(After two weeks in Iceland and 4 weeks in Hawaii with the Mavic 3)
The good:
5.1K resolution looks more sharp than the Mavic 2 Pro 4K.
The low light image is much better than the Mavic 2 Pro. I don’t see noise in the shadows like I do with the M2P.
Video has distortion correction built in. The horizon is not warped like on the Mavic 2 Pro.
Omni-directional obstacle avoidance is much better than the Mavic 2 Pro. I don’t worry about flying backwards or sideways to get a shot.
Battery life is greatly improved. I usually have to keep a close eye on battery percentage remaining… not so with the Mavic 3.
AirSense, alerting you if/when aircraft are in your area, and showing you on the map where and at what altitude those aircraft are flying… amazing!
The zoom lens is actually quite fun and useful. At 7x, the zoom lens can create some really nice parallax.
The bad:
It’s extremely difficult to make fine and smooth movements with the Mavic 3. The minimum speed, even in ‘Cine Mode’ (Previously referred to as Tripod Mode), is far too fast.
The Overexposure Warning (AKA Zebras) don’t work in D-Log. I use zebras to know when I’m overexposing and clipping the highlights. Zebras only work in Standard color mode. EDIT: DJI Addressed this and now zebras work in D-Log, though ONLY when Color Display Assist is enabled (see issues with this below).
Color Display Assist, the ‘viewing LUT’ for the DJI Fly app, is overexposed. This causes users to underexpose the image, wasting dynamic range. The only way to avoid this is to turn off Color Display Assist and expose based off the histogram.
The histogram doesn’t work properly in D-Log with ‘Color Display Assist’ enabled. Rather than seeing the histogram showing the exposure for D-Log, it shows the exposure of the Color Display Assist. This means without zebras, there’s no way to know the actual exposure of D-Log while in flight. You have to go into the camera settings and disable Color Display Assist to see the proper histogram readout. EDIT: DJI has corrected this in all but 5.1K resolution. In 5.1K, the histogram is still affected by Color Display Assist.
No crop or ‘HQ’ mode like on the Mavic 2 Pro. With the 5.1K sensor, the Mavic 3 theoretically should be able to have a 40-50mm equivalent crop or ‘HQ’ mode like the Mavic 2 Pro.
The remote, while more ergonomic, feels extremely cheap. It has no display, and less buttons that the Mavic 2 Pro remote. I actually prefer the compact remote of the Mavic 2 Pro, with it’s readout of important info than the cheap remote that the Mavic Mini (toy) is using.
The price. It’s overly expensive. For roughly $2800 with 2 extra batteries and ND filters, it’s in the realm of ‘professional camera’. Yet, it’s missing ‘standard’ drone features that the Mavic 2 Pro has (like waypoints, tripod mode)
The DJI Fly App… in some ways is a step backwards from the DJI Go 4 app. Zebras not working, Color Display Assist being overexposed, settings being more buried or difficult to get to, like Overexposure Warning (zebras).
Conclusion:
- I previously returned the Mavic 3 after returning from Iceland. The lack of features in the DJI Go app made the Mavic 2 Pro a superior drone. The Mavic 2 Pro still IS superior in some ways. The crop or ‘HQ’ mode provides an interesting change of perspective, while the Mavic 3 is ‘stuck’ at a 24mm equivalent… a very wide FOV.
- After returning to Hawaii, DJI updated the DJI Fly app with a ton of features. They notably addressed (most of) my issues with the histogram (except in 5.1K, for some reason). They fixed zebras not working in D-Log (though, only with Color Display Assist, which is overexposed.)
- I’ve decided to keep the Mavic 3, mostly for the excellent obstacle avoidance. I’m able to get shots I can’t get with the Mavic 2 Pro, considering the sideways obstacle avoidance doesn’t work except in program modes.
- The introduction of AirSense is a huge upgrade to me. Being able to see where approaching aircraft are in relationship to my location allows me to continue filming rather than coming home ever time I hear an engine approaching.
