RC vs RC Pro with the Mavic 3 Pro

[Pjyarnall]

I’ve been flying a Mavic 2 Pro for the past 5 years. Some videos, but mainly very photocentric use. I’m looking to move up to the Mavic 3 Pro, (with three cameras). I’m a bit perplexed by the controller choice…. RC vs RC Pro. A huge $ difference. I would love to hear any feedback re the two, especially in the context of my “photocentric” use. I’ve read that the RC is a little “laggy” compared to the Pro, and the Pro has better flight control feel(?). I’m also thinking I might add a Mini at some point for ease of travel. I understand that only the Mini 3 Pro would be compatible with the RC Pro. It would simplify things to use one controller for the two drones.

Any thoughts, experience, feedback, greatly appreciated!

 

[Cafguy]

It does simplify Things if you have many drones and would rather carry the one remote However Drones for the RC Pro are all going to be older drones. If you are not planning on purchasing a new model I would say If you want to spend the money well then they are very nice controllers I dont think that the regular RC is laggy and as far as "feel" they all feel the same to me The one thing DJI does NOT do when you order a stand alone rc unit from them is Improve the controllers gimbles!
I have been flying RC my whole life and to me even the RC pro gimbles are cheap and plasticky.
My opinion : Wait for the next gen of RC Pro and purchase that.

 

[Chrislaf]

I have both controllers. I got the RC when I purchased my Mavic 3 Pro and decided to keep it as a backup for my RC Pro. That being said I have tried the RC out to see how it compares to my RC Pro. I too shoot mostly photos with the occasional video.

I love my RC Pro - the screen is bright even in strong sunlight and it has an auto-adjusting brightness which is very useful. The screen is a higher resolution than the basic RC so you can see more of the dynamic range from the camera. It is fast and responsive and has a quality built feel to it. The additional buttons and the 5D button make customizing the controller to your liking convenient and ultimately make the flight experience much easier. Although I don't fly beyond VLOS the external antennas give more signal stability. The ability to load third party software is also a plus. I have Dronelink, Litchi Pilot (beta), and AirData on my controller. You also have the ability to attach an external display to the controller through the Mini HDMI port to have a second monitor to mirror the built in screen or just display the camera feed. I haven't done this but am considering it. Finally, the RC Pro really was built for the Mavic 3 line and the controller allows you to really take advantage of the Mavic 3 Pro.

The DJI RC is also a nice controller but it is a basic bare bones controller. It provides the convenience of not having to use your phone to control your drone and does have separate camera and video buttons and C1/C2 buttons. The screen is 700nits whereas the RC Pro is 1000nits and does not auto-adjust brightness to the conditions. Using both controllers, I personally find a huge difference in the brightness in bright sunlight even with one of those flip up screen shades installed. Also, I found a huge difference in the dynamic range that the screen could display due to the resolution of the screen. It's much easier to view details on the RC Pro. What I do like about the RC is that it lighter than the RC Pro and the battery lasts longer.

If I was purchasing today, I would still purchase the RC Pro over the RC for my Mavic 3 Pro. You do get what you pay for and often the features and feel of the RC Pro are hard to describe. It makes the flying experience so, so much better. If I didn't have my Mavic 3 Pro and just had my Mini 3 Pro, then I likely would not buy the RC Pro as it would be overkill for that drone. Instead I would get the RC-N1 so that I could use third party apps with it.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[mneeze]

It does simplify Things if you have many drones and would rather carry the one remote However Drones for the RC Pro are all going to be older drones. If you are not planning on purchasing a new model I would say If you want to spend the money well then they are very nice controllers I dont think that the regular RC is laggy and as far as "feel" they all feel the same to me The one thing DJI does NOT do when you order a stand alone rc unit from them is Improve the controllers gimbles!
I have been flying RC my whole life and to me even the RC pro gimbles are cheap and plasticky.
My opinion : Wait for the next gen of RC Pro and purchase that.

"Controllers gimbles"(sic)? I thought only the drone had the gimbal, not the RC (or RC Pro).

Is it possible you meant to use a different word? The gimbal is the little device that holds the image sensor ("camera lens") on the front of the drone; it counters the drone's movements to keep the image sensor stable while the drone moves around in many different directions in space.

The RC (and RC Pro) do not have gimbals, and they do not even have image sensors to capture pics/movies, so why would they need gimbals? Im not sure what word you are conflating with gimbal that is "cheap and plasticky". I'm sure someone else on here will immediately recognize what part/word you are meaning to use, but I haven't the slightest unfortunately so I cant really be of help (other than pointing out RCs don't have gimbals). Cheers and good day to you!

