Excellent honest review. Jake, you're one of the few people out there that can be trusted for truly independent opinions. Thank you for your great content.
Best review on the Air 3 yet! Non biased, no DJI B.S. influencer hype, a straight up solid this is what this drone does review. Thank you. It is much easier to make an educated guess on whether we need this or any new drone that comes out without the embargo videos being released at once with a flood of OMG best DRONE EVVVVVVVER videos 😂
Really nice review! I got my Air 3 as my first drone like two weeks ago und I as a landscape photographer really love it even though the image quality does not quite hold up the Air 2S or the Mavic 3 Classic. I really enjoy and prefer the versatility of having two really good cameras with different focal lengths up in the air over just one great camera.
One of several "tipping points" for me to buy the Air 3 was the waypoints. Used Litchi for many years and now the Air 3 has something similar. I think this will be a great tool for many people.
Great review Jake! I have the Air 2S and although the Air 3 is an excellent drone, I'm going to wait to see what improvements are going to be made. DJI might decide to put a 1 inch sensor on this drone and call it the Air 3S or the Air 3 Pro in the next 6 months. You never know with these guys.
Thanks for addressing the stills side of the camera comparison so comprehensively - so many early reviewers didn't. As mainly a stills shooter, I was concerned when I heard of the lack of 1 inch sensor on the Air 3, having loved it on my Air 2S since launch. I was fully primed to be upgrading, but for my use cases, I don't see the Air 3 as an upgrade. I'll keep enjoying my Air 2S and my expensive, yet seemingly imminently redundant RC Pro for a while yet 👍
Jake, Excellent review as always, Can’t wait to see your video on the Air 3 VS Mavic 3 Pro ….. Thank you for Keeping it real. I just returned the Air 3 today. I have all I need with the Mavic 3 Pro, Air 2S and the Mini 3 Pro.
I upgraded. Love the telephoto lens. I’ll buy the 3s probably too. Love the waypoints. Can’t really tell much of a difference due to the stacked sensor. So get both cameras without sacrificing much. Now I can shoot better parallax shots with the at telephoto lens.
The Air 2S has been the drone I have most been wanting to upgrade to from my Parrot Anafi, which was and still is a great drone but because it had such a small sensor, it had quite a noisy image in anything other than bright sunshine and the Air 2S with its 1-inch sensor has such beautiful clean image. So after years of holding out I bought an Air 2S about a month ago on the release day of the Air 3 because the Air 2S was heavily discounted and having quickly checked the specs of the new Air 3 and seeing it had a smaller 1/1.3 sensor I thought “no, not interested”, as the image sensor size was the most important thing why I wanted to upgrade but not realising it had a different stacked sensor. Since then I’ve been regretting making that snap decision based purely on a glance of the spec sheet, although the image quality of Air 2S is as beautiful as I expected one thing that wasn’t as good as I expected was the flight time, I’ve done over 30 flights with it I just about get 20 minutes out of it but most of the time it tends to be a bit under which is exactly the same as my old Parrot. The other thing that is more of an issue than I thought it might be is the lack of side sensors, I’ve not had any accidents but I have had some very close calls. The more videos I've watched about the Air 3 the more I’ve been thinking I made the wrong choice so I've ordered an Air 3 Fly More Combo RC2 and it should arrive tomorrow. Although in comparisons of 4K video quality with the Air 3 24mm lens vs the Air 2S 22mm lens, I do think the image of the Air 2S looks fractionally better but having that extra 70mm lens, a good 10 -15 minutes longer flight time, all round obstacle avoidance and being faster in every direction as well multiple other minor improvements/features I think I’ll be much more contempt with the Air 3 as my sole drone for the next few years.
@@jesserik2000 Well, I'm in two minds about it really. I'm glad I changed because the Air 3 is better in so many ways but the one thing that the Air 2S without a doubt has over the Air 3 is the 4K video quality and that is one of, if not THE most important thing to me. When I first saw my own footage I was a bit shocked at how much worse the 24mm lens on the Air 3 is compared to the Air 2S's 22mm, I had to double check I was recording in 4K or wasn't zoomed in. I knew to expect it to be not quite as good because of the comparison in this video and also FlytPath's comparison video but it seems to be an even bigger difference with the raw footage and I'm shocked because everyone seems to just gloss over this or not mention it all. It's not terrible quality, it's just an easily noticeable step backwards. The 70mm telephoto lens, however, is incredible, I didn't realise how much I needed that additional lens until I tried it and the video quality on that lens seems better than the 24mm which is odd because the only difference is the aperture. The other major advantage the Air 3 is flight time, I could barely get 20 minutes out of the Air 2S but I can easily get over 30 minutes out of the Air 3, that is especially impressive when you also consider the Air 3 is quite a bit faster. There are numerous other significant advantages the Air 3 has but could be here all day listing everything but basically its an amazing drone and I love it, I just can't help but be a bit disappointed with that main camera.
