DJI Mavic 3 review

The Mavic 3 is DJI’s widely anticipated replacement for the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. These dji mini drone drones feature 20MP 1-inch type and a 1/2.3-inch type sensors respectively, so the 20MP Four Thirds format sensor in the Mavic 3’s main camera marks a major step-up, with the larger sensor boosting image quality.

When the 24mm (equivalent) main camera is in action, the Mavic 3 is able to shoot 12-bit DNG raw files or 5.1K video at up to 50p while 4K video can be shot at up to 120p – perfect for rendering action in slow-motion. Just above this camera, there’s a second camera with a 1/2-inch type CMOS sensor and an effective focal length of 162mm plus a digital zoom. This camera is limited to shooting JPEGs for stills or up to 4K video at 30fps and is best suited to checking out distant objects and route-planning, before flying closer to use the main camera.

Returning to the 20MP camera, there’s a variable aperture (f/2.8-11) which is handy when you need to keep the shutter speed down to twice the frame rate for video. The sensitivity can be set in the range ISO 100-6400 for stills or video and there’s a shutter speed range of 8-1/8000sec.

DJI Mavic 3 Key Highlights
Folding design – Once again, DJI has used a folding design to make the Mavic 3 easier to transport between flights
Dual cameras – In addition to the 20MP Four Thirds type main camera (made in collaboration with Hasselblad), the Mavic 3 has a 12MP telephoto camera with a 1/2-inch type CMOS sensor
Object avoidance – Omnidirectional sensors help the Mavic 3 stay away from branches, cables and posts
Familiar Controller – The Mavic 3 is supplied with the same controller as the DJI Air 2S and Mini 2. This connects to and holds your smartphone as it runs the free DJI Fly app
Storage – There’s 8GB of storage on board the drone, but there’s also a microSD card slot for greater capacity and easier file transfer.
Longer, safer flights
In a major upgrade, the rechargeable battery supplied with the Mavic 3 promises a flight time of up to 46 minutes. In reality, I found 36 minutes closer to the mark, depending upon the windspeed and how you fly, but that’s still a good flight duration. Nevertheless, I’d recommend buying at least one spare battery, or the Fly More Combo which comes with three batteries and a charging hub, so you can make the most of the light at your chosen location.

Thanks to a collection of wide-angle sensors, the Mavic 3 has an omnidirectional object avoidance system that quickly detects objects in the flightpath and either stops the drone or directs it around the object depending on how you set it up.

DJI has also upgraded the transmission system that operates between the controller and the drone, making it more stable and extending the range to 15km – which would require special permission.

In addition, the Return to Home (RTH) system is able to take the windspeed into account and calculate the most power-efficient route back to its starting point, so you get maximum use out of the battery power.

There’s also a collection of intelligent flight modes including the MasterShots that were introduced with the DJI Mavic Air 2S and QuickShots that have been around for quite some time. Interestingly, although the Mavic 3 is on sale, DJI has yet to release the firmware that unlocks these modes for the new drone. While features such as ActiveTrack 5.0 make it easier to keep a moving subject in the frame, most of the automatic and semi-automatic flight modes are nice additions rather than essential for the target audience of the Mavic 3.