Zoom (DJI Mavic 3 Pro vs. DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine)

[PhillyGuy5]

Hi everyone! I'm looking to rent either a DJI Mavic 3 Pro of a DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine! I want to film something far off in the distance, and I'd like to employ a cinematic zoom in which the zoom is as "seamless" as possible.

In contacting the rental company, here's what they told me about the zoom in each drone:

DJI Mavic 3 Pro

• It has only two cameras:
  • Wide Camera (24mm)
  • Telephoto Camera (162mm, 7x Optical)
• What happens when you zoom?
  • You start with the wide camera (24mm).
  • As you zoom in, it digitally zooms until 4x, then suddenly "jumps" to the telephoto camera at 7x (162mm).
  • This jump is noticeable and abrupt, meaning you’d see a cut in your video.
  • After that, it can digitally zoom up to 28x, but again, it's not smooth.

DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine

• It has three cameras:
  • Wide Camera (24mm)
  • Medium Telephoto Camera (70mm, 3x Optical)
  • Telephoto Camera (166mm, 7x Optical)
• What happens when you zoom?
  • You start filming with the wide camera (24mm).
  • As you zoom, it smoothly transitions from 24mm → 70mm → 166mm, so there’s no sudden jump.
  • The medium telephoto lens (70mm) makes zooming gradual and cinematic—like a movie, instead of a “cut.”
  • It can also digitally zoom up to 28x, but again, it’s smoother because of that 70mm step.

This is pretty detailed, so I assumed it was accurate - but wanted to check here! Is this information accurate, or not so much? Thanks for any help!

 

[Meta4]

Hi everyone! I'm looking to rent either a DJI Mavic 3 Pro of a DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine! I want to film something far off in the distance, and I'd like to employ a cinematic zoom in which the zoom is as "seamless" as possible.

In contacting the rental company, here's what they told me about the zoom in each drone:

DJI Mavic 3 Pro

• It has only two cameras:
  • Wide Camera (24mm)
  • Telephoto Camera (162mm, 7x Optical)

This is wrong right from the start.
The Mavic 3 pro has three cameras.
Its camera unit is identical to that of the Mavic 3 pro cine.
Count them .. 1.. 2.. 3

Or check the specs for the Mavic 3 pro:

DJI Mavic 3 Pro - Specs - DJI

View the specs of DJI Mavic 3 Pro, a triple-lens flagship camera drone with multiple focal lengths, for detailed information about features, functions, and configurations. Mavic 3 Pro has a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and dual tele cameras, and all three cameras of the Cine version also support...

www.dji.com

It seems the source of your information is mixing things up and comparing the original Mavic 3 (not pro), which had only two cameras, with both versions of the Mavic 3 pro.

There is no difference at all between the drones besides the SSD and ProRes recording in the cine model.

 

[PhillyGuy5]

This is wrong right from the start.
The Mavic 3 pro has three cameras.
Its camera unit is identical to that of the Mavic 3 pro cine.
Count them .. 1.. 2.. 3

Or check the specs for the Mavic 3 pro:

DJI Mavic 3 Pro - Specs - DJI

View the specs of DJI Mavic 3 Pro, a triple-lens flagship camera drone with multiple focal lengths, for detailed information about features, functions, and configurations. Mavic 3 Pro has a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and dual tele cameras, and all three cameras of the Cine version also support...

www.dji.com

It seems the source of your information is mixing things up and comparing the original Mavic 3 (not pro), which had only two cameras, with both versions of the Mavic 3 pro.

There is no difference at all between the drones besides the SSD and ProRes recording in the cine model.

Thank you very, very much for the comparison, I really appreciate it! I definitely don't need ProRes, so I'll definitely look more into the non-Cine version.

Do you happen to know if the Mavic 3 Pro is truly capable of 28x zoom, even if it's only digital?

Thanks again!

 

[Meta4]

Do you happen to know if the Mavic 3 Pro is truly capable of 28x zoom, even if it's only digital?

I've been flying the Mavic 3 pro since it came out, but I've never tried to use digital zoom.
Perhaps some of the guys that shoot video can comment on it and its quality.

 

[PhillyGuy5]

I've been flying the Mavic 3 pro since it came out, but I've never tried to use digital zoom.
Perhaps some of the guys that shoot video can comment on it and its quality.

Got it! Yeah I'm curious to know what it's like! Thanks so much again!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Got it! Yeah I'm curious to know what it's like! Thanks so much again!

What you were told is wildly inaccurate regarding video zooming as well.

Long telephoto video at 28x is very pixilated, and best shot at 7x but it can be pushed to 14x, if needed, without losing too much quality. 28x is really only designed for identification. The only way you can zoom from 1x to 28x in video is to use the Explore mode, which can only be used in automatic exposure, and it will always jump when switching between the cameras as you zoom. 1.0x-2.9x is the primary 24mm. 3.0-6.9x is the medium 70mm telephoto camera, and 7.0x-28x is the long 166mm telephoto camera. So the primary 24mm is up to 3x digital, the medium 70mm is up to 2.3x digital, and the long telephoto 166mm is up 4x digital, which is why it is the very worst at 28x.

