Going to a mini 3 pro an upgrade or downgrade?

[Menthol]

So I'm having an itch for new toy...
Currently own a Pro Platinum that is flawless but the sub 250 gram drone sound so nice.

Whats the collective wisdom here? is it an downgrade? or and upgrade?

I'd need to sell my current one as I'm not made of $$.

What is my current setup worth?

• Flawless DJI Pro Platinum with low hours
• Original DJI Prop guards
• spare set of Original DJI OEM props in Aftermarket case
• Original DJI Battery
• Second battery (non OEM)
• Charger with damaged (but working charging lead - **** cat chewed it)
• Car charger 12v Cigarette lighter lead
• Original DJI controller (the one with the display)
• Original DJI Prop protector cages
• Original DJI Goggles (the white one)
• And Original DJI Sling Carry case for drone + controller + goggles.

 

[old man mavic]

@Menthol it really depends on you location, if you are in the UK or Europe, then the mini 3 pro would make sense, due to its less restrictive flight restrictions
if you are in the US then maybe not so important right now
and also be aware that the Apps are different for the two drones

 

[Menthol]

@Menthol it really depends on you location, if you are in the UK or Europe, then the mini 3 pro would make sense, due to its less restrictive flight restrictions
if you are in the US then maybe not so important right now
and also be aware that the Apps are different for the two drones

Good point! Thanks!
I'm just looking for a smaller package to stow on the bike. and to avoid the hassle with Remote ID that is coming.
You also mentioned the app being different.... Any major differences one should be aware of?

 

[Menthol]

@Menthol it really depends on you location, if you are in the UK or Europe, then the mini 3 pro would make sense, due to its less restrictive flight restrictions
if you are in the US then maybe not so important right now
and also be aware that the Apps are different for the two drones

also saw you have both the mini 3 pro and platinum.. your take on the mini 3 pro in general?

 

[old man mavic]

@Menthol for me the Mini 3 pro is a wonderful sub 250g drone when it is partnered with the new RC controller ,it all fit nicely in the fly more bag, and once i receive my 4th battery, it will be the complete package ,it is so easy to set up and get airborne , and actually flies extremely well in blustery wind conditions
the Fly app has differences in layout and functions ,and if you had never had the experience of flying with the GO4 app,then you would find it perfectly adequate,those of us who have flown for some time with the GO4 app myself included ,find that a lot the flight adjustment settings ,for fine control of the drone ,by the RC have not been carried over to the fly app ,for me the thing i miss most is the Tripod mode ,which allows the MPP to fly with such precision and fine control ,in confined areas i think over time these things will be added to the Fly app ,the only problem with making the Fly app more capable is the amount of CPU use it puts on the screen devices ,we use to fly our drones

 

[Logger]

So presumably going to the Mini 3 Pro from the MPP is an upgrade? @Menthol have you proceeded with the switch yet?

I am thinking of upgrading from my MPP as well. Have had a Mavic then MPP since 2016. I just sent my MPP to DJI for a repair where the camera was not properly sealed. Temp changes from indoors to outdoors was allowing moisture into the camera and fogging the lens. DJI have replaced it with a new unit at minimal cost. So seems now seems a good time to swap it out because the MPP is as new & I should get a few $ for it..

Trying to decide if I should go for the Mini 3 Pro or the MUCH more expensive Mavic 3 + RC Pro. I see mention of the new FLY app for the Mini 3. Same app on the Mavic 3 is it?

The small size of the Mini and its lower price is attractive. But I really don't need to cart it around much.

My primary use will be to check things on a farm that is about 400 hectares. So I need to be able to fly it 3 or 4 kms and look at stock, fencing and water troughs. Gets pretty windy where I am on the coast in southern Aust. Mavics have coped well in these conditions but I am a little concerned if the Mini 3 Pro will be able to cope with the strong winds and reception on the distances I fly.

The MPP has been good to see things at a distance on the farm. But it is not good at getting up close to and inspecting things from afar.

The telephoto capability if the Mavic 3 is what really appeals to me for farm inspections. The idea of being able to zoom in on a group of cattle from 30m away and read their ear tags could be very useful. Or to to zoom in inspect the float system on a water trough. MPP struggles with this sort of thing because it has to flown too close for comfort to resolve the detail.

