Mavic 3 v.s Mavic 3 Pro - camera module comparison

[waynorth]

I think the "higher resolution" here refers to the improved optical resolution of the redesigned lens, not the sensor. There are private reports from beta testers of the new M3P, claiming the 7X telephoto lens is now capturing shaper images, when compared to the old 7X lens for M3.

Thanks. Will be interesting to see if they have improved it.

 

[Filmarik]

see above

Looks like my expectation is just about right. DJI finally addressed one of the biggest complaint for Mavic 3.

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Sounds encouraging. I hope the manufacturing tolerances will also be tightened as it was not uncommon that the M3 would suffer from lens decentering and other lens related issues causing blurry areas in the frame etc. Getting a good one was more of a good luck than a norm.
Looking at the new tripple camera module from the front, it looks like the gimbal cavity in the front of the body of the M3 was always meant to accommodate larger camera module and this tripple lens one finally fits there just right. The 2 new lenses look impressive but the main M43 camera lens looks unchanged which to me is a bit of a worry if it is indeed the same as on the M3 and Classis.

 

[SkywalkerFeng]

Thanks. Will be interesting to see if they have improved it.

The improvement is real. It is mentioned in the leaked official press release, which is supposed to go live tomorrow. The only question is, to what degree is the optical improvement affects the final image quality. We shall find out pretty soon.

By the way, I think the "29X hybrid zoom" there must be a typo. Should be 28X instead.

 

[bkushner]

[4/24/23: Added leaked official specs for Mavic 3 Pro]

I created a couple of images, to compare the camera module between Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Pro. The size difference is quite significant.

The take-off weight has increased from 895g to 958g. Cine version is even heavier.

As result, the official flight time is reduced from 46 to 43 minutes. The realistic flight time is more likely around 28-30 minutes.

If I have to take a guess, this new triple camera set up is a sweet spot DJI found, after testing prototypes with multiple lens and sensor configurations. Ideally I want a 7X zoom camera with one inch sensor, but it may not be doable without compromising too much gimbal performance and flight time.

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Is 1/1.3 an inch? I get confused with this stuff.

 

[Meta4]

Is 1/1.3 an inch? I get confused with this stuff.

It's smaller.
Sensor sizes are complicated.
I'll post a mere detailed answer when I get home later.

 

[Meta4]

Is 1/1.3 an inch? I get confused with this stuff.

The naming of sensor sizes follows an odd system that is hard to make sense of.
Here's an explanation of how it works:

Optical format - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The actual size of the 1/1.3" sensor is 9.mm x 7.2 mm
And the 1" sensor is 13.2mm x 8.8mm

The new camera in the Mavic 3 pro will have a 1/1.3" sensor, which is larger than the 1/2" sensor that's in the Mavic 3's tele camera and smaller than the 1" sensor that you had in the Phantom 4 pro.
This illustration shows the relative sizes of those sensors and the 4/3 sensor in the main camera:

 

[Wreckhunter]

Is 1/1.3 an inch? I get confused with this stuff.

No it is something like .80 .somewhat less than an inch.

 

[Meta4]

No it is something like .80 .somewhat less than an inch.

If you didn't have me on ignore, you'd have seen that I posted the actual size (which is quite a bit less than 0.8 inches) and an explanation of why the sensor sizes have no relation to their actual size.
But you'll probably never see this either.

 

[wco81]

Looks like the camera is heavier than the Mavic 3 Classic version which will imply the a European C1 approval will not be met. The total weight must not exceed 900 grams to comply.

See updated post with leaked official specs. The take-off weight for Mavic 3 Pro is increased from 895g to 958g. Cine version is even heavier.

That's crucial.

You figure UK and some other countries will use the same 900 gram threshold for what drones are and aren't allowed to do.

But maybe DJI thinks the people who'd buy this M3 Pro would be professional or commercial pilots in any events so they don't care about recreational pilots being limited in what they can do?

Thing is, even if people qualify for the more stringent licenses, a lot of jurisdictions, specifically cities rather than whole countries, have specific limits on drone flights so anyone requesting permission or permits for commercial flights might be presented with a huge bill.

That seems to be the case in a lot of Australian towns, they will often have information about drone permit fees, which are not trivial, because they figure you're making money from flying in their towns.

 

[Meta4]

That seems to be the case in a lot of Australian towns, they will often have information about drone permit fees, which are not trivial, because they figure you're making money from flying in their towns.

