The best features of the DJI Air 3
Review of DJI Air 3 . Discover the main features of this dual camera drone, including the dual imaging system and 46 minutes of maximum flight time, and discover how the DJI Air 3 can be useful for creating aerial content.
The DJI Air 3 is a compact, powerful and intelligent drone with two cameras.
In this article we'll take a look at the 10 best features of the DJI Air 3 and find out how they can help you capture quality aerial content.
The list includes:
- Dual imaging system: Medium telephoto and wide angle sensors – 48MP photos and 4K/60fps HDR video;
- Up to 46 minutes of flight;
- O4 drive system for increased range;
- New Controllers: DJI RC 2 Intelligent Controller and DJI RC-N2 Controller;
- Enhanced safety features, including omnidirectional obstacle detection.
Two main cameras
The Air 3 comes with two cameras:
- Medium-telephoto camera: 70mm equivalent focal length; aperture f2.8.
- Wide-angle camera: 24mm equivalent focal length; aperture f1.7.
Both cameras are 1/1.3″ CMOS, with 48MP imaging capabilities and can shoot video at 4K/60fps or slow motion at 4K/100fps or 1080p at 100/200fps (16:9). It also uses HLG/D-Log M color profiles on both sensors.
1-3x digital zoom with the wide-angle camera and 3-9x with the medium-telephoto camera.
Both sensors also support four photography modes: Single shot, burst shot, AEB and time lapse shot.
The same sensors ensure uniform video resolution and color style, offering an excellent viewing experience. This allows users to create effortlessly and adjust color easily.
The combination of a wide-angle sensor and a telephoto camera offers numerous advantages, such as:
- Safer Flight: Switch directly between focal lengths to take detailed, close-up photos while maintaining a safe distance.
- Create more efficiently: Quickly switch between fields of view without having to change camera position, improving creative efficiency.
- Richer contents: The two cameras serve their respective purposes. The wide-angle camera is ideal for landscape shots, while the medium telephoto camera is perfect for portraits and shots of people, making it easier to capture the shot you want.
Medium-telephoto camera application scenarios include:
- Bring distant scenes closer.
- Get minimalist images.
- Compare the sense of speed in the images, before and after.
Intelligent functions
The cameras of the DJI Air 3 are equipped with comprehensive intelligent functions. Some of these, including MasterShots, QuickShots and Waypoint Flight, can help beginners quickly and easily obtain previously unattainable content and improve creative efficiency by lowering the creativity threshold.
The following table illustrates the choice of these intelligent functions.
| Function | Description | Which Camera |
| Waypoint Flight | For the first time, the Waypoint feature is now available on the Air series. Plan flight routes and shooting actions for the Air 3 in advance to achieve challenging camera movements and breathtaking one-off shots. You can also save flight routes to repeat the same movement precisely at a later time or date. | Both |
| MasterShots | Automatically perform multiple camera movements, shoot multiple clips, and edit them with music, cuts, and effects for fast, streamlined cinematic footage. | Both |
| Portrait Mode | Vertical 2.7K footage delivers clips optimized for smartphone viewing and ready to share on social media without the need for post-production cropping. | Both |
| Timelapse | Capture timelapse footage up to 4K horizontally or 2.7K vertically. | Both |
| Night Mode | Capture noise-free footage at up to 4K/30fps in low-light environments or at night. | Both |
| Quick Shots | Creative camera movement options such as Rocket, Dronie, Circle, Helix, Boomerang and Asteroid. | Both (but Asteroid mode is not included in the tele camera). |
| Panorama | It supports ultra-HD HDR panoramic photo shooting and offers multiple modes, including Sphere, 180°, Wide Angle and Portrait. | For wide-angle cameras only. Not supported by telephoto camera. |
The drone is also capable of performing intelligent functions, such as:
1: Cruise Control : Locks the flight speed, so you don't need to keep pressing the control stick. You can manually adjust the speed/direction at any time, providing greater flexibility.
2: FocusTrack : Keeps you or subject easily in the center of the frame. The FocusTrack suite includes:
- Spotlight 2.0 : The aircraft does not fly automatically, but the camera remains locked on the subject while the user manually controls the flight.
- Point of Interest 3.0 : The drone follows the subject in a circle according to the set radius and flight speed. The maximum flight speed is 12 m/s and the flight speed can be dynamically adjusted according to the effective range.
- ActiveTrack 5.0 : The aircraft maintains a certain distance and altitude from the tracked subject and two modes are available: Track and Parallel. The maximum flight speed is 12 m/s.
Ultra long battery life
The DJI Air 3 has a maximum flight duration of 46 minutes, a 48% improvement over the previous generation. The Air 3 can hover for 42 minutes.
To complement the impressive durability of the Air 3, the Battery Charging Hub (available separately or in the Fly More Combos) supports fast charging, as well as new energy storage and mobile power features.
