DJI continues its offensive of new products, as evidenced by the new Air 3S drone, which follows on from its successful predecessor, the Air 3. The Air 3S ranks third in the manufacturer’s hierarchy behind the recently launched Neo and Mini 4 Pro. From the point of view of users who use the drone for filming and need to carry it more often on trips abroad, it is a model with the best price-to-utility ratio. That is why the arrival of the news was highly anticipated, and it must be said at the outset that it certainly did not disappoint. The new product is oriented towards the needs of travelers and professional videographers, bringing many improvements and innovations. The drone is equipped with the same dual-camera system as its predecessor, which consists of a brand new 1″ CMOS primary camera with a focal length of 24 mm and a 70 mm medium zoom. Both cameras have up to 14 feet of dynamic range, which allows them to capture details even in difficult lighting conditions.
Probably the biggest innovation is the main camera with a resolution of 50 Mpx and an aperture of f/1.8. The large area of the sensor enables a pixel size of up to 3.2 µm, which, in combination with high brightness, ensures higher sensitivity to light and a low level of noise. As a result, the camera delivers beautiful images when shooting landscapes and low-light scenes such as sunsets or night cityscapes.
The 70 mm medium zoom camera with a resolution of 48 Mpx and an aperture of f/2.8 offers a 3x optical zoom, which allows you to capture objects from a distance without losing quality. This zoom is ideal for portraits and images of moving vehicles, creating a deep depth of field that creates a cinematic feel. The automatic tracking function as well as Subject Focusing ensure that the subject remains in sharp focus even when it is moving.
Both cameras allow recording 4K video at 60 fps, but also at 120 fps. They are thus ideal for creating dynamic shots, even with the possibility of very smooth deceleration. The drone allows recording in H.264 or H.265/HEVC codecs. When switched to H.265/HEVC, the camera always records 10-bit video, which can be in Normal, HLG or D-Log M flat dynamics mode. This mode allows for professional color adjustments in post-production. Video with 10-bit color depth is also very editable in Normal mode, but unlike D-Log M, you don’t necessarily need to apply a LUT table to each frame in pre-production, so it’s easier to process. HLG mode records HDR video that can be viewed directly on the TV. However, this video is not suitable for editing.
Other big news can also be found in the APAS collision protection system, which is already in its fifth generation. DJI Air 3S is now equipped with nighttime omnidirectional obstacle detection. As the first of DJI drones, it is also equipped with a front laser rangefinder (LiDAR) and lower infrared ToF sensors, which allows the drone to automatically detect and avoid obstacles in its path even at night. The new generation of Smart RTH allows the drone to return home even if it loses GPS signal, using a map created from photos from the APAS system to navigate. This ensures that the drone can return even from places where the signal is weak. The improved Vision Assist system offers APAS camera views from multiple directions, including a downward view, improving orientation in flight. When flying at night, the forward LiDAR is always active, and if there is enough light, the sensors of the other directions also work.
Just like its predecessor, the novelty also offers an autonomous flight mode along a programmed route based on Waypoint Flight landmarks. The program can also save the direction where the camera is looking, as well as which camera will be used for video or photography. Thanks to this, the flight along the same route can be repeated at any time and interesting shots can be created with the change of weather, season or time of day. For subsequent flights, you can even start from any place within range of the programmed track, but you have to make sure that it is at the same altitude as the original starting place. Due to the fact that the drone does not have the possibility to use a corrected GPS like the Enterprise series, it only works with the relative height above the ground relative to the starting point. So, if you take off from a lower location and start a programmed flight, the flight height will be subtracted from the new starting location and it could happen that the drone will be too low and may collide with obstacles. There is also a Cruise Control function that automatically maintains the specified flight speed. You can map its control to some of the controller’s programmable buttons, I use C1. The function is suitable, for example, if you want to film a longer flight over the countryside, it allows you to shoot a smooth shot with a constant speed. Its use is not limited to the direction of movement, so you can fix the flight diagonally forward, sideways and backwards.
New is the Free Panorama function, which allows you to create seamless panoramic shots by combining multiple frames, while you can use any camera. The main wide-angle camera with a wider field of view streamlines the shooting process, while the medium zoom minimizes distortion, resulting in more precise and detailed results. The difference from the classic panorama is that here, before taking a photo, you precisely determine the upper left and lower right corners of the future panorama, while a virtual section of the space that the panorama will contain will be shown on the display. Furthermore, it works like a normal panorama, you start taking a picture and the drone renders a new panorama after taking the picture.
