DJI has announced a new addition to its Mavic 3 camera drone series. The Mavic 3 Pro flies out with the world's first triple camera system, comprising a Hasselblad main and two telephoto modules.
"The Mavic 3 Pro’s triple camera combination gives users the ability to switch between shot composition with just one tap, allowing content creators a wider variety of shots in less time than ever before," said DJI's Creative Director, Ferdinand Wolf. "We can’t wait to see the end result of how people use the drone to alter the viewers' perception of space and distance."
At the chin position of the gimbal camera system in front is the 20-megapixel Four Thirds Hasselblad CMOS camera from previous iterations, which serves as the wide-angle main camera with a focal length of 24 mm (equiv) and a variable F2.8-F11 aperture.
It supports 12-bit RAW photo capture with up to 12.8 stops of native dynamic range, and includes Hasselblad's Natural Color Solution to "accurately restore the colors the human eye perceives." For moving images, the main camera can grab 5.1K video at 50 frames per second or DCI 4K at 120 fps, and there's a 10-bit D-Log M color mode for footage rocking up to a billion colors.
The medium-telephoto unit that sits above the main camera in the array sports a 1/1.3-inch CMOS image sensor at 48 megapixels, has a focal length of 70 mm (equiv), a fixed aperture of F2.8 and a 35-degree field of view. This camera is capable of 3x optical zoom, can record 4K video at 60 fps and supports D-Log M color.
The long-tele camera features a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor at 12 megapixels, a focal length of 166 mm (equiv), a fixed aperture of F3.4 and a 15-degree field of view. It boasts 7x optical zoom, with the possibility of 28x courtesy of hybrid optical/digital chops, and can also grab 4K/60fps video.
A Pro Cine version is also available for professionals looking for more in the video department, where all three camera modules support Apple ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 LT encoding. This flavor also comes with an internal 1-TB SSD plus a 10-Gbps data cable for zippy file transfer.
The Mavic 3 Pro itself offers a maximum per-charge flight time of 43 minutes, a little less than other Mavic 3 family members, its eight wide-angle vision sensors keep watch for obstacles in all directions (and avoid them), and it makes use of DJI's O3+ transmission system for 1080p video live feed at 60 fps at up to 15 km (9.3 miles) away – though the company notes that the drone should always be flown within a pilot's line of sight.
The Hasselblad and medium-tele cameras support subject tracking, the new Mavic can be instructed to fly in a bunch of creative ways (such as zipping back while rising and circling a subject), and it's able to create 100-MP panoramic photos.
The pilot can engage cruise control to have the Pro fly itself in any direction without needing to tap the control sticks, which should result in smoother footage on long-distance missions. The drone is also capable of automatically planning a route that follows preset waypoints, can repeat routes precisely as necessary, and is able to fly safely back to its starting point.
The new Mavic can automatically build a cinematic sequence and even add a soundtrack, or for those who prefer to control content creation themselves, images and videos can be wirelessly transferred to a smartphone for mobile editing (DJI recommends the LightCut app) at speeds of up to 80 MB per second over Wi-Fi 6, without needing to connect to the supplied remote controller.
The Mavic 3 Pro can be ordered now, with pricing starting at US$2,199 and shipping due to begin some time in May. The video below has more.
Product page: DJI Mavic 3 Pro