Each time you jump between cameras, while Explore zooming, you will see a noticeable change in image quality, as you are going from the highest digital zoom of the wider angle camera to the fully optical telephoto of the next camera. There is also a change in aperture when jumping between the 3x and 7x cameras because the 3x telephoto lens is a fixed f/2.8 while the 7x is a fixed f/3.4. The exposure may also change while the next camera adjusts to the lighting in between jumps, assuming you are not already at max ISO, in which case it will be noticeably darker.

I would definitely not recommend using the Explore mode at all for anything cinematic. Instead, shoot your video with each camera individually and separately. You must stop the video to change cameras and then must restart the video. Join the separate camera videos later in post, with a controlled jump cut in between.

The only smooth and continuous zoom possible is with one camera at a time, as you digitally zoom into the optical image.

 

[mavic3usa]

Would really like to know which "rental company" gave you those "specifications" and then gave you that kind of advice knowing that it's not a blocker with the essential post-processing that is almost absolutely required to achieve what you are looking for. In 2025, there's almost no way the beginner can easily produce anything "cinematic" right out of the sophisticated and capable camera found on the Mavic 3 Pro series. I don't know, something just seems off about the way you describe your needs with the camera "jumping" and lack of smoothness and seamless which are post-production activities.

 

[DISC]

In my experience it’s best to capture the video in the best possible resolution and then try zooming in post. This means you can try a few options to see which works best for you during editing and not being limited by low res stuff that’s already highly zoomed. IMHO

 

[PhillyGuy5]

What you were told is wildly inaccurate regarding video zooming as well.

Long telephoto video at 28x is very pixilated, and best shot at 7x but it can be pushed to 14x, if needed, without losing too much quality. 28x is really only designed for identification. The only way you can zoom from 1x to 28x in video is to use the Explore mode, which can only be used in automatic exposure, and it will always jump when switching between the cameras as you zoom. 1.0x-2.9x is the primary 24mm. 3.0-6.9x is the medium 70mm telephoto camera, and 7.0x-28x is the long 166mm telephoto camera. So the primary 24mm is up to 3x digital, the medium 70mm is up to 2.3x digital, and the long telephoto 166mm is up 4x digital, which is why it is the very worst at 28x.

Each time you jump between cameras, while Explore zooming, you will see a noticeable change in image quality, as you are going from the highest digital zoom of the wider angle camera to the fully optical telephoto of the next camera. There is also a change in aperture when jumping between the 3x and 7x cameras because the 3x telephoto lens is a fixed f/2.8 while the 7x is a fixed f/3.4. The exposure may also change while the next camera adjusts to the lighting in between jumps, assuming you are not already at max ISO, in which case it will be noticeably darker.

I would definitely not recommend using the Explore mode at all for anything cinematic. Instead, shoot your video with each camera individually and separately. You must stop the video to change cameras and then must restart the video. Join the separate camera videos later in post, with a controlled jump cut in between.

The only smooth and continuous zoom possible is with one camera at a time, as you digitally zoom into the optical image.

This makes so much sense - thank you very, very much for the detailed explanation!!! I can see why it would definitely not be a smooth zoom, given the changes in aperture and especially image quality (jumping from fully digitally zoomed in to fully optical).

Your suggestion of shooting the video with each camera individually and separately, and then joining the videos in post using digital zoom, makes a lot of sense! Thank you very much!!!

 

[PhillyGuy5]

Would really like to know which "rental company" gave you those "specifications" and then gave you that kind of advice knowing that it's not a blocker with the essential post-processing that is almost absolutely required to achieve what you are looking for. In 2025, there's almost no way the beginner can easily produce anything "cinematic" right out of the sophisticated and capable camera found on the Mavic 3 Pro series. I don't know, something just seems off about the way you describe your needs with the camera "jumping" and lack of smoothness and seamless which are post-production activities.

Would really like to know which "rental company" gave you those "specifications" and then gave you that kind of advice knowing that it's not a blocker with the essential post-processing that is almost absolutely required to achieve what you are looking for. In 2025, there's almost no way the beginner can easily produce anything "cinematic" right out of the sophisticated and capable camera found on the Mavic 3 Pro series. I don't know, something just seems off about the way you describe your needs with the camera "jumping" and lack of smoothness and seamless which are post-production activities.

Thanks for the reply! To specify - "rental company" was maybe an inaccurate word to use, it was from an individual videographer on sharegrid!

