Mavic 3 release info saved me some Holiday money!

[jmbsmt63]

All that this model does is just confirm my decision to buy the Air2S...The pricing and where in the "line up" it ( Air2S ) fits makes sense now!

 

[Droniac]

All that this model does is just confirm my decision to buy the Air2S...The pricing and where in the "line up" it ( Air2S ) fits makes sense now!

I’d Get one used. (Very recent release. Prolly can find one low hours) as they appear to be the future base payment for their M3 purchases. Fly safe & Godspeed, Droniac

 

[eEridani]

The M3 is essentially selling the Hasselblad stamp for $1,500.

The funniest thing is the controller that comes with the M3 is Occusync 2.0; so the Occusync 3.0 "feature" of the M3 is, well, useless until you buy the RCPro or whatever the SC v2 is. And, it isn't even clear that controller will have Occusync 3.0. lol. WC Fields was most accurate.

 

[Korrd]

True.

So far, what I got from its specs and reviews is that this is not a game changer, but a hyped up and overpriced drone that does not add much value over the current lineup. 7x camera can only do JPG, cannot be used on low light, let alone no manual settings. Flight time under real life conditions as per reviews averages 30min or so, which is 66% from manufacturer-rated. O3+ is only good if you have the pro controller, otherwise just an on-paper gimmick.

I mean, this sounds more and more like a marketing ploy rather than an awesome product.

 

[eEridani]

Yeah - I've already learned my DJI Flight Time Hype lesson on my Air 2 - a 34 minute spec means I get to fly 20, and in reality I get about 15 minutes before the controller starts complaining I need to land immediately.

But - to be socially acceptable, I should announce I've ordered my limit of three kits; see how many come back and say they ordered six.

 

[Korrd]

Lol. I average 14 minutes per battery as per Airdata's metrics on my Air2. Although I do average more than one flight per battery as I tend to record something then move onto the next target while charging batteries on the move.

Still, whenever I go for a full flight, I think I average something along the 20-minute mark, with some 25 to 29 minutes when doing timelapses.

I only once made it past the 30 minute mark.

 

[eEridani]

I did hover tests in my garage: four tests, three with OEM props, one with MAX props. 29 minutes was the best time I got (100% to <1% battery). And the MAX props with a hyped 8% increase in flight time reduced flight time a full minute.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I did hover tests in my garage: four tests, three with OEM props, one with MAX props. 29 minutes was the best time I got (100% to <1% battery). And the MAX props with a hyped 8% increase in flight time reduced flight time a full minute.

Hovering uses more battery than flying normally, all else equal. That is how DJI rates their drones when they claim a certain flight time. Wind, altitude, temperature, etc. can all affect flight times quite significantly as well.

Best practice for battery health (and drone safety) is to return home around 20-30% battery remaining anyway, so maximum flight times are nothing more than a rough guideline in ideal conditions. The longer the better though!

 

[Korrd]

This is my longest flight time ever as per Airdata. Weirdly, y shows as 31 minutes on DJI Fly, but 29:50 on Airdata. I guess both DJI and Airdata have different criteria on what constitutes airtime.

 

[Jeff A]

I have had the "Hots" for the new Sony A7 Mark 4 Hybrid camera. @$2498 it seems like a great buy when you look at the price of the Mavic 3.

 

[tlswift58]

The M3 is essentially selling the Hasselblad stamp for $1,500.

The funniest thing is the controller that comes with the M3 is Occusync 2.0; so the Occusync 3.0 "feature" of the M3 is, well, useless until you buy the RCPro or whatever the SC v2 is. And, it isn't even clear that controller will have Occusync 3.0. lol. WC Fields was most accurate.

DJI did that when they bought Hasselblad and put in on the Mavic 2. Makes it sound great, but was the quality that big of a jump to warrant the extra $$$$.

The "original" specs of the M3 when it was "leaked" made me think the camera would be a game changer and after digging more - well not so much. I would love to have some zoom in pic mode on my Air2 - maybe up to 2x as going much beyond that is not so great in lower light, yet with the lower f-stop /aperture on the M3 - may make even digital zoom a bit better under those conditions.

At this point as a hobbyist - my Air2 does just fine, albeit the battery life is slowly dwindling down even with a hot battery. May have to check out that guy on eBay that has the Air2 batteries at $89 a pop versus the like $115 at most retailers and DJI to buy a couple more. We'll see in real life how long the batteries on the M3 do actually provide and do they come close to what DJI says they will.

 

[Droniac]

Lol. I average 14 minutes per battery as per Airdata's metrics on my Air2. Although I do average more than one flight per battery as I tend to record something then move onto the next target while charging batteries on the move.

Still, whenever I go for a full flight, I think I average something along the 20-minute mark, with some 25 to 29 minutes when doing timelapses.

