Mavic 3pro or Air 3?

[JHawk]

I need to upgrade an aging Mavic Pro in order to be complied with RID here in the US starting in September, and I'm on the fence between the Mavic 3 Pro and the newly released Air 3. I've seen a ton of comparisons between the Air 3 and the Mini 3 Pro, but not much between the Air 3 and and the Mavic 3 Pro. Lots of chatter about whether you should upgrade from the Mini 3 pro to the Air 3, but not a lot of conversation around how much of a real gap there is between the Mavic 3 pro and the Air 3. Anyone have any experience with the two that can speak to the differences, especially in light of the price difference?

**Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong forum group...was a toss up between posting it here or in the Mavic 3 Pro group**

 

[wco81]

If you ever plan to fly in Europe, the M3 Pro will be more restricted than the Air 3 because of the weight of the M3 Pro.

So really a better comparison would be the Mavic 3 Classic and the Air 3, closer in weight and price, though obviously the M3 Classic won't have two cameras.

I wonder if you can still get the original M3 which comes with the 2 cameras and still is under 900 grams so it will have the C1 label?

 

[old man mavic]

@JHawk the differences between the Air3 and Mavic 3 pro
(1) there is a large price difference between them ,especially if you want the Fly more combo
(2) the Air 3 uses the latest ocusynce 4
(3) two cameras on the Air3, three on the Mavic 3 pro
(4) the Mavic 3pro is heavier than the Air3 to transport
(5) they share many of the auto flight modes ,and the 360 OA

 

[JHawk]

If you ever plan to fly in Europe, the M3 Pro will be more restricted than the Air 3 because of the weight of the M3 Pro.

So really a better comparison would be the Mavic 3 Classic and the Air 3, closer in weight and price, though obviously the M3 Classic won't have two cameras.

I wonder if you can still get the original M3 which comes with the 2 cameras and still is under 900 grams so it will have the C1 label?

no plans to fly in Europe at the moment, but honestly I think if I did I would probably pick up a Mini 3 pro. The backward compatibility of the controller with the mini 3 pro is one of the reasons I'm leaning towards the Mavic 3 pro since the newer Air 3 controller is only compatible with the Air 3

 

[wco81]

I wonder if the Hasselblad branding on the lenses of the Mavic 3 mean anything.

Is it noticeably better than their other drones which doesn't have Hassleblad or is it just marketing?

 

[GFields]

The Air 3 is a terrific drone!

 

[GadgetGuy]

The additional 7x telephoto camera on the Mavic 3 Pro makes it the same game changer the Mavic 3 was when it first came out. The optical 7x is usable at 14x and even up to 28x for surveillance and exploring. There are many situations where you cannot fly closer, but still want to reach the distant subject. Wildlife is one example where you don't want to disturb, but want to observe. Airspace restrictions may prevent you from flying over your subject, but you can still photograph it from outside those restrictions with a 7x telephoto lens. If none of this rings a bell for you, get the Air 3 instead.

 

[davedrone 178]

I have a Mavic 3, Mini 3 Pro and just Got the Air 3. You chose a good time to upgrade. Hard to justify spending way more on the Mavic series. The images coming out of the Air 3 are fantastic, noticeably better than the Mini 3 Pro though they both share the same sensor size. Unless you need resolution higher than 4K@60 or yearn for the Hassleblad color profile, the Air 3 seems to be the clear choice. Good luck!

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have a Mavic 3, Mini 3 Pro and just Got the Air 3. You chose a good time to upgrade. Hard to justify spending way more on the Mavic series. The images coming out of the Air 3 are fantastic, noticeably better than the Mini 3 Pro though they both share the same sensor size. Unless you need resolution higher than 4K@60 or yearn for the Hassleblad color profile, the Air 3 seems to be the clear choice. Good luck!

Do you see no advantage to the 7x telephoto on your Mavic 3? Do you not use it, or the Explore Mode?

 

[ShootingStills]

I need to upgrade an aging Mavic Pro in order to be complied with RID here in the US starting in September, and I'm on the fence between the Mavic 3 Pro and the newly released Air 3. I've seen a ton of comparisons between the Air 3 and the Mini 3 Pro, but not much between the Air 3 and and the Mavic 3 Pro. Lots of chatter about whether you should upgrade from the Mini 3 pro to the Air 3, but not a lot of conversation around how much of a real gap there is between the Mavic 3 pro and the Air 3. Anyone have any experience with the two that can speak to the differences, especially in light of the price difference?

**Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong forum group...was a toss up between posting it here or in the Mavic 3 Pro group**

I am biased as I just bought one, but the Air 3 is lighter and smaller and had massive run times. Not only that but it’s using the latest technology and controller, ideally you don’t wanna spend twice the money for older tech, especially if you’re likely to upgrade the drone in future. You’ll be able to take the controller and maybe even batteries with you. Air 3 to Air 3s for example.

