What's the best buy now?

[Xooterpust]

A year or two ago on this forum the Mavic Air 2S seemed to be regarded as the sweet spot in DJI's lineup. It offered good range, good obstacle avoidance, and good pics--at least for anyone not using a drone professionally. Since then DJI has introduced some new models, so what's their best model for the occasional hobbyist now? I want decent still and video images but they don't need to be at a professional level.

 

[msinger]

what's their best model for the occasional hobbyist now?

The best drone for you is the drone that best meets your needs and your budget. You can compare the DJI consumer lineup here.

 

[GFields]

Depending on your needs and budget, I would advise you to look at the Mini 4 Pro (if you are looking for a light weight drone) and the Air 3.

 

[Cafguy]

At the Moment I think the Air 3 or the Mini 4 pro are some of the best Drones from DJI. IMO

 

[DARKSeifer]

The Mavic 3; best camera by far, telephoto, C1 classification, and fully hackable to avoid Aeroscope and RID, plus FCC mode, no alt limit and no geofencing.

But OFC depends on the intended use, I wouldn't recommend it as a first drone for example. For a first drone the best is the Mini 2, as it doesn't have OA and it can be blow away by the wind, so you are going to learn a lot with it and has way better connection that the Mini 1.

Remember you can buy drones second hand, most people buy them and leave them in the shelf after the first flights thanks to the overregulation.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

Remember you can buy drones second hand, most people buy them and leave them in the shelf after the first flights thanks to the overregulation.

Yeah, the regs may affect people, espeacially, FAA registration and TRUST. They probably didn'y know they had to do those things to fly a drone, Now they have to contend with puting RID modules on the older DJI drones.

But, I think most people just get board of flying. They thought it would be cool, but the novelty can quickly wear off.

Anyway, In the case of the OP, I still recommend the DJI Mav Air2 and or 2S as a possible choice. They are still great drones and have good range and battery life. The features are still close to the Air 3 and Mini 4. They don't have RID though. If you want to follow the law to the T, you will need to buy a RID module.

From what you said, I think you might want a newer drone though. So I would recommend the Air3 or the Mini4. I would go for the mini4 from what I have read of your post. You don't have to register it with the FAA, if using the standard batteries it comes with or if you don't add weight to it. It doesn't need or use RID when flying with the standard batteries. You still need to take the very simple and short TRUST exam though. And then, You can just buy it and fly it. Recreational users don't need to register it, but professionals have to.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Anyway, In the case of the OP, I still recommend the DJI Mav Air2 and or 2S as a possible choice. They are still great drones and have good range and battery life. The features are still close to the Air 3 and Mini 4. They don't have RID though. If you want to follow the law to the T, you will need to buy a RID module.

The Air 2S definitely has RID, I have 2 and they have had built in RID from the beginning.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

The Mavic 3; best camera by far, telephoto, C1 classification, and fully hackable to avoid Aeroscope and RID, plus FCC mode, no alt limit and no geofencing.

But OFC depends on the intended use, I wouldn't recommend it as a first drone for example. For a first drone the best is the Mini 2, as it doesn't have OA and it can be blow away by the wind, so you are going to learn a lot with it and has way better connection that the Mini 1.

Remember you can buy drones second hand, most people buy them and leave them in the shelf after the first flights thanks to the overregulation.

I don't agree with avoiding Aeroscope used by authorities and RID as it is an FAA requirement. But if you know of a hack that removes DJ Geo Fencing on the M3, I would love to know where you found it. The last word was that it is not available for the Mavic 3.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

The Air 2S definitely has RID, I have 2 and they have had built in RID from the beginning.

Didn't know that. Just asking, have you tried tracking your drone(s) with any of those android apps yet. I have and, im not getting any RID signal found by these apps. My Mav3E and Air3 aren't showing up, yet. I don't know why. FRankly I could care less. I'm not a RID fan. Also, I've checked everywhere on my m3e and air3 remotes and they show no RID information.

 

[MotoSavy]

I would say the Air 3 would be your sweet spot.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Didn't know that. Just asking, have you tried tracking your drone(s) with any of those android apps yet. I have and, im not getting any RID signal found by these apps. My Mav3E and Air3 aren't showing up, yet. I don't know why. FRankly I could care less. I'm not a RID fan. Also, I've checked everywhere on my m3e and air3 remotes and they show no RID information.

I don't bother tracking it, I have gotten the RID not available message and it wouldn't take off until I either rebooted it, or the system finished initializing and came online. (I don't have any android devices anyway).

 

[ScottTX]

The Air 2 also supports RID, if you update the firmware.

Remote ID Statement (07/01/2023)

DJI, the global leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, is dedicated to providing our valued customers with important updates regarding compliance with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA)remote identification (remote ID) regulation. Remote ID refers to a drone's...

forum.dji.com

I would go with an Air2S for the better camera, especially if you are interested in dusk/nighttime photography.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

Get the Autel Dragon Fish. That's my dream drone.

 

[ycodryn]

The Mavic 3; best camera by far, telephoto, C1 classification, and fully hackable to avoid Aeroscope and RID, plus FCC mode, no alt limit and no geofencing.

But OFC depends on the intended use, I wouldn't recommend it as a first drone for example. For a first drone the best is the Mini 2, as it doesn't have OA and it can be blow away by the wind, so you are going to learn a lot with it and has way better connection that the Mini 1.

Remember you can buy drones second hand, most people buy them and leave them in the shelf after the first flights thanks to the overregulation.

Mavic 3 firmware leak 1001 is for mavic 3 only or you can use it on classic too? I'm thinking on selling air 3 to get mavic just for the privacy of the 1001 firmware.

 

[rgarjr]

Mavic 3 firmware leak 1001 is for mavic 3 only or you can use it on classic too? I'm thinking on selling air 3 to get mavic just for the privacy of the 1001 firmware.

Althought the 1001 fw now supports the Classic and Pro, the guys at DH haven’t yet ported it to them models.

 

[ycodryn]

What about the leak from the github dji-mavic-3-firmware-1001-main (been removed now but I saved it)?

 

[Dumeinao]

Is the Mavic 3 Pro really a great upgrade from the Mavic 3 with the dual cameras?

My current Mavic 3 flies just fine, but last year I got a Samsung S23Ultra with the multiple cameras to replace my old Note 8. I could not believe how much better pictures I can take now.

I'm just wondering if that 3rd camera really fills the gap between the first two and if the overall quality is better..

 

[Starz]

Is the Mavic 3 Pro really a great upgrade from the Mavic 3

Yes. Still have the Mavic 3. Listed in the classifieds months ago.