Looking for Mini3 Pro photographer response

[Brojon]

You don't need a Part 107 certificate to fly any of the drones. You just need to fly either commercially or recreationally and follow the rules accordingly.

I was just going to mention that. I'm astonished that so much misinformation still exists when it's all available to easily look up.

 

[plhoward]

I was just going to mention that. I'm astonished that so much misinformation still exists when it's all available to easily look up.

I'm a newbie so I want to make sure I have this right. You do however need to register the drone because it's over 250g correct? You just don't need the Part 107 unless you plan to use it for business (make money) from it.

 

[Brojon]

I'm a newbie so I want to make sure I have this right. You do however need to register the drone because it's over 250g correct? You just don't need the Part 107 unless you plan to use it for business (make money) from it.

You need to take the TRUST test and then register the drone with the FAA for $5 or so. You have to renew it ever so often. BTW your FAA ID is the same for however many drones you have. It's not really the drone that gets registered. More like you and here's what drones you fly. Very much like the EU EASA Operator ID.
Note that the panel shows your FAA ID and how many devices you have registered.

 

[plhoward]

You need to take the TRUST test and then register the drone with the FAA for $5 or so. You have to renew it ever so often. BTW your FAA ID is the same for however many drones you have. It's not really the drone that gets registered. More like you and here's what drones you fly. Very much like the EU EASA Operator ID.

Thanks. I only have Mini 3 Pro but did all that anyway. I am looking into Part 107 but no rush.

 

[Brojon]

Thanks. I only have Mini 3 Pro but did all that anyway. I am looking into Part 107 but no rush.

You just need to take the trust - no need to register and pay since the Mini 3 Pro is under 250g.

 

[New England Droning]

That's not the Fly More Combo.


View attachment 159086

Your right, it's 1749.00 plus 649.00 for the fly more kit...

 

[Coskier]

IIRC, 48MP mode just produces a JPG, not a RAW. I could be wrong though.

As for printing larger than poster size, there is software, like Gigapixel AI, that helps really well with that use case.

 

[New England Droning]

IIRC, 48MP mode just produces a JPG, not a RAW. I could be wrong though.

As for printing larger than poster size, there is software, like Gigapixel AI, that helps really well with that use case.

I use topaz products already but from what I see with many of my mini2 images, even the raw don't have the depth of a real dslr camera. This is the main reason I'm looking at the mavic3 classic. To me, this is where size matters...

 

[Brojon]

I use topaz products already but from what I see with many of my mini2 images, even the raw don't have the depth of a real dslr camera. This is the main reason I'm looking at the mavic3 classic. To me, this is where size matters...

A larger sensor and larger photosites win every time.

 

[New England Droning]

A larger sensor and larger photosites win every time.

I think the Mavic 3 classic is the way to go... but I had to get a crown today and with dental, it cost almost as much as the drone... maybe next month.

 

[Brojon]

I think the Mavic 3 classic is the way to go... but I had to get a crown today and with dental, it cost almost as much as the drone... maybe next month.

I hear ya buddy - them dentists are sure proud of their work.

 

[New England Droning]

I hear ya buddy - them dentists are sure proud of their work.

I know what you mean. (a bit OT)
But in trying to choose which way to go with the M3C it seems that no matter what I try it's better to go with the M3C and the fly more kit (with pro controller).
I've tried just getting the drone and trying to buy piecemeal the items needed but they have those priced so that the only real way to go is with the full set ups... (I only have the mini2 and I'm gifting that to someone who will be a Rec flyer only and won't need the RID... But only after I get the m3C

 

[Daytona500]

Resolution between mini 2 and mini 3 are the same. The 48MP is all smoke. The reason it has improved image quality is due to a larger sensor. The wider aperture makes it better in low light as well.
Yes, the Mavic 3 is the way to go in all aspects but size, legality and portability. You can fly the mini 3 with no pilot's license provided you're not using it for business purposes. The mavic 3 you need to get your part 107 license since it's over 250g.

you dont need 107 if flying for fun

 

[akdrone]

And he didn't so much as mention a single shortcoming of the Mini 3. Not the potential for crashes due to the lack of side obstacle avoidance sensors. Not the fogging of the lens so many have encountered. Not the problems with using the 48MP mode.

If I wanted a benefits only video I'd just watch the official DJI channel...

The Mavic 3's tele lens provides images the mini 3 pro can't pretend to obtain.

 

[akdrone]

RYou can fly the mini 3 with no pilot's license provided you're not using it for business purposes.

