The Mavic 3 Pro is DJI’s follow-up to the Mavic 3, which arrived in November 2021. It’s aimed at pros and content creators looking for something high quality without spending crazy money.
What makes it ‘Pro’ is that this latest drone has an upgraded camera with three lenses, something DJI is claiming as a world-first.
In addition to the 20Mp four-thirds Hasselblad camera that’s shared with the Mavic 3, there are two telephoto lenses, a ‘medium tele’ with a focal length of 70mm (3x optical zoom, 12- or 48Mp) and a longer 166mm (7x) lens, which is 12Mp and has an f/3.4 aperture, which is brighter than the Mavic 3’s tele camera.
Flight time is slightly reduced compared to the Mavic 3 at 43 minutes, but there’s the same obstacle sensing and 15km transmission distance (in the US) and 8km in other regions.
Mavic 3 Pro release date
- Pre-order now
- Shipping in May
As usual, DJI has made its latest drone available to pre-order immediately from its website, as well as some of its partners.
The Mavic 3 Pro will go on sale in May 2023, but DJI didn’t give an exact date.
DJI
Mavic 3 Pro price
There are various bundles to choose between.
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro (with DJI RC):£1,879/US$2,199/€ 2,099
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo (with DJI RC) £2,549 GBP/$2,999/€2,799
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC Pro) £3,169 GBP/$3,889/€3,499
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine Premium Combo £4,109 GBP/$4,799/€4,599
The DJI RC is a controller with a built-in screen so you don’t need to use a phone or tablet. The RC Pro has the same 5.5in screen as the RC, but it’s brighter (1000 nits vs 700) and has dual-spring control sticks and more ports and buttons.
The Cine model is slightly different to the others in that it has 1TB of on-board storage, 10Gbps lightspeed data cable and support for Apple ProRes.
Mavic 3 Pro features
- 5.1K video (up to 50fps), 4K up to 120fps
- New 10-bit D-Log M colour mode
For the most part, features are the same as the Mavic 3. That means omni-directional sensing so it can avoid obstacles, OcuSync 3 for up to 15km video transmission (1080p/60) and control, advanced return-to-home, waypoint flight and cruise control.
DJI
What’s new is the fact that there are now three cameras: wide, medium tele and telephoto. That makes it easy to get the perspective you want without flying too close to your subject.
Along with the cameras, whose full specs you’ll find below, DJI has added a new 10-bit colour mode: D-Log M. This is an HDR mode which is supposed to make it easier to colour grade your footage later. “Even in high-contrast scenarios, like sunrises and sunsets, [D-Log M] delivers natural color gradations with delicate details for a full-spectrum visual experience.”
The main and medium tele cameras support this, but not the 166mm tele. That has a bigger aperture (f/3.4) than the Mavic 3 and supports shooting up to 4K60. Officially it’s 7x optical, but supports up to 28x hybrid zoom. It’s also worth noting that the 166mm tele camera does not support ActiveTrack 5.0 as the other cameras do, but you can use Spotlight and Point of Interest with it.
Here’s a photo taken on the 7x medium tele camera:
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DJI
The decreased flight time is largely due to the fact that the Mavic 3 Pro is a bit heavier: 958g (963g for the Cine model). This means it falls into the C2 category, not C1 like the Mavic 3. That means you can’t fly it over assemblies of people but you can get as close as 5m in a low-speed mode. You’ll need a A2 Certificate of Competency to fly it, too.