You could wait for the mavic 4 but it might be a year away and no saying it’ll be smaller than the current one, larger possibly.

My air 3 is a stop gap for when a larger 30-50mp sensor drone comes out that is a sensible size

 

[SmilingOgre]

I'm in love with the look I can get from the micro four thirds sensor, d-log, and variable aperature I get with the M3 Classic. (Obviously main camera on all M3).

 

[FLDave]

It's you personal decision, but why not go with the latest technology which fits your needs?

 

[davedrone 178]

Do you see no advantage to the 7x telephoto on your Mavic 3? Do you not use it, or the Explore Mode?

The 7x is kind of a novelty and it's fun to use occasionally. The 3x optical on the Air 3 I find I use much more for video use.

 

[James in the Desert]

I need to upgrade an aging Mavic Pro in order to be complied with RID here in the US starting in September, and I'm on the fence between the Mavic 3 Pro and the newly released Air 3. I've seen a ton of comparisons between the Air 3 and the Mini 3 Pro, but not much between the Air 3 and and the Mavic 3 Pro. Lots of chatter about whether you should upgrade from the Mini 3 pro to the Air 3, but not a lot of conversation around how much of a real gap there is between the Mavic 3 pro and the Air 3. Anyone have any experience with the two that can speak to the differences, especially in light of the price difference?

**Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong forum group...was a toss up between posting it here or in the Mavic 3 Pro group**

I started this hobby in 2016, and I just recently upgraded from my Phantom 4 Pro to the Mavic 3 (great buy right now), and everything is night and day. I am so excited to fly with no transmission loss, and the quality of the photos & Video is amazing.

 

[Droning on and on...]

@James in Panama, you really held out a long time, bud!

 

[GadgetGuy]

The 7x is kind of a novelty and it's fun to use occasionally. The 3x optical on the Air 3 I find I use much more for video use.

Interesting. Funny how what was and is the game changing aspect of the Mavic 3 is now viewed as a mere "novelty" instead of the most useful tool for exploration while flying a drone, especially when used in the Explore Mode, where the zoom dial can offer 1x-28x at the turn of the wheel! While adding a 70mm 3x optical on the Mavic 3 Pro filled the missing 4x to 7x gap in Explore on the Mavic 3, the Air 3 has no Explore mode whatsoever, and therefore offers no digital zoom for stills, and even in video, requires manual switching between cameras with a long delay to exceed 3x or go below 3x, depending upon which camera you start on.

No 9x digital on the 70mm on the Air 3 can replace the image quality of the 7x optical on the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Pro, which is very usable at 14x and good enough for wild life and surveillance even at 28x.

 

[thispilothere]

Interesting. Funny how what was and is the game changing aspect of the Mavic 3 is now viewed as a mere "novelty" instead of the most useful tool for exploration while flying a drone, especially when used in the Explore Mode, where the zoom dial can offer 1x-28x at the turn of the wheel!

I'd like to see the same object - like a sign - from the 7x M3 and 3x MA3 for comparison.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I'd like to see the same object - like a sign - from the 7x M3 and 3x MA3 for comparison.

For the 7x Mavic 3 images, check out these samples from @Meta4.

Mavic 3 Tele Lens

I see some members dismissing the tele lens that's incorporated into the Mavic 3 and confess that I was initially skeptical about it. With a fixed aperture and dinky 1/2 inch sensor, I didn't think it would be capable of producing the quality I wanted. It definitely has limitations and can't...

mavicpilots.com

I don't have an Air 3, but it appears he does.
Maybe he can share such a comparison, but the 7x in good lighting will always outperform the 3x on either the Mavic 3 Pro or the Air 3 because you can be twice as far away and get the same image. That is its strength, in addition to much greater depth compression at 160mm vs. 70mm. The 7x camera on the Mavic 3 Pro has also been improved even further over the original 7x on the Mavic 3.

 

[Meta4]

I'd like to see the same object - like a sign - from the 7x M3 and 3x MA3 for comparison.

I've got a collection of comparison images from the three cameras of the Mavic 3 pro that show the differences between the wide, short and long tele cameras.
The short tele of the Air 3 is the same camera as the Short tele on the Mavic 3 pro.
See the comparisons here:

Mavic 3 pro camera comparisons - Above & Beyond Photography

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abovephotos.smugmug.com

 

[James in the Desert]

@James in Panama, you really held out a long time, bud!

You are correct; the Phantom Pro 4 is like a workhorse it does everything I needed, the only reason I upgraded was because of the transmission. I kept losing signal a lot. However, with the RC Pro and the Mavic's renowned Hasselblad camera lens it was like getting the 1st iPhone groundbreaking stuff lol