Not correct. The test is NOT whether you are using it for business. The "test" per the FAA is whether the purpose of the flight is for fun. You cannot so much as launch your drone with the intent of inspecting your roof, legally, without a part 107. That example is often cited because it does a good job of pointing out that it not a matter of business vs not for business, it is a matter of intent. You can fly for fun and in doing so come across an amazing scene and make a million dollars off the image as long as you simply intended to go out and fly for fun. You can't, however, help a friend find his dog or check something out for a friend for free. If you launch purely for fun...go out and take some photos, video, look around for fun you are good including anything you capture that is incidental to that flight. It is your intent of flying for fun that is the key.

 

[Felix le Chat]

I'm first and foremost a photographer with an airborne camera. (currently mini2) and since so far DJI doesn't seem to be putting remote ID on the mini2 I'm looking at gifting my brother-in-law with the mini2 and upgrading to a better airborne camera. (he would only fly as a recreational so no RID and trust only)

Now, I know the camera on the 3 Pro is better than the mini 2 with its 4000x2000 raw shots and it appears the raw on the mini 3 Pro is up to 8064 x 6048 (I assume dng) is it better to go this route? Or should I go with the bigger price tag and sensor of the Mavic 3. (they seem to have worked out the bugs finally)

Is the larger sensor of the mavic 3 classic ($1,749.00 flymore kit at B&H) worth jumping up from the Mini 3 pro ($1,158.00 at B&H)
From a pure photographer standpoint, which would you go with? These prices are for the flymore kits so they are similar and both come with the DJI RC remote...

The mavic 3 camera has the better sensor by a farmyard mile. Better dynamic range, detail, the variable aperture and so on, but it's a big bird. Many more restrictions to where and how it can be flown. The sub-250grm mini 3 pro carries a 12mp sensor considerably larger compared to the half-inch shoehorned into most drone cameras. The "48mp" binned mode still shots are output in DNG format and, as a still photographer myself, I can honestly say that they are awesome for what they are.

I think it will all boil down to how you intend to use a flying camera.... If you want a mix of close-quarters urban and wide, deep landscape shots: the mini 3 pro will give you much more flight flexibility without you having to comply with larger class legal restrictions as well as causing you a raft of red-tape custom unlocking headaches every time you take it out to an urban shoot location.

But if you want the drone equivalent of a quality DSLR, then the Mavic 3 is the beast to choose.

 

[New England Droning]

The mavic 3 camera has the better sensor by a farmyard mile. Better dynamic range, detail, the variable aperture and so on, but it's a big bird. Many more restrictions to where and how it can be flown. The sub-250grm mini 3 pro carries a 12mp sensor considerably larger compared to the half-inch shoehorned into most drone cameras. The "48mp" binned mode still shots are output in DNG format and, as a still photographer myself, I can honestly say that they are awesome for what they are.

I think it will all boil down to how you intend to use a flying camera.... If you want a mix of close-quarters urban and wide, deep landscape shots: the mini 3 pro will give you much more flight flexibility without you having to comply with larger class legal restrictions as well as causing you a raft of red-tape custom unlocking headaches every time you take it out to an urban shoot location.

But if you want the drone equivalent of a quality DSLR, then the Mavic 3 is the beast to choose.

Ok, I'm going to plead ignorance here, I highlighted the statement above and I don't know of any real differences between flying the mini2 and the M3 (any variation) But first let me state my assumptions.
I'm flying part 107 no matter what on every flight as a photographer who is shooting to produce stunning images of the world around me...
I do not fly over people to include loosely termed gatherings. If people for any reason come together whether they are in bleachers (open-air assemblies) I have no reason to be anywhere near them.
I understand one is Cat 1 and the other is Cat 2 but I usually don't fly in urban environments (I have flown over Salem MA but I stayed over a park with no people in it (except for me) and other than this I look at the area and watch for groupings of people. IF I see people I will go in a different direction to avoid them.
The only time people or vehicles are an issue is when I transition over and past them which seems to be allowed for both Cat 1/2 but maybe I'm wrong here on Cat 2. at no time do I fly over anyone besides myself.
Both drones in my case will require RID this Sept (2023) due to I don't fly for recreation although I enjoy the heck out of it even though it's under part 107.
I also fly only in the USA so rules in Canada or the EU do not concern me unless I travel to those countries...

Am I missing any concerns about flying the heavier M3 Classic Vs the Mini2 than I am used to...

 

[Felix le Chat]

Ok, I'm going to plead ignorance here, I highlighted the statement above and I don't know of any real differences between flying the mini2 and the M3 (any variation) But first let me state my assumptions.
I'm flying part 107 no matter what on every flight as a photographer who is shooting to produce stunning images of the world around me...
I do not fly over people to include loosely termed gatherings. If people for any reason come together whether they are in bleachers (open-air assemblies) I have no reason to be anywhere near them.
I understand one is Cat 1 and the other is Cat 2 but I usually don't fly in urban environments (I have flown over Salem MA but I stayed over a park with no people in it (except for me) and other than this I look at the area and watch for groupings of people. IF I see people I will go in a different direction to avoid them.
The only time people or vehicles are an issue is when I transition over and past them which seems to be allowed for both Cat 1/2 but maybe I'm wrong here on Cat 2. at no time do I fly over anyone besides myself.
Both drones in my case will require RID this Sept (2023) due to I don't fly for recreation although I enjoy the heck out of it even though it's under part 107.
I also fly only in the USA so rules in Canada or the EU do not concern me unless I travel to those countries...

