Trying to decide if I should return the Mini 3 Pro and just get a Mini 2 FMC? Help me decide!

[cheddar-man]

One thing to remember when posting videos and images on Social media, especially Facebook, is that the image quality is drastically reduced when posting.

 

[Dbez1]

Learn on the 2. If you continue in the sport, and are like most of the rest of us, you’ll upgrade in a year or two and maybe there’ll be a Mini4 by then. The 2 flies great.

 

[shadow3467]

Ok so for the sake of science, testing and my own experience I went and bought the Costco Mini 2 bundle (with 90 day return policy in mind hahah)

I gotta say I'm very impressed by it.

For one, it feels more sturdy and of higher build quality than the mini 3, and in handling it felt just fine to me, pretty much the same as the mini 3 maybe even a little more responsive (probably due to smaller props)

I DEFINITELY got a higher range and better signal strength out of it

And the battery actually seemed to last a little longer than the mini 3 as well (though I will be doing more structured testing of that tomorrow)

Now it just comes down to picture quality which I will have to sit down and assess

But I was honestly very impressed with the Mini 2

 

[Robert Prior]

Mainly posting pictures on social media but Im not sure if the M2 pics will look as good as the M3 does, the M3 takes REALLY good pictures

That's your picture, shot with an M3?

 

[shadow3467]

That's your picture, shot with an M3?

Yes. Why?

Taken with the Mini 3 Pro, edited in LightRoom.

 

[Robert Prior]

Yes. Why?

Taken with the Mini 3 Pro, edited in LightRoom.

I'm debating getting a Mini 3 to replace my Mavic Mini (which still works, but is more limiting than I'd like). So I'm interested in examples of photographs rather than video. And it's a nice picture…

 

[shadow3467]

I'm debating getting a Mini 3 to replace my Mavic Mini (which still works, but is more limiting than I'd like). So I'm interested in examples of photographs rather than video. And it's a nice picture…

Thanks! You can check out my Instagram at mkdp.photography have more pics there and will probably be posting more too unless I return the 3

 

[gladryan]

I’m a new drone owner and the main reason i got the mini 3 vs mini 2 is the obstacle avoidance.

 

[Grazuncle]

Rated distance specs and real world specs vary considerably depending on the area you are flying and sometimes even daily. If your main purpose for buying the Mini 3 was to fly long distances then I would say you have chosen the wrong drone because even if you could maintain a signal for those long distances, at some point you will likely loose your drone or get into trouble for those distance flights for not following the regulations (flying in an unsafe manner). As others have alluded to, the Mini 2 drone will not change this situation - you will still have the problems you are experiencing.

Chris

I have to agree with you on this issue. I live in an urban area and find ( when flying locally) I can fly longer distances or shorter distances (regarding signal strength) on the same day, depending upon the time of day I'm flying my Mini 2!

No one can tell the OP that a Mini 2 will fare better than his Mini 3 without testing them both in the same conditions and at the same time.

Firmware does play a part but for me the Fly app version was more important depending on the phone I was using. I had a Redmi Note 5 that was great till updating it past vs 1.4.1 when it became unusable. My new Redmi note 10 Pro has the latest Fly app with no issues and "seems' more consistent over longer distances.

My 2 cents

 

[Grant Kelly]

So on the 10th of may I saw the M3P presentation and got super excited. I had been wanting a drone for a while and was waiting to see what the 3 was and deciding to go with it or the mini 2.

I saw the 3 pro and thought hey what the hell go big or go home, I ordered it on that very day.

Fast word to June 4th and I got the drone. I was so excited to try it out. After doing the activation and the setup and all that, I took it out for a spin. I twas super fun but i noticed that I lost signal all over the place (Canada), and was struggling to do stuff I thought these drones were capable of. Things like flying further than 500m away, expliring the area and sometimes dropping to 30-40m altitudes further away

I realized quickly that this drone seemed to struggle with keeping a consistent signal, after looking it up online I noticed a lot of other people experiencing the same.

I contacted DJI and they said to provide them with videos, which is where the creation of this youtube channel came from. I provided them with the videos and they basically said I can return it to them for replacement (which could take months) or return it for a refund.

The thing is, this being my first drone, I actually really enjoyed flying as a hobby and don't want to give it up entirely.

So now I'm looking at the Mini 2 which will cost me half of what the mini 3 has (which is great to be honest), but I'm afraid the quality might not be anywhere near as good as the 3?

In terms of picture quality mainly, how much worse is it than the 3? What about in terms of battery life and signal strength?

Is the Mini 2 really too much worse than the 3?