The manufacturer states that the maximum flight time of the DJI Air 3S is up to 45 minutes, which provides enough time to capture high-quality images. After experience from testing, this time is also achievable when flying slowly in no wind. Either way, the Air 3S is the master of endurance and offers a superior endurance of more than 40 minutes compared to other models. The new DJI O4 video transmission technology enables the transmission of 10-bit video in 1080p/60fps at distances of up to 20 km. Live streams are seamless and allow seamless real-time control, enhancing the flight experience. With 42 GB of built-in storage, you can start recording immediately without the need for additional memory cards, although a microSD card is also supported. A new feature is the possibility of very fast data transfer using the Quick transfer function via Wi-Fi or USB-C cable even when the drone is turned off. This function is switched on by default and ensures that after switching off the Wi-Fi connection remains active for up to 12 hours and files can be transferred via it to, for example, a mobile phone or tablet. When connected via USB-C, the drone looks like two disk drives, an internal memory and an SD card, so you can work with them.
DJI Air 3S is compatible with various sets and accessories, such as ND filters for better motion capture or a battery charging hub that enables fast charging and energy transfer between batteries. It is the same as its predecessor and allows for fast, sequential charging of three batteries with a power of up to 65 W, while if necessary it can be used as a power bank. If you are out of charging range and have some work to complete, the hub allows you to accumulate energy from the weakest to the one with the largest balance after inserting all three batteries, allowing the work to be completed. The DJI Air 3S is available in three different kits, separately, with only the RC-N3 controller, and in two Fly More Combo kits, which differ only in the use of the RC-N3 or RC 2 controller (with a built-in display) and include a charging hub, two additional batteries , spare sets of propellers and now also a set of three ND filters. These are necessary due to the high sensitivity of the main camera and it is positive that DJI has included them.
And how did the testing go? As a former owner of the predecessor Air 3, I have to say that the replacement is really worth it, and if you are a content creator and you care about video quality, I can definitely recommend the new product. In addition to the new camera, there is also a new, more powerful processor, so both flying precision and video processing are at a high level. Although the Air 3 already provides quality outputs, the Air 3S goes even further and is most visible in low light conditions and at night when the outputs are excellent. When filming, for example, shots of a night city where there is relatively enough light, the shots from both cameras are excellent, consistent in color and exposure, with high sharpness. In low light conditions, the main camera maintains a high level of detail without significant noise. The image from the second camera is still usable, but compared to the main one, you can see a decrease in sharpness caused by noise reduction. All in all, however, the image is excellent and can withstand high standards. The high performance of the processor and new sensors now enable automatic return even to places with a worse signal or no signal, so the drone can return in automatic mode even to a balcony, terrace or a room (with a large entrance).
Thanks to its advanced technologies and wide range of uses, the DJI Air 3S is an ideal tool for videographers, photographers and travelers who rely on the quality of outputs but require a small and affordable drone.
PROS, CONS:
+ Video and photo quality, LiDAR, night return option, endurance, advanced RTH, large internal storage
– Nothing important
PARAMETERS:
Take-off weight 724 g, dimensions – folded (without propellers) 214.19 × 100.63 × 89.17 mm, maximum climb speed 10 m/s, maximum descent speed 10 m/s, maximum horizontal speed in no wind 21 m/s s, with wind 27 m/s, maximum take-off height 6000 m, maximum flight time 45 minutes, maximum hover time 41 minutes, maximum flight distance 32 km, wind resistance up to 12 m/s, anti-collision system APAS 5.0 with LiDAR, improved intelligent RTH, operating temperature -10° to 40° C, navigation system GPS + Galileo + BeiDou, internal memory 42 GB, wide-angle camera 1-inch CMOS sensor 50 Mpx, medium-telephoto camera 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor 48 Mpx, video – resolution 4K, FHD, 2.7K with slow-motion video support, maximum video speed 3840 × 2160 @ 120 fps (4K)
Cena: DJI Air 3 + DJI RC N3 – 1099 EUR
DJI Air 3 + DJI RC2 Fly More Combo – 1599 EUR
DJI Air 3 + DJI RC N3 Fly More Combo – 1399 EUR
Prices are listed without the DJI Care service program (109 EUR/year, 189 EUR/2 years)
Borrowed by: www.smartwear.sk
Source: www.nextech.sk
