DJI Mini 3

If you're looking for a more affordable drone than the DJI Mini 3 Pro, the new Mini 3 could be just the ticket. Angela Nicholson investigates

- Angela Nicholson

DJI's Mini series includes the company's most budget-friendly drones and the Mini 3 is the latest introduction. It offers many of the features of the Mini 3 Pro but skips a few to make it more affordable. You don't get the Mini 3 Pro's object-avoidance system or the ability to track subjects, for instance, but the Mini 3 has the same camera hardware. That means there's a 48MP 1/1.3in CMOS sensor behind the 24mm equivalent lens with a fixed aperture of f/1.7. For the first few months of its existence, the Mini 3 was only able to output 12MP still images, but a firmware update has added a 48MP option. However, the Mini 3 can only record 48MP files as either JPEGS or DNG raws, but not both simultaneously.

The Mini 3 has a sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200, but the f/1.7 aperture means that you're unlikely to need to use the upper settings often. In fact, if you're planning to shoot video, it's advisable to invest in a set of ND filers to enable the shutter speed to be kept to twice the video frame rate.

There's automatic or manual control over the exposure, but naturally, with a fixed aperture, the manual control is only over the shutter speed (2-1/8000sec) and ISO value. There's also a useful Automatic Exposure Bracketing option that sets the camera to shoot three images in succession, varying the exposure by 2/3 EV between each shot. The Mini 3 also has a single-shot HDR mode and a panorama mode that can be set to Sphere, 180° or Wide Angle.

Switching our attention from stills to video, the Mini 3 can record 4K footage at 24, 25, or 30fps; 2.7K footage at 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 or 60fps; or Full HD footage at 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, or 60fps. It can also record HDR video at 24, 25 or 30fps for viewing on an HDR-compatible screen. The video is recorded in MP4 (H.264) format with maximum bitrate of 100Mbps.