- Fast Charging : Charge up to three DJI Air 3 Intelligent Flight batteries sequentially. It takes 60 minutes (with the DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter) or 80 minutes (with the DJI 65W Car Charger) to fully charge a battery.
- Energy storage : Residual energy from batteries with low power levels can be transferred to the battery with the highest power level.
- Mobile Power : The Battery Charging Hub can be used as a mobile power source that supports 82WPD fast charging.
Improved security features
For the first time, the Air series supports omnidirectional obstacle detection, and the updated fisheye lenses provide comprehensive support during flight.
With Omni-Directional Obstacle Sensing System (APAS 5.0), the Air 3 supports Advanced Return To Home (automatically plans the flight route to return to the starting point) and Eight-way ActiveTrack (works with the Advanced RTH to achieve fully automatic flight and worry-free return home).
New image transmission
The Air 3 adopts DJI's new O4 image transmission system and features a six-antenna design (2 TX and 4 RX) to stabilize video transmission.
In this way, the Air 3 allows a transmission distance of up to 10km (CE) and provides a clear and smooth 1080p/60fps live view feed.
New radio controls
To support the O4 drive system, the Air 3 brings with it two new controllers: DJI RC 2 and DJI RC-N2.
The RC 2 is a smart controller with a built-in screen and a powerful processor…
…while the RC-N2 is a controller that integrates with a separate smart device.
The following table illustrates the main features of both radio controls.
| RC 2 | RC-N2 | |
| Number of antennas | 4 antennas (2 TX and 4 RX) | 2 antennas (2 TX and 2 RX) |
| Operating time | 3 hours | Without charging your mobile device: 6 hours Mobile device charging: 3.5 hours |
| Charging time | 1.5 hours | 2.5 hours |
| Screen size | 5.5″ | – |
| Resolution | 1080p | – |
| Frames per second | 60fps | – |
| Maximum brightness | 700 nits | – |
| Internal memory | 32GB | – |
| Installing the application | Not supported | – |
For the RC-N2, the blank rows in the table above depend on the smart device used with the drone.
LightCut App
Connect to the Air 3 wirelessly via the LightCut app on your smartphone to expand creative options like One-Tap Edit. You don't have to download all the footage during the process, which saves storage space on your mobile device.
- One-Tap Edit : Intelligently selects clips based on composition and flight path and automatically matches optimal template options and sound effects to generate a quick, cinematic video effortlessly.
- Tilt-Shift Effects : Enjoy a tilt-shift effect with just one touch. Apply this feature to movies shot with the 3x medium telephoto camera for even more dramatic results.
Dimensions
The Air 3 is not a mini drone, but it is still a highly portable platform, thanks to its compact, lightweight and foldable chassis.
Weighing in at 720g, the Air 3 is a great option for slipping into a bag and capturing content on the go.
The accessories
Make the most of every flight of the DJI Air 3 with a world-class accessory ecosystem.
We've already mentioned the battery charging hub, but other accessories, available separately, include:
- DJI Air 3 ND Filters Set : This set comes with ND8/16/32/64 filters, allowing you to create smoother footage at slower shutter speeds.
- DJI Air 3 Propeller Guard : Keep your DJI Air 3 drone safe, especially when flying indoors or in confined areas, with the Air 3 Propeller Guards. They are lightweight, durable and very simple to use. They are light, resistant and very simple to assemble and remove.
- DJI Air 3 Wide Angle Lens : Increase your field of view when creating aerial content with the DJI Air 3 Wide Angle Lens.
- DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter : The power adapter can quickly charge the battery and remote controller at the same time, or mobile devices through the USB-C ports.
- DJI 65W Car Charger : The lightweight and portable car charger uses a universal port. It can charge a battery, remote controller, smartphone, laptop and other devices.
Multiple combinations: choose the best package for your needs
The Air 3 is available in three packages, offering a number of options to allow operators to choose the best option for them.
| DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) | DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo (RC-N2) | DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo (RC 2) | |
| DJI Air 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DJI Air 3 Low-Noise Propellers (Pair) | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| DJI Air 3 Gimbal Protector | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DJI RC-N2 Remote Controller | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| DJI RC-N2 RC Cable (USB-C Connector) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| DJI RC-N2 RC Cable (Lightning Connector) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| DJI RC 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DJI Air 3 Battery Charging Hub | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| USB-C Cable | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DJI Air 3 Intelligent Flight Battery | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| DJI Shoulder Bag | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Summary
The DJI Air 3 is an impressive camera drone, equipped with features such as dual imaging systems, 46 minutes of flight time, and improved safety and transmission features.
Designed for amateur and recreational content creators, the Air 3 offers a good blend of power, portability and performance, allowing you to get impressive images and videos on the go.