Mavic 3 Battery Life is Incredible!

[rmb]

Is anyone else getting as good as or better than the advertised battery performance?
yesterday I few a total of almost 30 minutes and covered nearly 5 miles frequently flew at or about 30 mph, had repeated wind gusts of 20 mph and landed with 21% battery left (for safety reasons I always try and land before I hit 20%). I'm pretty sure that if I had not landed I could have gotten another 8-10 minutes in which would be almost 40 minutes.
Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised!

I would love to hear what others are experiencing.

Thanks

rb

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Yes! I gambled with getting a 2-battery package and I'm very pleased. I only use the second battery to keep it in the rotation and cycled evenly. Incredible flight time!!

 

[BlairAir]

It is the king of long flight times for sure. I don't know about "getting as good as or better than the advertised" -which would be 47 Minutes, lol! -its basically 50% longer than 30-34 minute rated batteries, so with 5 of the things, I can basically fly forever. Now, when do we get "in flight refueling" -

 

[rmb]

Yes! I gambled with getting a 2-battery package and I'm very pleased. I only use the second battery to keep it in the rotation and cycled evenly. Incredible flight time!!

It is the king of long flight times for sure. I don't know about "getting as good as or better than the advertised" -which would be 47 Minutes, lol! -its basically 50% longer than 30-34 minute rated batteries, so with 5 of the things, I can basically fly forever. Now, when do we get "in flight refueling" -

Yeah, I have 3 batteries and with a car charger, when I fly commercially, I never run low on fuel.

 

[Eagle Eye 62]

It is phenomenal and makes the flying experience so much better. One of the things that makes the M3 so amazing.....

 

[RocketBrew]

I am seeing 30 minutes with the Mavic 3 Cine, about 30% longer than the P4P.

 

[rmb]

I am seeing 30 minutes with the Mavic 3 Cine, about 30% longer than the P4P.

View attachment 149487

I don't know what's more impressive the flight-time or that battery temp. You could have fried an egg on that thing RocketBrew!

 

[Norval]

Is anyone else getting as good as or better than the advertised battery performance?
yesterday I few a total of almost 30 minutes and covered nearly 5 miles frequently flew at or about 30 mph, had repeated wind gusts of 20 mph and landed with 21% battery left (for safety reasons I always try and land before I hit 20%). I'm pretty sure that if I had not landed I could have gotten another 8-10 minutes in which would be almost 40 minutes.
Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised!

I would love to hear what others are experiencing.

Thanks

rb

Flight time is good, but The new MINI 3 has more flight time, and costs 1/3 of the price. That said, y still believe the M3 is way too expensive and way too buggy to be the best drone out there….

 

[rmb]

Flight time is good, but The new MINI 3 has more flight time, and costs 1/3 of the price. That said, y still believe the M3 is way too expensive and way too buggy to be the best drone out there….

I definitely agreed with you about being too buggy when it first came out, but now with the new firmware updates and fixes, I now find it to be a very stable platform. Unfortunately, my clients would not pay me MIni 3 video as they most of them can not accept anything other than Prores for most of their projects so the Mini 3 was not an option. Thanks for your reply!

 

[zeusfl]

I got almost 35 minutes taking timelaps.

 

[mcde]

Flight time is good, but The new MINI 3 has more flight time, and costs 1/3 of the price. That said, y still believe the M3 is way too expensive and way too buggy to be the best drone out there….

I could consider this post as flamebait, but comparing two completely different products in an otherwise very good forum is too much to be ignored.

First of all, the Mavic 3 is not "buggy", or, at least, it's not anymore. I have been following this forum and DJI's and as far as I can tell most problems have been fixed. I myself have been flying one for the last couple of months (transitioned from a Mavic 2 pro) and I couldn't be happier with its image quality, flight time and other aspects that I will not list here.