Mavic 3 Pro full specs
| Aircraft | Takeoff Weight – Mavic 3 Pro: 958 g / Mavic 3 Pro Cine: 963 g |
| Dimensions | Folded (without propellers): 231.1×98×95.4 mm (L×W×H) Unfolded (without propellers): 347.5×290.8×107.7 mm |
| Max Ascent Speed | 8 m/s |
| Max Descent Speed | 6 m/s |
| Max Horizontal Speed (at sea level, no wind) | 21 m/s |
| Max Takeoff Altitude | 6000 m |
| Max Flight Time | 43 minutes Measured in a controlled test environment. Specific test conditions are as follows: flying at a constant speed of 32.4 kph in a windless environment at sea level, with APAS off, AirSense off, camera parameters set to 1080p/24fps, video mode off, and from 100% battery level until 0%. Results may vary depending on the environment, actual use, and firmware version. |
| Max Hovering Time | 37 minutes Measured in a controlled test environment. Specific test conditions are as follows: hovering in a windless environment at sea level, with APAS off, AirSense off, camera parameters set to 1080p/24fps, video mode off, and from 100% battery level until 0%. Results may vary depending on the environment, actual use, and firmware version. |
| Max Flight Distance | 28 km |
| Max Wind Speed Resistance | 12 m/s |
| Max Tilt Angle | 35° |
| Operating Temperature | -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F) |
| Global Navigation Satellite System | GPS + Galileo + BeiDou |
| Hovering Accuracy Range | Vertical: ±0.1 m (with vision positioning)±0.5 m (with GNSS positioning) Horizontal: ±0.3 m (with vision positioning) ±0.5 m (with high-precision positioning system) |
| Internal Storage | Mavic 3 Pro: 8 GB (approx. 7.9GB available space) Mavic 3 Pro Cine: 1 TB (approx. 934.8GB available space) |
| Camera | Hasselblad Camera: 4/3 CMOS, Effective Pixels: 20 MP Medium Tele Camera: 1/1.3-inch CMOS, Effective Pixels: 48 MP Tele Camera: 1/2-inch CMOS, Effective Pixels: 12 MP |
| Lens | Hasselblad Camera FOV: 84° Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/2.8-f/11 Focus: 1 m to ∞ Medium Tele Camera FOV: 35° Format Equivalent: 70 mm Aperture: f/2.8 Focus: 3 m to ∞ Tele Camera FOV: 15° Format Equivalent: 166 mm Aperture: f/3.4 Focus: 3 m to ∞ |
| ISO Range | Video Normal and Slow Motion: 100-6400 (Normal) 400-1600 (D-Log) 100-1600 (D-Log M) 100-1600 (HLG) Night: 800-12800 (Normal) Photo 100-6400 |
| Shutter Speed | Hasselblad Camera: 8-1/8000 s Medium Tele Camera: 2-1/8000 s Tele Camera: 2-1/8000 s |
| Max Image Size | Hasselblad Camera: 5280×3956 Medium Tele Camera: 8064×6048 Tele Camera: 4000×3000 |
| Still Photography Modes | Hasselblad Camera Single Shot: 20 MP Burst Shooting: 20 MP, 3/5/7 frames Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 20 MP, 3/5 frames at 0.7 EV step Timed: 20 MP, 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s Medium Tele Camera Single Shot: 12 MP or 48 MP Burst Shooting: 12 MP or 48 MP, 3/5/7 frames Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 12 MP or 48 MP, 3/5 frames at 0.7 EV step Timed: 12 MP: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s 48 MP: 7/10/15/20/30/60 s Tele Camera Single Shot: 12 MP Burst Shooting: 12 MP, 3/5/7 frames Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 12 MP, 3/5 frames at 0.7 EV step Timed: 12 MP, 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s |
| Photo Format | JPEG/DNG (RAW) |
| Video Resolution | Hasselblad Camera Apple ProRes 422 HQ Apple ProRes 422 Apple ProRes 422 LT 5.1K: 5120×2700@24/25/30/48/50fps DCI 4K: 4096×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps H.264/H.265 5.1K: 5120×2700@24/25/30/48/50fps DCI 4K: 4096×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60/120*/200*fps * Recording frame rates. The corresponding video plays as slow-motion video. Medium Tele Camera Apple ProRes 422 HQ Apple ProRes 422 Apple ProRes 422 LT 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60fps H.264/H.265 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60fps Tele Camera Apple ProRes 422 HQ Apple ProRes 422 Apple ProRes 422 LT 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60fps H.264/H.265 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/50/60fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/50/60fps |
| Video Format | MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) MOV (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) |
| Max Video Bitrate | H.264/H.265: 200 Mbps Apple ProRes 422 HQ: 3772 Mbps Apple ProRes 422: 2514 Mbps Apple ProRes 422 LT: 1750 Mbps |
| Supported File System | exFAT |
