Dual primary cameras, up to 46 minutes flight time, omnidirectional obstacle sensing and O4 HD video transmission help to make your subject the center of aerial photography, this is what DJI claims its new DJI Air 3 drone brings to the table. But its not just about that, a first for the Air Series is the introduction of 2.7K vertical video shooting (9:16), which can be shared immediately on social media. Just imagine being able to share your VVS footage right after you shoot it…
Those who use drones for photography and video, though, will probably be more excited with the news about flying time: compared with its predecessor in the Air Series, the DJI Air 3 has 48% more max flight time (compared with DJI Air 2S) of up to 46 minutes. Thus, pilots can seek the best position and adjust the composition with more peace of mind during a single flight. It’s, no doubt, good news for all those who continue to fight to keep their flying cameras in the air a little bit longer, for that special shot. Or shoot.
Optically, the drone features a wide-angle camera and a 3x medium tele camera, which empowers more users to get a sense of compression in their shots and delivers a medium focal length to more aerial photography enthusiasts. DJI says that this “advanced all-round drone offers tremendous picture details and effortlessly stunning footage with both cameras delivering 48MP Photos and 4K/60fps HDR Videos.”
“The DJI Air 3 is the first drone of our Air Series which offers professional features like dual primary cameras and omnidirectional obstacle sensing and at the same time retaining its lightweight capabilities with a weight of just 720g for more freedom and flexibility,” said Ferdinand Wolf, Creative Director at DJI. “The drone is the perfect all-rounder for your outdoor adventures and offers you a more diverse camera language.”
In fact, the DJI Air 3 boasts the first dual-primary camera system of the Air Series, which embeds a 1/1.3-inch CMOS wide-angle camera and a 1/1.3-inch CMOS 3x medium tele camera in a compact space. The two cameras have the same sensor size but different focal lengths, which result in more consistent image quality and more diverse camera language. With the wide-angle camera, sweeping landscapes can be captured more fully. It offers 2.4μm pixel size, 24mm format equivalent and a F1.7 aperture. The 3x Medium Tele Camera offers 2.4μm pixel size, 70mm format equivalent and a F2.8 aperture.
The 3x medium tele camera can achieve 3x optical zoom and also create a strong sense of spatial compression, enabling a unique perspective to present the user or anyone else as the subject of aerial photography. With people in the scene, aerial photography now has more diverse possibilities.
Pilots can use the wide FOV of the wide-angle camera to embrace the whole landscape or switch to the 3x medium tele camera, and capture the subject as a bold focal point, with the landscape before and behind the subject seemingly within reach. Both cameras offer 48MP photos not only to deliver true-to-life details, but also to support post-cropping for easy secondary composition.
The DJI Air 3 has two 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensors that support dual native ISO for direct output of 4K/60fps HDR video at high frame rates and up to 4K/100fps max. video specification now even without FOV cropping compared to its predecessor, the DJI Air 2S. Those videos can record rich color details and natural lighting transitions to restore the stunning landscape before your eyes. Both cameras support 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit HLG color modes. 10-bit D-Log M mode can retain more highlight and shadow details for more flexible post-production.
DJI claims that the new battery charging hub supports a power accumulation function. Users can press and hold the function button to transfer the remaining power from multiple batteries to the battery with the highest remaining power. This feature gives pilots the freedom and flexibility to make the most out of their flight during for example hiking in the mountains or biking in the forest, where charging possibilities are limited.
Here is some more information shared by DJI about its new Air 3 drone:
The DJI Air 3 is the first drone in the Air Series to include omnidirectional obstacle sensing. This feature enables comprehensive environmental awareness, allowing the drone to detect obstacles in all directions. In the front and at the back the drone is equipped with a pair of fisheye lenses to achieve forward, backward, left, right and upward sensing, while the bottom is equipped with binocular lenses and a 3D TOF, achieving powerful omnidirectional obstacle sensing.
When an obstacle is detected, the DJI Air 3 can also use APAS 5.0 to actively avoid and smoothly bypass obstacles, which ensures uninterrupted shooting for a greatly enhanced flight experience. Even as an aerial photography beginner, users can fly with confidence and unlock more creative ideas. The ActiveTrack function further frees the pilots’ hands and works with Advanced RTH to achieve fully automatic flight as well as worry-free return- to-home.
