First Drone: Mini 3 or Air 2S

[jphoto]

The zoom lens on that was a deal breaker for me considering it's 3x the cost of the air 2s.

The sensor the 7x zoom uses is no better than the sensor on the mini 2. Depending on what you're shooting you're likely to get a better image cropped from either the Mavic 3s much larger micro 4/3 sensor or the air 2s 1" sensor.

Yeah, I don't think that works like that. The zoom factor of the Mavic 3 tele lens is 7 (7.4 relative to the camera on the Air 2S). If you take a full image using the Mavic 3 normal camera, the image is 5280×3956. If you cropped that image to match the 7X tele factor, you'd end up with an image 713 x 534. I haven't shot an image with that low resolution, I think, ever, since my first digital camera (in 2002) was 2048 x 1536.

Same thing with an Air 2S, original image is 5472×3648, 7X crop would be 739 x 493.

I think the tele lens and 1/2" sensor is a very significant advantage, thanks! You get a 15 degree FOV with a
4000×3000 raw image. I'll have some of that please.

 

[karlblessing]

I think the tele lens and 1/2" sensor is a very significant advantage, thanks! You get a 15 degree FOV with a
4000×3000 raw image. I'll have some of that please.

Based on raw samples the image quality from the 7x tele lens wasn't that great, didn't have quite the same resolving quality that they could have had. True its still 7x optical, but it's actual usable resolution is less than the 12 megapixels it produces. It's a stark contrast to the main lens.

 

[jphoto]

Based on raw samples the image quality from the 7x tele lens wasn't that great, didn't have quite the same resolving quality that they could have had. True its still 7x optical, but it's actual usable resolution is less than the 12 megapixels it produces. It's a stark contrast to the main lens.

The point is it's a camera with an actual full image on its sensor, not a 7x crop of a wide angle lens on a sensor. Yeah, ideally it would be a better lens and sensor, but as I'm sure you know, good lenses tend to be large and heavy, so it's clearly a compromise. As is everything. Even the wide angle lenses on the Air 2S and Mini 3 aren't really "good enough" for the sensors. But that's also not unusual, most lenses for DSLRs don't have adequate resolving power for the camera sensors they're used with. Good glass costs money and is physically huge, and even thing, they aren't all "good enough" for the sensors they're used with.

In my world, I need to get "closer" images of things I can't get close enough to with the 88 degree FOV on a typical drone camera, but I'm not quite ready to drop 15K on a big aircraft yet. So I'll probably try the Mavic 3 compromise first, see if it gets the job done, and go from there.

Edit: found these Mavic 3 sample images. They look pretty good to me, even the 7X lens/camera. I don't see anything to complain about in any of them.

heyengel - DJI Mavic 3 Sample Photography Images

Image quality tests for both wide and tele cameras

heyengel.com

 

[karlblessing]

... I don't see anything to complain about in any of them.

To each their own then. There's a few things I could pick at, but there's nothing else currently in production from them that's going to give you 7X. Course if I had the Mavic 3, I would be primarily using it for the main camera 99% of the time. Just for me personally at the current price point, the zoom camera isn't really adding to the overall value.

 

[JonathanP]

Wow this thread blew up yesterday lol. For the record I went to with the mini pro 3 which arrived in Friday. I have yet to fly it yet. I went with it because of my trip to Europe next year it will be easier to carry. Plus being so quiet I will feel less apprehensive about taking it out if others are in the area. I guess my only gripe about it is when in quick shot or master shot mode it goes back into normal mode and not 10 bit. I want to get good at manually controlling the drone and gimbal but for things like tracking, where my hands will be off the sticks I will be forced into normal mode. I don't know if this will be addressed in a future firmware update or not.

 

[karlblessing]

Wow this thread blew up yesterday lol. For the record I went to with the mini pro 3 which arrived in Friday. I have yet to fly it yet. I went with it because of my trip to Europe next year it will be easier to carry. Plus being so quiet I will feel less apprehensive about taking it out if others are in the area. I guess my only gripe about it is when in quick shot or master shot mode it goes back into normal mode and not 10 bit. I want to get good at manually controlling the drone and gimbal but for things like tracking, where my hands will be off the sticks I will be forced into normal mode. I don't know if this will be addressed in a future firmware update or not.

Probably not. They don't give thst either on the Air 2s, much like how 5.4k is not available in those modes either.

I think because in some of those automated modes such as rhe quickshots, it has to edit/render the video after recording to give the effect shown in the preview. And not all phones can handle the 10bit processing within the app.

Hyperlapse tho, has those control options and can save each frame as a dng raw file. DaVinci and premiere can see both sequences as a raw clip which is a lot more data than 10bit video... But with the time lapse stutter.

 

[guzewski]

I have a Mavic 2 Pro, and got a Mavic Mini to allow me to fly places where I can't fly the bigger drone. (Canadian, so that makes a difference here.) This year I got a Mini 3, and honestly even in places where I can fly the Mavic 2 I've tended to just take the Mini 3, because it is lighter and quieter.