As for how I described my needs - I have a lot of experience making amateur YouTube videos and using Sony Vegas Pro to edit, but I have minimal overall drone experience (and no experience using any drones with more than one lens). I film my YouTube videos with a standard "camcorder," where the optical lens just zooms 32x to whatever I want - I just assumed a drone with zoom capability would be the same, but I am learning that's definitely not the case!

Based on what I'm learning... I'm wondering if I could rent/buy a cheaper drone that has a 7x camera. For the shot I'm looking to get, I just want to start out with a house, then zoom off into a city skyline that is 25 miles in the distance (I'll need to fly about 100 feet up in the air to get a view of the skyline).

Perhaps I could use the 7x camera for the entire shot - I could back the drone up to get a full shot of the house in the 7x camera, then pan up to the skyline and digitally zoom into it during post.

Is there a cheaper drone out there with a 7x camera? (I'm looking at the DJI Mavic 3 Standard right now... it's a little cheaper but not much).

Thank you all again for your help, you guys have helped me to definitely change my plan for the better!!!

 

[PhillyGuy5]

In my experience it’s best to capture the video in the best possible resolution and then try zooming in post. This means you can try a few options to see which works best for you during editing and not being limited by low res stuff that’s already highly zoomed. IMHO

Thanks so much for the advice!! I'm starting to think this is definitely the way to go - for the shot I'm looking to get, I just want to start out with a house, then zoom off into a city skyline that is 25 miles in the distance (I'll need to fly about 100 feet up in the air to get a view of the skyline).

Perhaps I could use the 7x camera for the entire shot - I could back the drone up to get a full shot of the house in the 7x camera, then pan up to the skyline and digitally zoom into it during post.

Thanks again!

 

[jephoto]

You can get excellent results with the Mavic three Pro and the 3X (70mm) camera.
Here’s a clip from a school I was shooting on 103rd street South in Chicago with downtown Chicago in the background.
The city skyline in the background is about 16 miles away from the foreground buildings

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[Meta4]

Is there a cheaper drone out there with a 7x camera? (I'm looking at the DJI Mavic 3 Standard right now... it's a little cheaper but not much).

The only DJI drone with the 7x lens is the Mavic 3 pro.
The Mavic 3 standard has only one camera and that has a wideangle lens.

 

[PhillyGuy5]

You can get excellent results with the Mavic three Pro and the 3X (70mm) camera.
Here’s a clip from a school I was shooting on 103rd street South in Chicago with downtown Chicago in the background.
The city skyline in the background is about 16 miles away from the foreground buildings

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

YES!!! That is an amazing clip, thank you so much for sharing! Great shot of the Chicago skyline - that's exactly what I'm looking to do in Philly!

16 miles away looks great - my shot will be 25 miles away, so it'll be further back, but I'm glad to see you got such good results!

 

[PhillyGuy5]

The only DJI drone with the 7x lens is the Mavic 3 pro.
The Mavic 3 standard has only one camera and that has a wideangle lens.

Got it, thank you! So many different versions of the Mavic 3... the "pro," the "classic," the original "standard," the "cine,"... why do they make it so confusing! Haha.

I thought I saw that the original (standard) had the 7x lens, but I probably confused it with another version - thanks again!

 

[Meta4]

I thought I saw that the original (standard) had the 7x lens, but I probably confused it with another version - thanks again!

The original Mavic 3 had two cameras, wideangle + long tele
The Mavic 3 pro has three cameras
And the Mavic 3 classic was an economy model has just the wideangle camera.
No Mavic 3 model was called Standard.

I thought you were referring to the Mavic 3 classic when you used that term

 

[PhillyGuy5]

The original Mavic 3 had two cameras, wideangle + long tele
The Mavic 3 pro has three cameras
And the Mavic 3 classic was an economy model has just the wideangle camera.
No Mavic 3 model was called Standard.

I thought you were referring to the Mavic 3 classic when you used that term

Oh ok, got it! Thank you very much for clarifying! (Yes, sorry, standard sounds too much like classic, haha)

 

[Arnold LeVine]

You might want to try a Mavic 2 Zoom. It is a 2x TRUE optical zoom, single lens, no loss of pixels (ie 4K thruout) , no change in aperture as you can set it manually.
It's not the 4/3 camera of the Mavic 3, but you could get an actual zoom to the skyline if what I interpret what you are trying to accomplish is correct.

 

[Meta4]

You might want to try a Mavic 2 Zoom. It is a 2x TRUE optical zoom, single lens, no loss of pixels (ie 4K thruout) , no change in aperture as you can set it manually.
It's not the 4/3 camera of the Mavic 3, but you could get an actual zoom to the skyline if what I interpret what you are trying to accomplish is correct.

Yes the Mavic 2 Zoom has a zoom lens.
But its zoom range doesn't even go into the short tele range.
The lens has a 35 mm Format Equivalent of 24-48 mm so it's probably not going to help the OP achieve what he wants..