@@marc8136 No nothing that improves the image quality of the main camera, it has though had some nice additional features in recent updates such as improved tracking options and the ability to view what the obstacle avoidance camera's see which can be very useful when flying sideways or backwards. One thing I would say is the Air 3's camera is a good camera, seen in isolation (i.e. without having an Air 2S) you would likely think the image quality is absolutely fine and it is, it's just not quite as good as the Air 2S, however, everything else is better on the Air 3.
Great honest review. I still see some noise and oversharpen on Air3 footage. I think DJI will release Air3s with 1" sensor and adjustable aperture soon.
I doubt that will happen however you can adjust the sharpening in the app now so that is a good thing, for this comparison I didn't change any of the default values, I will in my upcoming Air 3 review to show the difference
I was perfectly content with my Air 2S until I purchased the bigger battery for my Mini 3 pro. The extended flight time impressed me so much I was drawn to the Air 3. Luckily I found a preowned Air 3 locally for a great price. First flights have been very enjoyable. Good review here. I appreciate the info coming straight forward without a lot of distraction.
Agree on all points including the photo quality from the Air2S being better. I just got my Air 3 and have used an Air2S for over 2 years. I am going to sell the Air2S cos the Air 3 is so much better overall that I'm willing to sacrifice on photo quality slightly. What a fantastic upgrade IMO
Nice to see an honest review about the camera quality comparison between the 2 drones - Too many you-tubers out there seem to be trying to get folks to buy the latest products. As a photographer first the sensor size on the Air 3 turned me off to it - I haven't used a 12mp sensor since I sold my original Mavic Pro. I'm still keeping my Air 2s, and will keep flying that along with my Evo 2 Pro V1 for at least a few years to come. Thanks again for being real - you're one of the few out there I can trust to give an honest opinion.
One thing not mentioned in the video is that the Air 2S can be C1 compliant (useful for European users) - You just have to upgrade the firmware to the latest version and then apply to DJI via the app for the relevant stickers. Just waiting on mine to arrive :D. I feel like this could also help influence some peoples decision on whether it's worth the upgrade to the Air 3. Got my Air 2S for under half the price of an Air 3 so it was a no brainer for me here in the UK. Great video, thanks!
Great review, thanks for sharing. I currently own the 2S and am thinking about upgrading. I particularly appreciated the sound test. The db on Air 3 may be a bit more but it seems to have a lower frequency which is not as irritating from my perspective.
Hi Jake, I really enjoy your videos, and this was no exception! I checked in this morning to see if you released this comparison video, and it popped up while I was looking. I’ll try to keep my story this brief. I bought the mini 2 about a year and a half ago or so, and then the Air 2s popped up when I was still within my return period for the mini 2. That sensor and the obstacle avoidance did it for me. The mini 2 was my first drone ever. Fast forward to now, I simply haven’t used my Air 2s much to justify owning it. I started taking it out and practicing with it again last June. Then the Air 3 came out. After looking at features I realized I missed the small size and convenience of the mini, so I grabbed a refurbished mini 3 pro. If I really get into this I’ll keep both, and maybe in the future pick up a mavic with multiple lenses. For the next year I’ll keep what I have and see if my small collection earns its keep! Then maybe consider an upgrade. THANK YOU again for another inspiring video!
I respect your honest reviews and it one that will definitely help me in my decision to either keep my Air 2s, or upgrade to the Air 3. I'm not a professional and have only been flying for a little over a year. I've gotten much better and my goal is to get my Part 107 and improve my skills. Fortunately I purchased the Care Refresh coverage, because I am on my second replacement. I like to capture images and video at a close range. Too many times my issue is with flying sideways and not having the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. I really like the footage my Air 2s is able to capture just not sure if the upgrade will help me with what I want to accomplish skill wise, or if I should hold on to my Air 2s and learn with less intelligent features.