I have the mavic 2 pro and a mini 2 and I fly the mini the most often.
The pro has a much better range than the mini without drop outs and that’s in a very rural woodland dense area.
When the mini starts to drop out, I simply gain height to improve the signal.
I figure the mini has a cheaper transceiver due to its price and maybe that’s why the range isn’t as good as the pro ?
I know this thread is about the mini 3 but I thought I’d throw my penny’s worth in on question of range.

 

[andrew reeves]

Great thoughts on both the mini 2 and the mini 3 pro.
B&H NY says they are shipping June 29, with a delivery around first week of August. Hoping this guy is more agaile then my MP2S. Picture and video for my landscaping visuals should be better too. I'll check back once I get it going.

 

[Robert Prior]

Thanks! You can check out my Instagram at mkdp.photography have more pics there and will probably be posting more too unless I return the 3

I don't have Instagram (nor facebook) and couldn't figure out how to see your pictures without creating an account. Did find your Youtube channel though

Looks like your range test was at Richmond Green Sports Centre/Park? Looks like we're close to being neighbours! I'm near Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill.

Also looks like that is directly in line with one of the runways at Buttonville. Buttonville has an ILS, so I'm wondering if that might be part of your range problem? No idea if that's possible.

I got similar signal warnings flying my Mavic Mini. Partly fixed by being careful where the antenna was pointed. Wondering if the Mini 3 is finicky about that?

Also noticed quite a few trees in the the area. (Using the Apple Maps view.) Was there an absolutely clear line-of-sight to your drone the whole time? It looks like sometimes when you were getting the warnings the drone might have been low enough for trees to interfere.

 

[RemoteFlyte]

Is the Mini 2 really too much worse than the 3?

I was really excited about the Mini 3 when it was first due to release. I quickly lost interest because of the delays in shipping and the negative reviews. I purchased the Mini 2 in August of last year because I wanted to use it as a 'scout' for my M2P and P4P. I ended up flying it more often than I expected, and people on many of my projects were actually very happy with the photos (12MP) and video (4K) I was able to deliver to them. (I always made it clear that my other drones were capable of delivering much higher quality deliverables.)

The Mini 2 may not have all of the features the Mini 3 has, but it is a very capable and reliable drone. It always depends on what you want to use it for. I use it to deliver free samples of what is possible, and use my other drones for the real production cases. But my clients and fellow inspectors love the results I am able to share with them. (2 inspectors and 1 construction foreman have purchased the Mini 2 for themselves after watching me use it on a daily basis.)

I may never purchase the Mini 3, but I may very well purchase another mini 2 for a backup.

Hope this helps.

 

[tvdwouw]

The Mini 3 Pro has so many more options compared to he Mini 2! It is more like a "Mavic 2 Pro mini"! All the extra possibilities and improvements compared to the Mini 2 are simply worth the price. I have the Mini 3 Pro and sold my Mini 2 as well as my Mavic 2 Pro! But I kept my Mavic 2 Zoom, for the extra zoom options as well as better behavior in stronger winds.
For connection issues both Mini 3 Pro and Mini 2 are comparable: in similar conditions they behave similarly. Certainly a lot better than the Mini 1!
I also tend to believe that connection issues may be related to the phone or tablet used: if it has a lot of metal, it may be that RF signals are affected.

 

[RemoteFlyte]

The Mini 3 Pro has so many more options compared to he Mini 2! It is more like a "Mavic 2 Pro mini"! All the extra possibilities and improvements compared to the Mini 2 are simply worth the price. I have the Mini 3 Pro and sold my Mini 2 as well as my Mavic 2 Pro! But I kept my Mavic 2 Zoom, for the extra zoom options as well as better behavior in stronger winds.
For connection issues both Mini 3 Pro and Mini 2 are comparable: in similar conditions they behave similarly. Certainly a lot better than the Mini 1!
I also tend to believe that connection issues may be related to the phone or tablet used: if it has a lot of metal, it may be that RF signals are affected.

Prominent reviewers that I follow on YouTube seem to have range/connection problems with the RC, and some have fewer issues using the regular controller and an iPhone or tablet.

 

[tvdwouw]

Prominent reviewers that I follow on YouTube seem to have range/connection problems with the RC, and some have fewer issues using the regular controller and an iPhone or tablet.

Yes - what I am saying is that both the Mini 2 and Mini 3 Pro will behave the same under similar conditions. Until now I did not have any issues, but I am never flying BVLOS. I only have experience with the RC-N1 but I have no experience with the new DJI RC with integrated screen.