DJI has long led the way when it comes to both professional and consumer-level drone and now the brand has made a big leap by releasing, not one, but two flagship Mavic line drones called the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine, both of which are dripping with new features and big upgrades.
The difference between the two cameras is that the Cine boasts a built-in 1TB (Terrabyte) SSD and also supports Apple ProRes 422 HG codec. Both versions weigh virtually the same (Mavic 3 895g v 899g for the Mavic 3 Cine) and actually pack two cameras up front, which is where the big headlines are generated. The first camera, which has been built in partnership with Hasselblad, packs a Micro Four-Thirds sensor and a 24mm prime lens to improve image quality. Using this camera, you can capture 20-megapixels images in 12-bit RAW format.
The second camera features a 162mm tele lens with 28x Hybrid Zoom (digital + optical) and aperture of f/4.4 – giving users the opportunity to capture closer cops of subjects that they may not be able to fly the drone closer to.
However, it’s the video specifications that are the really impressive elements of the Mavic 3 and the drone can capture high-quality footage up to 5.1K at 50fps, which will capture scenes in impressive detail. What’s more, the Mavic 3 can also capture 4K video at 120fps – this means that videographers can capture amazing slow motion sequences in glorious 4K quality. In fact, that larger MFT sensor means the Mavic 3 features a dynamic range of 12.8 stops, which will help capture more tonal data, such as highlights and shadows in this frame.
Along with the impressive video and stills features, DJI has brought a host of new flight and safety upgrades to the Mavic 3. For starters, there is a big leap in flight time, with the Mavic 3 able to achieve up to 46 minutes on a single charge – this is in part thanks to DJI developing motors and propellers with a higher energy efficiency and wind tunnel testing that shows the Mavic 3 produces 35% less drag than previous versions of the drone.
When it comes to safety, the Mavic 3 includes six fish-eye vision sensors and two wide-angle sensors to sense obstacles, which works in tandem with the upgraded ActiveTrack 5.0 feature that will help track subjects while looking out for obstacles. Even DJI’s famous Return To Home (RTH) feature has been upgraded – beforehand the drone would would ascend high enough to clear any obstacles in its path, fly back in a straight line, and descend straight down to the home point, but with the Mavic 3 DJI says it can now determine the shortest, safest, and energy-efficient route to land back at its home point.
The Mavic 3 included the new DJI RC Pro smart controller that features a 1000-nit high-bright screen and an extended transmission distance of 15km. Other features include Panorama Mode, where the Mavic 3 allows pictures to be directly stitched and processed by the drone, without need to wait until you’re back at the computer, along with QuickTransfer, which enables videographers to and process content on their mobile devices without linking with the remote controller.
