Verdict
While the DJI Air 3S does n’t represent a great leap forward over the Air 3 and its weight class throws up some obstruction to chance manipulation , this is yet another great camera drone from DJI.With superb image quality , barrage life story and flight capabilities , it represents great note value for money for anyone who wants to take their ethereal videography and picture taking to dizzy new heights .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Having recently set in motion the tiny , loud and social medium - focussedNeodrone , DJI has turn its care back to its fancier - friendly atmosphere chain . stick in the gap between the prosumerMavicand the ultralightMiniseries , the Air has always offer a tempting balance between price and performance .
This remain the case with the raw Air 3S. make on the template forged by 2023 ’s excellentAir 3 , the first drone in the zephyr scope to feature a two - camera apparatus , the Air 3S feel like an endeavour to make improvements in key surface area . The most obvious upgrade is to the camera ( which supplant one of its 1/1.3 - column inch detector with a large 1 - inch detector ) , but there are also notable developments in onboard storage and obstacle detection .
Are these enough to make the Air 3S worth trading in your Air 3 orAir 2Sfor , though ? After a week of flying it , I ’m quick to narrate you .
Price
The DJI Air 3S is available to order now from the DJI online storehouse and a horde of other retail merchant , and at launching is useable in three dissimilar contour .
It can be purchased with a unmarried bombardment and DJI RC - N3 flying comptroller ( which connect to the substance abuser ’s smartphone , running the DJI Fly app , in order of magnitude to take control of the drone ) for £ 959/€1099/$1099 / AU$1699 . For those who want extras , there are two Fly More Combo sheaf available , both of which admit three batteries , a bombardment charging hub , a hardening of ND filter and a carrying bag , plus one of two controllers : the RC - N3 ( £ 1239/€1399/$1399 / AU$2129 ) or the 5.5 - inch touchscreen - equipped RC 2 ( £ 1439/€1599/$1599 / AU$2429 ) . I was sent the latter Fly More Combo for the purpose of this review .
Those who already own DJI drones and controller may discover the want of an option to buy the Air 3S without a controller , thus hold open a bit of money , disappointing . I have sex I would if I were in their shoes .
That said , I do think the Air 3S is price very competitively for its specifications and capabilities . It ’s significantly cheaper than the top - of - the - lineDJI Mavic 3 Proand only a little more expensive than the Air 3 or the Mini 4 Pro .
Design and Build Quality
Like most DJI drone , the Air 3S folds down for easy storage and carrying , with a plastic cover allow for to keep the camera and gimbal safe while it ’s in your bag .
All folded up , the drone is approximately the size of it of a 500ml piss bottle and likely only a bit heavier . So it ’s easy to conduct around , either in your own bag or the splendid articulatio humeri bag that comes in the Fly More Combo .
The 724 g weight unit does throw up some problem , however . It means the Air 3S , like the Air 3 before it , is capable to stricter rules about where it can be fly and by whom .
In the UK , where I subsist , it falls into a drone class that requires it to be kept at least 50 mebibyte away from uninvolved the great unwashed ( measured horizontally ) , and 150 G from built - up or public areas ( including parks and beach ) . If I wanted to fly it in more build - up areas , I ’d postulate an A2CofC certificate , which requires undertaking a paid course and give-up the ghost a 90 - moment exam .
you could see why many mass just choose for a sub-250 g drone instead ; these can be lawfully flown anywhere without the need for costly and time - consuming course .
Still , those who are willing to leap through the required hoops can look forward to fly a well - made drone . Constructed of sturdy plastic , it feels like it will survive many road trip-up and long days of shooting , despite its fold character and various lenses and detector . The gimbal and camera are the most soft parts , but as I say there ’s a fictile masking include in the box to keep them protected when not in use .
Like the Air 3 , there ’s a microSD slot for salt away pic and video , but this fourth dimension it ’s supplemented by 42 GB of work up - in SSD storage – enough blank space for about an minute of 4K/60p video or over 5000 JPEG exposure . I exclusively swear on the internal entrepot while test the trailer for this reexamination and had no issues with it whatsoever . It ’s debauched and reliable .
Next to the microSD expansion slot is a USB - blow porthole that can be used to transfer photos and videos to your information processing system or reload a barrage fire while it ’s inserted into the laggard . I generally used the Fly More Combo ’s battery charging hub or else : it can hold three batteries at once , charging them in succession , and when used in combination with a 100W adapter will fully charge them at the rate of about one per hour . It ’ll also consolidate several partly used batteries into one full barrage .
Flight Performance
I found flying the DJI Air 3S to be a breeze , just like the majority of DJI ’s bourdon . While the trailer is controlled in the air with a simple matching - stick method acting , which is beautifully antiphonal and easy to master , matter are also supplemented with user - well-disposed features like one - touch take - off and return - to - home and omnidirectional aim sensing .
