DJI Air 3S Review: Professional Filmmaker Puts Drone to the Test

Veteran filmmaker Philip Bloom returns to familiar testing grounds to evaluate DJI’s latest Air 3S, bringing detailed insights into how this new drone compares to its predecessors in his comprehensive video review.

Core Hardware and Sensor Improvements

Les one-inch sensor in the Air 3S’s main 24mm camera marks the most significant upgrade from its predecessor. This larger sensor provides 1.6x more surface area than the Air 3’s 1/1.3-inch sensor, matching the same sensor found in DJI’s Pocket 3. The 70mm telephoto camera maintains the same 1/1.3-inch sensor from the Air 3, creating an interesting dual-camera dynamic.

The main camera features a slightly smaller F/1.8 aperture compared to the Air 3’s F/1.7, though Bloom notes this is more than compensated for by the larger sensor’s increased light sensitivity. The telephoto retains its F/2.8 aperture, maintaining the 1.3-stop difference between the two cameras that necessitates exposure adjustments when switching views.

Image Quality and Professional Settings

Bloom’s testing revealed optimal image quality with sharpness and noise reduction both set to minus two, emphasizing that in-camera sharpening rarely produces desirable results. Most footage was captured in 10-bit D-LOG M, though he experimented with HLG before converting to log for SDR editing.

In side-by-side comparisons with filmmaker Sarah Seal, the Air 3S demonstrated several advantages:

• Naturally brighter exposure at identical settings
• Enhanced dynamic range, particularly in high-contrast scenes
• Slightly better detail retention
• Improved noise handling in shadows
• Maximum ISO capability expanded to 3200 in D-LOG M (up from 1600)

Storage and Recording Specifications

Les Air 3S comes with 42GB of internal storage, a significant upgrade from its predecessor’s 8GB. However, Bloom strongly recommends using micro SD cards and swapping them with battery changes as a safety measure. He notes some interesting changes in recording capabilities:

The bitrate specifications show some unexpected changes:

• Air 3S: 75Mbps at 25p, 90Mbps at 50/60p
• Air 3: 90Mbps at 25p, 130Mbps at 50/60p

Bloom expresses concern about the reduced bitrates, particularly for slow motion, noting he would prefer maintaining higher bitrates over smaller file sizes.

Flight Performance and Tracking Capabilities

During extensive testing in wooded areas, Bloom found significant improvements in tracking capabilities compared to the Mavic 3. Using spotlight tracking modes with obstacle avoidance set to bypass, the drone performed admirably, though thin branches occasionally caused collisions. He specifically prefers spotlight mode over active track for walking shots, as it provides better control over movement patterns.

Battery performance averaged 32 minutes per flight, matching the Air 3’s capabilities despite using physically identical batteries with different capacities.

Low-Light Performance and Night Navigation

The larger sensor shows its advantages in challenging lighting conditions, with usable footage possible at ISO 3200. The front-facing LiDAR proved effective for night navigation, though Bloom cautions about its forward-only coverage. He recommends manual focus at infinity for low-light situations to prevent unwanted focus shifts.

Creative Applications and Extended Range

Through experimentation with Topaz Video AI, Bloom achieved results comparable to the original Mavic 3’s 7x telephoto lens by cropping and upscaling the 70mm footage. He tested two methods:

1. Upscaling the full uncropped shot to 8K
2. Cropping in Premiere to 1080p before upscaling to 4K

Photography Features

Les Air 3S offers versatile still photography options:

• Main camera: 12 or 50 megapixel options
• Telephoto: 12 or 48 megapixel options
• New panorama mode allowing selective area capture
• RAW shooting recommended, especially as JPEG lacks sharpness control

DroneXL’s Take

Les Air 3S represents a refined evolution in drone technology. While not as revolutionary as the Air 2 to Air 2S upgrade, it brings meaningful improvements to professional inspection work and aerial cinematography. The larger sensor particularly benefits those working in challenging lighting conditions or requiring maximum image quality from a portable platform. For existing Air 3 owners, the upgrade may not be essential, but for those entering the market or upgrading from older models, the Air 3S represents DJI’s most refined Air series drone to date.

Share your experiences with the DJI Air 3S in the comments below. How do these sensor improvements align with your aerial photography and videography needs?

Photo courtesy of Philip Bloom.