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Misleading Specs - Please help me contact DJI to request missing AEB & HDR at 48MP on the Mini 3 Pro

power64

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Dear Fellow Pilots,

I was recently dismayed to learn that the Mini 3 Pro supports HDR and AEB only at 12MP in the DJI FLY app. Apparently HDR is implemented as a "single shot" raw image process instead of the traditional true HDR with two or more photos stacked to reduce noise and increase dynamic range. The DJI reasoning is that the camera is always in HDR mode when at 12MP due to magical Quad Bayer binning from 48MP to 12MP, which increases dynamic range, however it appears single shot 48MP HDR is not possible.

My goal was to take some amazing high-resolution sunset and other HDR type images for poster-sized prints. Thinking I might have missed something in the DJI Specs before ordering, I looked through the fine-print in the specification sheet here: DJI Mini 3 Pro - Specs - DJI and it states verbatim:
  • Sensor 1/1.3-inch CMOS
    Effective Pixels: 48 MP​

  • HDR Mode Photo: HDR supported in Single Shot mode​

  • Max Image Size 4:3: 8064×6048 (48 MP), 4032×3024 (12 MP)
    16:9: 4032×2268 (12 MP)​

  • Still Photography Modes -Single Shot
    -Interval: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    JPEG + RAW: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    -Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias
    -Panorama: Sphere, 180°, Wide-angle, and Vertical​

Notice there are no footnotes anywhere? Nothing about, "HDR mode is limited to only 12MP stills" or "Hey, AEB multiple exposure bracketing only works at 12MP" or "The Single Shot mode does not include 48MP image sizes" or "There is a new photo mode called 48MP and we forgot to add this mode to the list of Photography Modes, and it is severely more limited". By reading the current DJI specification sheet, a photographer purchasing a Mini3 Pro can easily infer that both AEB and HDR modes are supported at 48MP shooting, which is not true.

I'm let down to say the least and before someone in the community says to stop complaining and just use manual settings to do several manual exposures to simulate AEB, the lighting and scenes can change rapidly and taking five AEB bracketed photos in 5 seconds is a thousand times better than five manual setting exposure photos over 15 to 30+ seconds, as waves move, people walk, cars drive, and the Mini3 Pro field of view or position may shift.

If any fellow pilots would like to see these missing features of AEB and HDR for all image size resolutions, including 48MP, please voice a request or concern to your local DJI support rep to enable AEB & HDR (True Stacking) in a future firmware release to meet the features advertised and implied in the current DJI Specs, hopefully making the DJI Mini 3 feel a little bit more "Pro". Mahalo.
 
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Dear Fellow Pilots,

I was recently dismayed to learn that the Mini 3 Pro supports HDR and AEB only at 12MP in the DJI FLY app. Apparently HDR is implemented as a "single shot" raw image process instead of the traditional true HDR with two or more photos stacked to reduce noise and increase dynamic range. The DJI reasoning is that the camera is always in HDR mode when at 12MP due to magical Quad Bayer binning from 48MP to 12MP, which increases dynamic range, however it appears single shot 48MP HDR is not possible.

My goal was to take some amazing high-resolution sunset and other HDR type images for poster-sized prints. Thinking I might have missed something in the DJI Specs before ordering, I looked through the fine-print in the specification sheet here: DJI Mini 3 Pro - Specs - DJI and it states verbatim:
  • Sensor 1/1.3-inch CMOS
    Effective Pixels: 48 MP​

  • HDR Mode Photo: HDR supported in Single Shot mode​

  • Max Image Size 4:3: 8064×6048 (48 MP), 4032×3024 (12 MP)
    16:9: 4032×2268 (12 MP)​

  • Still Photography Modes -Single Shot
    -Interval: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    JPEG + RAW: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    -Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias
    -Panorama: Sphere, 180°, Wide-angle, and Vertical​

Notice there are no footnotes anywhere? Nothing about, "HDR mode is limited to only 12MP stills" or "Hey, AEB multiple exposure bracketing only works at 12MP" or "The Single Shot mode does not include 48MP image sizes" or "There is a new photo mode called 48MP and we forgot to add this mode to the list of Photography Modes, and it is severely more limited". By reading the current DJI specification sheet, a photographer purchasing a Mini3 Pro can easily infer that both AEB and HDR modes are supported at 48MP shooting, which is not true.

