DJI has announced the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine, the latest drones in its Mavic lineup that bring dual camera systems with improved sensors, omnidirectional obstacle sensing, improved flight time and more.
Both the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine feature a Hasselblad-branded L2D-20c dual-camera array that couples DJI engineering with Hasselblad’s proprietary Natural Color Solution (HNCS) technology. Inside the main camera, which can capture 12-bit Raw files, is a 20MP Four Thirds sensor behind a 24mm (full-frame equiv.) lens with a variable F2.8-11 aperture. The secondary camera (the top one in the array) uses a 12MP 1/2″-type CMOS sensor behind a 162mm (equiv.) telephoto lens with a fixed F4.4 aperture. Both lenses combine to offer a 28x hybrid (optical + digital) zoom function.
The main imaging difference between the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine models is that the Cine model can capture ProRes 422 HQ at a maximum data rate of 3,772 Mbps. Aside from ProRes 422 HQ capture, both drones can record 5.1K/50p, DCI or UHD 4K/120p and 1080p/200p footage (200 Mbps with H.264 and 140 Mbps with H.265). Both models offer 10-bit D-Log recording.
The standard Mavic 3 model contains 8GB of internal storage while the Cine has a 1TB SSD built in, in order to store the much larger ProRes 422 HQ video files. The Cine also comes with DJI’s new 10Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable that should make it easier to quickly transfer files from the drone to your computer or external storage.
The Mavic 3 series is powered by DJI’s Fly app, first introduced with the Mavic Mini back in November 2019. The Mavic 3 uses the same RC-N1 Remote Controller as the Air 2S and Mini 2, while the Mavic 3 Cine comes with an upgraded smart controller DJI is calling the RC Pro. This new controller, which is in essence a successor to DJI’s Smart Controller, features a 1000-nit 5.5″ ‘high-bright’ screen.
DJI has also upgraded its Advanced Pilot Assistance Program (APAS) to version 5.0 for the Mavic 3 series. APAS 5.0 receives inputs from six fisheye vision sensors and two wideangle angle sensors that detect obstacles in all directions and plans routes to avoid them. Meanwhile, ActiveTrack has also been updated to version 5.0. DJI says this new iteration not only moves with the subject in all directions, it can also continue to track said subject if it moves out of the frame and reacquire it quickly.
DJI’s new RC Pro remote comes with the Mavic 3 Cine.
Also new is an improved Return To Home (RTH) system that measures wind speed and calculates the safest, most efficient path back to the starting point. Sensors can also detect obstacles at a maximum 200m (656ft) range. In the past, the drone would ascend to the highest point and fly over obstacles on its way back home. Now, DJI says it will determine a path that allows it to safely bypass obstacles for a shorter flight time.
The Mavic 3 series is outfitted with a system that receives GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou satellite signals. DJI says this allows the drone to hover in place more steadily and makes it less likely to drift, which should improve the quality of long exposures and hyperlapse clips. It also features AirSense, which uses an onboard beacon to capture ADS-B signals to warn pilots when manned aircraft, such as small plans and helicopters, are nearby.
DJI also introduces a new O3+ transmission system for the Mavic 3. A maximum control range of 15km (9.3 miles) allows the drone to travel further and receive a clear, live video feed at 1080/60p. The drone can also travel up to 30km (18.6 miles) and a maximum speed of 21 m/s (~47 mph) in Sport mode. While you may never fly that far, this means the drone won’t lose connection as easily, especially in congested environments.
The Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine weigh 895g (1.97lbs) and 899g (1.98lbs), respectively: 8-12g lighter than their Mavic 2 series predecessors. The legs and body longer and slimmer, and the 5000mAh batteries are also more compact, making the aircraft more aerodynamic. DJI claims that the Mavic 3 produces 35% less drag compared to previous models and offers up to 46 minutes of flight time ‘in ideal environments,’ a 15-minute improvement over the Mavic 2 lineup.
The Mavic 3 series will also offer a new set of Intelligent Flight modes, though it’s worth noting that MasterShots was introduced with the Air 2S.
MasterShots: the drone will automatically fly in a variety of autonomous flight modes including Helix and Orbit. Clips will be stitched together in app and the user can select a soundtrack to add. Created in mere minutes, the final video can automatically be shared to social media or with friends.
Panorama Mode: photos are stitched automatically in the drone so users don’t need to do it in post-production.
QuickTransfer: Imagery taken with the drone can automatically transfer to a mobile device, without needing to connect to the remote, thanks to a Wi-Fi 6 protocol.
