Tthe DJI Air 3: A Breakthrough in Aerial Photography

The globally-renowned camera drone company, DJI unveiled its latest drone today, the DJI Air 3! Drum roll, please… This innovative drone, the latest addition to the Air Series, sports dual primary cameras, a feature set to revolutionize aerial photography by offering both wide-angle and medium telephoto capabilities.

READ: DJI AIR 3 FLIGHT TEST REVIEW — ULTIMATE DRONE FOR 2023?

“With its dual primary cameras and omnidirectional obstacle sensing, the DJI Air 3 is the first in our Air Series that offers professional features while retaining a lightweight design of only 720g,” stated DJI’s Creative Director, Ferdinand Wolf. He further underscored the drone’s aptitude as an ideal companion for outdoor adventures, enabling users to explore a more varied camera language.

The DJI Air 3 battery charging hub with its power accumulation function.

Enhanced Imagery with Dual Primary Cameras on the DJI Air 3

Setting the DJI Air 3 apart is the debut of the dual-primary camera system in the Air Series. It incorporates a 1/1.3-inch CMOS wide-angle camera and a 1/1.3-inch CMOS 3x medium tele camera into a compact drone.

Sample still captured with the DJI Air 3 dual primary camera system.

The identical sensor size but varied focal lengths yield uniform image quality and a multifaceted photographic language.

The wide-angle camera can capture expansive landscapes with a 2.4μm pixel size, a 24mm format equivalent, and a F1.7 aperture.

The 3x medium tele camera also presents a 2.4μm pixel size, a 70mm format equivalent, and a F2.8 aperture. This 3x medium tele camera boasts a 3x optical zoom, offering a strong spatial compression sense and paving the way for unique perspectives in aerial photography.

Flying high with the DJI Air 3, pilots can utilize the wide FOV of the wide-angle camera to capture panoramic landscapes, then switch to the 3x medium tele camera to highlight a subject and get that beautiful compression effect.

The DJI RC 2 screen showing the Air 3 O4 video transmission live feed.

Both cameras deliver 48MP photos, yielding real-life details and allowing post-cropping for secondary composition.

The DJI Air 3, with two 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensors, provides direct output of 4K/60fps HDR video at high frame rates and up to 4K/100fps max video specification.

The result is rich color details and natural lighting transitions, faithfully reproducing the breathtaking scenery. This is the first Air Series drone capable of 2.7K vertical video shooting (9:16), ready to share instantly on social media.

Prairie horse photographed with the DJI Air 3 3x medium tele camera.

Golden mountain ridge shot at 3x on the DJI Air 3 tele camera.

The same prairie horse scene at 1x on the Air 3 wide-angle camera.

The same golden mountain scene at 1x on the Air 3 wide-angle camera.

Prolonged Flight Time for Enhanced Exploration

The DJI Air 3 marks a significant leap in flight time, boasting an impressive 46 minutes, a 48% increase compared to its predecessors. This substantial extension offers pilots peace of mind, allowing them more time to locate the perfect shot and compose their scene.

Additionally, the device features a unique power accumulation function. By holding down the function button, users can transfer power from multiple batteries to the one with the highest remaining charge. This innovative solution is ideal for remote explorations where charging options might be scarce.

DJI Air 3 sample still shown alongside its 46-minute flight time claim.

Another DJI Air 3 aerial still from the extended flight time section.

Third DJI Air 3 sample frame illustrating the dual-camera image quality.

A fourth Air 3 sample frame closing the flight-time image set.

Optimal Safety Features for Smooth Flying

The DJI Air 3 pioneers omnidirectional obstacle sensing within the Air Series. This crucial feature provides full environmental awareness, enabling the drone to sense obstacles from all directions.

When an obstacle is identified, the drone can employ APAS 5.0 to avoid and smoothly bypass it, ensuring continuous shooting for an improved flight experience.

The ActiveTrack function empowers beginners to fly confidently, unlocking more creative possibilities. It collaborates with Advanced RTH for fully automatic flight and stress-free return-to-home functionality.

The O4 video transmission system further elevates the DJI Air 3’s performance. It supports a transmission distance of up to 20 km and enhances transmission stability for a safer flight. The system allows up to 1080p/60fps live feeds, ensuring a smoother viewing experience.

Lifestyle shot of a pilot launching the DJI Air 3 outdoors.

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.

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 portray 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, shoot multiple clips, edit the clips, and add 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 record a 4x slow-motion video directly.

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.

Outstanding Accessories for Further Flight Performance

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 display-less DJI RC-N2 controller bundled with the DJI Air 3.

The DJI RC 2 controller with built-in screen for the DJI Air 3.

The Air 3 charging hub again, shown among the drone's accessories.

DJI Air 3 ND Filters Set covering ND8, ND16, ND32 and ND64.

DJI Care Refresh

DJI Care Refresh, the comprehensive protection plan for DJI products, is now available for DJI Air 3. The replacement service covers accidental damage, including flyaway, collisions and water damage. For a small additional charge, you can have your damaged product replaced if an accident occurs. DJI Care Refresh (1-Year Plan) includes up to two replacements in one year. DJI Care Refresh (2-Year Plan) includes up to four replacements in two years. Other services of DJI Care Refresh include official Warranty and free shipping. For a full list of details, please visit the official DJI website.