It’s out… Are they nuts?

[Ramar43]

$2200 for just the M3 a controller and battery. $3000 for the “fly more” kit. $5000 for the cine version.

Hard pass for me.

I’ll stick with the M2p until I see what Autel does with the EVO3.

It’s not worth it not even a HASSABLAD LENS

 

[Ramar43]

Ya know... As I look at the early YouTube reviews a couple things come to mind after digesting. While I was very lucky to get a refurb M2P and a discounted fly more add on at a ridiculous price, but retail was around $2000 for the M2p flymore. To get essentially the same package in the M3 the price is bumped $1000. So what do you get extra for the extra $1000? Updated camera system and better sensors and battery redesign.

Ok... so the M3 has a 4/3 sensor. I dunno... You don't get PRORES until you fork out $5k. And the 7x camera is a nice novelty. But $1000... and you don't even get as good a controller as with the Mavic 2 (IMO). You get the same brick that you get with a Mini2. That IMO speaks for itself.

I suppose if you wait a few months you can buy the M3 for $2200, spend $400 on two more batteries and buy a third party multi port charger and save $500 on the unnecessariness. Who knows... At some point there will be some refurbs out there which might grab my attention if my thinking changes and there's nothing better out there.

In the meantime, I would love to see a face off between the M3 and soon to be released EVO3.

One of the YouTube channels the guy said people are returning them and selling them The flight time has improved but you’ll never get 46 minutes

 

[Ramar43]

One of the YouTube channels the guy said people are returning them and selling them The flight time has improved but you’ll never get 46 minutes

They just got greedy too bad

 

[msinger]

The flight time has improved but you’ll never get 46 minutes

This is the norm for every DJI model. It's impossible to consistently reproduce that best possible case on a typical flight.

 

[LakeTravis]

B&H PayBoo is great, tax refund at checkout & free shipping is a nice discount on higher dollar items!

I pay off to avoid interest... that's high on PayBoo. Made mistake of not watching email and missed their e-stmt... got me on interest once, ouch!

Yep, me too... as soon as it posts to the card, I pay it off.

 

[vindibona1]

That's just it, they made it not compatible with the smart controller so that you'll have to get the whole package for more $$......

I'm not really gripping.......... I don't think?....... I really love DJI products as I own 2 of their drones, maybe I'll purchase a M3 for my next drone if the ever come down a little on price$

Good point. I think if I spent that kind of money for a smart controller and it wasn't forward compatible I'd be really pissed. Interesting how they did make their "standard" M3 controller compatible with the same controller as the Mini2... oh wait... it is the SAME controller as that comes with the Mini2, Air2 and Air2s. And the standard controller they went with has far fewer buttons and functions and lacks an LCD screen and refinements that come with the standard M2 controller. Fancy that!

I don't see the extra $1000 in value, though I do have to admit the Chinese seem to know what the REAL inflation numbers are... and they aren't 5.6%. Think about it.

In my eyes there are too many red flags to bite on this one. But there are some that will... and God bless.

 

[Kentucky Ranger]

$2200 for just the M3 a controller and battery. $3000 for the “fly more” kit. $5000 for the cine version.

Hard pass for me.

I’ll stick with the M2p until I see what Autel does with the EVO3.

I’ll keep my M2 Pro and SMART controller. I don’t need the extra 15 min of flight…

 

[thispilothere]

One of the YouTube channels the guy said people are returning them and selling them The flight time has improved but you’ll never get 46 minutes

Maybe we'll see some serious deals in a few months.

 

[OzMavix]

I've spent the morning down the rabbit hole of M3 YouTube reviews - as one does!

The zoom camera by many accounts is a waste of time, as is the ProRes unless you're using it for serious commercial purposes. There is a distinct feeling that the M3 is half-baked, with a rushed release and no firmware update till January, which significantly hampers use for a lot of users I imagine. Seems a bit of a rush job to me, probably to make the most of pre-Xmas sales, and with that, we will probably see quite a few reports of mishaps, crashes, disconnections, etc.

