Macinfo
Well-Known Member
There is far more to it than that.... however I don't want to continue to drag this way off topic..
Mini 2 remains best value in spite of mini 3
- Thread starter Artemis
- Start date
This is definitely no longer an entry level drone as far as pricing but DJI is competing with the Nano series from Autel.
We answered a lot of questions about the Mini 3 Pro this morning in our live Q&A:
We also posted a full review where you can download actual footage: DJI Mini 3 Pro Review: Better than the Air 2S? - Pilot Institute
We also have a 40-min in depth review here:
And last but not least a free deep dive: DJI Mini 3 Pro Deep Dive - Pilot Institute
Ask away if you have questions, we've been flying this thing for a while and it's pretty awesome.
We answered a lot of questions about the Mini 3 Pro this morning in our live Q&A:
We also have a 40-min in depth review here:
Ask away if you have questions, we've been flying this thing for a while and it's pretty awesome.
I have a Mini 2 that I really like, but I'm seriously missing having in drone hyperlapse/waypoint and the mini just seems slow in normal mode.
My normal routines involve long distance videos along riverbanks or mountains, abandoned areas and things like that. I like to take "cruising" videos exploring that area at a constant speed. I typically get about 3-5 miles worth of flight per battery.
I thought about the Mini 3, but it has the same speed limits as the Mini 2.
Does the Air 2S have the same if not longer range at it's ~32mph "N" limit?
Yup. Double-digit inflation. Wages, of course, not keeping up. Vegetable garden to save money at the grocer.
That's exactly the answer I was looking for. Any thoughts on connection range between the two?
vindibona1
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I don't know that there is a real answer yet as there isn't any production in the hands of anyone but the known reviewers. I suspect that in a practical sense they will be similar in range. A lot depends on where we fly and the transmission interference that we may encounter. WHAT WE KNOW is that the Air2s has more than acceptable range and is probably as good as any prosumer drone on the market. Will the Mini 3 be better? Under the same conditions, if so, marginally. If you want some truth, if we're flying in daylight conditions the farthest you can see any of the your drone in the sky may be all of 600', 1700' if you have strobes attached. Night flight with strobes is exponentially farther.
In my mind, at least for me, the draw for the Mini 3 is the smart controller. But right now you can buy a refurb Air2s for $1100 WITH fly more combo. So let's use that as our benchmark price for comparison.
I don't see anyone buying either of these drones without the FMC unless they piece one together themselves (which I have done with the Mini 2, btw. Two price levels with FMC:
Mini 3 w/standard controller- $950
Mini 3 w/smart controller- $1100
What makes the Mini 3 attractive is, once again, the smart controller. The question is; which is the better aircraft? If I were speaking for myself I would say that the Air2s is the better aircraft while the Mini 3 might now have more features. I have a Mini 2, and I can tell you, because of the light weight construction, it is FRAGILE. I've cracked the hull twice, once by inadvertent contact with a ceiling and another time after it fell from a 3 foot table. The Mini 3 will use increased flight angle to fight wind and when it does so will burn extra battery power. The Air2S has more power and more reserve, though you can buy a bigger battery for the Mini 3. DJI sells a FMC+ kit which includes the bigger battery, but of course for more; $250. And let us not forget the Care/Refresh has associated costs as well which much be factored int.
What might make the Mini 3 more attractive? With the smart controller, getting the thing deployed will save minutes. No hooking up to a phone or tablet. Fire up the controller, then the drone then launch. The small packable size will be awesome. Again speaking for myself, I have a Mavic 2 Pro and to be honest the Mavic 3 doesn't excite me for what it provide over the M2P. At this moment I'm going to keep my M2P for a lot of great reasons, but am getting GAS for the Mini 3- largely because of the SC. But I'm going to wait until the bugs get worked out. And now that the SDK has finally been released for the Mini 2 I'm going to enjoy some of the 3rd party apps that I've been waiting to use with it. Lord knows when they'll release the SDK for the Mini 3?
Sorry for getting long winded and going off on tangents. I'll use medication as an excuse. To get back to the original question I don't think it's going to be enough to worry about. More important things to consider if making a choice.
I was actually comparing the Mini 2 to the Air 2S. The Mini 3 Pro is nice and had great features, but it's still slow in normal flight mode and thus not even in the running for my comparison since I have a Mini 2.
That said, I did just jump the gun and buy an Air 2S. Wish I would have known that DroneNerds was an authorized refurb vendor for DJI though.
vindibona1
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Faster
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Chris Rees
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Whilst I am envious and very impressed with the vids on YT of the Mini 3 Pro, I am budget conscious and can't justify the huge increase in expenditure of this new drone (as good as it appears by all accounts). My Mini 2 batteries are on charge right now, I have a day off tomorrow and the weather is looking good. I am content with my lot.
Macinfo
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How much speed do you really need to fly one's drone for capturing the video and photos of an area your visiting? And any drone is subject to the whims of wind, its how effective it handles it for the purpose that your there for, ie one would think, doing photography and videos.. A number of videos show the Mini 3 pretty stable in various wind levels for what I consider the intended use.
Sure you can still just fly around an area routinely for practice or whatever, but you still don't really need to push it sport mode to do that.
The Mini series with the 2 & 3 has improved in this regard, stronger motors, and the specs reflect it, but you still need to know the limits of flying in strong winds and not push those limits to exceed them or you can lose your drone, and it doesn't have to be one of the Mini series for that to happen.
I use my M2 when I can, because it's more stable and has automatic panoramas compared to the Mini. I was debating getting a Mini 2 to replace my original Mini (because of the better wind resistance and automatic panos); now the Mini 3 is out I'm seriously considering getting that.
Partly this is because I want a sub-250g drone for legal reasons, and partly because as I get older even my M2 seems to be heavier than it once was.
