If you want to "
end up" with the
Mavic 3 Pro, I'm not sure spending $400-800 for a Min2/Mini3 FMC as an intermediate step is getting the best bang for your buck....unless you want to have both a Mini3 and a
Mavic3, for instance
now, if you're looking to save money on a used/refurbished drone, I'd first check the refurbished drones at DJI and Drone Nerds
DJI Refurbished Products - Up to 20% Savings, Certified Quality and Full Warranty | DJI.com
Buy DJI Refurbished Drones at DroneNerds.com - DJI Warranty Included - Save Big
you might be able to save some money buying from some anonymous person on the internet, but it's my view you'd need to save at least 30% over the refurbished-by-DJI drones in order to warrant taking the risk. I prefer the peace of mind, and warranty, and care refresh, of buying from a reputable source
as other have said, the
Mini 3 does offer some advantages because of the 250g weight. It's also more transportable. I have both the
Mini 3 and
Mavic 3; hard cases for both. And the hard case for the
Mavic 3 is twice the size of the case for the
Mini 3, and nearly 3 times as heavy. The
Mini 3 is also a "
quieter" drone so it not as obtrusive
that said, I fly the
Mavic 3 about 8-9 times for every one time I fly the
Mini 3. The camera is better meaning video and photos are higher quality. It isn't a big difference, but it's noticeable. I like the longer flight time of the
Mavic 3 (
the plus batteries for the Mini 3 balance that scale though). I also like the 46mph speed I can achieve with the
Mavic 3 in sport mode, even though that turns off the 360 degree obstacle avoidance
if you ever fly in real remote areas with steep hills/mountains/cliffs, the
Mavic 3 will also let you fly 1000m/3280ft above home point instead of being locked at 500M/1640ft. You have to be more than 30 miles from any airport though (which is common in Eastern Oregon/Northern Nevada. The precision landing feature is also amazing. I had a flight that was all over a steep glacial gorge. My total traveled distance was over 30,000 ft, and my altitude varied from -320 ft to +2260 ft, and I allowed the drone to return home and land itself. And it landed within 3 inches of it's takeoff point