Am I missing any concerns about flying the heavier M3 Classic Vs the Mini2 than I am used to...

Then the best thing to do is for you to look up what you are allowed to do in the US (flight restrictions based on weight class) - comparing both drones to see if the sub-250 can be flown in closer proximity to uninvolved persons: within an urban or urbanized environment; or without any minimum distance to built structures without a specific permission or waiver.

I don't live or fly in the US and am never likely to, but in the UK: a sub-250 can be flown in a dense urban landscape - it isn't restricted to a minimum set distance from uninvolved people nor is it restricted to a set distance from built structures. The only real "no-no" is deliberate or "accidental" flight over crowds of people (cited in CAA regulations as being tight groupings up to or in excess of 1,000 people *up until the last time I looked*).

From a practical point of view I use the smaller bird more often now because I need to get closer than 30/50M to buildings. Some of the shoots I do are close architectural detail and tight groupings of buildings - surveying state: condition and disposition in their historical context as well as eye-candy shots, so flinging my mavic 2 zoom up in the air is now a definite no-no because of the relevant category it falls into. If I want to use my big bird to best advantage: I'll deploy it well away from anything even vaguely resembling humanity. Horses for courses.

 

[GFields]

Ok, I'm going to plead ignorance here, I highlighted the statement above and I don't know of any real differences between flying the mini2 and the M3 (any variation) But first let me state my assumptions.
I'm flying part 107 no matter what on every flight as a photographer who is shooting to produce stunning images of the world around me...
I do not fly over people to include loosely termed gatherings. If people for any reason come together whether they are in bleachers (open-air assemblies) I have no reason to be anywhere near them.
I understand one is Cat 1 and the other is Cat 2 but I usually don't fly in urban environments (I have flown over Salem MA but I stayed over a park with no people in it (except for me) and other than this I look at the area and watch for groupings of people. IF I see people I will go in a different direction to avoid them.
The only time people or vehicles are an issue is when I transition over and past them which seems to be allowed for both Cat 1/2 but maybe I'm wrong here on Cat 2. at no time do I fly over anyone besides myself.
Both drones in my case will require RID this Sept (2023) due to I don't fly for recreation although I enjoy the heck out of it even though it's under part 107.
I also fly only in the USA so rules in Canada or the EU do not concern me unless I travel to those countries...

Am I missing any concerns about flying the heavier M3 Classic Vs the Mini2 than I am used to...

In my humble opinion, the Mavic 3 Classic would be a better choice for what you describe.

 

[New England Droning]

Then the best thing to do is for you to look up what you are allowed to do in the US (flight restrictions based on weight class) - comparing both drones to see if the sub-250 can be flown in closer proximity to uninvolved persons: within an urban or urbanized environment; or without any minimum distance to built structures without a specific permission or waiver.

I don't live or fly in the US and am never likely to, but in the UK: a sub-250 can be flown in a dense urban landscape - it isn't restricted to a minimum set distance from uninvolved people nor is it restricted to a set distance from built structures. The only real "no-no" is deliberate or "accidental" flight over crowds of people (cited in CAA regulations as being tight groupings up to or in excess of 1,000 people *up until the last time I looked*).

From a practical point of view I use the smaller bird more often now because I need to get closer than 30/50M to buildings. Some of the shoots I do are close architectural detail and tight groupings of buildings - surveying state: condition and disposition in their historical context as well as eye-candy shots, so flinging my mavic 2 zoom up in the air is now a definite no-no because of the relevant category it falls into. If I want to use my big bird to best advantage: I'll deploy it well away from anything even vaguely resembling humanity. Horses for courses.

Yes, for you in Canada (I think) and in the UK and places in Europe have more rules for urban areas.
Here in the US, we have less except where local ordinances indicate otherwise (ie, New York City is mostly an NFZ (from what I understand) and I don't want to fly in areas like that. I check aloft and b4Ufly if in an unknown area)
But what I refer to is the statement made about more rules for the M3C and specifically here in the US. As far as I know, I have roughly the same requirements for people, cars, trains, and buildings for both AC. Only individual city jurisdictions might make a difference between the different weight classes of the below 250G and those above...

Again if there is a rule that says I can fly my mini2 over a forest in Vermont but would not be able to fly an M3C in the same spot due to its weight then I'm not aware of it... Again, I shy away from urban environments and people because it can get dicey for so many reasons...