New Pilot (hopefully!)

[JAW911]

Greetings from Bristol, UK. I’ve never owned a drone but have come to the conclusion that my life would be more fulfilled if I did! I have been reading this excellent forum and watching YouTube videos and a friend recommended the Mavic mini 3 pro but I’ve yet to pull the trigger. As is always the case with forums, the depth of technical knowledge is staggering and I thank you in advance for any advice. I have a few questions that I cannot seem to find answers to on the net. If you are ‘active tracking’ a car and the car accelerates away beyond the speed of the drone, what happens to it as it loses you? Also what is the best way to record car sounds and then add them in editing? Any suggestions please?

 

[Skybuyer]

Greetings and welcome. You're going to love your new drone. I confess I am not an expert on active track, and look forward to testing it when the opportunity arises. I did some light googling and couldn't find the answer. I'm sure others can answer that question.

Since you don't own the Mini 3 yet I have one recommendation when you go to make the purchase. Buy the package with the DJI RC (controller with built in screen). In USD it's $150 more than with the standard controller. It is much faster to deploy because you're not fiddling with wired connection to a phone, so no cables. Also some of the button features on that controller offer tons more function and programmablility than standard RCN1 controller, which to me is a brick with sticks. While I'm not sure how the Mini 3 will respond to the RCN1, I have a Mini 2 with that controller and there have always been dead spots in the stickes. I've found the DJI RC/Mini 3 combo to be exceptionally smooth flying. So far in 2 years I've owned a Mini 1, Mavic Pro 2, Mini 2 and now Mini 3 Pro w/DJI RC controller.

Of course you're going to need at least one extra battery, a wall charger (because DJI doesn't supply one, even with their FlyMoreCombo and probably a spare set of propellers. If you want to be more selective and maybe don't need a case or 3 batteries, you can buy all this stuff ala carte to suit your needs.

I think you're really going to like the Mini 3. Again, welcome, and good luck.

 

[JAW911]

Thank you. I was going to get it with the RC - cost in the UK currently is £859 which equates to around $1030 US.

 

[FLDave]

For recording audio my suggestion is to use a second phone with wired microphone attached. In this case you could place the phone attached to the outside of the vehicle for recording. During edit add the separate video and synchronize to where you want the sound to appear.
You could try using your control device to record audio but I don't expect the sound quality to be very good for what you want.
You could look for examples on YouTube.

 

[moldorf]

Since you don't own the Mini 3 yet I have one recommendation when you go to make the purchase. Buy the package with the DJI RC (controller with built in screen). In USD it's $150 more than with the standard controller. It is much faster to deploy because you're not fiddling with wired connection to a phone, so no cables. Also some of the button features on that controller offer tons more function and programmablility than standard RCN1 controller, which to me is a brick with sticks. While I'm not sure how the Mini 3 will respond to the RCN1, I have a Mini 2 with that controller and there have always been dead spots in the stickes. I've found the DJI RC/Mini 3 combo to be exceptionally smooth flying. So far in 2 years I've owned a Mini 1, Mavic Pro 2, Mini 2 and now Mini 3 Pro w/DJI RC controller.

I have the Mini 3 with the RC-N1. I haven't flown with the RC. What I do have is the Tripltek 8" tablet. While that set-up has a weight disadvantage, it does have a very big advantage. I have had the opportunity to compare the 1200 nits of the Tripltek vs the 700 nits of the RC, side by side, on a sunny day, and frankly, there is no comparison. The RC was barely visible, even with body contortions; the Tripltek was quite viewable. For me, that is a huge difference

as far as deployment time, maybe, but I think it's being overstated. If you just keep your drone in a case in the car and spontaneously decide to fly while driving by some place suitable, OK. But I just don't keep my drone in the car. I don't want it stolen and that's always a possibility when carried in a car. When I have my drone out and about, looking for places to fly, my Tripltek is already attached to the RC-N1. So the only extra deployment time is the time it takes to turn on the tablet....about 5 seconds

with the news today that the RC-Pro is now compatible with the Mini 3, people should at least consider that as an alternative. yeah, it's much more expensive, but it's apparently a much better controller and it's screen is 43% brighter, or at least generates 43% more light

for me, screen brightness is the #1 priority on a controller

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[scro]

If you are using active track to follow a car and the car speeds up beyond the max speed of the drone (in active track mode) then the drone will try its best to follow the car, but get left behind. Eventually it'll no longer recognise the car as it is too far away. At this point the drone will stop and you'll get a message on the controller saying target lost, or words to that effect. Similar story if the car goes behind some trees for too long. I think max active track speed is 10m/s (ie 22mph). In sports mode it can do 16 m/s (35mph) provided there isn't a headwind, but active track and obstacle avoidance get disabled for sports mode.

