We've been using two Mavic 2 Pros since 2018 and were excited to hear about the M3. Now that we have it I'm quite disappointed. It feels like my Mini 2 in terms of handling and features. It uses the DJI Fly app which feels inferior to the GO 4 app.

All the intelligent flight modes seem to be replaced with useless features like rocket or dronie.

No more GPS based Point of Interest which I use several times a week. I also need to be able pre-program flights for video and photo shoot that I can replicate over and over using the same coordinates (think construction update video/photo). Worst part is, the M3 does not offer an SDK for third party apps.

It flies like it had 10 cups of coffee. Smooth and slow movements are impossible, even in Cine mode. Moving forward, it also automatically goes up without me even touching the left stick. It takes forever to connect to enough satelites.


So on to my questions after this long rant.

• How do I record or program flight paths on the Mavic 3 to reliably recreate the same video and photo missions without an open SDK or Intelligent Flight Modes?
• Anyone else think the Mavic 3 is harder to maneuver than other drones or is mine maybe broken?
• Can anyone give me their opinion on the Air 2S and confirm that the Air 2S reliably works with Litchi?
  

Thanks in advance!

The GPS is still a sticking point, but dji say they will bring out new FW to fix the issue.

I’m not sure what intelligent modes are missing. But POI is certainly there and can be accessed a lot easier than from old app. SDK well at this stage with M2P SDK was not released either,  and you also didn’t have waypoints. There were some craft rising without stick input, but the samples I’ve seen were all flying over snow and manual covers that. I suspect its new OA system that might nee optimizing.

Flying smoothly is possible as you will see from M3 video below, it would also help if Cine mode was slightly slower and maybe this will come.

1. You cannot record or program flight paths yet , just as you couldn’t with M2P
2. My opinion is M3 flys just as good if not better than all other drones . It does help to be in the right mode ie brake rather than bypass. Remember M3 is more powerful than M2 so might require more finesse.
3. Air2s works with Litchi on virtual stick mode, but for now only on android. It works fine as long as you stay within radio contact.

Hallmark answered most questions above but I will just like to add. The Mavic 3 feels much more solid when compared to any other drone. I have owned all the Mavic to date and this feels and flys the best. It is much more stable in the air (turn off bypass mode) and feels solidly built. There re slight issues in regards to some firmware as compared to the Mavic 2 that are missing but Dji will most likely add them later on. Once this drone Is complete it will be a monster and to date no other drone can compare

I have the Mavic Pro and considering upgrading and this has me wondering. I mostly want the very best image quality both video and still.

DKyser Posted at 2-17 13:38
I have the Mavic Pro and considering upgrading and this has me wondering. I mostly want the very best image quality both video and still.

Well those are the two things on which most people agree with when talking about M3.

DKyser Posted at 2-17 13:38
I have the Mavic Pro and considering upgrading and this has me wondering. I mostly want the very best image quality both video and still.

The photo and video quality is generally speaking good.

I have to say, out of 5 photo shoots I've noticed some heavy moire patterns on roofs 3x. The first time I still had a 16 ND filter on it (the one DJI provides with the Fly More combo), the other other two times without ND filter.

In terms of video I feel you really need to get used to the wider field of view. Coming from the Mavic 2 Pro it feels like I'm now shooting with a Go Pro. While the colors are vivid and overall image is clear, it looks awkward making turns or orbits due to warping lines from the wider angle. The zoom lens doesn't produce as good an image due to the smaller sensor.
But that's just my opinion. The majorty seems to love the Mavic 3's image and video quality.

hallmark007 Posted at 2-17 06:16
The GPS is still a sticking point, but dji say they will bring out new FW to fix the issue.

I’m not sure what intelligent modes are missing. But POI is certainly there and can be accessed a lot easier than from old app. SDK well at this stage with M2P SDK was not released either,  and you also didn’t have waypoints. There were some craft rising without stick input, but the samples I’ve seen were all flying over snow and manual covers that. I suspect its new OA system that might nee optimizing.

"Remember M3 is more powerful than M2 so might require more finesse."

How do you know that? There is only a 2 mph increase in top speed over the M2p, and the M3 is lighter and has much thinner arms which could explain the difference. Wind speed resistance specs shows similar differences. Do you have motor/current specs or something else?

