Worst thing about Mini 3 Pro and the new DJI RC and the FLY APP

[abruzzopat]

I'm one week into Mini 3 Pro ownership, and I'm generally happy with it.

Some people (mostly outside the US) have experienced range issues, but for me the range has been fine.

Others have complained about image quality, but what I've seen so far is good, especially for such a small drone.

My biggest disappointment BY FAR is the new RC screen brightness. I guess I was hoping for something similar to the Smart Controller, but this new RC's screen is worse than my iPhone on the N1. On sunny days it is nearly impossible to see the screen. I'm surprised no one else has complained about this.

Very happy with other aspects of the drone... but i guess I need to start looking for a hood solution.

 

[Cymru]

Thats the main reason i didnt go for the RC.

700 nits is not a lot. The original smart controller was 1000 and that was JUST about visible in bright direct sunlight. 700 is not.

That was the main reason i got the RC-N1 so i could use my brighter mobile devices, bigger screens and the ability to use 3rd party apps if/when SDK comes out.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Oh, I did: Mini 3 Proc RC Not Charging Completely
Got lectured that by the numbers it shouldn't be visible but I repeat: IT IS.

Not by a huge amount but as I have tinted glasses displays are even darker for me anyways and with the SC on max. brightness it was doable. Especially if you switched on one of those optimisers to further push the blacks. And it had a sensor to adjust which the RC lacks.

Don't get me wrong, the RC is still worth the price as it not that much but the display in terms of brightness is, if you cannot avoid it (which I normally try to stay in the shadows), a slight downgrade of what I had with the SC.

But I will not buy the RC Pro by any means, not investing so much money anymore in a controller, DJI is likely to dump in about a year's time.

For me, the worst thing on the Mini 3 Pro is actually not the drone itself but DJI Fly and its drawbacks, especially if you are coming from DJI Go 4 with the SC. There's even no histogramm and much of the drones potential still waits to be coded into (upper gimbal coverage, AEB with pano, etc.).

 

[Cymru]

But I will not buy the RC Pro by any means, not investing so much many anymore in a controller, DJI is likely to dump in about a year's time.

For me, the worst thing on the Mini 3 Pro is actually not the drone itself but DJI Fly and its drawbacks, especially if you are coming from DJI Go 4 with the SC. There's even no histogramm and much of the drones potential still waits to be coded into (upper gimbal coverage, AEB with pano, etc.).

Agree with that, i bought SC v1 and loved it. Expected it to support future drones. Basically he didn't so i spent a lot of money on effectively a 1 drone only controller. I wont be caught out like that again.

Agree most of the limitations are the Fly app. Even the flagship Mavic 3 is hindered by this restricted software.
There is a Histogram though - enabled in the menus.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

There is a Histogram though - enabled in the menus.

Is there?
I really must be blind, but would be at least some good news for having this back from DJI Go 4!

And for the controller: yes, absolutely. The RC Pro is definitely a fine piece of work but the screen is the same as the SC yet the processor and stuff is fully fledged, it is a ridiculous amount of money when DJI is not fully committed to it. Thank you, but no!

 

[bayou7]

Agree with that, i bought SC v1 and loved it. Expected it to support future drones. Basically he didn't so i spent a lot of money on effectively a 1 drone only controller. I wont be caught out like that again.

Agree most of the limitations are the Fly app. Even the flagship Mavic 3 is hindered by this restricted software.
There is a Histogram though - enabled in the menus.

What is it about the Fly App that you find most deficient? After owning a Spark, M Air and a M2 Zoom, this is my first use of the Fly app. I'm really not seeing any major problems with it in comparison to the Go App. I like the additional sliders for the Gimbal and Yaw sensitivity. So I'm curious what is it exactly that really bothers you about the Fly vs Go apps? Thanks.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

What is it about the Fly App that you find most deficient? After owning a Spark, M Air and a M2 Zoom, this is my first use of the Fly app. I'm really not seeing any major problems with it in comparison to the Go App. I like the additional sliders for the Gimbal and Yaw sensitivity. So I'm curious what is it exactly that really bothers you about the Fly vs Go apps? Thanks.

I've summarised already some in my own thread. Some are not exclusive to DJI Fly but the change to it had no real benefit either. So some:

• No possibility to fade out the overlay. With DJI Go, you could set if the user would like to hide the overlay by swiping (either with one or two fingers) from the button. I've loved this function together with the grid to tweak my composition.
• Offline maps cannot be downloaded in the way it used to be on the old Smart Controller.
• Cine mode faster than old tripod mode, see petition to change that too. DJI is going to implement this though.
• Flight records page summary is visually quite poor compared to the old one with listed countries and flags, top speeds, etc.

And besides that, there are many other points, where DJI did not really improve or tailored it to the capabilities of the Mini 3 Pro (like the 60 ° upright gimbal movement). DJI is not that bad but from DJI Go 4 it all is a bit too basic. That's fine but they definitely should provide an advanced mode.

 

[EyesWideShut]

My biggest disappointment BY FAR is the new RC screen brightness. I guess I was hoping for something similar to the Smart Controller, but this new RC's screen is worse than my iPhone on the N1. On sunny days it is nearly impossible to see the screen. I'm surprised no one else has complained about this.