DJI has created a storage cover that protects the drone’s camera and gimbal while locking the propellers into place. The company also plans on offering a 108º FOV wide-angle lens attachment for an FPV (First Person View) experience. The Mavic 3 Fly More Combo includes two extra Intelligent Flight batteries, a convertible carrying bag and a set of ND4/8/16/32 filters. The Cine Premium Combo includes those plus and additional set of ND64/128/256/512 filters, along with the 10Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable.
DJI Care Refresh is available for the Mavic 3. This insurance-style plan covers accidents including water damage, flyaways and collisions. Should something happen to your drone in the first year, DJI offers two replacement units per year at a dramatically reduced price, while a two-year plan offers up to three replacement drones. DJI hasn’t yet confirmed the pricing of a replacement drone. Other services included with DJI Care Refresh include ‘factory maintenance, exclusive repair discounts, free shipping, and rewards for safe flight.’
The Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo, pictured above, is $2000 more than the Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo. Besides the ability to shoot ProRes 422 HQ, and 1TB of internal storage, it also comes with an RC Pro remote, a Lightspeed cable, and extra set of ND filters.
The Mavic 3 costs for $2,199 and the Fly More Combo costs $2,999. The Mavic 3 Cine is only available as part of a ‘Premium’ combo, for $4,999. Both Mavic 3 series drones are available to purchase today through DJI’s online store and authorized retailers.
Press release:
DJI Makes The World’s Best Drone Even Better With New Mavic 3
Better Sensor, Dual-Camera System, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, Smarter Flight Modes, and Longer Flight Times Make DJI Mavic 3 Drone the Ultimate Tool for Capturing the World from Above
November 4, 2021 – DJI, the global leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, today reimagines what a drone can be with the new Mavic 3, a bold and brilliant update of the iconic folding camera drone that once again redefines how to create magic from the sky. Mavic 3 is the most comprehensive improvement to the world’s most popular drone series in three years, boosting performance in every function to create new aerial possibilities for flight, photography, and fun. Mavic 3 is redesigned from tip to tail as worthy of the Mavic series’ reputation as the world’s best and most popular drones.
From its 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and 28x hybrid zoom camera, to its omnidirectional obstacle sensors with a maximum 200-meter range, [1] to its redesigned batteries that provide up to 46 minutes of flight time, Mavic 3 provides unprecedented flight performance and a peerless content creation experience. Its upgraded hardware and software can process 5.1K video at 50 frames per second in supple and nuanced color with heightened low-light sensitivity, and support 4K/120fps for higher-quality results for slow-motion footage.
An enhanced Mavic 3 Cine edition offers Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding for richer video processing, with an internal 1TB SSD onboard for high-speed data storage. “Creating the Mavic 3 was an arduous journey for our engineers who tackled complex technical problems to serve the goal that the Mavic series has always met – build professional-quality imaging and flight technology into a compact consumer drone,” said Ferdinand Wolf, Creative Director, DJI Europe. “The result is incredible. Mavic 3 enables users to effortlessly make epic shots without compromising on small size, stunning performance, pervasive flight safety, and dazzling image quality. We are confident that this drone will astonish videography and photography enthusiasts, as well as professional production houses and media workers around the globe.”
Imaging Above Everything With A Dual-Camera System DJI pioneered the folding drone category in 2016 with the launch of the original Mavic Pro, which for the first time put professional-quality imaging in a body that could fit in a backpack. Two years later, Mavic 2 Pro launched DJI’s collaboration with iconic Swedish camera maker Hasselblad, integrating a one-inch sensor to push the boundaries of drone imagery further.
With its new dual-camera Hasselblad system, Mavic 3 once again sets the new standard for imaging excellence. DJI Mavic 3’s customized L2D-20c aerial camera embeds a professional-grade 4/3 CMOS sensor with a 24mm prime lens in a sleek and compact form. Rigorous Hasselblad standards for hardware performance and software algorithms allow it to shoot 20MP still images in 12-bit RAW format and videos in 5.1K at 50fps, 4K at 120fps.
The higher video definition creates smoother footage and more generous cropping possibilities and allows for slow-motion video at 120fps. The larger image sensor gives Mavic 3 higher video resolution and dynamic range and more effectively suppresses noise in low-light environments. A native dynamic range of 12.8 stops helps retain more details in highlights and shadows, preserving rich visual information with a greater sense of depth and elevating imagery to a professional level.
An adjustable aperture of f/2.8-f/11 is available to meet the needs of aerial photographers in a wide variety of lighting scenarios to get sharper and clearer images. Weighing just 12.5 grams, the 24mm equivalent autofocus prime lens has an 84° FOV to capture more details with sharp clarity. Mavic 3’s second camera features a 162mm tele lens with 28x Hybrid Zoom (digital + optical) and aperture of f/4.4 that can freely bring distant objects visually closer, offering the user more dynamic perspectives and creative possibilities at a distance.
