Hi there, we will be expanding our services to include drone photography & video. If you are using a drone, which one would you recommend?
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DJI Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 3. Word of caution, the Mavic 3 isn’t perfect yet.
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Agree with the Mavic 2 but they are no longer sold by DJI.
Out of curiosity, what problems are you experiencing with the Mavic 3?
Hello , I am a user with both the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 3 . I have been extremely happy with the Mavic 3’s larger sensor . The low light performance in my opinion is better than that of the Mavic 2. Right now the 3 doesn’t have all of the features and hopefully soon with some firmware updates it will perform as I would expect .
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What features are you missing?
DJI Mavic 2 Pro would be my recommendation at the moment. I may upgrade to the Mavic 3 next year once they have had time to work out some kinks. Also, if you are in the United States, be sure register your drone and get your UAS Remote Pilots license from the FAA. Not only can you be fined by the FAA for being an unlicensed pilot, but anybody that hires you can also be fined. I think it’s an $11,000 fine for the person/company that hires the unlicensed pilot. Just not worth it, and the test is very easy if you study just a bit.
I’m based in Ontario Canada and I have the Mavic Air 2 and love it! It’s super easy to fly, takes great 4K 60fps video and decent photos. I plan to add a Mini 2 to my kit for the times when I can’t fly a drone over 250g.
Any drone over 250g, in Canada you need your Basic Operations UAV licence, and have restrictions on flight zones. The zone restrictions do not apply to the sub 250g drone class, but you still need to be familiar with regulations and use common sense.
And don’t forget to look into liability insurance. It’s not cheap in Ontario, but absolutely necessary.
Right now , the ability to only shoot in RAW . Also it doesn’t have the advanced flight modes yet.
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I agree with what the others have suggested about the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 3, but I would also suggest the DJI Mini 2 as a starter for a few reasons:
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At under 250 g, it allows for greater flexibility regarding regulations compared to larger, heavier drones.
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Although the capabilities and image quality are inferior, you can still produce excellent work.
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It’s likely that you will crash your drone as you gain experience. It’s much cheaper to repair or replace a Mini 2 than the others.
Regardless of which drone you chose, do drone school, educate yourself about the both the regulatory and technical aspects of flying drones, and get insurance.
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There was already a firmware update this week so they are working on the promised updates.
The Mini is an excellent drone for its price point. I bought one the first week it was out as an emergency for another project I was working on.
Good to see your name on the forum my good friend @Ncralph
@Dan Welcome to the group 
and the fun world of UAS Photography
Depending on your needs and budget here are my suggestions:
Base System - DJI Air2S (this craft offers a LOT of bang for your buck)
Current Top Level System - DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Feature rich with a much improved sensor over our Mavic Pro Platinum
Future Top Level System - DJI Mavic 3 - Once they get the bugs worked out and include all of the marketed features it has the potential to be a High Resolution system. Unless you’re deeply involved in production quality work I wouldn’t go for the CINE version as it adds a lot of cost and not a lot of return for our “level” of the photography industry. The files created are insanely HUGE and this causes many issues going forward (storage, processing, etc etc). CINE is for the big hitters making commercials and movies.
For those asking why not the M3 right now, I work for an international drone forum and the sheer volume of M3 issues right now is mind boggling. It’s so bad that several of our forum members have asked for a way to turn OFF seeing Mavic 3 posts because they are over running the forum and sadly (and ironically) most of them are NOT operator error. Ranging from the “Green Dot” (sunflare as a single green dot), color shifts, SD Card Errors (this one should have been fixed in this weeks FW update hopefully) up to erratic flight operations and random disconnects the amount of issues are very concerning. DJI has taken the term “let our customers find and report the bugs for us” to a whole new level. We sincerely hope a few FW updates can resolve many of these issues and add the missing features that were so heavily MARKETED prior to release. Not a good move for DJI but I sincerely think their loyal customer base is going to keep following them regardless of this huge fumble.
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The Mini is an excellent drone for its price point. I bought one the first week it was out as an emergency for another project I was working on.
Yep. I got the original Mini when it was first released, and the Mini 2 as soon as that came out. They are small, convenient, and capable for the price. And a good way to get started with drones.
For those asking why not the M3 right now, I work for an international drone forum and the sheer volume of M3 issues right now is mind boggling.
That sounds awful. I knew there were issues, but I didn’t realize the extent.
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If you have a few minutes you can go and just merely browse the many M3 topics that are “current”
I fly the Mavic 2 Pro and love it. Also have a Phantom 4 as a back up but have only flown it a couple of times. The M2P takes incredible video and photos with its Hasselblad camera. Incredibly stable even in brisk winds. Lots of auto flight features. And the Return To Home feature is amazing. Only lost connection once, but the unit returned home and landed within inches of take-off. Highly recommend the DJI Refresh program - often comes as part of a Fly More Package. Adds about 15% to the cost, but if you crash it, you get two replacements in 2 years for $150. Already used it once. In Canada does require at least a Basic UAV Licence. I got the Advanced licence which allows flights in restricted air zone. Needed it on numerous occasions. With Transport Canada’s new Drone app you create flights and submit for instant approval. Warns of other flights in the area. Gives me instant clearance to fly in restricted zone and with that approval you can upload to DJI to unlock the drone. Been confronted by police twice while shooting RE videos and as soon as you show them your licence and the approval they pat you on the back and leave you alone. Very cool.
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It depends on you what specification you need and the price range. You haven’t asked clearly.
Taking in consideration that you want medium quality and medium price level drones I can recommend DJI Mavic 3. I think it is available in online stores. You can also order it from amazon. If you don’t like it you can return it according to the seller’s or store’s return policy.
The M3 has many current “bugs/issues” and for the price point isn’t anywhere near a medium priced UAS. Actually, as far as prosumer level units it’s very much on the higher end of the price spectrum for anything with that form factor.
The Mavic Air 2s will do everything you need without breaking the bank. The one issues for DJI drones is the geofencing. If you are trying to fly in restricted airspace, you have to jump through some DJI hoops to unlock the drone to fly. I don’t know if the applies to Canada airspace, but here in the USA it can be a bit of a pain. I though about switching over to an Autel Evo 2 Lite, but the Air 2s is such a great drone that I am willing to put up with the occasional inconvenience.
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I have an Advanced Pilots licence here in Canada. You need such a licence to fly in restricted zones. Transport Canada now has an app you use to plan and publish a flight. It knows if the area is restricted, and if you have the proper licence it will clear you to fly - practically in an instant. You then upload that approval to DJI and they in turn unlock the drone to fly in that zone. You can do all of this in advance. I suggest you find a course and instructor to learn and study for the pilot’s exam - not the easiest exam to pass - and then you need to pass a flight exam.
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