I only once made it past the 30 minute mark.

Aldrin/Flytpath put up a hover test the other day autel Evo 2 v. M3. His findings are the M3 has 4 minutes more time than current autel. (Hovering) Flysafe & Godspeed, Droniac

 

[Droniac]

This is my longest flight time ever as per Airdata. Weirdly, y shows as 31 minutes on DJI Fly, but 29:50 on Airdata. I guess both DJI and Airdata have different criteria on what constitutes airtime.

Great post. Thanks. Really Interesting. Flysafe & Godspeed, Droniac

 

[Droniac]

I have had the "Hots" for the new Sony A7 Mark 4 Hybrid camera. @$2498 it seems like a great buy when you look at the price of the Mavic 3.

I tell my photographer son…. Hmmmm 5k for the whole M3 kit & kaboodle (I think I know what a kit might be, but till this day I’m stuck on kaboodle… ?)(no comments ). He tells me of a Sony camera body (to add to his others) and write it off as he has LLC. As a backup to his backup to that backup. He feels I should buy him the Sony and save myself almost 40%. I remember helping out my fathers finances like that also lol. My retort. I’m saving 100% for now, lol! See me Christmas.
Godspeed, Droniac

 

[tlswift58]

This is my longest flight time ever as per Airdata. Weirdly, y shows as 31 minutes on DJI Fly, but 29:50 on Airdata. I guess both DJI and Airdata have different criteria on what constitutes airtime.

As time passes, my flights are getting a bit shorter with the Air2. Keeping with a 4-5 minute low battery window - the 20-23 minute time is about what I can get, even when just hovering and shooting pics / video and panning. Have not ever uploaded to Airdata, so no idea of what actual time may be. May have to check it out and track the decline, if any in reality - not just my perception.

 

[PepperBird]

I have had the "Hots" for the new Sony A7 Mark 4 Hybrid camera. @$2498 it seems like a great buy when you look at the price of the Mavic 3.

I bought an A7 III with a Sigma 400mm lens in May.
Then I bought an Air 2S in June. Have not used the A7 since. The Air 2S is so much fun!

 

[tlswift58]

I bought an A7 III with a Sigma 400mm lens in May.
Then I bought an Air 2S in June. Have not used the A7 since. The Air 2S is so much fun!

Don't own a Sony, but do have 2 Nikons. One a basic old but reliable D60 and a D-810. I love my Air2, but do carry my cameras for shots I can't get with the drone. Mostly the D60, as if I break / drop it - not much lost, but still shoots some nice pics. My D810 is more for long range stuff with a Sigma 100-400 and 150-600 which is OPTICAL, not digital versus the drone.

I love capturing both sides of the coin when I can. Sometimes the drone is not a great thing - esp when shooting waterfalls with a lot of obstacles close to the fall or along the flight path - over water typically. I can fly high and get shots no land based photographer can and up to about 2x in zoom in video puts me closer without a lot of the risk of flying low.

Many of the pics from the drone are comparable to the high MP of the 810, which I don't always carry due to weight of camera and lens, esp the 150-600.

 

[eEridani]

This is my longest flight time ever as per Airdata. Weirdly, y shows as 31 minutes on DJI Fly, but 29:50 on Airdata. I guess both DJI and Airdata have different criteria on what constitutes airtime.

Korrd,

You have better batteries than my Air 2 came with. 29 minutes and 8% reserve is pretty close to what I'd expect, but don't get.

I think AirData reports actual flight time, not motor start to motor shutdown, as DJI Fly reports. Here's a recent comparative flight: 100% to 8%

 

[Korrd]

Korrd,

You have better batteries than my Air 2 came with. 29 minutes and 8% reserve is pretty close to what I'd expect, but don't get.

I think AirData reports actual flight time, not motor start to motor shutdown, as DJI Fly reports. Here's a recent comparative flight: 100% to 8%
View attachment 137855

What was the weather like? My flight was on quite a mild day. Maybe that's why I managed to do better.

 

[tlswift58]

Korrd,

You have better batteries than my Air 2 came with. 29 minutes and 8% reserve is pretty close to what I'd expect, but don't get.

I think AirData reports actual flight time, not motor start to motor shutdown, as DJI Fly reports. Here's a recent comparative flight: 100% to 8%
View attachment 137855

I'd have to look in Fly and try Airdata, but don't think my batteries (1.5 years old with maybe 100 hours) goes to 100% / maybe about 28 minutes when hot off the charger. I set my time to come home / first low battery warning threshold about 5 minutes and then the next one is about 3.5. If I'm not back by 3.0, Betty gets a bit talkative and puts too many RTH / landing confirm messages when I need to be paying attention to the drone and where it is. But when flying over water (lakes and such) - best to be a bit more conservative for sure.