Hello,
I recently puchased a DJI Air 3, my first new drone since the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced that I bought about 5 years ago and have flown for about 500 flights.

I puchased the Air 3 with the RC-N2 remote as part of a Flymore combo.

I mostly use my drone for shooting photos of moving subjects, and so for me a relatively fast single-frame rate "cycle time" (how quickly I can click the shutter and capture another photo), as well as accuracy of knowing where a subject is located when pressing the shutter button is important.

In testing I have been disappointed to experience some significant lag in the photo capture with the Air 3, and I wanted to see if my experience is just me, or if this is a common issue with not only the Air 3 but perhaps other Air series and Mavic series too?

With my Phantom 4 Advanced, shooting full size RAW+JPEG, and using the standard remote it came with I am able to capture photos what seems like almost instantaneous time compared to what I am seeing on the app video screen. I can snap off multiple individual frames with presses of the shutter button without experiencing any "buffering" issues - even if the photo is still saving it will capture another frame.

With the Air3 and RC-N2 remote, when I press the shutter on a 48MP photo or even a 12 MP single shot photo, it takes what seems like almost a full second for a "cycle" before I can capture another photo. I have been recording directly to the drone internal storage in these tests so it would seem that the SD card save rate would not be effecting these results? The 3-5-7 "burst" frame option is very "rigid" in the time and is almost too quick - I don't need photos that rapid, but I want to capture maybe 3 frames in 2 seconds most time, then another 2-3 frames a few seconds later, and at moments I choose. The long "cycle time" seems to occur no matter what mode I'm in - whether capturing a 12 MP JPEG or a 48 MP RAW+JPEG (though it's slightly less with just the JPEG of course). What's interesting is that the pre-programmed "burst mode" can capture a series of frames very quickly, it would seem I should be able to individually choose when to capture shots on a similar rapid rate as that must mean the "buffer" can keep up?

I also noticed that when I click the shutter button, there is enough of a delay that the image I am seeing on the controller when it freezes like it's taking a photo (which since I use the RC-N2 is on my phone screen) is different from what I get when I actually look at the photo file later - a moving subject was clearly captured somewhere around 0.5-1 seconds later than I was seeing. I've tried all different settings to try to minimize this; switching to manual focus to try to avoid the delay there, trying the lowest 12 mp resolution only, only saving to internal storage, etc.

My questions I am hoping someone can help with:
- Can anyone with the RC2 controller (with screen) confirm if these issues with delay in "viewed image vs captured image" and "cycle time" for the ability to capture a second image also exist with the RC2? If the problem is the lesser RC-N2 remote and these do not exist or are far better with the RC2, I would consider upgrading, though that would still be disappointing.
- For the photo "cycle time" - should I be able to individually capture multiple single shots without having to wait for the first to save, or is there anything I'm doing wrong that keeps me from capturing multiple frames outside of "burst mode"? Any hope of this improving with a Firmware update?
- Do higher-level drones like the Mavic 3 or M3P also have these delay issues? Would I get this same experience even with the Mavic series? I'm just a hobbiest so the Mavic Cine is out of my price range, and even the Mavic 3 is hard to justify.  I found a thread on another forum from 2021 describing similar issues, and I wondered if that's still the case or not: https://mavicpilots.com/threads/mavic-3-shutter-lag.118382/

Overall these issues are a big disappointment coming from an older model drone in the Phantom 4 Advanced that appears to be far superior in these features. I know the Phantoms had a mechanical shutter as opposed to the digital shutter, but it's still disappointing.

I am strongly considering returning the Air3 if these issues are really just a reality of this series, but if it's the same with the Mavic 3 series well then it probably just is what it is. I like the added Zoom Lens of the Air3, but have been disappointed with these other issues.

Thanks,
Noah Hofrichter

Don’t know about any of the Phantoms but it could be due to it having a mechanical shutter. Since most have a rolling shutter this has been the way with all three of my DJI drones when taking photos especially in JPEG+RAW which takes more time to process. Depending on what device your using it can be a bit longer. Seems normal to me based on my experience and it hasn’t caused me any issues. My iPad process fast and what I'd call in a normal amount of time compared to other less powerful devices. Just my two cents worth. Enjoy.

