DJI Air 3 Review - Is This the Drone for You?

The Air 3, released in July 2023, has been dubbed by many as the near-perfect drone. Hobbyists, content creators, and professionals all seem to agree on this.





DJI is known for improving each iteration of their drones and the Air 3 is no exception. As the immediate successor to the Air 2S, the Air 3 is indeed an upgrade in many areas and needs slight improvement in others.





This review will look at what’s new with the Air 3, technical specs, and improvements.



We will also discuss whether Air 2S owners will want to upgrade, from the perspective of someone who loves the Air 2S and considers it a professional-level workhorse.



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New Stand-Out Features on the Air 3



DJI Air 3 Review - Is This the Drone for You?DJI Air 3 Review – Is This the Drone for You?

Sitting squarely between the Mavic 3 series and the Mini 3 line is the Air 3.



As the next generation of the middle-tiered Air system, preceded by the OG Air, Mavic Air 2, and the Air 2S, the Air 3 has quite a few new features, not present in previous Air versions.



Dual-Cameras

The new dual-camera setup, while not sporting any 1-inch CMOS camera sensors, utilizes dual back-lit, stacked 1/1.3″ sensors.



The focal lengths on these 2 cameras are equivalent to 24mm and 70mm. The 24mm camera has an f1.7 aperture, while the 70mm has an f2.8 aperture.



10-Bit All-Around

For many 10-bit is a big deal when recording video, as it allows for a fair bit of flexibility when color grading. The main 24mm lens of the Air 3 can record in 10-bit D-Log M.



Likewise, for fans of optical zoom lens’ drones’ and color grading, the 70mm tele lens on the Air 3 can record video in 10-bit D-Log M, something the original Mavic 3 was unable to do.



This puts the Air 3’s tele lens on equal footing with the Mavic 3 Pros 70mm lens.



Increased Gimbal Range

The previous Air 2S camera could rotate upwards close to 30 degrees (24 actual degrees) to get a view from below objects, adding to really interesting photos and videos.



The gimbal on the Air 3 now rotates a full 60 degrees upward, offering even more interesting perspectives.



“Vertical” Shooting

While the Air 3 doesn’t physically rotate 90 degrees to take portrait shots, there is in-camera cropping that produces vertical images that require no additional editing after the fact.



While not a complete solution like the vertical shooting on the Mini 3 Pro, the Air 3s version works for immediately posting to social media in portrait mode.



Waypoints

Previously reserved only for the Mavic 3 line, waypoints are now part of the Air 3’s repertoire. Waypoints allow the Air 3 to set and repeat various flight patterns that have been saved within the DJI Fly app.



The waypoints on the Air 3 aren’t just a series of drop pins only useful in Hyperlapse mode. No, the Air 3 waypoints are available to fly repeatable missions, as you would with a 3rd party application, like Litchi.



The Air 3 waypoints can either be set manually by flying to each marker and dropping a point, or conversely, dropping the pins on the map, while in the DI fly app.



Increased Flight Time

The previous Air 2S, while being an excellent drone, suffered from the mediocre, 31 minute flight times of its day.



The Air 3 increases the maximum flight time from 31 minutes to a claimed 46 minutes.



Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance

Taking yet another queue from the Mavic 3 lines playbook is the obstacle avoidance system.



Upgrading from the Air 2S’ 4-way obstacle avoidance, the Air 3 now has complete 360-degree or omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, perfect for intelligent flight modes, including Active Track.



Upgraded Transmission System (O4/Ocusync 4)

The upgraded Ocusync 4 transmission system enables the Air 3 to stream video from the Air 3 to the remote controller at 1080p/60fps, whereas previously this was 1080p/30fps on the Air 2S.



Additionally, due to the upgraded O4 transmission system, the Air 3 can fly up to 12.4 miles (20 km) on a much improved and stronger signal.



Battery Power Transfer Function

New to the Air 3 is the ability to transfer power from the 2 weakest batteries to the one with the most power, filling that battery up.



This allows you to have one full battery instead of three partially spent batteries.



Pricing



The Air 3 is actually pretty reasonably priced, considering it is the newest drone in the DJI Air line, with so many new features and upgrades.



Like DJI’s other lines of new drones, the Air 3 likewise has various Fly More combos that give buyers flexible purchasing options.



Something to note about the Air 3 is that the Fly More combos are actually worth purchasing.



For instance, if buying just, say, the Air and standard RC-N1 controller and then adding 2 extra batteries at a future time, you will be spending approximately USD 320 for just the two batteries.



For just $29 more than that, you can purchase the RC-N1 Fly More combo and also get the shoulder bag and 3 battery charging hub, as the charging hub also costs about $70 at the writing of this article.



Air 3 Standard RC-N2 Combo









DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

Drone with Medium Tele & Wide-Angle Dual Primary Cameras, 46-Min Max Flight Time, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, 48MP Photos, 4K/60fps HDR, up to 20Km Video Transmission





Buy from Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.



