Mini 3 smooth flying- Is it the drone, the RC controller- or both?

[vindibona1]

I received my Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC controller roughly 2 weeks ago. I've had a Mini 2 for about 18 months and my Mavic 2 Pro for 2 years and originally a Mini 1. While my M2P is close, so far the Mini 3 is the smoothest flying drone the 4 DJI drones I've owned. While I still need more practice, it is surprising how predictable the Mini 3 moves with the stick commands. While my Mini 2 had decent control and I tried a lot of different adjustments in the advanced settings, the Mini 2's response was IMO fair. It was really hard to make smooth moves, especially when attempting multiple changes simultaneously (i.e. move sideways and command yaw at the same time, or other two, three or four combinations).

Is it the controller that makes the Mini 3 so much easier to control well? After all, instead of the "balls" of the RCN1's controller the DJI RC's sticks connect to a "bi-directional" (?) assembly like you might see on a standard radio controller that the FPV guys use. Or, is the Mini 3 Pro drone just more responsive?

Has anyone compared the two different controllers with the Mini 3 Pro drone?

 

[Lister]

This is really good news for those of us who struggle with compound moves.

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Droning on and on...]

I got mine last week.

I find it mushy compared to my other DJI products, and really need to keep reminding myself of the (feels like) slower, longer braking response.

A lot of this is personal and subjective, of course. In my hands, the Mini-2 feels crisper and more responsive.

That's from memory, haven't flown the 2 for a while. Suppose I should do a more direct comparison.

 

[old man mavic]

its all down to how you set the stick expos in each mode ,in C mode i have mine dialed right back so when i combine two or three stick movements together i can get really smooth video ,and fine control ,its great that you can customise each mode to suit your preferences

 

[scro]

The mini 3 has some trickery going on behind the scenes with regards to control. If you give it fwd stick and then a bit of yaw stick it will automatically blend in some roll for a smoother turn. In my very limited so far experience of flying the mini3 it feels a lot smoother than the mini1 and I think at least some of this is down to it automatically injecting some extra control input on top of what you're doing. This damping and smoothing could be interpreted as "mushier" by those used to the very direct, sharp and undamped response of preceding minis.

 

[old man mavic]

@scro ,you may well be correct ,even straight from the box it was a lot smoother than my Mini 1
probably to take full advantage of the higher frame rates that are available

 

[Droning on and on...]

If it's auto-coordinating turns, that would be a shame.

When they added that to the Air 2, it really messed me up, as I've been coordinating with roll myself for a long time.

I wish we could turn that off.

EDIT: Just confirmed it with a quick flight in FPV gimbal mode... it automatically adding roll with only yaw input

 

[Flashheart]

The M3P is far more controllable than the M2. Maintaining smooth minimum speed on the M2 was a frigging nightmare.
The slightest movement would cause the speed to increase exponentially.

 

[scro]

It's definitely automatically coordinating turns. I'm not sure what else it's automatically doing. Sadly I'll not be able to explore further just yet as mine has suffered a serious hardware failure and a freefall from 50m altitude. Only had 1 test flight and then the start of a second flight before disaster struck. Hopefully a warranty claim isn't too painful.

 

[vindibona1]

Thanks for the replies. But I’d it the DJI RC controller, mini 3 drone or a combination? Is the mini 3 as smooth with the RCN1 controller?

As for those who like “crispness”, God bless. IMO crisp=sudden, sometimes jerky which is the antithesis of smooth. The response I’m getting with the Mini3 is very linear without the stick dead spots that I experience with the Mini2/RCN1. Call it trickery or whatever, compound moves are so much easier to keep smooth.

 

[a2tomm]

I received my Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC controller roughly 2 weeks ago. I've had a Mini 2 for about 18 months and my Mavic 2 Pro for 2 years and originally a Mini 1. While my M2P is close, so far the Mini 3 is the smoothest flying drone the 4 DJI drones I've owned. While I still need more practice, it is surprising how predictable the Mini 3 moves with the stick commands. While my Mini 2 had decent control and I tried a lot of different adjustments in the advanced settings, the Mini 2's response was IMO fair. It was really hard to make smooth moves, especially when attempting multiple changes simultaneously (i.e. move sideways and command yaw at the same time, or other two, three or four combinations).

Is it the controller that makes the Mini 3 so much easier to control well? After all, instead of the "balls" of the RCN1's controller the DJI RC's sticks connect to a "bi-directional" (?) assembly like you might see on a standard radio controller that the FPV guys use. Or, is the Mini 3 Pro drone just more responsive?

Has anyone compared the two different controllers with the Mini 3 Pro drone?

The spiffy new controller is a game changer ,i took out the Air 2s and the mini 3 on Saturday ,range test on both 3 mile plus but i must say the controller makes it all more enjoyable .Looking forward to DJI including the Air 2s to it's line up .All other drone companies need to get on the stick if it wants to compete in the drone hobby

 

[IronSky1]

I found the same when I compare my M3P to M2P or Inspire 2 incredable control. Still not a good choice for wind you need the weight. No payload capability either however, flies great fast to get in air .

 

[Droning on and on...]