| Color Mode and Sampling Method | Hasselblad Camera Normal: 10-bit 4:2:2 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) 8-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) D-Log: 10-bit 4:2:2 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) HLG/D-Log M: 10-bit 4:2:2 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.265) Medium Tele Camera Normal: 10-bit 4:2:2 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) 8-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) HLG/D-Log M: 10-bit 4:2:2 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.265) Tele Camera Normal: 10-bit 4:2:2 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ/422/422 LT) 8-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) |
| Digital Zoom (only in Normal Video Mode and Explore Mode) | Hasselblad Camera: 1-3× Medium Tele Camera: 3-7× Tele Camera: 7-28× |
| Gimbal | 3-axis mechanical gimbal (tilt, roll, pan) |
| Mechanical Range | Tilt: -140° to 50° Roll: -50° to 50° Pan: -23° to 23° |
| Controllable Range | Tilt: -90° to 35° Pan: -5° to 5° |
| Max Control Speed (tilt) | 100°/s |
| Angular Vibration Range | Hovering Without Wind: ±0.001° Normal Mode: ±0.003° Sport Mode: ±0.005° |
| Sensing | Omnidirectional binocular vision system, supplemented with an infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft |
| Forward | Measurement Range: 0.5-20 m Detection Range: 0.5-200 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight Speed ≤ 15 m/s FOV: Horizontal 90°, Vertical 103° |
| Backward | Measurement Range: 0.5-16 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight Speed ≤ 12 m/s FOV: Horizontal 90°, Vertical 103° |
| Lateral | Measurement Range: 0.5-25 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight Speed ≤ 15 m/s FOV: Horizontal 90°, Vertical 85° |
| Upward | Measurement Range: 0.2-10 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight Speed ≤ 6 m/s FOV: Front and Back 100°, Left and Right 90° |
| Downward | Measurement Range: 0.3-18 m Effective Sensing Speed: Flight Speed ≤ 6 m/s FOV: Front and Back 130°, Left and Right 160° |
| Operating Environment | Forward, Backward, Left, Right, and Upward: surfaces with discernible patterns and adequate lighting (lux > 15) Downward: surfaces with discernible patterns, diffuse reflectivity > 20% (e.g. walls, trees, people), and adequate lighting (lux > 15) |
| Video Transmission | O3+ |
| Live View Quality | Remote Controller: 1080p/30fps, 1080p/60fps |
| Operating Frequency | 2.400-2.4835 GHz 5.725-5.850 GHz |
| Transmitter Power (EIRP) | 2.4 GHz: < 33 dBm (FCC)< 20 dBm (CE/SRRC/MIC) 5.8 GHz: < 33 dBm (FCC)< 30 dBm (SRRC)< 14 dBm (CE) |
| Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference) | FCC: 15 km CE: 8 km SRRC: 8 km MIC: 8 km |
| Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, with interference) | Strong Interference: Urban landscape, approx. 1.5-3 km Medium Interference: Suburban landscape, approx. 3-9 km Low Interference: Suburb/seaside, approx. 9-15 km |
| Max Transmission Distance (obstructed, with interference) | Low Interference and Obstructed by Buildings: approx. 0-0.5 km Low Interference and Obstructed by Trees: approx. 0.5-3 km |
| Max Download Speed | O3+: 5.5 MB/s (with DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller) 15 MB/s (with DJI RC Pro) 5.5 MB/s (with DJI RC) Wi-Fi 6: 80 MB/s |
| Lowest Latency | 130 ms (with DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller) 120 ms (with DJI RC Pro) 130 ms (with DJI RC) Depending on the actual environment and mobile device. |
| Antenna | 4 antennas, 2T4R |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Weight | 335.5 g |
| Nominal Voltage | 15.4 V |
| Max Charging Voltage | 17.6 V |
| Type | Li-ion 4S |
| Energy | 77 Wh |
| Charging Temperature | 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F) |
| Charging Time | Approx. 96 minutes Use the included data cable of the DJI 65W Portable Charger. Approx. 70 minutes Use the DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter and DJI Mavic 3 Series 100W Battery Charging Hub. |
| Charger | DJI 65W Portable Charger: 100-240 V (AC), 50-60 Hz, 2 A DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter: 100-240 V (AC), 50-60 Hz, 2.5 A |
| Output | DJI 65W Portable Charger: USB-C: 5 V, 5 A 9 V, 5 A 12 V, 5 A 15 V, 4.3 A 20 V, 3.25 A 5-20 V, 3.25 A USB-A: 5 V, 2 A DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter: Max 100 W (total) |
| Rated Power | DJI 65W Portable Charger: 65 W DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter: 100 W |
| Battery Charging Hub | USB-C: 5-20 V, max 5 A |
| Output | Battery Port: 12-17.6 V, max 5 A |
| Rated Power | Battery Charging Hub: 65 W Battery Charging Hub (100W): 100 W |
| Charging Type | Three batteries charged in sequence. |
| Compatibility | DJI Mavic 3 Intelligent Flight Battery |
| Car Charger | Car Power Input: 12.7-16 V, 6.5 A, rated voltage 14 V (DC) |
| Output | USB-C: 5 V, 5 A 9 V, 5 A 12 V, 5 A 15 V, 4.3 A 20 V, 3.25 A 5-20 V, 3.25 A USB-A: 5 V, 2 A |
| Rated Power | 65 W |
| Charging Temperature | 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F) |
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Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.