The new Vision Detection Auto Focus technology for quick focusing allows the Hasselblad camera to work with multiple vision sensors on board to capture distance data to optimize focusing speed. Mavic 3 delivers a deeply accurate color palette straight out of its camera thanks to the unique Hasselblad Natural Colour Solution (HNCS), built on decades of photographic experience and introduced to DJI cameras with Mavic 2 Pro.
With professional imaging performance, Mavic 3 records aerial videos at high resolutions and framerates and captures up to 1 billion colors thanks to the 10-bit D-Log color profile, offering natural color gradations and advanced flexibility in postproduction. Mavic 3 Cine is a version with Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding for a maximum data rate of 3772Mbps, giving professional users a powerful tool to satisfy post-production needs in their daily business. [3] To handle the large amounts of data from the ProRes codec and high frame rate videos, Mavic 3 Cine comes with a built-in 1TB SSD. For a smoother export experience, the new DJI 10Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable helps transfer large data files rapidly.
Effortless Flights With Enhanced Flight Safety DJI has always led the drone industry in developing innovative safety features, and Mavic 3 continues this tradition with improved obstacle sensing and navigation systems to give drone pilots the guidance they need to stay safe. APAS 5.0 combines inputs from six fish-eye vision sensors and two wide-angle sensors, which seamlessly and continuously sense obstacles in all directions and plan safe flight routes to avoid them – even in complicated environments. [4]
The omnidirectional obstacle sensing system also enables more intuitive subject tracking with the upgraded ActiveTrack 5.0, [2] allowing users to sense obstacles even in Normal mode. Previous iterations of ActiveTrack enabled the camera to follow a subject as it moved directly toward and away from the drone while remaining largely stationary as well as fly alongside a moving subject. ActiveTrack 5.0 allows Mavic 3 to move with the subject as it moves forward, backward, left, right, and diagonally, and fly alongside as well as around a moving subject. In addition, if the subject moves too fast and temporarily goes out of frame, the visual sensors on the camera body will continue to track and frame the subject intelligently and pick it back up when it reappears. These new directions enable much more fluid and diverse drone and camera movement while using ActiveTrack.
Mavic 3 comes with a powerful positioning algorithm that improves hovering precision with signals from GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou satellites. This enables Mavic 3 to lock onto multiple satellite signals faster than ever. The increased positioning precision also makes Mavic 3 less likely to drift in the air and more stable when shooting long exposures and timelapses. Mavic 3 features other robust safety systems that DJI has pioneered to keep the skies safe in the drone era. These include geofencing to alert drone pilots when they fly near sensitive locations, altitude limits to ensure pilots are aware of altitude restrictions, and the AeroScope Remote ID system that allows authorities to identify and monitor airborne drones in sensitive locations. Mavic 3’s integrated AirSense system, first introduced in DJI Air 2S, warns drone pilots of nearby airplanes and helicopters transmitting ADS-B signals, so they can quickly fly to a safer location.
Longer Flights With Extended Battery Life And Improved Aerodynamics DJI set a benchmark for drone endurance in 2016 with the Phantom 4 and the original Mavic Pro, which each featured maximum flight times approaching 30 minutes. In the succeeding years, new drone models have slowly increased those times thanks to incremental improvements in flight technology. With Mavic 3, DJI has reshaped every element of the drone’s flight envelope and power management to enable drastically longer flight times – up to 46 minutes in ideal conditions – giving unprecedented freedom for aerial photographers to shoot dynamic scenes. DJI developed motors and propellers with higher energy efficiency, created a higher-capacity battery, and reduced the weight of the drone’s structure and components. DJI also streamlined the shape of Mavic 3’s arms, body, and gimbal on aerodynamic principles. Wind tunnel testing shows Mavic 3 produces 35% less drag than previous generations, allowing faster top speeds.
Return Safely With Advanced RTH DJI’s Return To Home (RTH) system has enhanced the safety of DJI drones for years, automatically directing a drone back to its starting point if it runs critically low on battery or loses connection to the controller. The drone would ascend high enough to clear any obstacles in its path, fly back in a straight line, and descend straight down to the home point. Mavic 3 updates and improves this system by allowing the aircraft to automatically determine the shortest, safest, and energy-efficient route to land back at its home point. At the same time, the drone measures the wind speed of the current environment and calculates the power required for returning home based on the wind speed and the return path in real-time. This provides users with more time flying safely before triggering the RTH action.