Hello there. Sorry about the trouble. Let me confirm if this is an issue or normal with our related team. Can you please post a screen recording showing the delay issue? I appreciate your patience.

DJI Tony Posted at 9-25 04:06
Hello there. Sorry about the trouble. Let me confirm if this is an issue or normal with our related team. Can you please post a screen recording showing the delay issue? I appreciate your patience.

Thanks for your reply and looking into it. Unfortunately I don't have an easy way to do a screen record right away - I might be able to get something eventually if that's important.

I did some more testing after my last post and the delay issues I'm seeing definitely occur no matter what size image is captured (12 mp vs 48 mp, or JPEG vs RAW  vs RAW + JPEG modes). But certainly the larger file capture types have a longer delay compared to say just a 12 mp JPEG only capture, where the "cycle time" (the amount of time it takes for an image to save and it becomes possible to shoot another image) is shorter.

After my additional testing, I think I'd re-summarize my issue and question as the following:

Using the RC-N2 and my andriod phone to run the DJI Fly app, I noted that with the built-in "burst mode" the Air 3 drone will capture say, three individual 48 MP RAW+JPEG Images within a few tenths of a second in short succession. But if I manually try to take single shots, after capturing one image by pressing the shutter button I have to wait 1-2 seconds before it is possible for me to capture another image. Or even with a 12MP JPEG: the burst mode can  automatically capture 7 frames at something very short like 0.1 second increments apart, but yet if I am using single shot mode and clicking the shutter manually, I have to wait somewhere around 1 second after I hit the shutter button before I can capture another frame. This is very disappointing for anyone shooting a fast-moving subject material, almost impractically slow. Especially given the performance of older drones like the Phantom 4 where while in "single shot" mode, even while the first photo was saving additional images could be captured by continuing to press the shutter button on the remote.

The fact that burst mode can capture three, 48 MP JPEG + RAW frames in about 0.5 seconds or less seems to to show the hardware is capable of capturing an image and having the buffering capacity for several shots in a pretty short succession - it's just not user-controllable right now. Can the single shot mode be setup to allow capture of additional images even while the first is "buffering" and saving? Or can at least the length of time between the shots in "burst mode" be customized? Is there a firmware update that could fix this?
Again, I did all of my testing saving not to SD cards but direct to the drone's internal memory, so this shouldn't be related to the speed of the SD card.

Or is what I am observing a limitation of the RC-N2 controller (which I am currently using), and the RC2 is more capable of capturing additional photos in "single shot" mode even while the first photo is saving?

Thanks,
Noah

WSOR_3807 Posted at 9-26 17:10
Thanks for your reply and looking into it. Unfortunately I don't have an easy way to do a screen record right away - I might be able to get something eventually if that's important.

I did some more testing after my last post and the delay issues I'm seeing definitely occur no matter what size image is captured (12 mp vs 48 mp, or JPEG vs RAW  vs RAW + JPEG modes). But certainly the larger file capture types have a longer delay compared to say just a 12 mp JPEG only capture, where the "cycle time" (the amount of time it takes for an image to save and it becomes possible to shoot another image) is shorter.

Hi, Noah. Thank you for the added information. I need to submit the video to our team to check if it's normal. Sending it anytime is fine. You can always reach back. Have a great day.

Hello - I captured a screen recording tonight to demonstrate what I have observed with my Air 3. I am using a RC-N2 controller with a Samsung S21 Ultra phone, with the DJI Fly App. This is the same setup as I use with my Phantom 4 pro (except with DJI Go 4) where I have not observed quite as much delay as what I am demonstrating here.

Throughout the recording you'll see that I made sure I was on "internal storage" so that the SD card shouldn't be a factor. I also varied the file type and size: capturing both 48mp and 12 mp sizes for both just the JPEG, just RAW, and JPEG + RAW.