The real area where the M3 shines above the M2 is nightime photos and video.  It is simply stunning what it can do at night.  Agree that there are control issues, a slow as heck gps issue, and a non working ads-b airsense issue.  But, once they fix these open issues you may find that the M3 is an amazing drone.  It has the best qualities of both the M2Pro and M2Z, and is modern so should have a longer lifespan moving forward from today.  

Yes, there are some short term disappointments, but I also believe DJI is working through this.  That said, I am going to be cold to the idea of buying more DJi products until this is resolved.

GaryDoug Posted at 2-17 19:14
"Remember M3 is more powerful than M2 so might require more finesse."

How do you know that? There is only a 2 mph increase in top speed over the M2p, and the M3 is lighter and has much thinner arms which could explain the difference. Wind speed resistance specs shows similar differences. Do you have motor/current specs or something else?

2 MPH is 2 MPH quicker. As you stated the skinny arms etc all can lead to a more powerful feeling M3 over the M2. The M2 feels considerably more sluggish compared to the M3. Just my opinion.

Visual Air Posted at 2-17 20:15
2 MPH is 2 MPH quicker. As you stated the skinny arms etc all can lead to a more powerful feeling M3 over the M2. The M2 feels considerably more sluggish compared to the M3. Just my opinion.

My observation is it's not that extra 2mph in top speed that makes the mavic3 feel more powerful, it's how much quicker the Mavic3 can reach its top speed in P mode, and its ability to reach almost the same speed when it's fighting against some decent headwinds. To me it's obvious enough that I don't need any technical specs to prove it.

GaryDoug Posted at 2-17 19:14
"Remember M3 is more powerful than M2 so might require more finesse."

How do you know that? There is only a 2 mph increase in top speed over the M2p, and the M3 is lighter and has much thinner arms which could explain the difference. Wind speed resistance specs shows similar differences. Do you have motor/current specs or something else?

I know simply from flying it. Its called experience.

Air2S with Litchi has a gimbal issue that they are waiting on the SDK update to fix.

DAFlys Posted at 2-18 01:23
Air2S with Litchi has a gimbal issue that they are waiting on the SDK update to fix.

Thank you. How is the gimbal impacted by this issue?

Oh my god, didn't you do some research on what you can do with the M3???

The only Waypoints currently are in Hyperlapse.  These would be much more useful if DJI could add:

1) Ability to set waypoints while on the ground from the map: i.e. having to fly to each waypoint first seems counter-productive to me ?

2) Add this similar Waypoints in Hyperlapse to the FocusTrack (spotlight) capability too... and allow for POI/Subject Target to also be set as a coord on map too (pre-flight as part of the waypoint file saved).

Otherwise I love the M3; having flown drones for many years, and having a focus on photo/video quality.

Thanks,

Mike

hallmark007 Posted at 2-18 00:20
I know simply from flying it. Its called experience.

Another nonsense answer. I won't bother asking for anything useful any more. You obviously have no real details to explain your claim. Swing and a miss.

I did not ask how it "feels". I suspect that most owners who paid twice the price would fool themselves into thinking it is better in all ways. No proof.

BuzzDev Posted at 2-18 17:09
The only Waypoints currently are in Hyperlapse.  These would be much more useful if DJI could add:

1) Ability to set waypoints while on the ground from the map: i.e. having to fly to each waypoint first seems counter-productive to me ?

These are excellent suggestions. Having the ability to set the Hyperlapse waypoint on the ground will save so much battery power. I suggest you create a thread on these valuable points and hopefully a Dji mod sees it and passes this to the right department. Good Thinking there, well done.

GaryDoug Posted at 2-18 19:19
Another nonsense answer. I won't bother asking for anything useful any more. You obviously have no real details to explain your claim. Swing and a miss.

I did not ask how it "feels". I suspect that most owners who paid twice the price would fool themselves into thinking it is better in all ways. No proof.