I'm let down to say the least and before someone in the community says to stop complaining and just use manual settings to do several manual exposures to simulate AEB, the lighting and scenes can change rapidly and taking five AEB bracketed photos in 5 seconds is a thousand times better than five manual setting exposure photos over 15 to 30+ seconds, as waves move, people walk, cars drive, and the Mini3 Pro field of view or position may shift.

If any fellow pilots would like to see these missing features of AEB and HDR for all image size resolutions, including 48MP, please voice a request or concern to your local DJI support rep to enable AEB & HDR (True Stacking) in a future firmware release to meet the features advertised and implied in the current DJI Specs, hopefully making the DJI Mini 3 feel a little bit more "Pro". Mahalo.
Very well written, I agree wholeheartedly, cheers Len
 
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Carefully considered and you are quite right, it is misleading and at best, unclear.
The Mini 3 is an amazing drone for its price point. If you need more, the M3 Pro may be beckoning you and your wallet.
 
The response below from DJI support. It would have been so lovely if this info were in the specs prior to purchase…

(DJI Support)
Jul 26, 2022, 08:08 GMT+8
Dear customer,

Thank you very much for your patiently waiting.

About the question you mentioned on chat, I got a reply from our relevant team. Please refer to the following information:

1. At present, DJI Mini 3 Pro does not support the use of AEB and HDR modes when taking still photos in 48mp mode.

48mp and single, burst, AEB, etc. are parallel options.

48MP mode only supports normal single shot, after selecting 48MP mode, burst shooting and AEB shooting cannot be selected.
 
I think it's unrealistic to expect every detail of features and operation are covered in summary specs. It could even be argued that DJI said the drone has HDR and AEB and it does, so are true to the spec listed.

I'm not criticizing your complaint, just pointing out reasonable expectations with something as complex as a modern drone.

Keep in mind d there are all sorts of other limitations and gotchas not mentioned in the specs. Hyperlapse resolution, camera settings, etc. are constricted, and you'd never know from looking at the specs.

It's wise to read and study the manual before purchase. That's what I do.
 
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If you purchase a Pro Sony A7R IV and it states the camera is 61MP full frame with various features then the camera better be able to shoot all features unless noted.

The photo modes listed in the specs do not list a separate 48MP mode as delivered to customer, first error. The remaining photo modes must include a 48MP capture, however if you pick any remaining, they do not, second error. DJI knows that HDR and AEB are not supported at 48MP and yet they leave this info completely out of the footnotes, third error. DJI advertises HDR, but never states it has any limitations, fourth error.

To say it’s a complex modern drone and expectation of a great camera should be less is weak sauce. People do not buy this $1000 pro drone and accessories for the purpose of flying a toy drone in the park, they purchase it for mainly video and photos, hence its primary purpose is for video and photo capture as an aerial tripod and the video and photo specs must meet what is delivered, which they do not.

I think DJI should attempt to correct the issue right away and offer the feature. If they cannot or will not, then at a minimum update the spec sheet to reflect the true product capabilities and limitations.
 
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Dear Fellow Pilots,

DJI Mini 3 Pro - Specs - DJI and it states verbatim:
  • Sensor 1/1.3-inch CMOS
    Effective Pixels: 48 MP​

  • HDR Mode Photo: HDR supported in Single Shot mode​

  • Max Image Size 4:3: 8064×6048 (48 MP), 4032×3024 (12 MP)
    16:9: 4032×2268 (12 MP)​

  • Still Photography Modes -Single Shot
    -Interval: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    JPEG + RAW: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    -Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias
    -Panorama: Sphere, 180°, Wide-angle, and Vertical​

You need to re-read the phrase: "HDR Mode Photo: HDR supported in Single Shot mode".

Below it lists multiple photography modes, e.g. single shot, AEB, panorama.

As it says, HDR Mode photos is supported in single shot (i.e. not the other ones).

the good news is that the regular photographs in AEB are probably just as good as HDR, the main reason to shoot AEB is to increase the dynamic range and merge in post, so it's not clear that you would achieve much by being able to shoot AEB with HDR modes.
 