Wow Jake! Best review on the Air 3 I've seen! Thank you. Sounds like I'll be making the upgrade soon. I need to sell my skydio 2 and Air 2s first I think.
Great review! I just picked up the Mavic 3 Pro last month and already have an Air 2S so I will be skipping the Air 3. The gimbal uptilt is impressive on the Air 3 I must say. Hadn't seen that in any of the other reviews so thanks for pointing that out. On another note, I find the Alaska environment fascinating that you can have Ice, Lush Green Grass, and Flying Insects all at the same time. ❄☀🤷♂
I enjoyed your very detailed comparison I upgraded to the air3 best decision I ever made the battery life is absolutely amazing I love the zoom camera paired with night mode and you're right the flight characteristics are better and the 04 transmission astonishing the air3 is future proof
Great review. Air 3 is packed with great features, but the camera seems inferior to the Air2s. Hopefully dji releases an air 3 pro with a larger sensor
Beaut video mate. I not long ago bought the Air 2S, more than happy with the range and video images. Loved Alaska when we were there a few years backs. Regards from Sydney Australia.
I found your channel today Jake. My first drone is on it's way. Got a great deal on a used Air 2S w/Fly More. This should be a good starter drone for me. I love taking pictures so I think this is a pretty good start.
The benefits of the Ai2S for me. 1. Compatibility with insta360 Sphere 2. Compatibility with 3rd Party software 3. SDK kit available so more professional software can be used.l, which expands the drones feature set. 4. More accessories available. Looking at the video examples the Air3 video looks good but looks similar a good cell phone. The Air 2S, mavic 3, and the Inspire look more realistic to my eyes 😊
Thanks Jake, this is the honest comparison I was waiting for, great videos as usual. I've been flying DJI drones since the Inspire1, and when I got the Air2S, I finally found the picture quality I had been looking for: sharp image with lots of detail, good dynamic range and great color rendition out of the box. All of the features of the new Air3 appeal to me (DJI doesn't seem to have compromised much with this one), and I want to pull the trigger, but I'm afraid I'll lose that awesome picture quality. What do you think? Purely on image quality, setting aside the zoom capability, is the Air3 equal or better than the Air2S?
I have both air 3 and air 2s,i shoot mainly night time Cityscape photography and i think air2s is better because it have more glossy feel and air 3 is somewhat have matte feel with night cityscape photography
If I did not already have an Air 2s already and had to decide between either drone, I'd get the Air 3 mainly for flight time and having another camera. I do not think those things are worth selling my Air 2s or upgrading. I also notice on all footage comparisons, that the Air 3 has a very distinct digitally sharp and saturated look. The Air 2s is softer but looks more natural. This could possibly look better with the use of ND filters which can add some motion blur. In any case, no reviewers mention this.
Great Review! I fly both a Mavic 2 Pro and Air 2s professionally. I will be taking a look at a replacement for the Pro in the next few months so I am looking forward to your other comparisons!
Hi Jake. Great comparison, thank you. Something else that is worth considering is that the Air 2S supports 3rd party apps such as Litchi and DroneLink, whereas the Air 3 does not at this stage because the SDK has not been released to developers. Also, the Air 2S works with the RC Pro, whereas the Air 3 does not. Air 2S is end of life and stock is slowly disappearing - there is no guarantee from DJI that an SDK will be released for the Air 3 any time soon so anybody wanting to use 3rd party apps might be wise to pick up an Air 2S whilst they are still available.
always good reviews Jake , but I have sold my air 2s and ordered the air 3 , I suppose to get it next week. and the main reason is that the batteries on the air 2s start to swelling after 50 charges due to the hot temperature here 30-43 c year around and is a huge expense with $100 per battery. Hopefully it will be cheaper with the new one . Regardless A2S is a fantastic drone, keep up your fantastic work an cheers from Thailand as usual. Stefan
I upgraded from the 2S to the Air 3. Main reason is Occusynch 4. My Air 2S would sometimes lose connection and trigger RTH with the drone still in visual line of sight. I use my drones commercially so when I’m out there on a job, time is of essence and can’t be dealing with an unreliable connection having the drone coming back to me when I’m trying to take pictures or take video. Speaking of video and you didn’t mention is the Air 2S aggressive crop when you shoot in 4K 60fps. I always shoot at 60fps because I like the flexibility to slow down in post. And when I’m flying taking pictures and then video I have to reposition the drone much further away just to get the same framing (which can trigger RTH because of the shoddy connection). I also used to own an Air 2 and I must say the Air 3 quad bayer is greatly improved. The Air 2 pics were better at 12mp than at 48. But the air 3 takes stunning pics at 48mp. The 2S has an advantage in dynamic range in post which is not surprising because of the bigger sensor. Can be a bit more aggressive lifting shadows for stunning twilight shots. The JPEGs of the Air 3 are so good that I rarely process RAW pics anymore. Less time on the computer editing is a huge bonus too. I still have the 2S as a backup, but the Air 3 is a lot of more drone other than the smaller sensor which is really a non issue from a practical point of view. Love d the video though.