I've not seen any of that where I've been in Australia, and certainly nothing based on the weight of drones.
Everywhere seems to have a pretty laid back attitude towards drone use.

 

[wco81]

I've not seen any of that where I've been in Australia, and certainly nothing based on the weight of drones.
Everywhere seems to have a pretty laid back attitude towards drone use.

For instance look up Melbourne, the Council website.

I wanted to fly in the park leading to St. Kilda, Albert Park. In Google Maps there are 360 photos taken by drone.

no recreational drone flights allowed.

but if you want a commercial flight permit, you have to pay for permit as well as pay for city park personnel to be on site to monitor the drone flight.

I forget the figures but an hour of flights could easily get into thousands.

i can understand their POV, probably a lot of TV and film productions want to film in Melbourne and those shows and movies have million dollar bUdgets and can generate millions in revenues.

So wHats a few thousand for the right to film in one of the most photogenic cities in the world?

Other places in Victoria are similarly restrictive but Queensland is supposedly more relaxed.

 

[Meta4]

So wHats a few thousand for the right to film in one of the most photogenic cities in the world?

You are talking about a couple of urban areas in large cities.
That doesn't apply to 99.9% of Australia.
It's similar to drone flying in Manhattan

 

[wco81]

Hmm, the area I'm talking about doesn't seem to be dense like Manhattan. It's more towards the outlying suburbs and I certainly wouldn't fly between the skyscrapers lining along the river.

In fact I want to get shots of the skyline from a distance and from a high vantage point, above the tree line and the low residential buildings.

 

[Meta4]

Hmm, the area I'm talking about doesn't seem to be dense like Manhattan. It's more towards the outlying suburbs and I certainly wouldn't fly between the skyscrapers lining along the river.

It's only a mile from the Melbourne CBD and is just out of frame to the right of this shot.

 

[waynorth]

The improvement is real. It is mentioned in the leaked official press release, which is supposed to go live tomorrow. The only question is, to what degree is the optical improvement affects the final image quality. We shall find out pretty soon.

By the way, I think the "29X hybrid zoom" there must be a typo. Should be 28X instead.

View attachment 163111

This text does not seem like an official DJI statement. It is not written in the typical DJI-blurb, and they would never call the telephoto lens an optical zoom. They have never done that before.

 

[Meta4]

This text does not seem like an official DJI statement. It is not written in the typical DJI-blurb, and they would never call the telephoto lens an optical zoom. They have never done that before.

It's definitely odd.
I guess it's only a few hours till we get to see if that's a new style of DJI marketing or if it's a poor translation by a non-photographer.

 

[Meta4]

This text does not seem like an official DJI statement. It is not written in the typical DJI-blurb, and they would never call the telephoto lens an optical zoom. They have never done that before.

Looks like DJI's marketing department doesn't know what zoom means.

DJI Mavic 3 Pro - Inspiration in Focus - DJI

DJI Mavic 3 Pro is a triple-lens flagship camera drone with multiple focal lengths. Mavic 3 Pro has a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and dual tele cameras. The three cameras on the Cine version all support Apple ProRes codecs. Mavic 3 Pro offers 43-min max flight time, omnidirectional obstacle...

www.dji.com

First it was their flyaway coverage, making people believe that drones fly away.
Now it's confirmed .. The Mavic 3 pro has optical zoom (according to DJI's marketing department who wouldn't even know which end of a camera to look in).

 

[karlblessing]

K, guess now that it's out. Seems like the only thing they did to it was introduced two telephoto options and add dlog-m (in addition to the existing dlog).

And then reduced the flight time and increased the weight.

So I guess if you need the tele it's good otherwise not much different than the mavic 3.

 

[karlblessing]

Looks like DJI's marketing department doesn't know what zoom means.

Now it's confirmed .. The Mavic 3 has optical zoom (according to DJI's marketing department who wouldn't even know which end of a camera to look in).

Yea they definitely don't. It's a prime telephoto lens on top.

 

[Cosmo0g]

K, guess now that it's out. Seems like the only thing they did to it was introduced two telephoto options and add dlog-m (in addition to the existing dlog).

And then reduced the flight time and increased the weight.

So I guess if you need the tele it's good otherwise not much different than the mavic 3.

Can't confirm, but I've read the 4/3 camera has a newer Sony IMX472 stacked and backlit sensor. May help a little in low light, but I'll be waiting on comparisons.