But, what exactly is "the best drone out there"? Which standards apply? Because if it's almost entirely down to price then I guess choosing equipment would always be extremely easy. The Mavic 3 has a 4/3" sensor in a very compact package. If you do not need what this provides, or worse if you do not understand the image quality difference and its possible applications, then there's not much else to say.

 

[zeusfl]

I could consider this post as flamebait, but comparing two completely different products in an otherwise very good forum is too much to be ignored.

First of all, the Mavic 3 is not "buggy", or, at least, it's not anymore. I have been following this forum and DJI's and as far as I can tell most problems have been fixed. I myself have been flying one for the last couple of months (transitioned from a Mavic 2 pro) and I couldn't be happier with its image quality, flight time and other aspects that I will not list here.

But, what exactly is "the best drone out there"? Which standards apply? Because if it's almost entirely down to price then I guess choosing equipment would always be extremely easy. The Mavic 3 has a 4/3" sensor in a very compact package. If you do not need what this provides, or worse if you do not understand the image quality difference and its possible applications, then there's not much else to say.

Completely agree with your comment.

 

[mavicn00b]

I could consider this post as flamebait, but comparing two completely different products in an otherwise very good forum is too much to be ignored.

First of all, the Mavic 3 is not "buggy", or, at least, it's not anymore. I have been following this forum and DJI's and as far as I can tell most problems have been fixed. I myself have been flying one for the last couple of months (transitioned from a Mavic 2 pro) and I couldn't be happier with its image quality, flight time and other aspects that I will not list here.

But, what exactly is "the best drone out there"? Which standards apply? Because if it's almost entirely down to price then I guess choosing equipment would always be extremely easy. The Mavic 3 has a 4/3" sensor in a very compact package. If you do not need what this provides, or worse if you do not understand the image quality difference and its possible applications, then there's not much else to say.

Wouldn't worry about it, most Mavic 3 pilots look past it and probably fly both, I know I do Mini 3 allows you to operate where regulatory might be an issue and Mavic 3 allows you to operate where strong wind might be an issue, and thats not even taking into account the vastly differing camera capabilities.

 

[zeusfl]

Just the Mavic 3 camera BEAST, stability "360 (on paper) obstacle avoidance", Zoom, are not even fair comparison to the Mini 3.

They are different types of drones.

 

[rmb]

Wouldn't worry about it, most Mavic 3 pilots look past it and probably fly both, I know I do Mini 3 allows you to operate where regulatory might be an issue and Mavic 3 allows you to operate where strong wind might be an issue, and thats not even taking into account the vastly differing camera capabilities.

Having never owned a mini drone, what regulator issues does it help get around? Is it a size/weight thing?

 

[CanadaDrone]

Having never owned a mini drone, what regulator issues does it help get around? Is it a size/weight thing?

In most places, drones under 250g do not need to be registered and you do not need a license to fly them. That is not a catch-all rule for all regions, but generally speaking. That's the main advantage.

Rules regarding where you can fly them are generally more relaxed to "don't be an idiot and don't endanger others". However, you still can't fly them beyond line of sight (without a dedicated spotter) or anywhere that all drones are typically banned (without special permission) such as National Parks, Wildlife Reserves, near Airports, rescue operations, etc. Certain bylaws may also still prohibit them depending on your location. You would also still be expected to obey any "no drones" signage regardless (such as those often found around major tourist stops/lookouts around the world).

It honestly doesn't change all that much from a drone over 250g, but there are fewer regulatory requirements. I think sometimes people get the impression you can fly it wherever you want if it's under 250g but that is far from the case (not saying you are). The Mini 3 Pro is the first Mini drone worth buying in my opinion - it's pretty incredible what they packed into such a small package this time around, so even if you aren't trying to avoid certain regulations, it's extremely convenient to travel around with and is far more capable than the 2 previous models.

 

[Norval]

Completely agree with your comment.