I’ll wait for the Air 3S/Pro in a year to 14 months. I suspect DJI will bring back the 20mp, 1” sensor improved main camera. The 48mp mode was first introduced in the Air 2 and has very limited, if any use. Also, the Air 3 is not compatible with the RC Pro controller which was the deal breaker for me. I suspect with the next iteration of the Air 3, DJI will remedy that limitation.
I have the Air 2S and right now I see no reason to upgrade. Now...if they come out with an Air 3S thats a different story. Although I think at that point you move into the Mavic 3 Pro realm. I don't think there is much of a gap now between the Air 3 and the Mavic 3 series that warrants an 3S but it is DJI and they could do it. You never know until the leaks start coming.
Jake, I definitely appreciate Your reviews. They're more objective and non promoting a new product when compared to a number of other reviewers. I have the Air 2S and will be ordering a few more batteries this week. Current ones starting to swell. The Air 3 isn't for me based on the specs and my needs.
I have been trying to make my decision between these drones as well. I used to have the Air2S. I don't currently own a drone at the moment, so starting off fresh I was A. Looking into buying a new drone. Air 3. 2. I was looking at possibly buying another air 2s since I was familiar with it. The one area that I really am thinking hard about is photo quality. I like how the air2s has 20mp with a 22mm lens. That 2mm difference between the air 3 and air2s really is substantial. Id have to buy a wide angle filter for the air 3 to make up for it. I dont really buy the fact that a 12mp sensor can produce 48mp without some quality drop off. All the other features of the Air 3 seems to be a worthy upgrade. Still on the fence.
It is not 1 inch sensor. It is "1 inch style" sensor which is a really scammy marketing therm for not that big of a sensor and definitely not 1 inch long in diagonal or any way.
Great review. I have the Air 2 S and really happy with it so won't be upgrading. I also have the Mavic 3 Pro. So feel l have all bases covered for what l do with these drones..
It think Mavic 3 Classic is a greater choise. Very good quality for video and photo. Good price. Very nice work and great comparision. Great and onest work! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Great comparison review. As usual you do an excellent job with your content. I have an Air 2S and am very pleased with it. I do a lot of 360 videos so I bought the Insta360 sphere camera that works with the Air2S. Looking at the Air 3 it seems clear that the sphere would not fit on this drone. I would love to have the 3x lens of the Air 3 but I also own a Mavic 3 with the 7x lens. Difficult for me to justify buying the Air 3 just for the 3x lens. If Insta 360 came out with a Sphere camera for the Air 3 I might consider upgrading the whole kit.
Since I'm still loving it I have to stick with the Air 2S. The Air 3 Flight time is very impressive but for 99% of us the Air 2S still does everything we need.
I have settings videos for each of these drones where I go through everything I have setup and why: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QXkoLKqT6aI.html
Thanks you so much for this in-depth review and comparison. I have the Air 2S and I will sell it to get the Air 3 mainly for the flight time and the night mode :)
right now, the only reason I would move to the air 3 from my air 2s is flight time. for what I do, fly for fun, the cost is not feasible for me. there are things I like on the air 3 but not I just can't justify it. great review.
Thanks Jake.. best review & comparison out there (as per usual). Is there any control for sharpness on the Air 3 ? There isn't on the Air 2s, but I feel the footage has just about the right amount of sharpening.. Air 3 footage you are showing appears more 'digitally' sharp to me (although I might be imagining that).
There is and it does definitely help, I have a video coming in the next couple days comparing the mavic 3 and air 3 and in it I will talk about the sharpening
Great comparison, they both are very good drones. I agree with you about the raw photos from the Air 2s being superior. But I prefer the JPEGS from the Air 3. But overall I feel the Air 3 is solid upgrade over the Air 2. Thanks for sharing Jake.