- I just wish DJI would take care of these last things…
MY WISH LIST:
A true ‘tripod’ mode, like on the Mavic 2 Pro… allowing slow movement.
A Custom LUT option, so I can expose as I plan to grade in post.
Adjustable Overexposure Warning (zebras), so I can set the clipping point.
A crop or ‘HQ’ mode, like the Mavic 2 Pro.
Basically… just give me back what you took away from the Mavic 2 Pro… and add some ‘Pro’ features like above.
DJI RC Review
The Good:
Bright screen, doesn’t dim like on iOS
Two control wheels, allowing one for exposure offset
Two custom buttons
Lighter weight than standard controller, especially when adding iOS device
The Bad:
AirSense is limited to 1000’, so aircraft is basically ON TOP OF YOU when it shows up.
Screen not as responsive as with iOS, with some delay in actions.
No quick way to quit and re-open the app if it glitches or freezes.
New type of joystick, not compatible with older models… and can’t control without the joysticks attached (something I do for finer control)
Less battery life than standard RC-1 (2.5hrs vs 6hrs)
Screen recording is lower quality than with iOS
No external display output.
Disconnects from Wifi+Bluetooth upon launch… so maps cannot be updated while flying.
Does not reconnect to Wifi upon landing… so flight records are not automatically synced.
Notes about the DJI Fly App:
DJI Fly still does not allow Custom LUTs, so it’s required to either fly using their LUT (called Color Display Assist), or without any LUT (flat) while in D-Log.
The DJI Fly Color Display Assist (LUT) causes gross underexposure of the image, wasting dynamic range.
DJI Fly app has changed the histogram to the old (good) way, so Color Display Assist does not affect it (a good thing), BUT it still behaves differently in 5.1K. This makes it confusing when the histogram changes between different resolutions.
The RC version of the DJI Fly app is outdated, and doesn’t have the same features as the iOS app… considerably, the AirSense ‘sensitivity’ options.
Notes about the Mavic 3 and the Fly App:
When taking long exposures (at night), the display is extremely noisy with a magenta cast. It is not properly showing what a long exposure might look like.
DJI Stephen Posted at 8-24 18:47
Hello there sky_makai. Good day and thank you for posting this impressive video that you have filmed. Great work and have a nice day. .
Thank you! Please see below...
MY WISH LIST:
- A true ‘tripod’ mode, like on the Mavic 2 Pro… allowing slow movement.
- A Custom LUT option, so I can expose the same way as I plan to grade in post.
- Adjustable Overexposure Warning (zebras), so I can set the clipping point as needed.
- A crop or ‘HQ’ mode, like the Mavic 2 Pro.
Basically… just give me back what you took away from the Mavic 2 Pro… and add some ‘Pro’ features like above.
Hi there sky_makai. You are very much welcome and thank you for these additional information. In addition, I will also forward these information to the designated DJI Department for attention. Thank you.
DJI Stephen Posted at 8-25 21:55
Hi there sky_makai. You are very much welcome and thank you for these additional information. In addition, I will also forward these information to the designated DJI Department for attention. Thank you.
I appreciate the support. We need an advocate. The Mavic 3 is not done yet.
I also just noticed that it still does not support multiple remote controllers.
Very well done video! I like it. And that’s a LOT of speed ramping. I’m still playing with that to get the right mix in my videos. I don’t have the FX3, but use the A1 and the Mavic 3 as well and started learning Davinci a few months back. What software did you use for this/your videos?
Vtcats Posted at 8-30 02:23
Very well done video! I like it. And that’s a LOT of speed ramping. I’m still playing with that to get the right mix in my videos. I don’t have the FX3, but use the A1 and the Mavic 3 as well and started learning Davinci a few months back. What software did you use for this/your videos?
Sounds like you've got everything you need... also need a good stabilizer and wide angle lens. I have an equipment list in the description of the video.
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