Are The Mavic 3 Pro Sensors Worth It?

Thanks for the explanation... Very helpful !!

I own the (original) Mavic 3. I don't need the new x3 telephoto camera (at least in the sense that I'm not prepared to upgrade). One question though. Why is the Hasselblad logo so prominent on the camera module? Unless Hasselblad produced both of the telephotos, this is surely misleading labelling. I'm aware of DJI's 'relationship' with Hasselblad btw.

one small mistake you made in the videos that smaller pixels resulting worse low-light, that was mostly true before the days of backside illuminated sensors where each pixel had pretty large border around it that could not absorb light. bsi sensor don't have this issue.

With current technology the advantage of large pixels is a very high 2nd native iso and fastest readout times.

This is why the A7Siii low-light is only a hair better than A7IV.

Great video! Thanks for breaking it down.

Honestly I think this continued frankensteining of the Mavic platform is a fools errand. DJI continues to add low quality cameras to this plartform rather than develop a more useful lens for the excellent m4/3 camera already there. I realize teenagers and old men really love their explorer badge camera, but for this to be a true “Pro” camera, it needs a useful zoom that covers the range between 1x (24mm) and 3x (70mm). My most used lens on the inspire 2 x7 is the 35.. which is the equivalent of a 50mm, the 24 on that platform is equivalent to a 35.. these are the most valuable lengths for commercial work and DJI just ignores that. That said the comment about cropping the wide camera to a 70mm equiv crop.. that’s really not gonna be there, as the 1/1.3 camera’s resolution is going to win every time. Unfortunately that focal length, while nice… isn’t the most useful.

Hey man, you are great... 👍but just a not-technical curiosity of mine.
If it's not a secret, is it really necessary for you to gesticulate, frantically and continuously wave arms and hands while you're talking?
Can't you avoid this torment for the viewer?
Would you perhaps feel more nervous inside, or maybe you think to be clumsy if you stop?
Or do you not even notice it and no one has pointed it out to you yet?

He could be half Italian, without knowing it ;)

Hey man, are all these specs definite or speculation?

Correction - the Mavic 3 can already do 120fps

I bet the panoramic mode will change either I’ll wait to see what it has to offer before deciding on it …I already have the mavic 3 and love it

To be honest I think the Mavic 3 classic is the best one, those extra cameras are just useless. Instead of make 2 more cameras, they should focus in getting the one camera better.

It’s worth it

I had worries it would be a “parts-Bin” release.. just a scrapped design from the lab they threw together to bolster some sales without much R&D. if they wanted to release a real parts bin pro they’d take an M30.. slap a X7 super 35 camera with fixed lens on it and call it a Mavic Max.. sell it for $9,999.. a price point in between the i3 and the Mavic Cine.. t

refreshing! thank you...

do you actually have m3pro or is it all just guessing (from price, to image quality etc)? i would bet on later..

I have both the Mini 3 Pro and the Mavic 3 and I’m not upgrading unless they got some insane new softwares in the Mavic 3 Pro

Thank you for this video. You did a perfect job at summing up just how I have been feeling lately. That it’s just another ‘gimmick’ to make people feel like they need the latest model when in reality we really don’t. I have the Mavic 3 and it is my go to drone that has replaced all my others. It is far more than I need and I believe the technology is amazing as it was.

Nice video and explanation. I'm currently working on getting my part 107 because the non profit group I work with clearing rivers of trees to make them safe to paddle and prevent flooding, is wanting a second drone pilot. We use the drones to scout ahead on rivers, take pictures and video of hazards for proposals, and to document the start and completion of projects.

I have a mini 2 that I hadnt flown in 2 years because of being pissed at the FAA overreach and money grab. The limitations of the mini 2 were clear when I took it out to test and practice. Both in how small it was and hard to see with trees in the background, and being blown around by the wind.

