Mavic 2 pro vs air 2s vs mini 3 pro for professional photography

[lensimages]

Hi

Sorry if this has been asked before but. Here's a question for professional photographers/videographers who have/still use any or all of the following for professional work.

Mavic 2 pro, air 2s and mini 3 pro.

In the context of professional quality photos and videos. Which is better? I want to get into drone photography/videography but don't want to break the bank but want something to be able to cut my teeth bit still end up with results that would be saleable.

I've decided that 20mp is a bare minimum. AEB is a must. HDR HLG is a must. I know the mini 3 pro has AEB bit only in 12mp and apparently the 48mp setting on the mini 3 pro introduces a load of noise so, I guess my real question is.... If you pros had only two options (M2P and A2S) what one would you choose and why? PS I'm not bothered about legislation in the UK because I'm prepared to get the CofC cert.

As a retired Pro Photographer flying the Mavic2 Pro I see no reason to change to a different drone as the images I get from my M2 Pro are brilliant, however what am I going to do when I can no longer get batteries for it will probably make me ask a similar question, cheers Len

 

[pommy]

Having had all three - I’d go for the Air 2S from your drone list. Did you consider the Mavic 3 Classic? With the battery life, it put my Air 2S out to pasture. It’s O3+, stable, has waypoints and omnidirectional sensors if you need that

 

[Chapperz]

Hi

Yeah I was having a look.. I thought that the mavic 3 cine had loads of stuff that the standard didn't but it's just the ProRes... So now that's on the list.

 

[pommy]

Hi

Yeah I was having a look.. I thought that the mavic 3 cine had loads of stuff that the standard didn't but it's just the ProRes... So now that's on the list.

Plus a 1TB onboard SSD I believe? It’s all subjective though really. I do photography 90% of the time, so video quality has no benefit for me, or a telelens (of the Mavic 3) - hence the Classic. It will likely be my last drone for a long time. I was waiting for the Air 3, but it won’t be better than the Classic I don’t think (different tier drone). Plus I’m happy with the flight time, image quality and enjoy it Here’s some shots with the Classic - (not full resolution) … www.wolfie.au

I would say, avoid the Mini 3 Pro, unless you need the smaller size for a specific reason, you might grow out of it rather quickly.

 

[Chapperz]

Plus a 1TB onboard SSD I believe? It’s all subjective though really. I do photography 90% of the time, so video quality has no benefit for me, or a telelens (of the Mavic 3) - hence the Classic. It will likely be my last drone for a long time. I was waiting for the Air 3, but it won’t be better than the Classic I don’t think (different tier drone). Plus I’m happy with the flight time, image quality and enjoy it Here’s some shots with the Classic - (not full resolution) … www.wolfie.au

I would say, avoid the Mini 3 Pro, unless you need the smaller size for a specific reason, you might grow out of it rather quickly.

Nice photos!!! After looking into drones and what's possible I'm thinking of actually starting a business.

 

[pommy]

Nice photos!!! After looking into drones and what's possible I'm thinking of actually starting a business.

Thanks You might find yourself with more than one then, depending on what you do for a business.

Images are simple enough to get started, as in, you don’t immediately need a powerful computer to process the video, you don’t have to have good software and editing skills and lots of hard drive space etc. (a few expenses to consider if you don’t have those things already).

I wish you well with whatever you decide to do - you’re definitely keen enough, and doing all of the research before you jump in

 

[Chapperz]

Thanks You might find yourself with more than one then, depending on what you do for a business.

Images are simple enough to get started, as in, you don’t immediately need a powerful computer to process the video, you don’t have to have good software and editing skills and lots of hard drive space etc. (a few expenses to consider if you don’t have those things already).

I wish you well with whatever you decide to do - you’re definitely keen enough, and doing all of the research before you jump in

Yeah my pc can be upgraded for around £200 to be able to edit and playback 4k smoothly. I'm drawing up a business plan which includes the mavic 3 enterprise and the mavic 3 cine... I figure if I'm providing a pro video service than chances are clients will be editing on a mac so ProRes is a must.

 

[careless]

Air 2S is my bet

 

[Ronny St.]

Plus a 1TB onboard SSD I believe? It’s all subjective though really. I do photography 90% of the time, so video quality has no benefit for me, or a telelens (of the Mavic 3) - hence the Classic. It will likely be my last drone for a long time. I was waiting for the Air 3, but it won’t be better than the Classic I don’t think (different tier drone). Plus I’m happy with the flight time, image quality and enjoy it Here’s some shots with the Classic - (not full resolution) … www.wolfie.au

I would say, avoid the Mini 3 Pro, unless you need the smaller size for a specific reason, you might grow out of it rather quickly.

WOW! Wish I was experienced enough to make such superb pictures!! I suppose you do a lot of post processing?

 

[Droning on and on...]

One of the reasons I won't bother with the mini 2 pro is that it's not actually a 48mp camera

It's not? How does it differ from an actual 48mp camera?