The obstacle avoidance looks like a big step up, but still not as good as the Skydio2 (not that I'd buy one of those anyway).

Looking at some image/video comparisons (and I'm no photographic genius, just your average droner), the M2P still holds up VERY well against the M3.

And with the cost: AUD$3,100 for the basic version, AUD$4,200 for the Fly More Combo and AUD$7,200 for the Cine, I think I'll stick to the M2P considering how much I've already spent kitting it out! Added to the cost of the M3 is the Care Refresh Plan at AUD$529 for 1 year and AUD$889 for 2 years, which you would be crazy not to purchase with the current state of the firmware.

Personally, the standouts for me are the 4/3 CMOS, the flight time, the updated obstacle avoidance and RTH, as well as the flight modes which are TBA and not available until January 2022.

I'd love it if DJI had a "build your own" style approach. I like the idea of the onboard 1TB SSD, but I'm certainly not going to buy the Cine version just for that, when a 1TB SD card will do the job. The Inspire 2 is looking a lot more attractive!

Just my thoughts. No more screen time for me today!

 

[sar104]

Maybe we'll see some serious deals in a few months.

Or more likely the YouTube guy was just making stuff up, since hardly anyone even has one of these yet. And I would expect only a small fraction of customers will buy this primarily for the flight time. It's all about the camera.

 

[vindibona1]

I'd love it if DJI had a "build your own" style approach. I like the idea of the onboard 1TB SSD, but I'm certainly not going to buy the Cine version just for that, when a 1TB SD card will do the job. The Inspire 2 is looking a lot more attractive!

Just my thoughts. No more screen time for me today!

If we are trying to predict or analyze what DJI does it is important to understand the Chinese corporate culture. They probably hire the best bean counters the CCP could produce and so far it seems that they have done an excellent job of not only making very good profit but cornering the market. I don’t think we are ever going to guess what DJI is going to do. As an example we have been waiting for the SDK for the mini 2 for a year now which has yet to be released. DJI does what it wants when it wants as they know they have very little competition.

 

[THEYNINE]

Why don’t they sell M3 without the controller so folks can purchase the smart controller?

That would work for me.

 

[Dougcjohn]

If we are trying to predict or analyze what DJI does it is important to understand the Chinese corporate culture. They probably hire the best bean counters the CCP could produce and so far it seems that they have done an excellent job of not only making very good profit but cornering the market. I don’t think we are ever going to guess what DJI is going to do. As an example we have been waiting for the SDK for the mini 2 for a year now which has yet to be released. DJI does what it wants when it wants as they know they have very little competition.

DJI hasn’t had much competition, although their market share has declined (minimally) and Autel has been the primary competitor.

Their 3 new products have appeal and provide features DJI lacks in comparable craft... plus the near future releases sound very promising. Granted, Autel is experiencing major deliver problems… so mostly not available yet.

In past I hadn’t considered Autel, interest increasing.
I think they’ve produced more significant gains in features and technology.

 

[netsonic]

Well, I have to admit that it's nice, has better specs, but i'm not buying one. Got a Mini 2 and a Air 2 and was looking to buy maybe a FPV or this one (M3). Now looking at the price, it's not going to happen.

 

[halifax]

I have no need for the new M3 but I find it to be an impressive machine. For my end use, large/complex conservation landscapes, the flight time and range specs are particularly enticing.

 

[vindibona1]

Well, I have to admit that it's nice, has better specs, but i'm not buying one. Got a Mini 2 and a Air 2 and was looking to buy maybe a FPV or this one (M3). Now looking at the price, it's not going to happen.