The mavic 3 series looks to be impressive. I'll likely be one that will be opening my credit card tuesday if the specs on the 3 pro are whats expected. Especially with the pro controller bundle. I have the old n1 style with the tripletek tablet with my mini 2. I love the display on top but its heavy and awkward. Having a quality zoom will be useful as we scout hazards and sometimes cant get in as close as we would like.

I just want to slap the idiots that thought putting the screen underneath the controls instead of above it was a good idea. Especially for when I want to use a sun hood.


Can you charge the pro controller from a battery bank? We are often away from charging capabilities and sometimes camp on sites. I wish the pro controller had a longer battery life.

Portrait mode would be nice

Great information, thanks for sharing.

I have the mavic 3 cine and I won’t upgrade either unless is a full frame camera ❤

DJI marketing at its best, imo it not worth the price for the upgrade

I’m interested in the Mavic 3 Classic, after seeing reports that the raw images from the Mavic 3 have significant vignetting. The lens correction profile removes the vignetting by cropping into the sensor quite a bit, and even stretching the corners. I hypothesized that this is because the Mavic 3 has two cameras and not enough room between the lens and sensor for a proper image circle. So, I’ve wondered if the Mavic 3 Classic might have slightly better image quality because they’re not cramming two cameras into the housing. If anyone has the Mavic 3 and can open the raw files in Capture One or another Raw editor that doesn’t automatically apply profiles (not Lightroom), I’d love to know.

Right Information

Excellent review, Cliff. I'm flying the M3C and the feature I appreciate very much, is the flying time, relative to the AIR 2S. I'll be sticking with the M3C, for all the reasons you mentioned.

I was about to sell my Mavic 3 to upgrade but not after your explanation thanks. I will however still listen into their launch tomorrow to see if anything was missed. A lot of the improvements that are going to be on the pro version I’m sure will also come as software updates for the Mavic and classics

You missed something. The Mavic 3 Pro uses a different sensor entirely for the MFT sensor. It uses the newer IMX 472 vs the older IMX272. The 472 is backside illuminated rather than front side eliminated. Back side illumination means that it will be even better at low light than the original sensor, which was already spectacular.

I think it all depends on the price differences between mavic flavors and if you don't have mavic 3. But its a great video.

I will wait for the reviews and see what quality that new 70mm lens provides. In theory I love the idea, as i do prefer the look from telefocal lenses over wide angle. Such things as cars and trains (and many other subjects) just look so much better at that focal length. Actually the quality from the Mini Pro is pretty good, so I am hopeful.

Thanks... I have GAS.. But only bought the Mavic 3 with telephoto in November. Honestly I haven't even used all the features yet. I also have the Mini 3 Pro. I just like the word Pro. but as you have just pointed out, its hard to justify if already a Mavic 3 flyer. So I will hopefully find some discipline from somewhere and stop spending money I can't afford or justify! Thank you chap!

Seth Weathers

I feel so outdated I am still using the original mavic Platinum, which of course is equivalent to the mavic mini 3 pro. I'm just amazed that after all these years five of them that the mavic 3 mini pro is still the same as a platinum.

Europe's C classifications are now an issue. The M3 Pro's 958g means C2 classification. Fine, if DJI were still selling the standard M3 or Cine. So, is the M3 Classic now the sole C1 option, or will there be a mid-tier revamped M3 for C1 compliance in the next year. I doubt it, but uncertainty about products doesn't help.

Thank you for youre honest review! I have the m3 and will keep it and pass for m3 pro

you deserve more suns!! amazing content

Mavic 3 Pro's starting point is some 16 months of tweaks, bug fixes, feature additions and more. The 1st 6 months on Mavic 3 were brutal. Ghosting/flairing OA sensors causing flight issues (still happens, but they dialed sensitivity way back. Actually its met expectations of performance, but took way longer than i expected. I avoided Mavic 2 as it was obviously seeing less development, and waited on Mavic 3. Sure this has pros/cons but at about $150 more than Mavic 3, its basically another Air 2S rework of Mavic Air 2, and Air 2S was and is a huge success for DJI. Ironically we lose the idrntical 3 minutes flight time as when they stuck a 1 inch camera in the Air 2. Im betting that honkin honker of a camera module doesn't add a single degree of independent panning beyond the 5° we have on Mavic 3. Still, its a logical evolution and has been a winning formula for DJI.