I have placed the screen recording at the following link (you shouldn't need an account to access this): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bannlz3fh6x1eu327xcf3/Screen_Recording_20230928_181130.mp4?rlkey=k7b45qrm5yihzzqtsojr6gl1r&dl=0

My concerns as outlined in the original post are with two primary items:

1st: The amount of delay from what shows on the screen to what the camera actually captures. To best show this, in the first part of the video up to about time stamp 0:48 seconds I tried to line up the front of a moving cars with a light post when I clicked the shutter button on the RC-N2 remote. You can see the screen freeze as though it's capturing the image pretty quickly after that. But then for comparison, I've uploaded a few of the resulting photos that show the actual capture occurred a good 0.5 seconds or so later and does not match what the screen recording shows. For specific examples, compare the screen recording at 0:10 to the first attached image, and then the screen recording at 0:23 to the second attached image. I then switched the camera from 48 MP RAW + JPEG down to 12 MP JPEG (shown in the recording) and captured another image at 0:43 seconds that you can compare to the third image. Clearly the difference in captured image vs screen display occurs no matter what the resolution setting.

This can be a problem if one is trying to time a shot and only has one or two frames to work with. For example, at 0:55 seconds I would have thought I just captured the yellow truck in the frame. But from the 4th attached photo, you can see I actually didn't.

2nd: My bigger concern is with the length of time it takes for a photo to "save" and that the software/hardware then allows a person to take an additional picture in single shot mode. I tried to demonstrate this starting at about 0:49 seconds through the end of the video with different resolution settings. It makes sense to me that for the larger file sizes (like 48 MP RAW + JPEG) it takes more processing time to save. But is the behavior I'm seeing where it takes almost 2 seconds for the 48 MP RAW + JPEG normal? And even the 12 MP JPEG only seems to take close to a second? Is it right that even if I press the physical shutter button, there is no way to capture a second image while the first is saving? Or is there some other delay issue showing here that may be an indicator of the setup or remote I am using?

With my Phantom 4 Advanced, while there is some very mild delay I can continue to capture images even while the first image is saving (I always shoot on full RAW + JPEG with that drone). It's very, very frustrating that same feature doesn't translate to this newer drone technology in the Air 3 since I and many others shoot a lot of moving subject.

Can someone from the DJI staff confirm if these same delay times shown in the video are also present in the RC2 remote? Or would that see a faster cycle time than what is observed? If that makes a difference in the ability to capture an additional photo while one is still saving, for example, I would consider getting an RC2 instead, but it would be unfortunate if that is the case.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide in diagnosing if this is "normal" behavior or if this is an issue that could be solved.

If this is "normal" behavior I would also respectfully request that DJI consider a firmware update or update to the DJI Fly App that allows a photo additional photos to be taken while a first photo capture is still saving. The "burst mode" can take at least 3 48MP RAW + JPEG images in a matter of less than 1 second and can capture 4K video at 60 FPS so it would appear the hardware is capable. But this is not practical for most people shooting moving subjects as burst mode is way too close together for most practical uses.

Thanks for your assistance and hopefully this information helps.

DJI Tony Posted at 9-26 20:39
Hi, Noah. Thank you for the added information. I need to submit the video to our team to check if it's normal. Sending it anytime is fine. You can always reach back. Have a great day.

Hello DJI Tony - I had submitted the screen capture video and photos a few weeks back in the post above. Have you had a chance to submit this to the technical team to see if there's any solution? I have since heard of others having this same issue. It's very frustrating and if something that I would hope could be fixed with this as a firmware update to the drone or controller/DJI fly app update that would be much appreciated and I think almost critical to the proper use for a lot of photographers.

Thanks! Noah

WSOR_3807 Posted at 10-15 15:37
Hello DJI Tony - I had submitted the screen capture video and photos a few weeks back in the post above. Have you had a chance to submit this to the technical team to see if there's any solution? I have since heard of others having this same issue. It's very frustrating and if something that I would hope could be fixed with this as a firmware update to the drone or controller/DJI fly app update that would be much appreciated and I think almost critical to the proper use for a lot of photographers.

Thanks! Noah

Hi, Noa. Sorry, I was not notified. I have already sent this to them. I'll get back to you with an answer. I really appreciate your patience.

WSOR_3807 Posted at 10-15 15:37
Hello DJI Tony - I had submitted the screen capture video and photos a few weeks back in the post above. Have you had a chance to submit this to the technical team to see if there's any solution? I have since heard of others having this same issue. It's very frustrating and if something that I would hope could be fixed with this as a firmware update to the drone or controller/DJI fly app update that would be much appreciated and I think almost critical to the proper use for a lot of photographers.