Thanks to having sensor point in all directions ( let in new LiDAR sensors at the front ) the Air 3S can detect potential obstacle like Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree branches , lamp post and walls and either skirt around them or stop itself in mid - air to head off collisions .
This detection is turn off when the Air 3S is in Sport mode but operates automatically in all other illustration , including when autopilot modes such as the excellent Active Track 360º are being used .
Active Track 360º , which debut on the Mini 4 Pro and was added to the Air 3 via a firmware update , allows users to draw a box around a move aim and have the poke execute movements around the object while observe it concentrate in the frame .
It ’s a great way to film yourself while on a skateboard or wheel or in a car – but do be cognizant that you ’ll still want to abide by the flight limitation I name above while Active Track is being used ; these made it very hard for me to test it decent during the course of my review , but I can say that object detection is by and large reliable when demand on and off , as the accountant ’s screen clearly indicates the centering and aloofness of potential obstacle .
The Air 3S uses the same O4 video transmission system as the Air 3 . This glow a low - latency Full HD video feed from the drone pipe ’s front cameras to your phone or restrainer ’s screen , tolerate you to accurately frame videos and exposure and get a unclouded picture of the monotone ’s viewpoint and surroundings . It has a theoretic range of up to 20 km , which is far further than anyone should be fly .
I try it up to a few hundred metres and found it to be rock - solid the integral time . The LiDAR sensors execute well in lowly light than the imagination - based detector at the back , sides and top , so this should theoretically boost target avoidance at dawn , crepuscle or night - prison term .
Camera Performance
Like the Air 3 , the Air 3S tout a two - camera setup , pairing a encompassing - slant ( tantamount 24 mm ) tv camera with a intermediate tele ( equivalent 70 mm ) camera . But while the Air 3 gave both 1/1.3 - inch 48MP sensor , here the wide - angle camera commence a large 1 - inch 50MP sensor . This gives it slimly well dynamical kitchen range ( up to 14 plosive speech sound of it ) and low - light performance .
Both cameras retain repair aperture . This was one of the few criticisms often level at the Air 3 ’s cameras , as it necessitated the use of DJI ’s stage set of three ND filters ( which cost about £ 80 and need landing the drone each time you want to make a change ) to insure shutter speed on bright days . The Air 3S has n’t addressed it , basically , so you ’ll still necessitate the filter set if you desire to inject video at slower amphetamine in sunny precondition .
That aside , I ’m really impressed with the camera performance . The Air 3 was already strong , so it ’s little marvel that this svelte upgrade is a winner . I shot the sample distribution 4 chiliad footage you’re able to see here using the 10 - bit D - Log M visibility , then colour - graded using DaVinci Resolve Studio . point and dynamical ambit really serve the images pop , while the magnanimous sensors make night - time shots hold back a batch more crispness than I ’m used to see from affordable drones .
The radio-controlled aircraft offers a wide of the mark compass of shooting option including obtuse - apparent movement ( up to 120fps in 4 K , or 240fps in Full HD ) and social media - well-disposed 9:16 portrait shooting in up to 2.7 K resolution . On the pic front , it can shoot in DNG RAW format for great post - production redaction CRO – and that ’s how I took the object lesson shots here , fine-tune them in Adobe Lightroom subsequently .
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Should you buy it?
The Air 3S ’s dual tv camera setup cause it the best aerial photograph and telecasting chopine of any DJI drone outside of the expectant , more expensive Mavic range .
The weight of the Air 3S means you have to be heedful where you set up and fly it . That ’s not the case with a sub-250 g poke like the DJI Mini 4 Pro or Mini 4K.
Final Thoughts
If you already own aDJI Air 3 , I do n’t suppose the Air 3S ’s advance are sufficient to guarantee an raise ( I distrust the Air 4 , when it arrives , will be more of a leap forward ) . I also consider the Air 3S ’s weight get it a slick drone to commend to casual users – not because it means it ’s difficult to vanish , because it ’s drained simple and very safe to pilot , but because of the limitations and restrictions circumvent this class of dawdler , particularly in the UK .
That said , the Air 3S is a fantastically powerful performer for the price , with warm television camera execution , good bombardment lifetime and splendid flight capabilities and controls . If you ’re an enthusiast who can inhabit with the extra headaches it institute due to its weight , I warmly recommend it as one of thebest droneson the grocery store .
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How we test
We thoroughly test every drone we review . We ’ll always tell apart you what we find and we never , ever , consent money to reexamine a product .
FAQs
No , this drone pipe press 724 gm , putting it under tougher restrictions in the UK than sub-250 g drones .
The DJI Air 3S includes a wide - slant 24 mm equivalent lens system and spiritualist tele 70 mm equivalent genus Lens
Full Specs