Everything I have heard has worked on me, I caved and bought the Air 3 fly more combo yesterday. My work horse Air 2S will be relegated to spare status.
For me ...the quality picture of the Air 3 is not good enough to upgrade from my Air 2 S .probably will wait for the Air 3 S or Air 4 .It is my final answer.:))))
I have the Air 2S and the image quality is fantastic, it is not ultra crisp sharp image but more cinematic compare to air 3, it feel air3 have some artificial sharpening. Maybee the image is better out of the box.
Sold my air2s a few months ago for a mini 3pro which definitely hits the quality minimum for me. Thinking about getting a mavic 3 or mavic 3 pro for the situations the weight isn't as crucial
I'd also like to add that the Mavic Air 2s has an SDK. This allows you to use 3rd party automation apps. I'm still upset DJI refuses to release the SDK for the consumer M3 series.
I think the color difference between the two is huge... I didn't like the green tone the Air 2s gave and I think the photos and video are punchier with the Air 3. I made the switch and am not looking back. Great vid as always :)
Sorry to say, but what I saw so far is that the Mavic 3 Cine (which I already flew a few times at my company) and also Air 3 produce less pleasing and more oversharpened videos than my Air 2s. It‘s soft and really good for cinematic stuff. I haven‘t regretted buying the Air 2s at all even to this date. My latest video of Norway was entirely shot with the Air 2s.
Great vid as per usual. Would be really interested in your thoughts on the New Air 3 vs Mavic 3 Pro. Ignoring the 166mm tele lens, is the larger senor, ProRes, D-log worth the extra?
Now that air 3 is 2x as expensive with air2s rebate (699€ +nd filters as a bonus) and air 2s has c1 classification it is tuff call when you are a hobbyist and come from mini 2
12:15 the air 3 looked much much better during those master shots .. did they shoot in different resolution or settings ? The rest of the footage was not that different. 🤔
Excellent review. Just two remarks form EU owner perspective: 1) Starting from Jan 24, unmarked drones above 250g like Air2s will face huge restrictions, so big their operability will be significantly compromised (251 grams is equal to 25kg…). Because of this the Air 3 is a mandatory upgrade. 2) In CE mode transmission sucks no matter the O4 technology. Is a bit better than a Mini3, but nothing significant (I own both and tested in the same scenarios one after the other with minimal gains).
@@JakeSloan yes, seen it and this is why I added some details as: - in my opinion the marking shall be stressed more since is a real go or no go - you said the O4 transmission is an improvement as well for European user but sadly this is only in DJI press releases. Range increase is negligible at best.
I love DJI & I own 5 DJI drones, Mini 3 Regular, Mini 4 Pro, AIR 2S, AIR 3, & DJI FPV Drone. All are Fly More Combos, exept the mini 4 pro, has the Fly more with + batteries. My wife has the Mini 3 Pro. & I have the Integra Goggles Motion 2 Combo. All together we have over $7000 invested into these drones, & im extremely concerned about the proposed DJI Ban, in its current text.
The Air 3 is an enigma. Not great for photography, longer run time, heavier, faster, etc... I have to say that the downsides to the Air 3 really make a decision to move away from the Air 2S difficult. I prefer the Mavic 3 over both but as a secondary I will continue to use the Air 2S. In 2024 they should have given us a 1'' on the Air 3
I have the Air2s and I rarely fly the drone with the crash sensors on and haven’t used any of the smart flights it can do since I bought the drone. The waypoints interests me, but I suspect I’ll use it a few times and that’ll be it. Plus, at least for the time being, I wouldn’t be able to use my RC pro with it! I’ll be waiting to buy another DJI drone until after I find out how restricted my flying will be after all the new drone laws take place next month in the US. I’ll stick to building my own drones that not be tracked by gps for the meantime
Popped in to mention that DJI owes us an obvious missing feature. The spherical pano is still using a fake blur to patch the top of the sphere! If Mini 3 Pro can capture the whole thing at 60°, Air 3 should be able to as well.
The Air 3 48mp DNGs have so much fringing, artifacts and noise that they are pretty much useless for any serious photography work. Running them through LR AI Denoise just produces unbelievable garbage. I have seen this both in my unit and from DPReview' samples. There are even odd blotches of random colors appearing randomly throughout the photo (not fringing, mind you). You and other reviewers should address this.