The next generation O4 video transmission system endows the DJI Air 3 with outstanding performance. It not only offers a transmission distance of up to 20 km, but also further improves transmission stability to avoid stuttered live view for safer flight. It supports up to 1080p/60fps live feeds, and a higher frame rate ensures a smoother viewing experience.
Intelligent Features, Infinite Inspiration
- FocusTrack for both cameras: Consisting of Spotlight 2.0, ActiveTrack 5.0 and Point of Interest 3.0. FocusTrack keeps the subject in the center of the frame. When using the 3x medium tele camera, a unique sense of spatial compression will be generated to highlight the pilot or any other person as the subject in terrific status.
- QuickShots: Empowers the DJI Air 3 to perform creative camera movements like Rocket, Dronie, Circle, Helix, Boomerang, and Asteroid. Note that the 3x medium tele camera does not support Asteroid.
- 2.7K Vertical Shooting: The DJI Air 3 supports dual-camera 2.7K vertical video shooting. The wide-angle camera can include rich image information, while the 3x medium tele camera can portrait the pilot or others as the subject, facilitating more eye-catching vertical aerial photography. The 2.7K vertical shot output can be shared immediately on social media without post-cropping.
- MasterShots: Allows the DJI Air 3 to automatically perform diverse camera movements, shoots multiple clips, edits the clips, and adds music to generate fast and effortless cinematic footage.
- Night Mode: Thanks to the noise reduction algorithm, the DJI Air 3 can capture up to 4K/30fps clean footage in low-light environments.
- Hyperlapse: Select from four sub-modes of Free, Circle, Course Lock, and Waypoint to shoot up to 4K horizontal or 2.7K vertical timelapse footage.
- Slow Motion: Select 4K/100fps or 1080p/100fps to directly record a 4x slow-motion video.
- SmartPhoto 3.0: In single shot mode, the DJI Air 3 uses SmartPhoto 3.0 by default, which can automatically select among HDR, hyperlight, and scene recognition according to the scenario for better imaging results. In HDR DNG format, the camera can record a larger dynamic range with built-in contrast enhancement. The image file can achieve JPG-level quality in post-editing software, reducing the difficulty of post-production.
- QuickTransfer: Quickly download photos and videos from the aircraft to your smartphone through a wireless connection, saving time and effort.
- LightCut: Connect the DJI Air 3 wirelessly to the LightCut app on the phone for intelligent recognition of highlight moments and one-tap editing. There is no need to download the footage during the process, saving storage on the phone.
- One-Tap Edit: Intelligently identifies the composition and flight path, selects clips with delicate composition and stable camera movements, automatically matches the best template and sound effects, and then generates a cinematic video effortlessly.
- Tilt-Shift Effects: Enjoy incredible effects that make the shot look miniature and toy-like with just one tap. Apply this feature to footage shot with the 3x medium tele camera for even better results.
- Waypoint Flight: This feature is available on the Air Series for the first time. The user can plan flight routes and shooting actions for the DJI Air 3 in advance to achieve difficult camera movements like one-takes. Pilots can also save a flight route to repeat the same mission precisely later, making it easy to create long-duration timelapse videos that capture transitions such as day to night or season to season.
DJI also announced a series of accessories for further flight performance, sold separately.
- DJI Air 3 ND Filters Set: This set provides ND8/16/32/64 filters, allowing the user to create smoother footage at slower shutter speeds.
- DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter: The power adapter can fast charge the battery and remote controller simultaneously, or mobile devices through the USB-C ports.
- DJI 65W Car Charger: The lightweight and portable car charger uses a universal port. It can charge a battery, remote controller, smartphone, laptop, and other devices.
The DJI Air 3 is available to order from store.dji.com and authorized retail partners, with shipping starting today, in the following configurations:
- DJI Air 3 (DJI RC-N2) for the retail price of $1,099
- DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo (DJI RC-N2) for the retail price of $1,349
- DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) for the retail price of $1,549