I haven't received mine yet but I understand that the controller brightness can be be set to auto or manual. By chance is yours on manual?

 

[old man mavic]

there is a pop down window accessed by a quick touch ,and then hold and drag down from the top of the screen ,and it allows you to select via a slider on the screen brightness ,and also speaker volume ,when i first had mine connected after the registration process, and i went into that pop down screen, both the volume and brightness were not on full

 

[abruzzopat]

there is a pop down window accessed by a quick touch ,and then hold and drag down from the top of the screen ,and it allows you to select via a slider on the screen brightness ,and also speaker volume ,when i first had mine connected after the registration process, and i went into that pop down screen, both the volume and brightness were not on full

Yes, I should have mentioned that. Mine was about 75% from the factory and I cranked it up. Even at the brightest setting it's hard to see on a sunny day.

 

[abruzzopat]

I haven't received mine yet but I understand that the controller brightness can be be set to auto or manual. By chance is yours on manual?

I'm not seeing that option. All I see is the slider to manually set the brightness. (which I set to max)

 

[old man mavic]

I'm not seeing that option. All I see is the slider to manually set the brightness. (which I set to max)

there is no auto option only the slider

 

[Chrislaf]

I'm one week into Mini 3 Pro ownership, and I'm generally happy with it.

Some people (mostly outside the US) have experienced range issues, but for me the range has been fine.

Others have complained about image quality, but what I've seen so far is good, especially for such a small drone.

My biggest disappointment BY FAR is the new RC screen brightness. I guess I was hoping for something similar to the Smart Controller, but this new RC's screen is worse than my iPhone on the N1. On sunny days it is nearly impossible to see the screen. I'm surprised no one else has complained about this.

Very happy with other aspects of the drone... but i guess I need to start looking for a hood solution.

I don't have the Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC but considering that the price difference between the standard package with the RC-N1 controller and the DJI RC controller is only CAN$200, I would say the new controller is a pretty good deal for all the advantages it offers. The 700nits screen is brighter than my iPhone XR which is rated at 500nits and is what I have used to fly all of my drones for years until I got the RC Pro that I use for my Mavic 3 (still use the iPhone for my other drones).

The thing with the Mini 3 Pro is that you have choices - a first for DJI! You can choose what controller setup suits you best. Yes, I know not all are available right now but they will be soon.

I am hoping that the Mini 3 will be compatible with the RC Pro once the drone only package becomes available.

Chris

 

[Cymru]

What is it about the Fly App that you find most deficient? After owning a Spark, M Air and a M2 Zoom, this is my first use of the Fly app. I'm really not seeing any major problems with it in comparison to the Go App. I like the additional sliders for the Gimbal and Yaw sensitivity. So I'm curious what is it exactly that really bothers you about the Fly vs Go apps? Thanks.

Complete dumbing down and lack of data and fine control.
Cant see the state of my sensors, only "calibrate".
Can't alter sharpness, saturation or anything else with the picture profiles.
Can't alter battery auto discharge times.
Far fewer options for RTH and sensor on/off toggles.
Lack of simply offline maps downloading.
No pre-set White balance other than auto or kelvin
Plenty more.

Its basically Go4 with all the user control and information removed presented in a rigid, dumbed down fashion.

 

[Rilot]

The worst feature is the same feature (or lack thereof) that has been present on all of the craft that use the Fly app. No way to turn off the bottom sensors to make hand catching easier.

 

[alfo2010]

I have the RC Pro and am pleased with it and hope that when I get my Mini 3 Pro that DJI will soon have firmware update so I can use my RC Pro with the ini 3. With the RC Pro at full brightness I have to shade the screen at times on a sunny day, I usually do that with my upper body. I'm not surprised by the screen underperformance of the RC, you get what you pay for.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

I'm not surprised by the screen underperformance of the RC, you get what you pay for.

It's not underperforming at all.
It does exactly what it's meant to be. The RC Pro is a fine piece of hardware but for the price you get the Mini 3 Pro AND the RC. There's no need to pity us as this package is a fine deal and the RC is by far not that bad as some people might suggest (I had the SC and can at least directly compare the brightness).

Would a brighter screen better? Yes, of course.
Would I pay 1,000 Euros for it? Never, especially if DJI drops it again after a short period of time for another model. And as you see, the committment to it is not especially overwhelming.

Happy flying.

 

[MS Coast]

The worst feature is the same feature (or lack thereof) that has been present on all of the craft that use the Fly app. No way to turn off the bottom sensors to make hand catching easier.

What is the difficulty you see with the sensor enabled? There's a brief pause after holding the left stick full down before the drone goes into landing mode. Keep your hand still and it's a done deal.

 

[Cymru]

What is the difficulty you see with the sensor eneabled? There's a brief pause after holding the left stick full down before the drone goes into landing mode. Keep your hand still and it's a done deal.

Makes hand grab landing (far better than trying to get it to land on your hand in wind) much harder.
Sensors get confused by low angle sun and reflections so the drone stops.
Gets confused by glare from water - can lead to auto land and other issues.

 

[CanadaDrone]

The difference in brightness between 700 nits and 1000 nits is barely 10%. If you can't see your screen at 700 nits in sunlight, you aren't going to see any significant improvement with 1000 nits either. You'd see a much bigger difference just by getting a sunshade.