The DJI Air 3S is the latest model in DJI’s air drone lineup, and it comes with some cool upgrades compared to its previous version. So, can it transform a complete beginner like me into a professional-ish drone pilot? Well, spoiler alert – it totally can!
Over the past weekend, I had the chance to get a motorcycle for an exciting ride through the amazing winding roads in the mountains of Rizal. Using drone shots can greatly enhance your content creation and storytelling, enabling you to craft and share compelling narratives with friends, clients, and various social media platforms.
Table of Contents
Design and Construction
The DJI Air 3S is a great choice for travel with its compact, lightweight design that easily fits into the 45L top box on my motorcycle.
The DJI Sling Bag is a convenient addition, making it even easier to bring along. Its sleek and casual look is a refreshing change from the typical bulky camera bags. Despite its small size, it boasts an impressive imaging system and obstacle sensors, making it both portable and efficient.
DJI’s reputation for durable build quality speaks for itself, and I have no doubt that this drone can withstand the test of time. After all, our EIC, Abe Olandres, still has a perfectly functioning DJI Mavic Pro 2, which is a testament to the longevity of DJI drones.
Accessories and Storage
The DJI Air 3S is available in multiple configurations to cater to a wide range of user requirements. The basic package comprises the drone and the DJI RC-N3 Remote Controller.
On the other hand, the Fly More Combo variants include supplementary accessories such as extra batteries, an ND filter set, and a shoulder bag.
These package options provide users with the flexibility to prolong their flight duration and improve their filming capabilities by utilizing various camera settings.
Operation, Flying, and Handling
As a first-time user of the DJI Air 3S drone, I was impressed by its advanced features that easily boosted my confidence in flying. The drone’s omnidirectional obstacle-sensing capabilities prevented any crashes or collisions during my initial flights.
To operate the drone, I simply had to double-tap the power button for both the drone and the controller. After registering a DJI account and completing the initial setup, the controller and drone is automatically connected, streamlining the process.
During my flights, I was able to capture the breathtaking scenery of nature and the city without utilizing the auto-tracking features, as I was unaware of the active tracking and spotlight features offered by the DJI Air 3S at the time.
I operated the drone manually, feeling like a professional pilot due to its user-friendly features. I was mindful not to use sports mode, as it disables some of the safety features.
The review unit came with an RC2 controller, providing a hassle-free flying experience without the need to connect my phone to the DJI Fly app.
I encountered a Weak Satellite Signal Scenario while capturing footage of a tall building in San Juan.
The sudden disconnection between the controller and the drone caused a brief moment of concern, but the drone automatically returned to its home point and reconnected to the controller, reassuring me of its safety features.
The drone’s maximum altitude goes up to 500 meters, and although I didn’t test its maximum distance due to my heart of doubt, I am confident with the presence of numerous safety features, such as the ability to use a pre-built map model for navigating back to the home point in weak satellite signal scenarios.
The DJI Air 3S also boasts safety features tailored to nighttime flying, including low-light environment sensing and forward-facing LiDAR for weak visual scenarios.
These are some of the safety features that the DJI Air 3S features:
Weak Satellite Signal Scenarios
In scenarios where satellite positioning signals are weak or nonexistent, such as when shooting city buildings close to high-rises, the drone can use the pre-built map model from its outbound flight to trace its way back to the home point. This eliminates the need to wait for satellite signal acquisition and return point refresh before takeoff, thus reducing pre-flight waiting time
Nighttime Return-to-Home
Equipped with a low-light vision sensor, the drone supports intelligent planning of the RTH route even in scenarios with as low as 1 lux illuminance. Even if visual perception fails, the forward-facing LiDAR ensures the drone can navigate around obstacles by ascending.
Low-light Environment Sensing
Lighting conditions have been relaxed from 15 lux to 1-5 lux. 1 lux is approximately the illuminance of 1 candle at 1 meter’s distance; 10 lux is typical street brightness, such as in a municipal square.
Forward-Facing LiDAR for Weak Visual Scenarios
The forward-facing LiDAR can accurately identify scenes with weak visual features, such as glass curtain walls and plain-colored walls. These features are especially beneficial for beginners, as they help prevent crashes and ensure a secure flying experience.
Camera
The DJI Air 3S has an impressive imaging system with a 50MP 1-inch CMOS primary camera and a 48MP 1/1.3-inch telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
Both cameras support 4K/60fps HDR video and 10-bit D-LogM color mode, providing rich color depth and wide dynamic range. The Air 3S performs exceptionally well in low-light conditions, capturing stunning details during sunrise, sunset, and night photography. The medium telephoto lens enables a compression effect, ideal for portrait shots or focusing on key highlights in a scene.
I understand how having a drone can significantly improve the quality of your content by enabling you to capture stunning establishing shots, which can help your audience better connect with the location you are filming.
I am genuinely satisfied with the results I have been able to achieve. Even in challenging low-light conditions, I have been pleasantly surprised by the impressive camera performance of this drone.
We believe our sample shots will speak for themselves.
Battery, Charging, and Connectivity
The DJI Air 3S boasts a 45-minute maximum flight time, and charging is simplified with USB-C compatibility. The Fly More Combo includes a charging hub for sequential charging of multiple batteries, maximizing flight time during outdoor shoots.
The charging hub is designed to maximize flight time by prioritizing the battery with the highest charge. Additionally, it gets a Power Delivery feature that trickle charges the most charged-up battery onto the ones that still need more juice!
Price
The pricing for the DJI Air 3S is as follows:
- DJI Air 3S (w/ DJI RC-N3) – PHP 57,990.00
- DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (RC-N3): This includes the drone, three batteries, DJI RC-N3 Remote Controller, ND filter set, and shoulder bag. – PHP 72,490.00
- DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (RC 2): This includes the drone, three batteries, DJI RC 2, ND filter set, and a shoulder bag. – PHP 82,490.00
Conclusion
In my experience with the DJI Air 3S drone, I found that it greatly simplifies the process of flying a drone and elevates the quality of content creation. The drone is available in three configurations, each offering different features at varying price points.
Despite the cost, the drone’s features and performance make it suitable for beginners, and even as a first-time user, I was able to capture impressive videos and photos. For budgets that allow it, the DJI Air 3S is an easy recommendation from us for its smooth and efficient, almost dumb-proof operation.
What we LIKED:
- Beginner Friendly
- Numerous Safety Features
- Good Imaging Quality
- The main camera is adequate even in low-light conditions
What we Liked LESS:
- The telephoto sensor still has room to improve in low-light
DJI Air 3S Specs:
1-inch CMOS sensor (Wide-Angle Camera)
50MP stills (Wide-Angle Camera)
Up to 4K video recording @ 60fps (HDR) and 4K @ 120fps (slow motion)
GPS, Galileo, BeiDou
724 grams (battery + propellers)
32km max flight distance
75.6kph max speed
45mins max flight time
42GB internal storage
Omnidirectional obstacle sensing (Front: LiDAR)
Follow subject (Active Track, POI)
Return to home (RTH)
4,241mAh battery