So I am still in the research phase but leaning towards upgrading from MPP to the Mavic 3 at this point.

 

[Robert Prior]

Mavic 3 will handle wind better than the Mini 3, according to Stewart Carroll who flies in Scotland.

 

[Menthol]

So presumably going to the Mini 3 Pro from the MPP is an upgrade? @Menthol have you proceeded with the switch yet?

I am thinking of upgrading from my MPP as well. Have had a Mavic then MPP since 2016. I just sent my MPP to DJI for a repair where the camera was not properly sealed. Temp changes from indoors to outdoors was allowing moisture into the camera and fogging the lens. DJI have replaced it with a new unit at minimal cost. So seems now seems a good time to swap it out because the MPP is as new & I should get a few $ for it..

Trying to decide if I should go for the Mini 3 Pro or the MUCH more expensive Mavic 3 + RC Pro. I see mention of the new FLY app for the Mini 3. Same app on the Mavic 3 is it?

The small size of the Mini and its lower price is attractive. But I really don't need to cart it around much.

My primary use will be to check things on a farm that is about 400 hectares. So I need to be able to fly it 3 or 4 kms and look at stock, fencing and water troughs. Gets pretty windy where I am on the coast in southern Aust. Mavics have coped well in these conditions but I am a little concerned if the Mini 3 Pro will be able to cope with the strong winds and reception on the distances I fly.

The MPP has been good to see things at a distance on the farm. But it is not good at getting up close to and inspecting things from afar.

The telephoto capability if the Mavic 3 is what really appeals to me for farm inspections. The idea of being able to zoom in on a group of cattle from 30m away and read their ear tags could be very useful. Or to to zoom in inspect the float system on a water trough. MPP struggles with this sort of thing because it has to flown too close for comfort to resolve the detail.

So I am still in the research phase but leaning towards upgrading from MPP to the Mavic 3 at this point.

Have not bought the 3 yet. And honestly I don’t know its an upgrade or not. The smaller size would fit better in saddle bags so that’s a plus for me.

From what I read the app is not the same on the mini as on the MPP, but again i dont know what the differences are and if I would miss any functionality. I was hoping someone here could enlighten me.

As it is your own land perhaps other rules apply and you could fly with the FPV goggles and get even closer to inspect the cattle. I do not know VLOS rules apply if you own the land you fly on.

I have had my MPP + goggles on facebook marketplace now for a couple of weeks and no takers for $1000…. So perhaps the market is not so hot. And for $1000 I’ll keep it and buy bigger saddlebags for my bike.

 

[Menthol]

Mavic 3 will handle wind better than the Mini 3, according to Stewart Carroll who flies in Scotland.

But will it perform at same level or worse than the MPP? I better check out the video! Thanks for the link.

 

[Logger]

Mavic 3 will handle wind better than the Mini 3, according to Stewart Carroll who flies in Scotland.

Thanks for that. Yeah my MPP handles easily as well or better than the Mini 3 Pro in the video, so presumably the Mavic 3 will as well. A few times I have had MPP blowing away at altitude and readily fixed it by ground hugging to get it home. Also I read the Mini 3 Pro can start descending uncommanded, when batteries are at full load and its unable to move forward into wind. I would find that annoying.

I found a useful comparator on the DJI site at Consumer Drones Comparison - Compare Mavic Series and Other Consumer Drones - DJI

 

[Starz]

When the first mini was released, the fly app was certainly a bit of a change from the go4 app. I have several DJI products and most run the go4. You will see differences with the mini series products compared to the mpp but since you are already aware of the wind factor, you should be ok. Fly app has been improved several times and is more usable now.
Me, I’m not a “mini” fan. I tend to lean towards the bigger ones since bulk isn’t an issue for my use.

 

[Menthol]

When the first mini was released, the fly app was certainly a bit of a change from the go4 app. I have several DJI products and most run the go4. You will see differences with the mini series products compared to the mpp but since you are already aware of the wind factor, you should be ok. Fly app has been improved several times and is more usable now.
Me, I’m not a “mini” fan. I tend to lean towards the bigger ones since bulk isn’t an issue for my use.

Since I'm not a very "advanced" user the fly app will most likely be just fine for me.