I've been playing around with the DJI Neo recently, and I think I could be a drone guy. It seems like a fair amount of effort, but it's not really once you know what you're doing.
If I were going to make that commitment, I think the freshly announced DJI Air 3S looks like a decent place to start. This twin camera drone offers a large 50MP primary camera with a 1-inch CMOS sensor and f/1.8 aperture, which is great for capturing wide angle shots.
Plus, there's a secondary medium telephoto lens with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, f/2.8 aperture that is equivalent to a 70mm lens, letting you capture breathtaking portrait shots.
The Air 3S records 4K video at 60 fps in HDR, with a huge 14 stops of dynamic range in there, so you can get detail in the darkest and brightest sections of a shot.
There's omnidirectional obstacle avoidance (which I would definitely need) that can help you get better video at night time. This uses forward facing LiDAR, downward time-of-flight (TOF) sensors, plus six vision sensors around the drone.
Like other premium DJI drones, the Air 3S also features ActiveTrack360º, so you can have the drone keep a subject in frame no matter what direction it's flying.
On the specs front, the Air 3S offers up to 45 minutes of flight time, 42GB of on-board storage and support for 10-bit D-Log M colour mode. It weighs just 724 grams, and can be folded down for transporting around.
It seems like a pretty complete package for anyone looking for a drone to get more from their travel experiences.
Pricing and availability
The DJI Air 3S is available to order now. It comes in three different configurations:
- The DJI Air 3S RC-N3 retails for $1699 AUD and allows pilots to check the live feed and flight status using their smartphone.
- The DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (DJI RC-N3) retails for $2129 AUD and includes the DJI RC-N3 remote controller, an ND filter set, two additional batteries, a battery charging hub, a shoulder bag, and more.
- The DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) retails for $2429 AUD and includes the DJI RC 2 remote controller with a 5.5-inch 1080p 700-nit high-bright screen, an ND filter set, two additional batteries, a battery charging hub, a shoulder bag, and more.