The Mavic 2 has a better camera, and handles gusty winds better, but the Mini is so much more convenient that I haven't flown the Mavic in months.

I'm now seriously considering trading in my Nikon D800 for a Fuji XT-5 (when it comes out), for the same reason — less weight means I'll take it more places. (Wasn't an issue a couple of decades ago, but now I find carrying too much weight saps enough energy that I just don't feel like photography.)

Your drone story is exactly like mine. The Mini 3 Pro struggles just a bit to match the Mavic 2 Pro image quality, but it's so light and quiet that it has become my go-to drone, unless circumstances like wind or light favour the Mavic 2 Pro. Also, with the Mini 3 and DJI RC and a lovely 3rd party case, I can get the drone into the air in less than a minute.

 

[Felix le Chat]

First: Insurance - Get yourself a good drone specific policy for P&P Liability - make sure the provider knows you are visiting different countries and that their policy covers this.
Second: Check the local laws and regulations peculiar to each of the countries you visit. Yes, they are mostly E.U. but many countries have their own personal variations. Check pages such as this. Drone Laws By Country(Complete Map For 2020). (This page has been updated to reflect 2023 rules and regulations).
That way you won't have any nasty little surprises.
You also need to check whether you have to have your drone registered with each individual country before you cross that particular border.
Third: Size does matter - The Air2s might be a great drone: but it is heavy in comparison with the Mini 3 Pro and classified differently according to the EASA/EU regulations. Use anything over 250 grams and you'll be very limited in where you can deploy.
Size related: - On top of that the Mini 3 Pro sensor is less than one-quarter of an inch smaller than the 1" Air2s (0.77" compared to 1") and it has exactly the same size sensor photosites (2.4 microns). Neither the Air2s nor the Mini 3 Pro has a variable aperture - if the Air2s had that feature: the conversation would be going in a different direction.

Regarding the Mini 3 Pro's '48mp' mode. It isn't a genuine 48mp: it is interpolated, but... and it's a BIG but... the DJI version is genuinely outstanding in comparison with the Autel EVO Nano+ claim of 50mp. The 48mp mode will save to DNG as well as JPG and the quality of the RAW shot after editing in post speaks for itself. I use drone cameras for professional heritage work and the one bolted to the Mini 3 Pro is very good.

The camera flip that most people think is just a Tik-Tok/Instagram trick is fantastically useful to a proper photographer - it gives you the option to shoot in portrait using the whole sensor (just like your DSLR) instead of having to shoot in landscape and then lose 2/3rds of your shot frame cropping in to portrait format.

 

[guzewski]

The camera flip that most people think is just a Tik-Tok/Instagram trick is fantastically useful to a proper photographer

OK... I had not realized that. I personally can't handle video shot in portrait mode. There is very little scenery that benefits from that orientation. I think I've been put off my too many inane TikTok videos. But shooting photos in portrait mode might have some potential.

 

[karlblessing]

Second: Check the local laws and regulations peculiar to each of the countries you visit. Yes, they are mostly E.U. but many countries have their own personal variations. Check pages such as this. Drone Laws By Country(Complete Map For 2020). (This page has been updated to reflect 2023 rules and regulations).
That way you won't have any nasty little surprises.

That site seems good mostly from a recreational standpoint. For example if you look up USA on it, it won't tell you that if you're traveling to the US as a commercial photographer, that you can't fly a drone in the US that has been registered in another country (when bringing the drone in for the purpose of commercial intent, such as intent on selling your footage, working for hire etc). Doesn't likely apply to the OP if purely for recreation, but other countries may have similar rules.

 

[Felix le Chat]

That site seems good mostly from a recreational standpoint. For example if you look up USA on it, it won't tell you that if you're traveling to the US as a commercial photographer, that you can't fly a drone in the US that has been registered in another country (when bringing the drone in for the purpose of commercial intent, such as intent on selling your footage, working for hire etc). Doesn't likely apply to the OP if purely for recreation, but other countries may have similar rules.

'May' isn't 'is'. Like I said: Best to check beforehand - assuming it's gonna be okay can be a recipe for disaster whether you're a pro shooter or a rec flyer. Ignorance of the law is no excuse (as the idiot who got nabbed for the air-show flight will no doubt find out). Trying to fly in countries outside the E.U is even more of a problem now - you really have to make sure you tick all their boxes before you pack your luggage... Turkey is a case-in-point.

There is another page that gives far more detailed information, but I'll be slapped with a wet haddock if I can remember what it's title is. The one quoted in the post was the first one I came across with a quick search.

Met a U.S media crew tail end of last year shooting documentary footage in my home town - their pilot hadn't got the faintest idea that the FAA registered drones he was putting up in the air had to be registered with the CAA - even the Mini 2 he was using for tight shots and production stills.