08/28/2023 06:11 pm GMT

Includes:



- DJI Air 3

- DJI RC-N2 Remote Controller

- 1 x Intelligent Flight Battery

- USB-C Cable

- Front Sensor and Gimbal guard

- 2 Spare Props

- Connection Cables

Air 3 RC-N2 Fly More Combo









DJI Air 3 RC-N2 (Fly More Combo)

DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo with DJI RC-N2 Remote Controller, Drone with Camera for Adults 4K HDR, Medium Tele & Wide-Angle Dual Primary Cameras, 46-Min Max Flight Time, 48MP, Two Extra Batteries





Buy from Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.



08/28/2023 06:21 pm GMT

Includes:



- DJI Air 3

- DJI RC-N2 Remote Controller

- 3 x Intelligent Flight Battery

- 3-Battery Charging Hub

- Shoulder Bag

- USB-C Cable

- Front Sensor and Gimbal guard

- 8 Spare Props

- Connection Cables

Air 3 DJI RC2 Fly More Combo

Editor's Choice









DJI Air 3 RC 2 (Fly More Combo)

DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo with DJI RC 2 (screen remote controller), Drone with Medium Tele & Wide-Angle Dual Primary Cameras for Adults 4K HDR, 46-Min Max Flight Time, 48MP, Two Extra Batteries.





Buy from Amazon

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.



08/28/2023 08:01 pm GMT

Includes:



- DJI Air 3

- DJI RC2 Remote Controller

- 3 x Intelligent Flight Battery

- 3-Battery Charging Hub

- Shoulder Bag

- USB-C Cable

- Front Sensor and Gimbal guard

- 8 Spare Props

- Connection Cables

Technical Specs



No review would be complete without a list of technical specifications. For those looking for precise specs, see below:



Weight: 720 g
Dimensions:
Folded (without propellers): 207×100.5×91.1 mm (L×W×H)
Unfolded (without propellers): 258.8×326×105.8 mm (L×W×H)
Maximum Speed: 46.9mph
Ascent/Descent Speed: 22.3mph
Wind Resistance: 26.8mph
Battery Capacity: 4241 mAh
Maximum Flight Time: 46 Minutes
Sensing Type: Omnidirectional binocular vision system, supplemented with an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft
Remote Controllers Compatibility: DJI RC2, RC-N2



Wide-Angle Camera: 1/1.3-inch CMOS, Effective Pixels: 48 MP
Formats: H.264/H.265
Resolution:
4K: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
100fps – Only supported in H.265
FHD: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
100/200fps – Only supported in H.265
2.7K Vertical Shooting: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
FHD Vertical Shooting: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
Normal: 8-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265)
HLG/D-Log M: 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.265)
Photography resolution: 8064x6048px



Medium Tele Camera: 1/1.3-inch CMOS, Effective Pixels: 48 MP
Formats: H.264/H.265
Resolution:
4K: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
100fps – Only supported in H.265
FHD: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
100/200fps – Only supported in H.265
2.7K Vertical Shooting: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
FHD Vertical Shooting: 24/25/30/48/50/60fps
Normal: 8-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265)
HLG/D-Log M: 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.265)
Photography resolution: 8064x6048px



Air 3 & RC2 Hardware





Air 3 Hardware Overview

The Air 3 sports a completely overhauled and Mavic 3-like aggressive design. The Air 3 looks like it really means business.



Flying the Air 3 is a nice experience, as it is not only quick, but it is also very deliberate and controlled in its flight.



Because of this, it is easy for a beginner to pick up and fly, but also fun for seasoned drone operators as well.



An area where the Air 3’s overhaul is felt is in how fast it flies. As seen in the tech specs, the Air 3 can get up to speeds of 46 miles per hour, when in sport mode.



Likewise, with an ascent and descent speed of 22 miles per hour, the Air 3 is able to quickly get out of the way of most airborne hazards, such as birds (fly straight up to get away from them) or manned aircraft (descend to avoid them).



New to the Air 3 is the addition of an omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system. Prior, the Air 2S had four-way directional sensing: front, back, upward, and downward.



With the new 360-degree protection, the Air 3 can even fly safely sideways.



With the Air 3 being able to fly sideways, the upgraded Active Track functions allow the Air 3 to track from all four sides of an object, yes, including the sides.



We will touch on this more in the tracking section of the review.



The Air 3 has received an upgraded image transmission system, Ocusync 4. This system is effective up to 12.4 miles.



Now, of course, we do not advocate flying BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight), as this is illegal in many countries, however, with such a strong transmission system the connection between the Air 3 and RC is very strong and is not overly affected by varying interference.



Doing a lot of flying in urban and downtown areas, the Air 3 handled these various locations quite well.



Even when flying amongst very tall and crowded buildings, the signal never ever faltered. I felt in control at all times.



In addition to the transmission system holding a strong signal, the image streamed to the controller has increased from 30fps to 60fps.


https://skydanceimaging.com/dji-air-3-review-is-this-the-drone-for-you/

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