Product test
DJI Neo review – great drone for beginners like me
by Lorenz Keller
Seven questions about the DJI Mavic 3 answered
8/12/2021
Translation: machine translated
Support: Valentina Sproge-Werndli
I've been flying the DJI Mavic 3 in and around Zurich for the last couple of weeks to answer your questions about volume, night shots or slow motion videos. You can hear and see my answers with photo and video recordings in the video above.
"The zoom lens is unnecessary and a spy tool." That was my first thought about the DJI Mavic 3. On second look, I see it differently: the zoom lens is brilliant and adds a whole new touch to the drone's shots.
The first drone with a second camera
The telephoto lens is brilliant. It allows me to capture completely new perspectives that are unusual for a drone. The background is clearly separated from the foreground. The picture gets more depth. With the Hasselblad main camera, the depth effect is not as strong.
However, the telephoto camera does not come close to the main camera in terms of quality. This is mainly due to its much smaller sensor, which is less sensitive to light. With it, the Mavic 3 also achieves a 4K or Full HD resolution when zooming - but only with a maximum of 30 frames per second. Slow motion shots are therefore only possible with the main camera.
For video professionals, there's another limitation: Unlike the main camera, the telephoto lens does not record D-Log or 10-bit video. The recordings contain less information. This leads to limitations in editing options in post production, such as color grading.
EU certification is not a cause for concern
The DJI Mavic 3 does not (yet) have official EU certification. Therefore, many potential users are worried about not being allowed to launch the drone from 2023. In our estimation, these worries are unfounded.
In Switzerland, it is still written in the stars when the EU regulation will come at all. At the moment, there is no date. It could still take a long time. And after the introduction, there will be a transition period of two years during which the drone can be used without restrictions.
Conclusion: Work tool instead of toy
UPDATE: 12/15. Earlier than expected DJI has rolled out the promised update. From now on Active Track 5.0 as well as the known, smart flight modes like MasterShots, Hyperlapse and FocusTrack are possible. Photos can now also be taken exclusively in RAW format. Until now, only RAW+JPEG together was possible.
Manuel Wenk
Communications Manager
Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.chAs a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
