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Dreaming of an Optical Tele Lens on a future iteration of the Mini 3 Pro

Chrislaf

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I know this is probably not technically possible at this moment in time but having a 3X or 4X optical tele lens in addition to the existing wide-angle lens on the next iteration of the Mini 3 Pro and keeping the weight under 250g would be amazing. I love the fact that the Mavic 3 has two lenses. When I bought the Mavic 3, I never realized how much having the two cameras on one drone would allow for such creative potential and perspectives that are impossible to get from just a wide-angle lens.

Many times I am in locations where it is not practical or I cannot fly my Mavic 3 because the rules do not allow me too, but I can fly my Mini 3 Pro and I often wish it had an optical tele lens.

DJI seems to have positioned the Mini 3 Pro as a higher end mini drone so why not add a tele camera to the next iteration to continue to differentiate it from the rest of the mini line.

Chris
 
Glass for making high quality lenses is heavy.
Yes it is. I was think more along the lines of keeping the existing wide angle lens and some sort of optimized tele lens similar to what some cell phones use like the 3x optical lens on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. DJI has shown that they can do this with the Mavic 3, so why not on a mini drone? Obviously they have much more to contend with - the 250g weight threshold being one and gimbal design and heat issues being another.

I think the mini development is getting pretty much maxed out at this point with the addition of sensors on the M3P so improvements in camera design is really the only thing left and the wide angle camera on the M3P is already pretty good.

Chris
 
Yes it is. I was think more along the lines of keeping the existing wide angle lens and some sort of optimized tele lens similar to what some cell phones use like the 3x optical lens on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. DJI has shown that they can do this with the Mavic 3, so why not on a mini drone? Obviously they have much more to contend with - the 250g weight threshold being one and gimbal design and heat issues being another.

I think the mini development is getting pretty much maxed out at this point with the addition of sensors on the M3P so improvements in camera design is really the only thing left and the wide angle camera on the M3P is already pretty good.

Chris
Right now I think adding a fan for cooling would be pretty high on the list for the next pro mini drone.
Weight wise,the threshold seems less important now since it is currently broadcasting RID anyway.
Above all else a fan has to be put in it for cooling.And beef up the camera system right along with it.
 
Right now I think adding a fan for cooling would be pretty high on the list for the next pro mini drone.
Weight wise,the threshold seems less important now since it is currently broadcasting RID anyway.
Above all else a fan has to be put in it for cooling.And beef up the camera system right along with it.
You are probably right with all the new technology being added to the Mini drones they will have to cool it somehow. So far I haven't had any overheating problems with my Mini 3 Pro but I purchased it in September when the weather where I live was getting cooler and fall was just around the corner.

With regard to RID, there is no official policy yet in Canada but it is likely that we will follow suit as RID takes hold across North America but so far we have no deadlines to meet here.

I realize that it is unlikely that DJI would put a two camera system in their mini drones like they have done in the Mavic 3 since it would likely eat up some of their margins for their high end consumer drone. For me, if I had the option of buying a mini drone that had two cameras (wide angle and optical tele) I would definitely go for it as here in Canada there is much more freedom to fly a mini drone and having to re-new my pilot's licence every 2 years to fly my drones that are >250g is a pain.

I love my Mavic 3 - it's a super stable flyer, has two cameras and great battery life but there are restrictions on where I can fly my M3, how far away from people I need to be and I have to have and maintain my pilot's licence. Whereas with the Mini 3 Pro there are rules I have to follow but they are much less restrictive, and I don't need a pilot's licence to fly it.

Chris
 
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