That's my limited experience so far with the active track and the Mini3 Pro. It's pretty impressive, but not completely foolproof.

You can use the secondary USB c port on the DJI RC (ie controller with the screen) to plug in a USB mic. This let's you capture audio with the RC for splicing into your drone footage later. Alternatively record with another mobile phone or audio recorder.

 

[JAW911]

Thanks everyone. Some things to think about.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama, welcome to the forum!

 

[JAW911]

What is the value of this post? It neither helps the OP nor is an accurate representation of the typical user's experience.

I've owned 4 different DJI drones now and have had literally zero problems with the drones or remotes, including the Smart Controller. Most people I know can say the same. You don't have to read these forums very long to see that most of the issues people have are related to either user error or lack of experience - but that's OK as there are plenty of people willing to help.

There will always be bugs and firmware updates that fix said bugs and improve user experience - same as literally every other consumer electronic device. If you have a legitimate hardware problem, that's what the warranty is for.

Thank you. I have a friend with four DJI drones. He said if you’re going to buy one then buy a DJI. He would have a mini 3 pro if he thought he could get it past the ‘boss’!

 

[careless]

Welcome from Kentucky USA

 

[4006448]

Welcome aboard from the land down under.

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine!
I love the screen on my Tripltek 8! With my aging eyes, I was having trouble seeing the screen on my iPad mini 5 in bright light even with a sunshade. It is heavier but the trade off in visibility is worth it. Fly safe and stay safe!

 

[Bob in Savannah]

All these Southerners saying hello... Cant skip out on that! Howdy from Savannah, GA! The deep dirty south welcomes you! Yes, I have a Tripletec, as well..

And as others said, the drone will just halt in mid air when it loses its target because it was too fast for the drone to keep up with or obstacles in the way hide the target as it tries to follow you.. The obstacle avoidance does such a good job avoiding obstacles that it will "disengage" the tracking program in order NOT to crash.

 

[JAW911]

Thanks for the welcomes! I am about to pull the trigger having read possibly every online word about this drone! I will go for the version with the screen plus a fly more kit and definitely DJI Refresh! Someone mentioned that I will need a charger for the extra batteries…..which is favourite please?

 

[scro]

Thanks for the welcomes! I am about to pull the trigger having read possibly every online word about this drone! I will go for the version with the screen plus a fly more kit and definitely DJI Refresh! Someone mentioned that I will need a charger for the extra batteries…..which is favourite please?

I got this one from amazon. Nice and compact and powerful too. Its small enough to fit in the FMC carry bag along with the drone, controller and 3 batteries. It can charge the controller and the drone batteries at full rate at the same time. Its even powerful enough to charge/run my laptop

Unitek USB C Charger 3 Ports 66W GaN Wall Charger PD Fast Charging Compatible with MacBook Air/iPhone 13/12/12 Pro/Max, Galaxy S21/S20, Oneplus, iPad, and More: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Shop Unitek USB C Charger 3 Ports 66W GaN Wall Charger PD Fast Charging Compatible with MacBook Air/iPhone 13/12/12 Pro/Max, Galaxy S21/S20, Oneplus, iPad, and More. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

The flymore kit comes with a charger that'll fit up to 3 batteries, but obviously you'll need the USB power supply to feed it. It charges the batteries sequentially, so can take several hours to charge up 3 flat batteries.

 

[JAW911]

Ok. I pulled the trigger and my Mini 3 pro should be with me by Wednesday. The supplier was cheap for the fly more kit but they wanted a lot for the SD disk. What spec do I need and what is the best one please?

 

[GFields]

Ok. I pulled the trigger and my Mini 3 pro should be with me by Wednesday. The supplier We’re cheap for the fly more kit but they wanted a lot for the SD disk. What spec do I need and what is the best one please?

Refer to the manual as far as SD Maximum. The faster the SD card the better.

 

[moldorf]

Ok. I pulled the trigger and my Mini 3 pro should be with me by Wednesday. The supplier We’re cheap for the fly more kit but they wanted a lot for the SD disk. What spec do I need and what is the best one please?

there is a listing of recommended disks at DJI somewhere. They need to be fast for 4K video. Don't try to save money by getting a cheap obscure brand.

I have never had a single problem with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FCR3316/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

the 256GB and the 128GB seem to have the best price point

 

[SpitFire]

Welcome to the forum from Chicago the Windy City.
Looks like you have gotten your question answered.
FLY SAFE.