DJI Mini 3 Release Date, Price, Features & Specs

You might need seen the rumours already, however they’re true: DJI has launched a extra inexpensive model of the Mini 3 Professional.

As you’d count on, it doesn’t have the entire Mini 3 Professional’s options however it does have the identical digicam, which might shoot horizontally and vertically. Nonetheless, there are specific limitations which we’ll get to in a bit.

When is the DJI Mini 3 launch date?

As normal, DJI has made the Mini 3 available for purchase as quickly as it’s formally introduced. Meaning you possibly can head to DJI’s web site or one among its companions and purchase one proper now.

How a lot does the DJI Mini price?

• From $469/£439 (with out distant controller)

There are 5 completely different bundles, though not all can be found in each area.

As with the Mini 3 Professional, there’s the choice to purchase the Mini 3 by itself with no controller (you continue to get a battery and spare propellers), however you too can get it with the RC-N1 controller or the DJI RC, which is the distant that has a built-in display screen and doesn’t require your cellphone.

Even that bundle is about the identical worth because the Mini 3 Professional naked drone.

There are two Fly Extra Combo bundles, one with the RC-N1 controller, and the opposite with the DJI RC (under).

Jim Martin / Foundry

The Fly Extra Combo Plus is accessible solely in Australia.

Most individuals gained’t have already got a appropriate distant controller, which suggests the actual base worth of the Mini 3 is $559/£519.

That’s fairly much more than the worth of a Mini 2, which is at the moment $449/£419 from DJI, however cheaper at different retailers. It’s about twice the worth of a Mini SE, though this appears to have been discontinued, and shoots solely 2.7K video.

If the Mini 3 is just too costly for you, then check out our roundup of the perfect drones for a few alternate options.

DJI Mini 3 vs Mini 3 Professional and Mini 2

In fact, the massive query is which options has DJI chopped in an effort to scale back the Mini 3 Professional’s worth for the Mini 3.

There are fairly just a few. Probably the most noticeable is the dearth of sensors for impediment avoidance: the Mini 3 has solely downward-facing sensors, which aren’t the identical as these on the Mini 3 Professional.

This implies you must be extra cautious when flying the Mini 3: it gained’t brake and keep away from crashing into timber and different issues robotically, except you’re descending the the impediment is under.

Sadly, it implies that ActiveTrack is one other casualty: the Mini 3 has no monitoring capabilities in any respect, similar to the Mini and Mini 2 earlier than it. Apart from QuickShots and return-to-home, which can set off if the battery is just too low or the sign from the distant is misplaced, there aren’t any computerized flying modes.

The Mini 3 additionally has DJI’s O2 video transmission system, which suggests a reduced-quality video feed (720p at 30fps) from the Mini 3 over a shorter distance (10km within the US and 6km within the UK / EU) than the Mini 3 Professional. Nonetheless, this can be a wise compromise to deliver the worth down which most individuals gained’t care about.

Some capturing modes are lacking: there’s no timelapse, no slo-mo, no MasterShots and no Asteroid mode inside QuickShots (enjoyable computerized video clips).

Though the digicam sensor and lens is similar because the Mini 3 Professional, the Mini 3 is proscribed to capturing at 4K at 30fps, fairly than at 60fps, however nonetheless affords the choice of HDR video at 24, 25 and 30fps, together with in 4K.

Jim Martin / Foundry

In the event you do wish to shoot at 60fps, you’ll must drop all the way down to 2.7K. 60fps is the very best body price on supply at any decision.

High quality isn’t fairly the identical as from the Mini 3 Professional as a result of the Mini 3’s video bitrate is proscribed to 100Mbps, fairly than 150Mbps, and there’s no choice to shoot within the flat D-Cinelike color profile for modifying later. Neither is there an choice to document in H.265: solely H.264. There’s no on-board storage, both, so you possibly can’t neglect to insert a microSD card.

Whereas the lacking capturing modes aren’t preferrred, for the overwhelming majority of individuals in search of an entry-level drone, not one of the different digicam variations will matter in any respect: the Mini 3 nonetheless affords a noticeable improve over the Mini 2’s digicam due to a bigger f/1.7 aperture which ought to imply higher high quality video at night time.

It’s attainable to make use of digital zoom as much as 2x at 4K30, 4x in 1080p and 2x in 12Mp pictures.

Plus, just like the Mini 3 Professional, the Mini 3’s digicam can rotate to a vertical orientation for capturing video for social media, and taking ‘true vertical’ pictures.

Speaking of a pictures, there are alternatives for 180°, Broad, and Sphere panorama, HDR single shot, auto publicity bracketing, and the selection of saving in JPEG and RAW (DNG) format.

Right here’s how the Mini 3 compares to the Mini 3 Professional and older Mini 2 (which was launched in 2020):

As you possibly can see, the Mini 3 has the longest flight occasions of all three, with as much as 38 minutes from an ordinary battery. It’s attainable to fly for 51 minutes provided that you purchase the elective Battery Plus, which has a better capability and pushes the burden up over 250g. These batteries aren’t bought in every single place: you possibly can’t purchase them within the UK or EU, for instance.

By way of equipment, the Mini 3 is appropriate with the identical ND filters because the Mini 3 Professional, and you should purchase a set of prop guards to make indoor flights safer.

The Mini 3 additionally helps QuickTransfer, for video downloads over Wi-Fi as much as 25MB/s.

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