It may seem counterintuitive, but for the average guy, even with a M2P, excluding Autel, the Air2s is pretty formidable and has features that the M2P doesn't have. The 4/3 sensor does do better in low light, but how often do we shoot in low light situations where standard noise reductions wouldn't help? Having owned numerous professional DSLR's, on a practical level there was virtually no difference in image quality between the APS-C sensor and full frame sensor, though on paper there was. The DJI 7x zoom camera with 1/2 sensor and the way it operates is kind of clumsy, especially because for a "professional" camera with the 7x camera you are limited to AUTO mode. WUWD? I would imagine there will be some refurb Air2s units available in a short while. Also, M2Z refurbs are $1100.

Again, I don't understand DJI's decision to go with a boat anchor for a standard controller? I know a lot of folks like them, but personal ergonomics aside, they are far less elegant- and functional than the controllers that come with the M2. The programmable 5D button, programmable C1/C2 buttons, separate video/photo activation buttons, LCD screen, aoerture/shutter adjustment dial. Come on man (in breathy senile voice) there is no comparison. And they want you to pay $5k for all whole enchilada when you only want a smart controller as an add on. IMO not making the M3 compatible with existing smart controllers is a slap in the face to those who paid big money for them. The opposite of that thinking is Victor Hasselblad (cameras) who, until they went digital, never had an old piece of equipment become obsolete when newer stuff came out. Compare those two corporate cultures and think on it for a bit.

 

[Korrd]

It's like they are pushing new products to clients not by making them better, but via planned obsolescence + gimmickey upgrades.

I would buy the M3 only at half the price it is now.

 

[MS Coast]

Basically yes, but co-located technically only applies to the recreational exemption. Under Part 107 both the PIC and any VOs must both be able to see the aircraft at all times (which makes daisy chaining pointless and doesn't buy distance) but they do not have to be co-located - that word is not used in Part 107.

Doesn't it seem like 107.3.1 (b) contradicts (a) and says RIPC or VO must have the drone in VLOS?

(b) Throughout the entire flight of the small unmanned aircraft, the ability described in paragraph (a) of this section must be exercised by either:

(1) The remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small unmanned aircraft system; or

(2) A visual observer.

 

[Donzo98]

The range thing is for those very very few countries that may not have a VLOS rule - whomever they are. At the distance shown, hopefully signal strength is much improved for us short range flyers. RTH is cool in the M3, along with all the OA sensors on board and a near uncrashable drone (according to DJI).

I may upgrade, but never one to be on the cutting edge and having the latest today when it rolls out. I'll wait for some real shake-down flights by folks here on the forum before making that leap and it won't be for that CINE Pkg either (OMG - crazy pricing).

If I could use my Smart Controller... I MIGHT be tempted. For now... nope.

 

[Dougcjohn]

The MFT Sensor is a strong "Plus", 200Mbps Bitrate impressive and extended Battery time is beneficial; the OA is minimal in my opinion... rarely use OA, and OcuSync 3 questionable benefit... previous transmission was impressive. Side Comment on battery, an Extended battery for M2P could have been easily produced... a little heated hump back model would provide extended time without much change in weight or balance.

Regarding MFT, looking forward to reviews & other's personal evaluations how it compares in Images to other MFT with separate glass; the M3 has a very small lens, extremely close to the sensor. The MFT sensor is part of the equation, the 2nd that most consider more important is the lens and that's an area I'm curious to see image results.

I use the X5R and X5S for MFT and X7 for FF, and use the MFT m. zuiko 12mm f2 lens as a primary lens.
Both the m.zuiko 12mm and M3 specs Indicated a 84 FVO 24mm equivalent. The m.zuiko is f2, the M3 f2.8.
The m.zuiko glass is 11 elements and produces extremely sharp flat edge to edge images at a lens cost of $700.

When needing a wider angle for construction progress photos on buildings limited by other structures, can use a sharp glass Venus 9mm with 113 FOV equivalent 18mm on a MFT. Need a little more power for map image, the m.zuiko 25 & 45mm are options.

I was excited when rumors indicated a MFT, but without interchangeable glass or lens that's further from sensor, I question if it's comparable with other MFT image quality and flatness.