DJI Air 3 review 2024: innovation in aerial photography

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The consumer range of DJI’s drones includes a wide variety of options in the ultralight category, which includes drones weighing approximately 250 grams, as well as two distinct airframes above that, before prices begin to resemble those of automobiles. They are currently known as the Air 3 and Mavic 3, respectively. These two unmanned aerial vehicles avoid the lowest weight limit in order to take use of the benefits that come with having a heavier aircraft. These benefits include a more stable performance when exposed to wind as well as sufficient power to carry a more capable camera.

In light of the fact that the DJI Air 2S competed with the Mavic 3 more than any other drone, DJI gave a surprising lack of concessions in that regard. The maximum video resolution that the 1-inch CMOS sensor capable of capturing was 5.4K at 30 frames per second. That’s not terrible by any means.

The new Air 3 intends to fill the same position in the range as its predecessor, but rather than pursuing better resolutions, it has taken a page from the Mavic 3’s playbook – and, indeed, the playbook of most phones – and implemented dual cameras. This actually comes with a price tag of 5.4 thousand dollars, therefore the question that arises is whether or not things have improved.

DJI Air 3 Specifications

The spotlight has been dominated by DJI’s Mini family of drones, which are both economical and popular with consumers. However, the firm is once again shifting its focus to its Air series of drones, which are of a more moderate size.

Specification	Details
Dimensions	207×100.5×91.1 mm Folded (without propellers)
Weight	1.6 lb
Max Flight Time	46 minutes
Cameras	24mm EFL + 70mm EFL
Image sensor	1/1.3-inch 48 MP stacked CMOS (same on both)
Max speed	10 m/s

DJI Air 3 Review: Design

It has cutouts for a downward-facing LED bulb, vision and distance sensors, and a bold sticker that proudly proclaims a noise level of 81 dB and an EU C1 class marker. At 720 grams, it is significantly heavier than the Air 2S, which weighs 595 grams; but, if you get above 250 grams, the difference doesn’t matter all that much, and portability is still superb.

The plan does not include any significant twists or turns. The power button and the well-known four-step LED charge meter are both located on the battery, the drone has a USB-C charging port located next to the MicroUSB socket, and the camera housing of course has two lenses when viewed from the front of the device. For the purpose of the collision-sensing vision system, there is a fish-eye camera installed in each top corner of the frame.The gimbal can pan up to sixty degrees above the horizon as well as down to the standard ninety degrees (straight down) using the finger wheel that is often used by DJI. It also has a controlled pan movement of 5 degrees, with a total pan movement range of 27 degrees.

Foldable antennas are one of the most notable and immediately noticeable differences between the DJI RC 2 and the model that it replaces. We don’t know if O4 requires these or if practicality has simply won out over elegance in this design, which is otherwise quite similar but slightly thicker at 416g (instead of 380g). Even though it can be difficult to view on bright days, the screen is still adequate. It also comes in a deeper gray, marching in step with the Air 3, as DJI’s line of products increasingly appears to get darker as the company climbs upmarket.

DJI Air 3 Review: Performance

The DJI Air 3 delivers outstanding performance, living up to its promise of being a sophisticated and adaptable drone that is suitable for both amateurs and pros. The dual-primary camera system, which is exclusive to the Air series and offers greater versatility in aerial photography and filming, is one of the upgrades that stands out as particularly noteworthy. During testing, the drone was able to switch between the wide-angle camera and the 3x medium telephoto camera without any hiccups, which enabled a broad variety of different shooting options.

Both cameras are capable of taking photos at a resolution of 48 megapixels, which results in photographs that are extremely detailed and vivid. The dual 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensors directly output 4K/60fps HDR footage without cropping the field of view, which is a significant improvement over the DJI Air 2S, which was the model that came before it. The video footage taken in these locations revealed a great level of clarity with vivid colors and natural light transitions throughout.

DJI Air 3 Review: Cameras

There are now two cameras for the first time in DJI’s Air line. The gimbal-stabilized camera head has two sensors and two lenses: a 24mm f/1.7 and a 70mm f/2.8. The wide-angle camera has a minimum focus distance of 1 m and the zoom camera has a minimum focus distance of 3 m.
I think both of these focal lengths are very useful, and it’s great that both cameras are the same size, have the same resolution, and can shoot at the same framerates. Both are stacked 1/1.3′′ type 48MP (8064 x 6048) cameras made by DJI. The Mini 3 Pro has the same sensor, and the Air 3’s wide-angle camera even has the same lens as the Mini 3 Pro.

Both cameras in the Air series have set apertures, so ND filters are needed to keep the shutter speed close to the 180° rule. DJI sells a four-piece ND filter set that includes ND8 filters, ND16 filters, ND32 filters, and ND64 filters. The shutter speed in my clips is all over the place because I didn’t have this set when I did my review.

DJI Air 3 Review: Software

The software that DJI produces hasn’t seen significant development in recent iterations, thus there isn’t much new to discuss in this section. Waypoints have been added, however if I’m being completely honest, the interface is going to require a lot more work. On the bright side, activating the subject tracking feature is still simple, and the drone can follow a moving person or vehicle from numerous angles while avoiding collision, as well as perform preset shots such as an orbit.

Video recording seems to be limited to a maximum of 60 frames per second, but the video mode includes a sub-menu that shows night mode, which is limited to 30 frames per second, and slow motion, which can achieve 100 frames per second at 4K or up to 200 frames per second at 1080P. The fact that these are not available from the menu containing the regular frame rates is DJI’s way of indicating to you that some sort of trade-off may be occurring here; to tell you the truth.

Verdict

The Air 3 is another obvious change for DJI’s least consistent subbrand (seriously, check out the original DJI Air), but this version makes much more sense as a product than its predecessor. For me and I’m sure most potential customers, the dual lens arrangement is a big benefit, much more so than slightly higher definition video at 30fps. DJI seems to be saying now that the Air 3 will have the flexibility that most serious users want, but that the Mavic 3 series will have the biggest sensors and pixel counts.

Also, the video seems to be consistent even when swapping cameras because the image sensors are all the same. That’s great, but it raises the question, “Why doesn’t the drone have full hybrid zoom like an iPhone?” It seems strange that you have to stop recording to switch cameras when you can automatically zoom from 3x to infinity while recording.

DJI Air 3 Review: The good and The bad

In some respects, the DJI Air 3 is an improvement over its predecessor, while in others, it represents a significant leap forward in technology.

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