 

[Droning on and on...]

Sorry my bad... But no, I want an device that can take (or as close to possible) photos and videos that can actually be used professionally.

You speak as if this is some deterministic bright line. Of course it is not.

There are many aspects to consider (sensor size, noise profile, resolution, aperture, etc. etc.), so it's not a binary choice between "professional" and not. It's a matter of "it depends".

There are a bunch of professional photographers here on the forum using their Mini3P for commercial photos and videos, and love it.

I'm no expert but from what I can see, that's not the mini 3 pro. The virtical camera, fake 48mp camera, sub 250g weight and nice controller don't swing it for me.

Again with the fictitious 48MP camera. Its not phony, its real. The sensor has 48M photo diodes, and can capture 48M distinct light levels in a rectangular grid across the sensor.

This criticism is leveled at the Mini3P constantly, but the only reasoning offered is it uses a quad bayer filter, which is no critism at all unless you don't know how Bayer filters and pixel interpolation work, which is a part of almost every image sensor.

 

[Dan AISCF]

In our line of work, we currently use the Air2S, Autel Evo Lite+, and sometimes the Mini 3 Pro, as a backup.
The Air 2S is our favorite drone for client work. The 1" sensor makes a difference and it is newer than the Mavic 2 Pro.

Truthfully, we are looking to upgrade to the Mavic 3 line (not sure which version yet). But don't get me wrong, the Air 2S to me is the best bang for the buck of features to cost ratio and, although almost 2 years old, is an excellent flying and feature-rich drone.

Almost all of our real estate drone work is done with the Air2S> AISCF Orlando - Real Estate

 

[pommy]

WOW! Wish I was experienced enough to make such superb pictures!! I suppose you do a lot of post processing?

Thanks glad you like them! There’s a mix in there, some edited more than others. I should really update them to more recent ones! Thanks for the comment

 

[PanoVolo]

one thing to remember is all drones support taking panoramic images that can be stitched in post processing. So effective resolution of the camera is pretty irrelevant if you can easily conservatively double it with a "wide angle" 3x3 panoramic image.

 

[Chapperz]

one thing to remember is all drones support taking panoramic images that can be stitched in post processing. So effective resolution of the camera is pretty irrelevant if you can easily conservatively double it with a "wide angle" 3x3 panoramic image.

Yeah I noticed that, but it's not the same as taking a 48mp of the shot you want. I can take a picture of let's say a house at 12mp, and only blow it up so much, if I take one in the panorama then I get the surroundings which I don't want so I crop and still end up with the same image at 12mp

 

[Meta4]

Yeah I noticed that, but it's not the same as taking a 48mp of the shot you want. I can take a picture of let's say a house at 12mp, and only blow it up so much, if I take one in the panorama then I get the surroundings which I don't want so I crop and still end up with the same image at 12mp

That would depend on how near/far your camera is to the subject.

 

[Chapperz]

That would depend on how near/far your camera is to the subject.

Yeah I figured that but where you can't get close enough... That said, apparently the new air 3 has omnivision ov48c sensors sooooo... Might just have to hold fire for that.

 

[Joethedrone]

Sorry my bad... But no, I want an device that can take (or as close to possible) photos and videos that can actually be used professionally.

I'm no expert but from what I can see, that's not the mini 3 pro. The virtical camera, fake 48mp camera, sub 250g weight and nice controller don't swing it for me.

My other half has a degree in fine art and photography, and after speaking to her the M2P is very tempting because of the hassleblad thing.

But anyway, as it stands.
The A2S beats the mini and the M2P for video quality and it beats it beats the mini for video quality and image quality. 20mp AEB vs 12mp AEB plus, the bigger lens on the A2S can use higher ISO settings before noise becomes a issue means for the the better low light on the mini is irrelevant. But I'm no expert, I'm going by what I have learned from the interweb so there's a good chance I'm wrong.

Oh and there's filters available for the A2S that are supposedly the muts nuts that aren't available for the mini. So for me, the A2S, in the context of professional quality photos and videos is the no brainer, regardless of the 250g thing and having to land to change filters.

Again, that's why I'm asking for a professional to kindly tell me if my logic is on the money or not and if the footage and videos from the A2S are indeed saleable.

I'm thinking I'm just going to up my budget a bit and wait for the A3

IMO the Mavic 2 Pro is still one of the best prosumer drones out there, used by many professionals. Good camera, steady as a rock in higher winds, and there are some really good bargains to be had out there. Just watch out for scammers, good luck.

 

[@Rip]

This is a humble example of what a Mavic 2 Pro can do. I made 4 figures on my first batch of these postcards. They sell out everywhere they are displayed. I have seen much better work from a lot of pilots on this forum, but since you are asking I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. To be honest, I am looking in to a Pro3 or something else as a backup... but I am getting results that work (for me) with the Mavic 2 Pro ;@)

 

[Ronny St.]

What a great capture!!