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Mavic 3 Disappointments

Wade L.

Part 107 Certified
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Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
 
Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
Welcome to the forum!

I haven’t tested out the first point yet… but your second point also drives me crazy. I love being able to move freely not being handicapped by a pilot system, even when disabling it. I don’t like the flight characteristics, too … also in very small movements (like stated in my threat Strange braking behavior).

I do hope they are changing that and give us more freedom in movement back. I‘ve read somewhere, that Air 2 s users have a bypass mode to enable sideways drift. Maybe this is what the system of the Mavic 3 is supposed to prevent at the moment?

Will also test the 1st and 3rd of your points and give feedback.
 
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First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.
Are you certain that the problem is the recorded video, and not that your computer is unable to decode and play the video smoothly?
 
The Mavic Air 2 / Air 2S actually has a system to disable sideways flight because of the lack of sideways sensors. I'm less than a year into drones, and even I can tell the flight characteristics are somewhat hampered, with the fancy new wide angle sensors and related programming being the root cause.

Blind area. Ghosting from sun causing altitude rise all the way to max setting.

Braking, jumpiness around obstacles at take off.

The thing needs work!
 
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My issues are the speed decreasing when yawing, and the m3 suddenly decelerating at speed when i let off the forward stick slightly at speed :(

You can hear the prop wash :(
 
Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
Your problem isn't the SD card, it's that your computer is not capable of playing the 5.1K video smoothly.
Turn the video resolution down.
 
Step through the video one frame at a time on your computer (right or left arrow key in Resolve) you’ll soon see if there are any steps.
 
Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
I couldn't agree with your post and the points raised more...

Its been a very real disappointment for a lot of loyal and new DJI customers. I hope they can rectify the range of issues some have experienced and get the M3 back on track asap!
 
Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
I absolutely agree with your thoughts on flight characteristics. My M2P and Inspire 2 turn gracefully. Using the Go4 app, you can adjust the sensitivity and gain functions to created smooth coordinated turns.

The DJI Fly app doesn’t provide access to the sensitivity and gain functions. So my $3,000 M3 makes terrible looking turns. When in Normal or Sport mode, the aircraft nearly stops in flight when initiating a turn. It’s jumpy. The sticks are far too sensitive.

DJI needs to fix the flight characteristics of the M3.

I love the cameras and the build quality of the drone. Let’s fix the software.
 
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I absolutely agree with your thoughts on flight characteristics. My M2P and Inspire 2 turn gracefully. Using the Go4 app, you can adjust the sensitivity and gain functions to created smooth coordinated turns.

The DJI Fly app doesn’t provide access to the sensitivity and gain functions. So my $3,000 M3 makes terrible looking turns. When in Normal or Sport mode, the aircraft nearly stops in flight when initiating a turn. It’s jumpy. The sticks are far too sensitive.

DJI needs to fix the flight characteristics of the M3.

I love the cameras and the build quality of the drone. Let’s fix the software.
Can you tune it in the DJI Assistant application?
 
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Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
Send this to DJi
 
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Can you tune it in the DJI Assistant application?
Not on the RC Pro or the android App, only on iOS can you adjust the gain values at the moment.
 
Hello fellow pilots! So, I purchased a Mavic 3 a while back, and, after flying it for a while, a few disappointments have emerged. I wanted to share those here and see if anyone else has had the same experiences.

First, the SD cards that are recommended in the user manual do not appear to be sufficient for recording video in 5.1K. I have recorded several videos in 5.1K at 50 fps using a brand new SanDisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2 (512GB) card. All of the videos were so choppy that they were basically useless. Now, before I get roasted on here, I am well aware that this card is not the fastest out there and probably isn't well-suited for recording 5.1K video. However, it is a recommended card for recording in 5.1K at 50 fps according to the user manual, so the fact that a DJI-recommended card does not actually perform as documented is disconcerting. I have ordered a Delkin Power UHS-II V90 card in the hopes that this will allow me to record smooth video at 5.1K. This seems to be the fastest card on the market, so if that doesn't resolve the issue, I might be returning the drone to DJI.

Secondly, I'm disappointed in the flight characteristics of the Mavic 3, specifically when it comes to turns. In previous DJI drones, the pilot could apply yaw and pitch control simultaneously and independently to perform a fast, tight turn (similar to the way most manned aircraft are turned). In the Mavic 3, however, it appears that the flight controls have been modified so that applying only yaw control also automatically applies pitch control to effect a turn. Attempting to apply both yaw and pitch controls really doesn't result in a different turn than applying yaw control alone. I guess this is okay, but I still prefer having full control over the turn with the ability to independently apply yaw and pitch control to execute exactly the kind of turn I want. But by far the most disappointing aspect of this is that when moving forward and yaw is applied to turn, the drone automatically brakes quite a bit. The result is severely limited variation in the kind of turn that can be executed. I noticed this in both normal and sport modes, and it is incredibly frustrating.

Finally, I've noticed that when flying with no cloud cover and the sun is about 30 or so degrees above the horizon, the vision sensors apparently occasionally suffer from lens flare, depending on the drone's orientation to the sun. This causes a notification to be displayed to the pilot stating that the visions sensors are "dirty" and that the vision sensor system is disabled. This notification is intermittently displayed and then disappears as the drone changes position relative to the sun. I still had this problem after confirming that the vision sensors are crystal clear.

Given the very hefty price tag of the Mavic 3, I expected near perfection. With a very high cost comes very high expectations, and I just feel that DJI fell well short of those expectations with this one. Hopefully these issues will be resolved with firmware updates, and hopefully those updates come sooner rather than later. But we shall see.

Have any other Mavic 3 pilots experienced any of these same issues?
on page 61 under H:264 5.1K, the card you are using is not listed there. Fly in sport mode if you want better turns. flying towards the sun, all bets are off for obstacle avoidance.
 
DJI Assistant talks directly to the aircraft, not the RC.
Assistant only seems to give the options to download logs or update firmware.
 
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The DJI Fly app doesn’t provide access to the sensitivity and gain functions. So my $3,000 M3 makes terrible looking turns. When in Normal or Sport mode, the aircraft nearly stops in flight when initiating a turn. It’s jumpy. The sticks are far too sensitive.

I'm not sure what the problem is. On my RC-Pro (smart controller) I can easily adjust the Gimbal mode (follow or FPV) which might be related to a change in pitch with a change in yaw. Also, under the Advanced Gimbal Settings submenu on the RC-Pro, I can adjust pitch speed and pitch smoothness as well as yaw speed and yaw smoothness. I can make these adjustments for both Normal, Sport, and Cine modes. If I am misinterpreting your concerns, please forgive me.
 
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