Will try to rephrase, the Mavic 3 is great, but after flying drones for over 6 years (as a hobby) the jump from the Mavic 2 Zoom to the Mavic 3 left me a sour taste….. maybe I am too old for new technology, or, the most probable, I am too attached to the DJI GO 4 flying app…. The price is still and issue, but has come down a bit lately, still cannot get around about the DJI Fly app they way I see the GO4 ….

 

[Norval]

I definitely agreed with you about being too buggy when it first came out, but now with the new firmware updates and fixes, I now find it to be a very stable platform. Unfortunately, my clients would not pay me MIni 3 video as they most of them can not accept anything other than Prores for most of their projects so the Mini 3 was not an option. Thanks for your reply!

In my case, I use the drone as a hobby, so, completely right about the prores on the M3.

 

[mcde]

Will try to rephrase, the Mavic 3 is great, but after flying drones for over 6 years (as a hobby) the jump from the Mavic 2 Zoom to the Mavic 3 left me a sour taste….. maybe I am too old for new technology, or, the most probable, I am too attached to the DJI GO 4 flying app…. The price is still and issue, but has come down a bit lately, still cannot get around about the DJI Fly app they way I see the GO4 ….

The thing is, even though the Mavic 3 may sound like the successor to the Mavic 2 line, it is a completely different kind of product, aimed at different people/needs. It could be considered a successor to the Mavic 2 pro with regards to the improved main sensor, or to some extent to the zoom with its tele sensor. But this is where the similarities end. It was clear right from the beginning that a lot of people think it's far too expensive. However, if you consider its features, its portability and the end result it can offer then it's definitely not. It's probably closer to something between the previous Mavic 2 pro and an Inspire, hence the price. If you compare DJI's product line at the time Mavic 2 was released and what they offer now, then it's obvious. Right now the Mavic 2 line is closer to the Air 2 line, rather than the Mavic 3.

 

[CanadaDrone]

The thing is, even though the Mavic 3 may sound like the successor to the Mavic 2 line, it is a completely different kind of product, aimed at different people/needs. It could be considered a successor to the Mavic 2 pro with regards to the improved main sensor, or to some extent to the zoom with its tele sensor. But this is where the similarities end. It was clear right from the beginning that a lot of people think it's far too expensive. However, if you consider its features, its portability and the end result it can offer then it's definitely not. It's probably closer to something between the previous Mavic 2 pro and an Inspire, hence the price. If you compare DJI's product line at the time Mavic 2 was released and what they offer now, then it's obvious. Right now the Mavic 2 line is closer to the Air 2 line, rather than the Mavic 3.

I agree with this completely.

I think a lot of people rushed out to buy the M3 without actually thinking about how it will improve their results coming from a M2P or whatever else they had. In fact I think a lot of people bought the drone without doing any research at all, based on the amount of complaints we see regarding things that could have easily been known prior to purchase. I see the Air 2S as more of a M2P successor than I do the M3, save for the adjustable aperture.

The advantages of the M3 are very much geared towards professionals, and are more likely to appeal to an existing Inspire 2 owner than, say, a Mavic Air or Mavic 2 owner making videos as a hobby (not that there is anything wrong with that whatsoever).

For *most* people, the Mavic Air 2S or M2P is already more than they need. I'm not trying to tell people what they need, I just mean that most people's requirements do not extend beyond a 1" sensor capable of 10bit 4K/60P, 5.4K/30P. Line of sight rules make slight range differences between drones largely irrelevant as well.

The advantages of a 4/3 sensor are not going to be obvious shooting in normal 8bit mode in perfect lighting. I see a lot of threads here with people comparing it to cheaper drones and saying things like "I can't tell the difference from my M2Z". These people are not grading 10bit log footage in challenging lighting conditions, or looking to extract every last ounce of detail out of the shadows or highlights. These also seem to be the people who are unhappy with the price, because everyone I know who depends on the M3 for professional use all think it's a bargain (myself included).