 

[Pjyarnall]

It does simplify Things if you have many drones and would rather carry the one remote However Drones for the RC Pro are all going to be older drones. If you are not planning on purchasing a new model I would say If you want to spend the money well then they are very nice controllers I dont think that the regular RC is laggy and as far as "feel" they all feel the same to me The one thing DJI does NOT do when you order a stand alone rc unit from them is Improve the controllers gimbles!
I have been flying RC my whole life and to me even the RC pro gimbles are cheap and plasticky.
My opinion : Wait for the next gen of RC Pro and purchase that.

Thanks for your input. Going with the RC rather than the Pro saves nearly enough $ to get a Mini 4 Pro.

 

[Crashdummytest]

I’ve been flying a Mavic 2 Pro for the past 5 years. Some videos, but mainly very photocentric use. I’m looking to move up to the Mavic 3 Pro, (with three cameras). I’m a bit perplexed by the controller choice…. RC vs RC Pro. A huge $ difference. I would love to hear any feedback re the two, especially in the context of my “photocentric” use. I’ve read that the RC is a little “laggy” compared to the Pro, and the Pro has better flight control feel(?). I’m also thinking I might add a Mini at some point for ease of travel. I understand that only the Mini 3 Pro would be compatible with the RC Pro. It would simplify things to use one controller for the two drones.

Any thoughts, experience, feedback, greatly appreciated!

The RC Pro gives a smoother experience. The RC1 has lag and no hdmi out. The RC2 is much better than RC1, but lacks support for the Mavic3, sadly. I own all the mentioned items, speaking from experience. The RC Pro is heavy compared to RC1/2. The screen on RC2 is on par with RC Pro in my view. RC1 was not a great product in my view.

 

[Cafguy]

"Controllers gimbles"(sic)? I thought only the drone had the gimbal, not the RC (or RC Pro).

Is it possible you meant to use a different word? The gimbal is the little device that holds the image sensor ("camera lens") on the front of the drone; it counters the drone's movements to keep the image sensor stable while the drone moves around in many different directions in space.

The RC (and RC Pro) do not have gimbals, and they do not even have image sensors to capture pics/movies, so why would they need gimbals? Im not sure what word you are conflating with gimbal that is "cheap and plasticky". I'm sure someone else on here will immediately recognize what part/word you are meaning to use, but I haven't the slightest unfortunately so I cant really be of help (other than pointing out RCs don't have gimbals). Cheers and good day to you!

Sorry the correct term is GIMBAL-
Gimbals are the sticks on your controller- DJI uses cheap GIMBALS! MOST RC radios Sold by other companies in the PRO price range come with NICE GIMBALS in fact it is a selling point. DJI Mearly wraps the same setup in a nicer package and maybe a screen. I would pay for a PRO if they would put AG01 GIMBALS on it! otherwise I will use my trusty RC-N1 or the equivalent new one.

 

[Pjyarnall]

I have both controllers. I got the RC when I purchased my Mavic 3 Pro and decided to keep it as a backup for my RC Pro. That being said I have tried the RC out to see how it compares to my RC Pro. I too shoot mostly photos with the occasional video.

I love my RC Pro - the screen is bright even in strong sunlight and it has an auto-adjusting brightness which is very useful. The screen is a higher resolution than the basic RC so you can see more of the dynamic range from the camera. It is fast and responsive and has a quality built feel to it. The additional buttons and the 5D button make customizing the controller to your liking convenient and ultimately make the flight experience much easier. Although I don't fly beyond VLOS the external antennas give more signal stability. The ability to load third party software is also a plus. I have Dronelink, Litchi Pilot (beta), and AirData on my controller. You also have the ability to attach an external display to the controller through the Mini HDMI port to have a second monitor to mirror the built in screen or just display the camera feed. I haven't done this but am considering it. Finally, the RC Pro really was built for the Mavic 3 line and the controller allows you to really take advantage of the Mavic 3 Pro.

The DJI RC is also a nice controller but it is a basic bare bones controller. It provides the convenience of not having to use your phone to control your drone and does have separate camera and video buttons and C1/C2 buttons. The screen is 700nits whereas the RC Pro is 1000nits and does not auto-adjust brightness to the conditions. Using both controllers, I personally find a huge difference in the brightness in bright sunlight even with one of those flip up screen shades installed. Also, I found a huge difference in the dynamic range that the screen could display due to the resolution of the screen. It's much easier to view details on the RC Pro. What I do like about the RC is that it lighter than the RC Pro and the battery lasts longer.