The 1/1.3 inch sensor is practically the same as the Mini 3 Pro. And the problem with that is...?😮 That sensor is terrific allowing 10 bit Log color profile capable goodness that, mm for mm is amazing. Not as a main camera, naturally. What did you expect, 1 inch sensors and a micro 4/3rd? At the end of the day, it's a DRONE. The size of the camera module is probably big enough.

Relative sizes of
DJI Sensor physical dimensions:

Mini 2: 28.46mm²
Mavic Air 2: 30.72mm²
Mini 3 Pro: 69.12mm²
Air 2S: 116.16mm²

Mavic 3
Main: 224.9mm²

Building on existing airframes with camera upgrades has long been a successful formula for DJI, witness the Air 2S bump to a good 1 inch sensor albeit one with a fixed aperture. The Air 2S, not my favorite drone - its loud, ugly and shortened flight times , is a beloved model in DJI mid -range model. I use it mainly to get footage with an Insta360 Sphere. What exactly is "an explorer sensor" its a half inch sensor. The explorer function is entirely a DJI branding that was all you could do with the 7x camera, which now shoots:

Apple ProRes 422 HQ
Apple ProRes 422
Apple ProRes 422 LT
4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60fps

H.264/H.265
4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/50/60fps
FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/50/60fps
And allows Focus Track POI and Spotlight mode on fixed subjects mikes away.
I would call that useful, if not extraordinary. Certainly more than an "explorer" camera.

I thought the important thing with the 3x & 7x zoom was to help create the sense of parallax in the footage. I did not think that cropping on main sensor would create the same effect?

Very good points

One of the reasons why I bought the mavic 3 was because of the zoom but now I don't have it anymore because I crashed it. My question is does the mavic 3 pro have the same zoom capabilities like the mavic 3?

ı wish i could see some tests

I agree...sensors are the deal breaker for me. Wish all three lenses could use the 4/3 but I get it.

Great - thank you for doing this video!
I have one question: Compare the main sensor (digitally) zoomed in a bit with the 3x zoom. How do these two options compare? Because I'm thinking about getting the Mavic 3 Classic, instead of the Mavic 3 Pro, and zoom in just a bit for a parallax effect - which I also do at the moment when using my Mini 3 Pro.. Thanks for the answer!

Um Pythagoras, you're not paying "an extra $2000" for the 3x tele camera. It's about $200 more than the Mavic 3... actually, the Mavic 3 Pro costs the same as the Mavic 3 at launch. WTF are you even talking about?

As an existing Mavic 3 owner this is why I'm skipping the pro, that single extra camera just isn't worth the high cost. Excellent video here, love the breakdown and making sense of it all.

Thank you. One more person with GAS that you helped. haha I was not going to buy M3P. Really. But that feeling was making me a little uncomfortable since I was loving the idea of getting M3P but my rational part of mind was not letting me to press the "pay for this order" button.

El mini 3pro es muy bueno para hacer tomas nocturnas en grandes ciudades, yo lo utilizo para grabar proyecciones en edificios en la noche y es un gran equipo.

7x sensor Mavic Air 2, 3x - Mini 3 Pro, main Mavic 3/classic/pro:)

UPDATES:
1. Looks like the price is going to be roughly $1,900 usd for the drone by itself. This places it close to the original Mavic 3. Considering inflation, etc., that’s not too bad. Definitely a great option for a new Mavic buyer, or an upgrade who is able to sell their current drone for around $1200 (stand alone).

2. The specs for the sensors in this video are correct. What is not mentioned is the possibility of the main MFT sensor being stacked. This could result in substantially better low light. This update is 100% speculation and is not mentioned for this reason. If it is true, that could be great!

3. I’m probably going to do future desk videos with my hands tied behind my back 🤣

Cheers! 🤘🏼