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Nicely written piece, but you are probably not going to gather a ton of support here. You have pretty much bought the entry level dji drone without first having researched enough about its capabilities and now unhappy it isnt performing like the higher end dji drones.
As a photographer, im sure you would be much more happy with a mavic 3. Its in a similar price range to the sony camera you are quoting specs for.

I tnink people get confused with the “pro” in the name. I dont think real “pro’s” are going to relying on a mavic mini for professional work and i hoghly doubt you will find any drone in this price range that will outperform the mini3pro
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dear Fellow Pilots,

I was recently dismayed to learn that the Mini 3 Pro supports HDR and AEB only at 12MP in the DJI FLY app. Apparently HDR is implemented as a "single shot" raw image process instead of the traditional true HDR with two or more photos stacked to reduce noise and increase dynamic range. The DJI reasoning is that the camera is always in HDR mode when at 12MP due to magical Quad Bayer binning from 48MP to 12MP, which increases dynamic range, however it appears single shot 48MP HDR is not possible.

My goal was to take some amazing high-resolution sunset and other HDR type images for poster-sized prints. Thinking I might have missed something in the DJI Specs before ordering, I looked through the fine-print in the specification sheet here: DJI Mini 3 Pro - Specs - DJI and it states verbatim:
  • Sensor 1/1.3-inch CMOS
    Effective Pixels: 48 MP​

  • HDR Mode Photo: HDR supported in Single Shot mode​

  • Max Image Size 4:3: 8064×6048 (48 MP), 4032×3024 (12 MP)
    16:9: 4032×2268 (12 MP)​

  • Still Photography Modes -Single Shot
    -Interval: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    JPEG + RAW: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
    -Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias
    -Panorama: Sphere, 180°, Wide-angle, and Vertical​

Notice there are no footnotes anywhere? Nothing about, "HDR mode is limited to only 12MP stills" or "Hey, AEB multiple exposure bracketing only works at 12MP" or "The Single Shot mode does not include 48MP image sizes" or "There is a new photo mode called 48MP and we forgot to add this mode to the list of Photography Modes, and it is severely more limited". By reading the current DJI specification sheet, a photographer purchasing a Mini3 Pro can easily infer that both AEB and HDR modes are supported at 48MP shooting, which is not true.

I'm let down to say the least and before someone in the community says to stop complaining and just use manual settings to do several manual exposures to simulate AEB, the lighting and scenes can change rapidly and taking five AEB bracketed photos in 5 seconds is a thousand times better than five manual setting exposure photos over 15 to 30+ seconds, as waves move, people walk, cars drive, and the Mini3 Pro field of view or position may shift.

If any fellow pilots would like to see these missing features of AEB and HDR for all image size resolutions, including 48MP, please voice a request or concern to your local DJI support rep to enable AEB & HDR (True Stacking) in a future firmware release to meet the features advertised and implied in the current DJI Specs, hopefully making the DJI Mini 3 feel a little bit more "Pro". Mahalo.

While I understand you would like to get all the Advanced Features of the M3 in the Mini3 that's unrealistic. In order to get everything to fit under the hood and still have "reasonable" processing power some cuts have to be made.

And to be fair, DJI did state it in their specs you just seemed to overlook how/where they stated it. AEB is clearly stated under "Single Shot" which should have been your indication to reach out and ask those questions BEFORE making the purchase.

Still Photography Modes -Single Shot
-Interval: JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
JPEG + RAW: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
-Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias​

In regards to "request missing features" they aren't missing. They aren't possible because 48MP and AEB (and Burst) are parallel operations which means it's one OR the other. It's not a matter of them just not wanting those features but a matter of the design of the system won't/can't support them being ran together.

If you want the features of the Ferrari you probably shouldn't have bout the Subaru.
 
I’ll tone it down a bit.

Three suggestions to pay more and get the Mavic 3 series are just marketing hype. DJI has a history of releasing new drones that surpass previous models with higher specs at lower costs, sometimes even less than 12 months after the last model was released, leaving the last owners a little frustrated.

If you slap the word Pro on any DJI model and increase the price almost double over the original Mini, there had better be Pro features in there.

For those wishing to make this personal and say I didn’t read carefully, I ask in return which of the four still photography modes listed in the specs on the current DJI website support the advertised 48MP still image capture with the 48MP sensor? NONE of them! Hence the specs are wrong out of the gate before even arguing about missing features.

