DJI - Mavic 3 Classic

Honestly, if you go Mavic 3 Pro, I dunno. Mavic 3 classic or Air 3s should be your internal debate IMO, on budget. A year of flying the classic a lot, and I've wished I had a pro less than five times. Either way, both are phenomenal drones, while the Mavic-3 Pro is AMAZING, it's probably overkill and overspend. FWIW - from a selling footage standpoint, my lowly Mini-3 is the only one that has made money - clearly not as good quality as every other drone I have.

Mini 4k Pro is my recommendation for beginners - I started with a Mini-3 and because of feature gaps, I went to to a Mavic 3 and haven't looked back. I probably wouldn't have a Mavic 3 at all if I got the Mini 4k Pro in the first place. FPV - I love my Avata 2. Neither Mavic-3 (or Mini-4k pro) or Avata-2 suffer from any quality including videography. If your budget is 2.5k, I think you'd be pretty close to a fly-more package for BOTH if memory serves me - if not pretty darn close.

I intend to keep my Mini 2(non-SE) which I've had for 3yrs now even though I now have a Mavic 3 which is superior in every way by a long shot. The reason- My niche is urban/architectural photography, both with a handheld as well as drones. With most of the ideal places to fly in the city, discretion is key. I can put the Mini in the air and land it without drawing much attention, and it's the perfect size and weight for foot travel. The 12mp camera is sufficient for urban landscapes/skylines given proper composure and editing . The only real downfall would be the lack of collision avoidance , but I dont rely on that anyway. Another reason- Online prints aside, I've printed and framed 6 aerial skyline drone shots that are currently hanging in my home office, as well as another handful I sold to my wife's company's corporate office. All happen to be from the Mini 2, so...

If finances allow, keep the Mavic 2 and shoot for a Mini 4 Pro. If you have the slightest interest in aerial photography/videography, You'll hugely regret trading the Mavic for a M2. I say this as a Mini 2/Mavic3 owner. Mini 4 Pro tech in a Mini package would be sublime. But to be fair, if you're flying just to fly a drone, sure. The price is right.

Hard to answer. Fpv I have seen good ones custom made. If you like brand consistency I would say DJI with avata 2 FOR FPV perhaps… but not excellent in camera if you want videography. If you want quality in video I would say mavic 3 or wait a bit I heard mavic 4 is coming. The choice maybe depends on what you want the most while bit of sacrifices on the secondary usage. Curious to hear what others advice tho

Go for the mini 4 pro. The sharpness can be reduced in the settings page and you can also use ND filters to decrease shutter speed to help make it look more natural. The convenience of having a drone weight <250g esp. when travelling overseas is unmatched. If the weight and needing a higher certification is not an issue, then go with the air 3/3s or Mavic 3 for better cameras.

They are very easy to fly and so the prop guards shouldn't be an issue. I'd go for at least the mini - if you can stretch to it the Mavic 3 (a used original Mavic 3 isn't massively more than a Mini 4 new). Though also, it sounds like just getting APS-C or even full frame camera and doing it by hand/cheap wire kit might produce even better results.

I shoot a lot of large scale panoramas. I have a Mavic 3 that produces excellent results. I use to travel with it but it's just a lot to carry in the already bulked up gear bag. [Example](https://www.flickr.com/photos/tattrat/52411846639/in/album-72177720295759984) Now I only use it when I'm staying local. [Example](https://www.flickr.com/photos/tattrat/51796938182/in/album-72177720295759984) For travel, I have a Mini 4 Pro. I have been consistently impressed with the footage and photos I can get with it. Amazing little piece of kit. [Example](https://www.flickr.com/photos/tattrat/54255392468/in/dateposted-public/) Unless you're really pixel peeping, I think the Mini 4 Pro really holds it's own.

I like my Mavic 3 a lot but it wasn’t my first. I also mostly film/photograph real estate so I do wish I’d have gotten the Avata 2 to have a bit more fun with. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. 🤷‍♂️

without question I would get something that had a telephoto lens like an Air 3 or Mavic 3 or Mavic 3 Pro. With a wide angle lens like an avata you'll never get closeup that would be the kind of thing you'll want. The 3x tele on the Mavic 3 Pro would be the best lens although the 7x might be excellent if you have room to frame it. Keep in mind you can't fly over people with out special permissions. You'll want to look into those rule and of course you have to have a Part 107 certificate to do this. Don't shoot into the sun or with the sun toward the front and you will be fine with regard to lens flare. If you don't have that Part 107 you'll really need to take some time and get it.

I got an open box mini 2 SE for really cheap it may have been 250.. It wasn't my first one but once I got that one it changed my thoughts about spending money on drones. I believe 2 days later I purchased the Mini 4 pro brand new and a couple weeks later I think I got Mav 3.. And now I have a bunch of DJI drones new/used and whole bunch that were open boxed drones. They all have the care package on them and started the day I got them. Really a good deal. But I do think it was a mistake for me to keep purchasing drones that were 40 to 230 that were not DJI. Atom and Loheer and maybe Contixo would be okay first drones because you can fly pretty good with those. But nothing like any DJI drones and the photo/video is hands down 100X better with DJI

Agree with posts , DJI is market leader at this time based on consumer models. After budget then the choice is camera or FPV model. If your budget is huge and camera focused then it’s the full sized mavic or Inspire models, however its more likely you want a 249g or less weight class to maximize convenience so a mini. I would recommend the refurbished DJI units regardless of budget then you can spend the savings on extra batteries and/or DJIcare (insurance replacement).