Hi Gary. Like a lot of guys here I owned the Mavic 2 Pro and the Zoom and as you know now the Mavic 3. I also, when flying the M3 feels that this drone is much more powerful then its predecessor. Its more agile and feels faster, it reaches its max speed very very quick and I have never had issues with it battling against winds even flying into 60km/h winds. The M2 was and still is an amazing drone with features that the M3 does not have and what many are looking for but when you compare agility, flight time, camera, hover stability, wind resistance (Although rated the same) the Mavic 3 is the winner.

GaryDoug Posted at 2-18 19:19
Another nonsense answer. I won't bother asking for anything useful any more. You obviously have no real details to explain your claim. Swing and a miss.

I did not ask how it "feels". I suspect that most owners who paid twice the price would fool themselves into thinking it is better in all ways. No proof.

Question was stupid, and if you paid twice the price new for new you were robbed and thats pretty stupid.

Pasta Rhymes Posted at 2-18 04:10
Thank you. How is the gimbal impacted by this issue?

Its a warning in app

Suren Posted at 2-18 22:40
These are excellent suggestions. Having the ability to set the Hyperlapse waypoint on the ground will save so much battery power. I suggest you create a thread on these valuable points and hopefully a Dji mod sees it and passes this to the right department. Good Thinking there, well done.

However, one should also consider that the waypoints also include an altitude and the orientation of the camera!  
That's not reasonable from the ground...

GaryDoug Posted at 2-18 19:19
Another nonsense answer. I won't bother asking for anything useful any more. You obviously have no real details to explain your claim. Swing and a miss.

I did not ask how it "feels". I suspect that most owners who paid twice the price would fool themselves into thinking it is better in all ways. No proof.

Please excuse my stupid comments.  
But when I go to the supermarket, I pay twice as much for many items as I did a few years ago...
Unfortunately, inflation and price trends are also always a major factor...
Except for televisions, I hardly have any  radical reductions noticed...   

frankymusik Posted at 2-18 08:42
Oh my god, didn't you do some research on what you can do with the M3???

I guess it wasn't wise to blindly expect a new drone that's twice as expensive as its predecessor to have more instead of fewer  functions.
Lesson learned.

Pasta Rhymes Posted at 2-19 06:10
I guess it wasn't wise to blindly expect a new drone that's twice as expensive as its predecessor to have more instead of fewer  functions.
Lesson learned.

Yes of course, it really depends on what you want to do with the drone!  
Waypoints, for a "normal" video recording, I wish that too!  
Flight stability, range, battery life, these are just features that I had to pay "dearly" for...
The quality of the photos and video recordings, but in the end they really convinced me!

frankymusik Posted at 2-19 04:11
However, one should also consider that the waypoints also include an altitude and the orientation of the camera!  
That's not reasonable from the ground...

Agreed but if they look at Litchi, we can set the orientation of the camera from the ground before takeoff

Mavic 3 needs SDK support.. until then it's more a toy than anything else!

marcbou Posted at 2-20 04:12
Mavic 3 needs SDK support.. until then it's more a toy than anything else!

Why is it a toy because it doesn’t have SDK support. Are you saying professional’s using it are just using a toy drone. Would you say for 9 months mavic pro2 was a toy. Can you tell us of these drones that have SDK support how SDK support has made them professional.

Suren Posted at 2-18 22:40
These are excellent suggestions. Having the ability to set the Hyperlapse waypoint on the ground will save so much battery power. I suggest you create a thread on these valuable points and hopefully a Dji mod sees it and passes this to the right department. Good Thinking there, well done.

I would love to start a new Thread on this ... but the Forum will not let me (I guess I am too new ??)...

... So please go ahead and do so ... and include setting altitude and orientation (or POI GPS) of waypoint on ground too (obviously).  This facility is easy in my other drones.

Thanks

Mike

BuzzDev Posted at 2-25 14:38
I would love to start a new Thread on this ... but the Forum will not let me (I guess I am too new ??)...

... So please go ahead and do so ... and include setting altitude and orientation (or POI GPS) of waypoint on ground too (obviously).  This facility is easy in my other drones.

You should be able to start a new thread very soon, maybe 40 points . Go for it.

Thank you for putting this forward to DJI and hopefully, HOPEFULLY, they will make your suggestions available. I come from the DJI 4 where Litchi was my prefered option, but even this alternative to getting the flexibility and pro flight modes is taken away.