Secondly, take any pro camera on the market and show one that advertises HDR or AEB bracketing, but with that feature only working at lower resolution. You’ll be hard pressed to find one and definitely not one of the big three Sony, Nikon, Canon.

Thirdly, I have invested over $15k with DJI since my first custom Naza, iOSD, S800, all P series, and almost everything since PII with a “still” mode supports all sensor resolutions. If DJI wants to suddenly diverge and suggest that an image resolution is a photo mode, they are welcome to, but it’s a departure from the last nine years of all drone products they’ve previously made. Yes, I did read carefully and AEB should be added at a minimum.
 
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I’ll tone it down a bit.

Three suggestions to pay more and get the Mavic 3 series are just marketing hype. DJI has a history of releasing new drones that surpass previous models with higher specs at lower costs, sometimes even less than 12 months after the last model was released, leaving the last owners a little frustrated.

If you slap the word Pro on any DJI model and increase the price almost double over the original Mini, there had better be Pro features in there.

For those wishing to make this personal and say I didn’t read carefully, I ask in return which of the four modes listed in the specs on the current DJI website support 48MP still image mode with the 48MP sensor? NONE of them! Hence the specs are wrong out of the gate before even arguing about missing features.

Secondly, take any pro camera on the market and show one that advertises AEB or HDR bracketing, but with that feature only working at lower resolution. You’ll be hard pressed to find one and definitely not one of the big three Sony, Nikon, Canon. (with the odd exception of A7Siii, however it cannot shoot 48MP despite having a 48MP sensor, nor is that advertised)

Thirdly, I have invested over $15k with DJI since my first Naza, iOSD, S800, all P series, and almost everything since PII with a “still” mode supports all sensor resolutions. If DJI wants to suddenly diverge and suggest that an image resolution is a photo mode, they are welcome to, but it’s a departure from the last ten years of all drone products they’ve previously made. Yes, I did read carefully and AEB should be added at a minimum.


Do you understand why it can't be "added"? It's not something they simply forgot to turn on etc. The way it's designed it's not possible with the Mini3P due to physical limitations. A processor or something other physical upgrade might make it possible in future renditions but the fact it is a Parallel Operations means it's most likely not going to happen on your version of the aircraft.
 
Nicely written piece, but you are probably not going to gather a tonne of support here. You have pretty much bought the entry level dji drone without first having researched enough about its capabilities and now unhappy it isnt performing like the higher end dji drones.
As a photographer, im sure you would be much more happy with a mavic 3. Its in a similar price range to the sony camera you are quoting specs for.

I tnink people get confused with the “pro” in the name. I dont think real “pro’s” are going to relying on a mavic mini for professional work and i hoghly doubt you will find any drone in this price range that will outperform the mini3pro
Yea I had to chuckle at the marketing play with "pro." It is a fine drone but calling the mini pro while the Mavic 3 isn't labeled that way is clearly silly.
 
Thirdly, I have invested over $15k with DJI since my first custom Naza, iOSD, S800, all P series, and almost everything since PII with a “still” mode supports all sensor resolutions. If DJI wants to suddenly diverge and suggest that an image resolution is a photo mode, they are welcome to, but it’s a departure from the last nine years of all drone products they’ve previously made. Yes, I did read carefully and AEB should be added at a minimum.

Hard to claim that DJI has never done this before - this is almost exactly the same setup that DJI put into the Mavic Air 2 except with a larger sensor - Quad Bayer sensor with 48MP in still mode OR 12MP with AEB/Burst. The only option we got with the 48MP mode was RAW+JPEG output and all other still image options were for use in 12MP mode only.

I bought a Mavic 3 for my landscape photography needs.
 
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For those wishing to make this personal and say I didn’t read carefully, I ask in return which of the four still photography modes listed in the specs on the current DJI website support the advertised 48MP still image capture with the 48MP sensor? NONE of them! Hence the specs are wrong out of the gate before even arguing about missing features.

Secondly, take any pro camera on the market and show one that advertises HDR or AEB bracketing, but with that feature only working at lower resolution. You’ll be hard pressed to find one and definitely not one of the big three Sony, Nikon, Canon.

the HDR mode isn't the base sensor output that can be used for all the photo modes, it's using the sensor output to create a larger photo, with slight better colour, noise, dynamic range. Think of it as AEB shooting without the need to take multi exposures and merge in post. It's essentially a gimmick.