I've basically stopped using my Mavic and use my Mini 3 Pro for most things now. Wind resistance isn't quite as good, but image quality is more than good enough and being under 250 g makes flying a lot easier (in Canada, might be different where you are). Some people assume 'bigger is better'. I've seen that in photography, where my Nikon D800 with huge lens gets more respect than a smaller camera. (So sometimes I'll being the bigger camera for show, use it for a few pictures while mostly using a smaller camera, and let people assume that the best pictures were taken with the bigger camera when in reality all the pictures came from the smaller easier-to-carry camera.)

If you want something good and not care about price get the mavic but if you do care about price then get the dji mini 3 or 4 pro remember to ALWAYS do the training flight simulater when you buy a new drone you will need to

I have a Mini 4 Pro. It's a great all-rounder. It's small enough that it can fly indoors with some prop guards if needed, though it's better outside. The camera is versatile, and it can tilt its head for pure vertical shooting. Weighs less than 250g, so registration (especially when traveling) is often easier or absent. Folds up really small. I think it's the best international travel drone for that reason. Here are why you'd want the other drones: * The mini flies well, but the Air flies even better. In places like iceland with high winds, Minis get sent to the shadow realm (the ocean), but Airs can manage better. * Mavic line when you want the best camera setup on a drone for photo and video. The flagship camera drone line for a reason, that tri camera is a beautiful, beautiful tool. * Neo for a more entry level, indoor friendly drone. It's just as easy to carry as the mini and costs less, but the camera is not as good and it's not as strong a flyer. Supersedes the Tello. Lacks omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. * Avata 2 is the strongest flyer, but it's for a different type of flight and shooting. It's for first person flight and exploration. It can definitely chase cars and is the fastest, and also the easiest to control at high speeds, but it's definitely rooted in a concept that's flight-first and photography-second. That said, it's a far more capable camera than its roots in custom handbuilt FPV. The others shown are older models. Good if you want to shave some of the newer features for a discount.

Mavics are so good!

Honestly, to the eyes of the public, the Mavic isn't much more impressive than the mini. If you want to look serious, you need an Inspire or an M300. But that's 500% overkill for OP's use cases.

Bottom line it's a more expensive version of shat is a generic Chinese built drone. It has a "sort off" collision  avoidance but not great in lower light. The cameras are as they say they are but as there is no active gimbal they are no where near 8k quality unless it's not flying (even then it's debatable). So up to this point you get what you pay for..... Now stability......GPS on.... its as stable as Donald Trump..... GPS off..... you never know where it's going..... In short it's not the worst but if you need it for anything semi decent then pay more money for a mavic

A Mavic isn’t really going all-out. If you had the choice of hiring someone who could only bring a Mini or someone who had a Mavic, who would seem more serious to you? Who would you hire?

It depends entirely on your requirements. While there are some advantages to the better camera on the maverick, unless your client is going to run the video on large screens there may be no practical difference. Your skill as a videographer and editor will make much more of a difference than the camera. As others have pointed out, the Air is a great compromise, but depending on where you need to fly, the Mini 4 Pro may have advantages. One of the challenges in an urban environment is operating over people. Unless you have a category UAV or a waiver, you can’t legally fly over uninvolved people. In an urban setting that can be a challenge. A category 1 drone needs to be under 250g with prop guards and remote ID. The only current option to get there in the DJI lineup is a Neo with an external RID module, but the photo/video quality isn’t as good as the air or mini, and that’s a bit of a limitation for pro photographers. (On a related note, if someone from DJI is reading this, please poke your product management with a sharp stick and wake them up. The new DJI Flip is one firmware change away from being an awesome option that 107 pilots like me — who already own a M4P and Neo — would buy in a heartbeat. Please add the option to turn on Remote ID in the USA so we can fly it as a Category 1 UAV.) Category 2 essentially requires a parachute which right now is stupid expensive. Your other option is to apply for a waiver. I won’t go into all the details in case OOP isn’t important to you. But if it is, an M4P with extended battery, prop guards, and an anti-collision light is still light enough to operate over people and moving vehicles under a 107 waiver without requiring a parachute. Flight times and wind handling will decrease, but in an urban area that might make the difference between being able to legally get your shots or not. Just buy the extended batteries because they turn RID on. On the other hand, if OOP isn’t an issue, then in the USA under 107 an Air is probably a better choice. And, if you have any interest in popping north of the border, do yourself a favour and take an M4P with standard batteries. Being under 250g in Canada will make your life much, much easier. Remember that the best camera in the world isn’t going to help if you can’t get it where you need it.