Thanks! Noah

Hi, Noa. Thank you for patiently waiting. This is normal. This issue occurs if a photo format corresponding to higher photo specifications and quality is selected, such as RAW. In this case, the camera usually takes more time to shoot and process the footage. (In 12MP, JPEG may take 1~2s, RAW - 2~3s, and J+R - 1.5s~3.5s In 48MP, JPEG may take 1.5s, RAW - 4s, and J+R - 6s ) We recommend that you select the desired image size and photo format according to your actual needs during daily shooting for a better experience. Thank you for your understanding and support.

DJI Tony Posted at 2023-10-15 23:56
Hi, Noa. Thank you for patiently waiting. This is normal. This issue occurs if a photo format corresponding to higher photo specifications and quality is selected, such as RAW. In this case, the camera usually takes more time to shoot and process the footage. (In 12MP, JPEG may take 1~2s, RAW - 2~3s, and J+R - 1.5s~3.5s In 48MP, JPEG may take 1.5s, RAW - 4s, and J+R - 6s ) We recommend that you select the desired image size and photo format according to your actual needs during daily shooting for a better experience. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hello DJI Toni,

i have the same issues with taking photos as user @WSOR_3807.
I had the Air 2S and always recorded JPG+RAW 20MP and didn't nearly have such time delay for the photo processing than now with the Air 3. How can this be?? We don't live in 20 years before... That's very disappointing for a drone in this price range

djiuser_zelli1982 Posted at 2-7 00:46
Hello DJI Toni,

i have the same issues with taking photos as user @WSOR_3807.

I understand the inconvenience. I have already forwarded your feedback to the relevant team for evaluation. We appreciate your patience.

I don’t have any issues with my MA2 or my Air 3. I do use a iPad 11 Pro, M2 chip which is one of the most powerful devices out there and it makes a difference. Even my 4 year old iPad Mini 5 works without any of the issues I’ve seen here but still not as fast processing photos of any type with iPad 11 Pro. The device can make a big difference when  it comes to many of the features or functions. Good luck.

Wyldwestaz10 Posted at 2-7 12:17
I don’t have any issues with my MA2 or my Air 3. I do use a iPad 11 Pro, M2 chip which is one of the most powerful devices out there and it makes a difference. Even my 4 year old iPad Mini 5 works without any of the issues I’ve seen here but still not as fast processing photos of any type with iPad 11 Pro. The device can make a big difference when  it comes to many of the features or functions. Good luck.

What does using an iPad have to do with how the data is written to the memory card?

Wow. Really. Rotfl….

Wyldwestaz10 Posted at 2-7 12:17
I don’t have any issues with my MA2 or my Air 3. I do use a iPad 11 Pro, M2 chip which is one of the most powerful devices out there and it makes a difference. Even my 4 year old iPad Mini 5 works without any of the issues I’ve seen here but still not as fast processing photos of any type with iPad 11 Pro. The device can make a big difference when  it comes to many of the features or functions. Good luck.

The device can make a big difference when  it comes to many of the features or functions.
Your iPad has nothing to do with image processing by the drone or camera.
It has nothing to do with writing the image files from the camera to the SD card in the drone.
Nothing at all.

lol…. Here we go again. Do your research. Never any issue with my iPad so explain that. It’s almost always do to a budget device which is not very powerful. There’s more than just the SD cards speed. I see this a lot when others are using the Dronelink app and once they upgrade to a much better device it works much better. What do you think is happening whrn the shutter button is spinning. A lot more to it then you think. Best wishes though.

The user is saying a simple thing:
1. When using BURST MODE, the images can be saved on drone very fast, overlapping the writing with picture taking.
2. When use Normal mode photo, there is not same speed, writing file is slower than Burst, probably is not using same cache method.

So the user is asking to make Normal mode writing method same as Burst mode, with cache writing while other photo can be captured.

Is not dependent of any external device, practically the drone needs to make same procedure like Burst mode in Normal one.
As far as I have seen, Normal mode is slower as the drone is improving some things at generated file, consuming power and time....It can be made a PRO MODE for editors, without any processing but only fast writing, to respond to this demand. Also can be made for usage on 12MPx RAW, as we know that 48MPx is way slower.

Tks.