If the main purpose of using a drone is to take high-quality photos and videos, the Mavic 3 is by far the best drone on the market. It may not need this high performance, but it's not only fun to use if you have enough wallet, but it's also a drone that can shoot with excellent image quality.
The Mavic 3 is available in two models. The standard model used in this review and the model named "Mavic 3 Cine". The Mavic 3 Cine has a large internal storage capacity (8GB for the standard model SSD, 1TB for the Mavic 3 Cine) and is compatible with Apple's high-quality codec "Apple ProRes 422 HQ". For videographers, it's important to support ProRes, an irreversible video compression format. The reason for increasing the capacity of SSD is also probably the purpose of corresponding to the file size of the video shot with ProRes.
The most striking of the improvements made to DJI's largest and most powerful models in the Mavic series is the new camera sensor. The built-in 20-megapixel 4 / 3-inch CMOS sensor is the largest in the Mavic series (the number of pixels is the same as the Mavic 2 Pro's 1-inch CMOS sensor, but the sensor itself has become larger and has higher definition. Yes). The Mavic 3 now supports RAW format photography at 20 megapixels and 120 frames / second video at 5.1K quality or 120 frames / second at 4K quality.
It's not just the size of the sensor that has improved. The Mavic 3 is equipped with two types of lenses. The main lens is a 24mm single focus lens jointly developed with the well-established camera manufacturer Hasselblad, and the aperture can be adjusted from f / 2.8 to f / 11. In this review, I shoot 99% of the time with this lens, and I felt that it was one of the best small drone lenses I have ever used.
The second is a 162mm telephoto lens with a digital and optical 28x hybrid zoom function. This is a 12-megapixel 1/2-inch CMOS sensor, so the image quality is not very good. Manual control is not possible (aperture is fixed at f / 4.4), and RAW images cannot be taken, so the scenes to use are limited.
When I actually tried it, the image zoomed at 8x or more was almost useless. It is certain that it cannot be used for professional video works. While useful under certain circumstances, DJI feels like it hasn't put too much effort into this lens.
The image that can be taken with the main lens is very wonderful. The footage shot with the Mavic 3 is one of the best drone test shots I've had for 12 years. The Mavic 3 is probably the first Mavic series drone to replace the DJI Phantom 4 Pro +, which has been neglected (frankly "forsaken") after it was announced in 2017. Probably the "Phantom 5" won't come out, but the Mavic 3 will replace it, so it shouldn't be a problem.
It's not just the image quality that's great. The difficulty with shooting with a drone, especially with a fast-moving drone, is keeping it in focus. To speed up the Mavic 3's autofocus, DJI has introduced a technology called "Vision Detection Autofocus (VDAF)".
This technology leverages multiple vision sensors on the Mavic 3 to avoid collisions, speeding focus. I don't know exactly how much this helps speed up, but the focus is very fast. Focusing speed is important when shooting with a large aperture, so this is a great feature.
The Mavic 3 is slightly larger than the Mavic 2, but weighs a little lighter (8g lighter on the standard model). Also, the propellers are longer and the size of the 5,000mAh battery is longer.
Unfortunately for those who buy a new Mavic 2, the Mavic 2's battery doesn't work with the Mavic 3. Also, in the Mavic 2, the battery was inserted from the top of the aircraft, but in the Mavic 3, it is inserted from the rear.
Still, this battery change is worth it. The larger the battery capacity, the longer it can fly. It is difficult to give an absolute number because the flight time depends on various factors, but when I tried it in normal mode (4K quality video was shot at 30 fps), I was able to fly for about 30 minutes.
Reducing the shooting time increased the flight time to 41 minutes, which is very close to the maximum flight time of 46 minutes described by DJI, which is about 15 minutes longer than the "DJI Air 2S". The DJI Air 2S is the drone that the US version of "WIRED" continues to recommend to the majority of people.
In addition to the slightly redesigned body, DJI has significantly improved its obstacle avoidance system. By installing six sensors that use fisheye lenses as vision sensors and two wide-angle lens sensors, you can avoid 360-degree obstacles, which also works in normal mode. The DJI Air 2S has similar functionality, but unlike the Mavic 3, there are some areas that the obstacle avoidance camera cannot detect.
The system was so good that I tried to set the collision avoidance feature to the lowest setting in the app for the first time and deliberately hit the Mavic 3 against a tree. I could have made it collide, but there were so many warnings that a normal person would have stopped long before it was about to collide.
However, there is no perfect obstacle avoidance system. Be very careful when flying a drone where there are obstacles. By the way, a sports mode is prepared as a function opposite to the obstacle avoidance system. The obstacle avoidance system does not work, but it can reach speeds close to 42 mph (about 68 km / h).
The Mavic 3 will also be able to take advantage of "ActiveTrack 5.0," which further improves subject tracking in automatic flight mode. This feature not only tracks the subject with the camera, but also allows the drone to move as the subject moves.
For example, imagine a common scene where a car runs on a mountain road with many curves. With ActiveTrack 5.0, you will be able to automatically track the movement of your car. More interestingly, the vision sensor assists in tracking so that the subject can continue to track even if it is out of the frame being shot (even if the car on the road is temporarily hidden behind a tree). , Found when the car reappears).
The unfortunate thing is that DJI, like many tech companies these days, announced it long before the features became available. These features were once called "Vaperware", but are now commonplace for camera and device makers. I hope this flow will end.
But at this point, if these advanced tracking features are the deciding factor for buying the Mavic 3, you should wait a little longer. According to DJI, these new features will be available in the early 2022 update.
Surprisingly, the Mavic 3 is operated using the DJI app "DJI Fly." I say "unexpected" here because the Mavic 3 is clearly a professional-targeted drone. Another DJI app, DJI GO 4, has a number of features that DJI Fly doesn't have that professionals want (white balance adjustment, aperture priority mode, etc.).
It's not that the DJI Fly is bad, but the app feels more for those who want to use it more casually than those who are attracted to the Mavic 3. However, the variable aperture feature is easy to use and you can customize the settings to suit your work. Advanced features may be added over time.
Still, the Mavic 3 is a great drone. In particular, the launch of the Mavic 3 Cine, which allows you to shoot videos with ProRes, will be good news for professionals who want to shoot high-quality videos and photos. However, the price of the Mavic 3 Cine is over $ 5,000, which is not something that casual users can afford.
The standard model isn't cheap at $ 2,200, but it's easier to reach than the Mavic 3 Cine, and it's the highest quality drone you've seen so far. With ActiveTrack 5.0 (although only announced), a long-flying obstacle avoidance feature, the Mavic 3 outperforms any drone on the market today.
◎ "WIRED" points High-quality videos and photos produced by the new 20-megapixel 4 / 3-inch sensor. Excellent obstacle avoidance function that works even in normal mode. Battery life is also long enough. It's fun to fly. Automated flight and shooting modes are easy to use even for beginners.
△ "TIRED" points The price is high. Some functions cannot be used at the time of release. The app is reasonably good.
* Click here for DJI related articles by "WIRED"
(WIRED US / Translation by Mayumi Hirai, Galileo / Edit by Nozomi Okuma)