I have the Mavic 3 Pro with RC remote controller, and I noticed a 1-4 sec delay when switching between 1X, 3X and 7X cameras. I asked some pilots who purchased Mavic 3 Pro with RC Pro controller, and they all experienced the same kind of delay as well. This is quite annoying. A flagship prosumer level drone should not behave like this.

I used to fly the original Mavic 3, and I don't remember being so slow switching between 1X and 7X cameras.

Is this delay due to the poor firmware optimization? DJI, can you do something about it?

im sure they are working on it

Thank you for your feedback. The three camera lenses on the Mavic 3 Pro come with different parameters, therefore, it takes some time to configure the parameters when switching between cameras, which results in a delay.

Note: This phenomenon only occurs when taking photos or recording videos in normal mode, and it does not occur in explore mode. Thank you for your understanding

DJI Paladin Posted at 5-19 20:34
Thank you for your feedback. The three camera lenses on the Mavic 3 Pro come with different parameters, therefore, it takes some time to configure the parameters when switching between cameras, which results in a delay.

Note: This phenomenon only occurs when taking photos or recording videos in normal mode, and it does not occur in explore mode. Thank you for your understanding

Thanks for the explanation, however I am not entirely convinced it has to take so long to "configure the parameters when switching between cameras".

Case 1: I used to fly the original Mavic 3, the switching between 1X and 7X cameras was much faster, when compared to Mavic 3 Pro.

Case 2: My current mobile phone is Samsung S21 Ultra. When I switch between its four different cameras (0.6X, 1X, 3X, 10X), the delay is less than 0.5 sec, even in PRO mode, with fully adjustable ISO/shutter speed/EV/White Balance etc.

Compared to both cases, it does not make sense for Mavic 3 Pro to take ~2 sec average to switch cameras. Unless there is a hardware downgrade, this delay looks more like a firmware optimization issue.

DJI Paladin Posted at 5-19 20:34
Thank you for your feedback. The three camera lenses on the Mavic 3 Pro come with different parameters, therefore, it takes some time to configure the parameters when switching between cameras, which results in a delay.

Note: This phenomenon only occurs when taking photos or recording videos in normal mode, and it does not occur in explore mode. Thank you for your understanding

Last night I had a discussion with another pilot about the camera switch delay in normal mode. His uneducated guess is that perhaps in normal mode in order to reduce drain on the battery, only the "working camera" is powered up and the other two are completely switched off. Maybe DJI engineers are  trying to save as much power as possible to maximize the flight time and this is their way to do it. Now when switching between cameras they need to boot up before becoming operational hence the longer time it takes to switch. Maybe in Explore Mode they are all powered up and that is why the transition from 1x to 3x to 7x is kind of "seamless" and almost instantaneous.

His theory sounds reasonable to me. However, even if that's the case, DJI should have made it as an option in the settings, "camera switch - high performance v.s. power saving", to give user the freedom when they need it in certain situations. For example, when shooting the running animals on African safari, or racing bikes on a mountain trail, it is critical that pilots have fast access to each camera to ensure accurate framing for that "decisive moment". This drone is named "Mavic 3 Pro", and Pro pilots know what they are doing. Their creative potential should not be limited by the thought on power saving. This is similar to the OLED viewfinder for Sony's mirrorless camera A1, which has a user setting "normal frame rate v.s. high frame rate". The high frame rate consumes more power, but allows user to capture fast-moving objects with better accuracy.

Can you pass the feedback to the development team?

jerryway Posted at 5-20 07:50
Last night I had a discussion with another pilot about the camera switch delay in normal mode. His uneducated guess is that perhaps in normal mode in order to reduce drain on the battery, only the "working camera" is powered up and the other two are completely switched off. Maybe DJI engineers are  trying to save as much power as possible to maximize the flight time and this is their way to do it. Now when switching between cameras they need to boot up before becoming operational hence the longer time it takes to switch. Maybe in Explore Mode they are all powered up and that is why the transition from 1x to 3x to 7x is kind of "seamless" and almost instantaneous.

His theory sounds reasonable to me. However, even if that's the case, DJI should have made it as an option in the settings, "camera switch - high performance v.s. power saving", to give user the freedom when they need it in certain situations. For example, when shooting the running animals on African safari, or racing bikes on a mountain trail, it is critical that pilots have fast access to each camera to ensure accurate framing for that "decisive moment". This drone is named "Mavic 3 Pro", and Pro pilots know what they are doing. Their creative potential should not be limited by the thought on power saving. This is similar to the OLED viewfinder for Sony's mirrorless camera A1, which has a user setting "normal frame rate v.s. high frame rate". The high frame rate consumes more power, but allows user to capture fast-moving objects with better accuracy.

Thank you for this feedback of yours. We will surely record this and forward it to our relevant team for attention. We appreciate your understanding. Have a nice day ahead.

jerryway Posted at 5-20 07:50
Last night I had a discussion with another pilot about the camera switch delay in normal mode. His uneducated guess is that perhaps in normal mode in order to reduce drain on the battery, only the "working camera" is powered up and the other two are completely switched off. Maybe DJI engineers are  trying to save as much power as possible to maximize the flight time and this is their way to do it. Now when switching between cameras they need to boot up before becoming operational hence the longer time it takes to switch. Maybe in Explore Mode they are all powered up and that is why the transition from 1x to 3x to 7x is kind of "seamless" and almost instantaneous.

His theory sounds reasonable to me. However, even if that's the case, DJI should have made it as an option in the settings, "camera switch - high performance v.s. power saving", to give user the freedom when they need it in certain situations. For example, when shooting the running animals on African safari, or racing bikes on a mountain trail, it is critical that pilots have fast access to each camera to ensure accurate framing for that "decisive moment". This drone is named "Mavic 3 Pro", and Pro pilots know what they are doing. Their creative potential should not be limited by the thought on power saving. This is similar to the OLED viewfinder for Sony's mirrorless camera A1, which has a user setting "normal frame rate v.s. high frame rate". The high frame rate consumes more power, but allows user to capture fast-moving objects with better accuracy.

Agreed. On the Sony A1, it’s standard, high and high+ and at first I didn’t think it mattered a lot (other than battery drain), until I started taking more images of fast moving birds. Couldn’t understand why there were so many out of focus, until I realized I wasn’t using high+. Big difference.
It would be great to have the option with this drone for all 3 to be available for fast switching.