If I was purchasing today, I would still purchase the RC Pro over the RC for my Mavic 3 Pro. You do get what you pay for and often the features and feel of the RC Pro are hard to describe. It makes the flying experience so, so much better. If I didn't have my Mavic 3 Pro and just had my Mini 3 Pro, then I likely would not buy the RC Pro as it would be overkill for that drone. Instead I would get the RC-N1 so that I could use third party apps with it.

Hope this helps.

Chris

Thanks for the detailed response, Chris. Very helpful. Your arguments for the Pro are persuasive as I relate to the issues you mention.

 

[mobilehomer]

Sorry the correct term is GIMBAL-
Gimbals are the sticks on your controller- DJI uses cheap GIMBALS! MOST RC radios Sold by other companies in the PRO price range come with NICE GIMBALS in fact it is a selling point. DJI Mearly wraps the same setup in a nicer package and maybe a screen. I would pay for a PRO if they would put AG01 GIMBALS on it! otherwise I will use my trusty RC-N1 or the equivalent new one.

The gimbals on the Pro ARE much nicer than the others. It uses Hall effect instead of potentiometers. They are so smooth and responsive.

 

[Photo Beaty]

I have a Mavic 3 Pro and use the RC Pro. For me the HDMI out put to a larger screen with more NITS has been very useful. The screen on the RC Pro is really very good but I have been spoiled, I guess, by having used brighter screens on other setups.

 

[Cafguy]

The gimbals on the Pro ARE much nicer than the others. It uses Hall effect instead of potentiometers. They are so smooth and responsive.

I didnt Know they had hall effect gimbals All their other controllers have the plasticy ones Thats what I get for assumptions Thanx -For those yep I might pay the money! BUT then there is o4 so maybe wait a few months before I spend 1000 on a controller

 

[Filmarik]

It does simplify Things if you have many drones and would rather carry the one remote However Drones for the RC Pro are all going to be older drones. If you are not planning on purchasing a new model I would say If you want to spend the money well then they are very nice controllers I dont think that the regular RC is laggy and as far as "feel" they all feel the same to me The one thing DJI does NOT do when you order a stand alone rc unit from them is Improve the controllers gimbles!
I have been flying RC my whole life and to me even the RC pro gimbles are cheap and plasticky.
My opinion : Wait for the next gen of RC Pro and purchase that.

The RF unit in RC Pro is easily removable, opening the window for the controller to be upgraded to the future Occusync transmission systems. Whether DJI will do it or not is another question.
RC Pro is very nice controller. It has a pro solid feel in hands and many more features than RC. User customization allows for more efficient operation. The 5D toggle switch/button allows to be programed to many useful functions. I have press programed to toggle the 3 cameras, right and left +/- EV compensation. Just one example of usefulness of this one switch/button allone.
Screen is very bright and full HD.
To me if you are going with M3Pro the RC Pro is a fitting tool for it.

 

[mneeze]

Sorry the correct term is GIMBAL-
Gimbals are the sticks on your controller- DJI uses cheap GIMBALS! MOST RC radios Sold by other companies in the PRO price range come with NICE GIMBALS in fact it is a selling point. DJI Mearly wraps the same setup in a nicer package and maybe a screen. I would pay for a PRO if they would put AG01 GIMBALS on it! otherwise I will use my trusty RC-N1 or the equivalent new one.

Ahh now i see! Didn't realize the sticks were also gimbals.. thank you!

 

[AKA_Goodfella]

I went from a Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC to a Mini 4 pro with the DJI RC2 and i really liked the new controller.
Then i sold my Mini 4 Pro and bought the Mavic 3 Pro, and i was really dissapointed that it came with the old DJI RC controller.

It was especially slow when switching between the 1,3 and 7 zoom camera. Waypoint planning also did not felt as responsive and the screenrecordings where really poor quality.

Last month i saw an Amazon Warehouse deal for 600,- for the Pro Controller and it really looked like new. It is so much nicer in the field to use this one and everything feels like it should, screen recordings are now actually respectable.
I also use sunglasses a lot due to bright skies and VLOS, so that extra brightness is definitely a plus.

I love the extra programmable buttons, but unfortunately the sofware is limited to what you can actually apply it to.

Personally i feel that DJI should include this pro controller as default, considering the pro name and price category.