I don't really shoot video so quickshots, tracking, etc don't affect me, but being able to shoot an automatic panorama would be nice. I also like the idea of having a one-piece controller. I just wish the Mini 3 could use the Smart Controller I already have for the M2.
As I've said before, I mostly view my drones as really long tripods, so I'm probably a very atypical pilot!
Partly this is because I want a sub-250g drone for legal reasons, and partly because as I get older even my M2 seems to be heavier than it once was.
I don't really shoot video so quickshots, tracking, etc don't affect me, but being able to shoot an automatic panorama would be nice. I also like the idea of having a one-piece controller. I just wish the Mini 3 could use the Smart Controller I already have for the M2.
As I've said before, I mostly view my drones as really long tripods, so I'm probably a very atypical pilot!
Remote Pilots Australia
Well-Known Member
Like a lot of other people in this thread I expect that I’ll add a Mini 3 Pro to my line up at some point. Out here a Mini 3 Pro with flymore is very close to double the price of a Mini 2 Flymore. …ll is it twice as good? Of course not but it does have features and advantages that nothing else in that class does. If you want it, can employ it and can afford it then you’ll buy it. If any one of those three criteria isn’t you then you won’t buy it and truth be known you’ll probably not be horribly handicapped sticking with your Mini 2.
Even if I do get the Mini 3 Pro I can’t see me getting rid of the Mini 2. In my use case the Mini 2 has the job of riding along in my motorcycle panniers when I am touring or out and about in case I see something that I just *have* to film. It does it admirably and the camera is still pretty good other than in low light. More than good enough to push the ability of YouTube and other social media’s transconding limitations. The other big thing is that the Mini 2 flymore fits in a neat little double stacked Lukafee case about the size of a large paperback (although deeper top to bottom of course) that sits on it’s end taking up 1/3 of a pannier which I can afford to allocate. Motorcycle touring inherently makes space a premium. There is no way a Mini 3 Pro flymore is going to fit in there especially with the controller pro which like most of you I’d spring for.
Also, as it’s a ride along buddy the fact that it’s half the price makes it a lot more palatable to lose under the rigours of the road. Also a lot more likely to be my “drone expendable” of choice in difficult terrain. It just has a niche that for me it fills better than anything else and I suspect the same will be true for otherw.
Never fear, I’m sure the Mini 3 Pro will find it’s own use case and niche in our lives as well. “Horses for courses” as they say.
Thanks for the discussion
Ari
Even if I do get the Mini 3 Pro I can’t see me getting rid of the Mini 2. In my use case the Mini 2 has the job of riding along in my motorcycle panniers when I am touring or out and about in case I see something that I just *have* to film. It does it admirably and the camera is still pretty good other than in low light. More than good enough to push the ability of YouTube and other social media’s transconding limitations. The other big thing is that the Mini 2 flymore fits in a neat little double stacked Lukafee case about the size of a large paperback (although deeper top to bottom of course) that sits on it’s end taking up 1/3 of a pannier which I can afford to allocate. Motorcycle touring inherently makes space a premium. There is no way a Mini 3 Pro flymore is going to fit in there especially with the controller pro which like most of you I’d spring for.
Also, as it’s a ride along buddy the fact that it’s half the price makes it a lot more palatable to lose under the rigours of the road. Also a lot more likely to be my “drone expendable” of choice in difficult terrain. It just has a niche that for me it fills better than anything else and I suspect the same will be true for otherw.
Never fear, I’m sure the Mini 3 Pro will find it’s own use case and niche in our lives as well. “Horses for courses” as they say.
Thanks for the discussion
Ari
Sold my mavic pro a couple years ago.
Just picked up a refurb mini 2 from dji, $385 with extra battery. Not sure why it's refurb since it looks brand new.
So far I think it's the best bang for the buck. I've had dji since the phantom 1.
I didn't want to get into the $1000 range and very happy with what I've seen so far.
Only thing I would like to see is the mavic pro controller same as the mini 2 as far as size.
From all these posts and being away for awhile I'm surprised this hobby is still so popular.
Just picked up a refurb mini 2 from dji, $385 with extra battery. Not sure why it's refurb since it looks brand new.
So far I think it's the best bang for the buck. I've had dji since the phantom 1.
I didn't want to get into the $1000 range and very happy with what I've seen so far.
Only thing I would like to see is the mavic pro controller same as the mini 2 as far as size.
From all these posts and being away for awhile I'm surprised this hobby is still so popular.
I traded in a Mini for Mini2 and am satisfied with the Mini2. My objective is to learn how to fly safely and then home in on scenic locations for aerial photography, which holds my interest rather than just flying for kicks. Preparing videos of each outing are for the purpose of learning from mistakes as I review each outing. The Mini 2 first flight was in January 2022 and as of May, it has been out twelve times as I tend to fly only under ideal weather conditions. Having used a video editing software for several years that is no longer supported, I find producing Davinci Resolve videos is somewhat of a learning curve challenge, but it helps focus on the granular level and that helps in evaluating my mistakes in flying for capturing aerial video on a granular scale. Each successive time that I fly the mini 2 I gain more confidence, but I also recognize a lot of mistakes in attempting to fly with a purposeful plan
I'll be getting a Mini 3 if I do get a new drone. I'd need to buy a new phone or tablet anyway to use a Mini 2 (as my current ones can't run the newer versions of DJI Fly), and adding the price of an iPhone SE to the Mini 2 puts it close to the Mini 3 with the controller that has a screen.
So to me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, assuming the camera is as good. And I don't have any surprise bills that use up my fun money before I can save up enough…
So to me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, assuming the camera is as good. And I don't have any surprise bills that use up my fun money before I can save up enough…
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