dismissed it at first, but... maybe it's the one that makes the most sense? It's the cheapest but not the worst (Or if it is, it's still bloody good). It may not be "professional" but maybe it's "professional enough" to get back into flying drones and making some cool content until a Mavic 3 Cine makes sense for me and I have $7200 I don't know what else to do with?
So... given the above, (and keeping in mind that stills matter to me more than 4K60 because I would like to make prints and have enough resolution to crop), which way would you be leaning?
- The $1300 cheap but awesome 'starter drone" that (HOPEFULLY?) can get me some low end work and/or fill my creative needs (without me wishing I had just forked out for the big drone).
- The midrange drone that maybe ticks enough boxes, for $800 extra? (But is it $800 better, and is it worth just stepping up to the drone I really need if money was no object?)
- Or the High end drone that ticks all the boxes (but one) for me? And is the last box worth $3000 more? (I don't really care about the smart controller and the internal storage is kind of a downer by the sounds of it for offloading footage quickly).
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Just briefly about me so you know where I'm coming from.
1. I'm a professional photographer first, but video is getting to be 50% of what I do and love. In fact, I made more money from video last year (but not with drones).
2. I had a Mavic Air 2 briefly and I loved flying it and some of the shots (stills and video) I got when I had it on my 2 big trips. My drone actually failed and was out of service for a while, but I think I'd have flown it a lot more if it had been available. For fun, but also to make prints, and be creative with. A goal would have been to monetise it, but not 100% sure how.
3. In addition to doing it as a hobby and using it as a "value add" on some jobs, I'd like to really step into using it as a source of income. I'm in Australia, and it's my understanding that most of my intended uses don't require a permit, but I'm considering getting one anyway so I can charge more and genuinely market myself as a "drone pilot".
4. Professionally, besides work I do for myself, I'm not exactly sure who my clients will be at first, but I'm sure it will range from real estate, to advertising, and maybe some creative pursuits. Definitely content for myself, and possibly others though.
5. To be honest, I could use some help thinking of potential people to market to, which might make the choice more obvious. I'd prefer photo/video uses because that's my background, but I'm open to other uses (and actually, please factor that all in when helping me decide on drones, as whatever I buy needs to generate SOME income).
The Mavic 3 Cine:
The Regular is probably the drone I need for today, but I kind of WANT the Cine ($7200) for the Pro-Res. So the standard is 98% of what I need, but I'm torn because I'm all about camera quality, and even if I never made a cent I might regret the purchase.
The Mavic 3 Pro:
($4200au for the combo), looks to still be "professional", but it's not so much better than the Air 2S in the real world, is it? (Or does the big sensor make more difference than I give it credit for?). Having said that, stills photos are incredibly important to me, and I think the 2S would disappoint (or maybe not, but my old regular Air 2 did).
The Air 2S:
($2100) is great, but is it getting a little dated now when you consider how close the Air, Air 2, then Air 2s came out. So I might wait for a 3 and/or 3S? (Any Rumours circulating about when that could happen?)
The Mavic Mini 3 Pro ($1300),
Seems to be impressing a lot of people. With it's camera upgrades, it seems to be pretty close (on paper) to the Air 2S, with some extra things (like the tilt up) that open up some cool possibilities. I don't need to worry about weight in Australia, but it seems like a bonus to be that small (provided it can penetrate the wind and has a few good KM of range).
I dismissed it at first, but... maybe it's the one that makes the most sense? It's the cheapest but not the worst (Or if it is, it's still bloody good). It may not be "professional" but maybe it's "professional enough" to get back into flying drones and making some cool content until a Mavic 3 Cine makes sense for me and I have $7200 I don't know what else to do with?
So... given the above, (and keeping in mind that stills matter to me more than 4K60 because I would like to make prints and have enough resolution to crop), which way would you be leaning?
- The $1300 cheap but awesome 'starter drone" that (HOPEFULLY?) can get me some low end work and/or fill my creative needs (without me wishing I had just forked out for the big drone).
- The midrange drone that maybe ticks enough boxes, for $800 extra? (But is it $800 better, and is it worth just stepping up to the drone I really need if money was no object?)
- Or the High end drone that ticks all the boxes (but one) for me? And is the last box worth $3000 more? (I don't really care about the smart controller and the internal storage is kind of a downer by the sounds of it for offloading footage quickly).
----
Just briefly about me so you know where I'm coming from.
1. I'm a professional photographer first, but video is getting to be 50% of what I do and love. In fact, I made more money from video last year (but not with drones).
2. I had a Mavic Air 2 briefly and I loved flying it and some of the shots (stills and video) I got when I had it on my 2 big trips. My drone actually failed and was out of service for a while, but I think I'd have flown it a lot more if it had been available. For fun, but also to make prints, and be creative with. A goal would have been to monetise it, but not 100% sure how.
3. In addition to doing it as a hobby and using it as a "value add" on some jobs, I'd like to really step into using it as a source of income. I'm in Australia, and it's my understanding that most of my intended uses don't require a permit, but I'm considering getting one anyway so I can charge more and genuinely market myself as a "drone pilot".
4. Professionally, besides work I do for myself, I'm not exactly sure who my clients will be at first, but I'm sure it will range from real estate, to advertising, and maybe some creative pursuits. Definitely content for myself, and possibly others though.
5. To be honest, I could use some help thinking of potential people to market to, which might make the choice more obvious. I'd prefer photo/video uses because that's my background, but I'm open to other uses (and actually, please factor that all in when helping me decide on drones, as whatever I buy needs to generate SOME income).
