DJI MAVIC 3 PRO

DJI brings three cameras to its flagship portable drone for creatives

- Adam Juniper

When DJI first teased the launch of what is now the Mavic 3 Pro, it used the phrase 'Inspiration in Focus', which we hoped might be code for 'a DJI Inspire 3 you can actually afford'. The pro-focused Inspire 2 came in two editions: a cinematographer edition with SSD recording in the five-figure price bracket, and a cheaper version that costs a bit more than the Mavic 3 Pro.

What made that drone special was the ability to swap lenses, and even add a zoom. Here, the multiple cameras take care of that, while the Cine edition of the Mavic 3 series (there's a Mavic 3 Pro Cine, too) means long shots are available to creatives.

While the Inspire 2 wasn't especially practical, the Mavic 3 sits at the top of DJI's consumer/prosumer range and, at nearly 1kg, requires registration in most places but is still light and portable, and quick to use. While other drones have targeted zoom improvements as an inspection tool, the Mavic 3 Pro is clearly aimed at photographers and videographers.

Key features

The Mavic 3 Pro's stand-out feature is a triple-camera system that replaces the dual cameras of the original Mavic 3. It's operated using a single tap to switch between cameras (1x, 3x, 7x), like the iPhone camera tool.

It can also be used as a pinch-to-zoom hybrid with a digital zoom of up to 28x in a separate searchlight mode. The long digital zoom is suited to inspections, but the optical lengths are ideal for photographers and videographers. The main 24mm EFL lens can handle low light, thanks to its 4/3-inch sensor and 20MP, and churn out 5.1K video at 50fps, or 4K at 60fps. In slow-motion mode, it can even manage 4K 120fps.