Thanks for the replies. But I’d it the DJI RC controller, mini 3 drone or a combination? Is the mini 3 as smooth with the RCN1 controller?

As for those who like “crispness”, God bless. IMO crisp=sudden, sometimes jerky which is the antithesis of smooth. The response I’m getting with the Mini3 is very linear without the stick dead spots that I experience with the Mini2/RCN1. Call it trickery or whatever, compound moves are so much easier to keep smooth.

Well, to me it means responsive. I want the drone to do what I command it to do through the controller, and nothing more.

If I want smooth, I fly it that way.

It's fine to provide features that help those that don't want to focus on the flying so much. Just let others turn it off so it doesn't cripple us.

 

[vindibona1]

Well, to me it means responsive. I want the drone to do what I command it to do through the controller, and nothing more.

If I want smooth, I fly it that way.

It's fine to provide features that help those that don't want to focus on the flying so much. Just let others turn it off so it doesn't cripple us.

I appreciate what you're saying. My experience with the Mini 2, regardless of how I fiddles with yaw and EXP I always felt that there were dead spots on the sticks and I ultimately I could get smooth flow going, but it isn't smooth like my Mavic 2 Pro and unlike the Mini 3/DJI RC controller. It just isn't. I'm not even sure why I bought the Mini 3 and even hesistated taking the plastic off of the box once it arrived. But now that I've flown in, image quality aside just the handling makes the purchase a good (though expensive) decision (but not as expensive as an M3 "upgrade").

I'm going to have to link my RCN1 controller to the Mini 3 one day to test it and compare. But I don't want to give up all the extra buttons the DJI RC controller has so it will be a minute before trying that out.

 

[Moneta]

It's definitely automatically coordinating turns. I'm not sure what else it's automatically doing. Sadly I'll not be able to explore further just yet as mine has suffered a serious hardware failure and a freefall from 50m altitude. Only had 1 test flight and then the start of a second flight before disaster struck. Hopefully a warranty claim isn't too painful.

Thanks, what kind of "serious hardware" failure was it? Perhaps a prop flew off?

 

[vindibona1]

It's definitely automatically coordinating turns. I'm not sure what else it's automatically doing. Sadly I'll not be able to explore further just yet as mine has suffered a serious hardware failure and a freefall from 50m altitude. Only had 1 test flight and then the start of a second flight before disaster struck. Hopefully a warranty claim isn't too painful.

Did you buy any chance push the sticks down and together at the same time (or up and to the outside) commanding an emergency motor stop?

 

[scro]

I think one or more of the ESCs failed, or something of that nature. Some of the props continued to spin as the drone tumbled straight down. It wasn't a CSC input, and checking the flight log afterwards confirms that I was just applying some down stick at the point of failure. It definitely wasn't user error.

Now, on power up, the drone gives a series of error codes, refuses to start, and says contact DJI. The camera and gimbal are functioning correctly, as is the transmission system. A warranty claim is in process.

 

[moldorf]

its all down to how you set the stick expos in each mode ,in C mode i have mine dialed right back so when i combine two or three stick movements together i can get really smooth video ,and fine control ,its great that you can customise each mode to suit your preferences

lord help me

first, I had to learn just how to fly the drone. Setting RTH protocols, speed modes, etc.

next, I had to learn how to capture media....videos and photos, and after several months of effort I haven't even graduated to remedial as a videographer. Capturing video and photos is much more complex than flying, and combining the two is even more complex. At this point, if I produce a good video, it's as much accidental as intentional

and speaking of which, I am having to learn how to edit and color-grade, I'm using DaVinci Resolve and I am about 95% buried by the learning curve there

now you're telling me I need to learn about the minutia of pitch and yaw and roll? I'm an old dog buried under a massive pile of new tricks

 

[Droning on and on...]

@moldorf, there's no "right" advice about how to learn, just opinion.

Mine: The Mini 3 has some very sophisticated features to aid cinematography and lessen the pilot workload while concentrating on content. When used properly, these features are extraordinary. FocusTrack, Hyperlapse are two examples.

So, my advice is to set aside trying to learn to film amazing videos while you're trying to learn to fly. Just learn to fly, get real familiar with all the features, how to use them and their limitations.

Once you get there, these tools can help TREMENDOUSLY in shooting and producing amazing footage.

It's so much easier to get good stuff on the beach, for example, when you don't have to pay any attention to following a moving subject, just focus on the scene.

 

[Lister]

Don't despair with Resolve. Its insanely complex but you don't have to learn it all at once.

Concentrate on the Edit Page at first. In the Colour Page, don't use the big dials at lower left at first for colour adjustments. Use the text controls underneath them "highlights, shadows, saturation", etc.

This guy:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MrAlexTech

has the best Resolve tutorials on Youtube. Start with his simpler "intro" tutorials and practice, practice, practice. Like flying.

*EDIT* here's a good "Your first ten minutes with Resolve" tutorial.

I find the combination of flying and photography very stressful, too. There's just no way you can give your attention to two such disparate skills at once. It gets easier with, you guessed it, practice, practice, practice.

I'm really looking forward upgrading my Mini 2 to a Mini 3. Those automated moves are dynamite. Very difficult to master with hand flying, DJI has made them easy.