Signal Loss Prevention with DJI O3+ and Cellular Transmission Dongle DJI O3+ is an upgraded transmission system that delivers stable, smooth, and clear video transmission even under challenging conditions, such as flying a drone in an environment with strong signal interference. With a maximum control range of 15km, [5] O3+ enables Mavic 3 to fly further and transmits signals with higher stability and less video lag, offering the pilot a greater peace of mind during flight. Mavic 3 is DJI’s first drone that offers a High Frame-Rate Transmission with a 1080p/60fps live feed. This means the camera view is displayed at a resolution close to what the camera actually records. O3+ also makes Mavic 3 more responsive to the pilot’s control. A new layer of flight safety is offered by the DJI Cellular Transmission Dongle, [6] an accessory that attaches securely to Mavic 3. The dongle allows Mavic 3 to seamlessly coordinate the O3+ transmission system with 4G networks for a smooth, stable connection when O3+ signals are blocked by buildings, trees, or other structures. This allows users to have a safer and more reliable flight experience when photographing buildings flying at low altitudes or navigating through obstacles.
Intelligent Modes for Unlimited Possibilities Mavic 3 offers a new array of Intelligent modes for creating and editing compelling photos and videos by controlling the flight path and camera movements in compelling new ways. These features, such as MasterShots and QuickTransfer, allow users to make the most out of their drone.
MasterShots [2] lets users create high-quality content more easily and quickly. After automatic editing and dubbing in the app, videos can be created in minutes and directly shared with friends.
QuickTransfer [2] lets users store and process materials on their mobile devices without linking with the remote controller. Mavic 3 can now transmit materials from the drone to the mobile device more quickly through the Wi-Fi 6 protocol. New, Advanced Accessories Along with a suite of new features and performance innovations, DJI introduces new ways to control, capture with, and carry DJI Mavic 3.
The new smart controller DJI RC Pro offers a smoother control experience, upgraded with enhanced antenna power for an extended transmission distance of up to 15 km. [5] Its 1000- nit high-bright screen allows better vision and control for outdoor flights. Its battery system offers an extended operating time of up to three hours and charging as fast as 90 minutes.
The DJI 65W Portable Charger allows a fast-charging option with a charging time of approximately 96 minutes and is compatible with current notebooks and smartphones thanks to its USB Type-C output.
The DJI Convertible Carrying Bag features an entirely new design with a backpack and shoulder bag configuration for taking Mavic 3, accessories, a laptop, and even clothes and other personal items for a weekend trip in style.
The DJI Mavic 3 Wide-Angle Lens offers an FOV of up to 108° for a more immersive FPVstyle flight experience.
The DJI Mavic 3 Storage Cover uses a lightweight, minimalist design to protect the camera, gimbal, and propellers when folding and transporting Mavic 3.
The DJI ND Filters Set comes in two ranges – ND4/8/16/32 and ND64/128/256/512 – and lets the camera excel in any bright lighting condition.
The DJI 10Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable enables users to download materials from the drone to their computer at high speed. Material backup is available on-site, thanks to high-speed transmission.
DJI Care Refresh DJI Care Refresh is now available for DJI Mavic 3, covering various accidents, such as water damage, collisions, and flyaways. For an additional charge, DJI Care Refresh offers up to two replacement units within one year, including coverage for one flyaway incident. The two-year plan provides three replacement units in two years, including coverage for up to two flyaway incidents and an extension of the original warranty period by one year (extension durations vary by region). Other services of DJI Care Refresh include factory maintenance, exclusive repair discounts, free shipping, and rewards for safe flight. For a full list of details, please visit https://www.dji.com/service/djicare-refresh.
Price and Availability
DJI Mavic 3 is available for purchase today from store.dji.com and authorized retail partners in several configurations:
The Mavic 3 Standard version retails for 2,199 USD and includes Mavic 3 drone × 1, Intelligent Flight Battery × 1, RC-N1 Remote Controller × 1, RC-N1 Cable × 3, Battery Charger × 1, Storage Cover × 1, Propellers (pair) × 3, and other essential items.
The DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo retails for 2,999 USD and includes Mavic 3 drone × 1, Intelligent Flight Battery × 3, RC-N1 Remote Controller × 1, RC -N1 Cable × 3, Battery Charger × 1, Battery Charging Hub × 1, Storage Cover × 1, Propellers (pair) × 6, ND Filters Set (ND48632), Convertible Carrying Bag × 1, and other essential items.
The DJI Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo retails for 4,999 USD and includes a built-in 1TB SSD, and supports Apple ProRes 422 HQ video recording. The Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo also has more extensive contents, including: Mavic 3 Cine drone × 1, Intelligent Flight Battery × 3, DJI RC Pro × 1, Battery Charger × 1, Battery Charging Hub × 1, Storage Cover × 1, Propellers (pair) × 6, ND Filters Set (ND48632), ND Filters Set (ND64128256512), Convertible Carrying Bag, DJI 10Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable, and other essential items. Additional info here: www.dji.com/mavic-3