So, as to the practical matter, what outcome do you imagine could be achieved if you could use HDR mode with AEB?
 
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I’ll tone it down a bit.

Three suggestions to pay more and get the Mavic 3 series are just marketing hype. DJI has a history of releasing new drones that surpass previous models with higher specs at lower costs, sometimes even less than 12 months after the last model was released, leaving the last owners a little frustrated.

If you slap the word Pro on any DJI model and increase the price almost double over the original Mini, there had better be Pro features in there.
There are. I'm not going to waste time listing them.

The problem, old as Adam, is there are some features you want that aren't there, you're unhappy, and now your trying to blame DJI for misleading you when your complaint is arguably subjective.
 
the HDR mode isn't the base sensor output that can be used for all the photo modes, it's using the sensor output to create a larger photo, with slight better colour, noise, dynamic range. Think of it as AEB shooting without the need to take multi exposures and merge in post. It's essentially a gimmick.

So, as to the practical matter, what outcome do you imagine could be achieved if you could use HDR mode with AEB?
I do not believe this is true Josh.

The sensor is 48MP and it is not faking a 48MP photo with only a 12MP sensor. Yes, 4 pixels grouped in quads that are binned in HDR(HQ) video and 12MP stills. There really is information from each pixel at 48MP, however the colors will be more screwed up due to the large filters on top of the 2x2 pixel groups and possibly different ISO amplification per pixel, if used.

The current system should allow multiple exposure AEB at 48MP at a minimum. There is no magic in this other than changing the EV electronically and rapidly taking several photos, significantly faster than the user can manually change those settings currently. The system does and can support this mode. HDR would be harder, but don’t assume impossible.
 
Do you understand why it can't be "added"? It's not something they simply forgot to turn on etc. The way it's designed it's not possible with the Mini3P due to physical limitations. A processor or something other physical upgrade might make it possible in future renditions but the fact it is a Parallel Operations means it's most likely not going to happen on your version of the aircraft.
Hi Al,

One should not assume the processor is limited, especially one that can encode 150Mb/s, faster than practically any previous DJI product.

Yes, the system is low power and one has to worry about not over-heating the poor drone and processor.

I can assure you that parallel processes are not needed to perform two or three photos captures in rapid succession at 48MP at different exposures. HDR using two actual shots and merging may be significantly more difficult (albeit not impossible), as they would need sufficient memory for the merge process or have to creatively process it in small chunks, making it clunky and slow.

AEB capture is no different than a still frame single capture rapidly with different manual exposures. The process of AEB at 48MP vs single frame capture at 48MP with manual exposure changes between captures is the same, however one is automated and faster.
 
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There are. I'm not going to waste time listing them.

The problem, old as Adam, is there are some features you want that aren't there, you're unhappy, and now your trying to blame DJI for misleading you when your complaint is arguably subjective.

Subjective?

Please answer my question. Which still photo mode in the specs on the DJI website allows 48MP capture?

It’s not there, which leads the buyer to assume one or all of the four remaining still photo modes must support up to 48 megapixel resolution.
 
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Hard to claim that DJI has never done this before - this is almost exactly the same setup that DJI put into the Mavic Air 2 except with a larger sensor - Quad Bayer sensor with 48MP in still mode OR 12MP with AEB/Burst. The only option we got with the 48MP mode was RAW+JPEG output and all other still image options were for use in 12MP mode only.

I bought a Mavic 3 for my landscape photography needs.
Thanks Alan,

This is great to know.

I did not purchase the DJI Air2 and although this latest DJI offering slipped out the factory door with nearly the same specs, it doesn’t grandfather in an error or omission on the part of DJI, to accurately describe their product true capabilities and limitations.
 
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Mate, i told you that you wouldnt get support on this.
If, as you say, you have been with DJI for so long, and have nearly every drone they have produced, you should know better.
I can understand a newbie maybe being caught out by not really knowing what they are getting.
But you are an experience drone operator and photographer. You bought something with no research you are not happy with so decided to join this forum to find others to support your dissatisfaction.
Sorry man, its all on you. Thats nothing personal. Just because we dont agree with you, doesnt mean we are personally against you
 

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