Mavic 3 vs Air 2s a detailed comparison

If you want to buy the Mavic 3 or the Air 2s but you are not sure which drone is the right drone for you let me help you. I break down the differences between these drones and show you lots of photo and footage comparisons between the Air 2s and the Mavic 3 so you can decide which drone might be for you.

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Jake Sloan
PO BOX 212445
Anchorage, AK 99521

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This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[JakeSloan]

I forgot to mention the mavic 3 has a variable mechanical aperture which is extremely helpful when filming or taking photos in dynamic lighting environments.

[bert]

Very underrated reviewer. Some people waste time and say the good vs bad without the detailed comparisons of what it can and can’t do. Keep ‘‘em coming

[StefanMailey]

I’m happy at least one YouTuber was honest about the air 2S. Well. Almost. The Air2s has fantastic sensors and tracks fantastically. Remember… months ago you posted videos glorifying the Air2s.. I believe most you tubers try to justify their purchase of the Mavic 3 by trying to blow away and trash talk their trusty old air 2S. You on the other hand…. I found to be more respectful. Great Video. Keep up the fantastic work. Cheers! I returned my Mavic3. Didn’t blow me away. (I’ll wait for the air3 ;))

[jorgenudvang]

Since flying drones is a part of my photography business, I always need to carry a backup. A good backup is a drone with compatible accessories. Since the Mavic 3 isn't compatible with any other drone, two drones with 4 batteries and 2 controllers will set me back $5, 200. If I buy an Air 2S and an Air 2 as backup, both as Fly More with a total of 6 batteries, It's $2, 250. That makes the Mavic 3 130% more expensive.

If I want a Smart Controller, the Air 2 price increases to $2, 750, while the Mavic 3 package goes up to $6, 400, making the gap even bigger. Considering the fact that the Air 2S was considered the "bee's knees" of drone photography as little as 7 months ago, the premium price of the Mavic 3 seems rather rich to me.

Is the Mavic 3 a more "professional" tool? Time will show. If the next generation, the Mavic 4, uses batteries and controllers that are compatible with this one, that will help. If DJI yet again chooses to make the next generation totally incompatible with the previous, it's just another expensive hi-tech toy.

[CaminoAir]

Thanks, Jake. I'm an Air 2S owner and I have to walk 90 minutes to the one local spot where I can freely fly without interruption, or concern about unwanted attention from other people. However, that convertible carry bag/back-pack for the Mavic 3 might help a lot with that limitation. A number of YT drone reviewers have had crashes, or at least incidents, with the obstacle avoidance: it still doesn't detect thin & non-reflective twigs/branches and the gimbal seems more fragile (due to camera weight?). The Air 2S' obstacle avoidance does feel like it is in two minds, before grudgingly sliding past you. I've seen tests of the Beta Active Track on the 3 and it appears to work well tracking a person, but needs some fine tuning following vehicles (it swings about more than you'd like at times).

[ranjitwijedasa]

Hi Jake, thanks for a great comparison. I think for me, the M3 is too steep a climb in price for the benefits it gives versus my Air2. Also, the M3's picture quality isn't a quantum leap over the Air2S, at least to my eyes, and also for what I do as a hobbyist (but I acknowledge that the professional will view this differently). Also, the point you made about relative portability is an important one too, especially for hobbyists, and if they like to travel with their drones. Thanks again for great content, and keep them coming!
Cheers, mate!

[Strgchris]

Subbed great vid! I bought the air2s. I have absolutely fallen in love with photography again. I work in construction and found its even great for inspecting roofs, site plans ect. It's not much more difficult to travel with than my mini is

[SCAerialsSteveCarpenter]

Hello Jake, Excellent comparison of the Mavic 3 vs. Air 2S. I appreciate your real-life testing of both these drones and in some of the hostile conditions too. Thank you for your honest and balanced comparison of these two drones. Very Well Done!

[hdemetri]

Hey Jake. I just discovered that the Air 2s APAS feature does not fully function in 5.4k resolution. When you put it in 4k 30fps the APAS system works fantastic and dodges and weaves obstacles as it should. The 5.4k version will stop and very slowly moves around the obstacle as you demonstrated.

[SSPGaming]

Actually, when shooting in low light, you definitely WANT to shoot in D Log. This is because the much flatter profile allows for the capture and retention of a greater amount of dynamic range, which can help you pull more of the shadows out of a dark scene. When you let the camera handle the same situation in auto, it can have a tendency to crush the shadows and blacks, and you don’t have any room to recover something that’s just not there.

[desertdronepilot]

At 8:21 the reason it was avoiding you so slow is that when you are in 4k60 and 5K it will not avoid, it will avoid very slowly. But in 30 FPS and 4k or lower It will avoid you, Great video as well! Thanks for covering all the details. Happy flying!

[baalzamon]

I have both drones. I can't really tell much difference in image quality, especially on my phone. I can tell when I see images side by side, but that's about it.

For me, the longer flight time and better wind resistance mean a lot to me. I do a lot of sunrise and sunset shots, I love getting above low clouds and the Air2s often struggles in the wind. I also find that longer hyperlapses are too much for the battery, especially if I misjudge the timing of the sunrise.

Of course it helps that the Mavic 3 is at least marginally better in every aspect. If I had switched brands and had to give up Mastershots or something like that, I could not have justified the cost

[anotherguywithaflyingcamer]

So I pretty much watch your videos in awe. They make me feel like I've never been anywhere beautiful in my life. Seriously your shots in Alaska make me want to vacation there and I don't like cold weather for more than a day or two. I was a photographer/videographer for 6 years and I've shot nationally advertised commercials. Currently I'm a contractor and frankly I am a 29 year old millionaire looking at getting my first drone basically because I watch your videos. Really thinking about a Mavic 3 fly more or possibly cine setup. To be honest, if my wife spends $1500 I won't even notice it. Cine is nice because all I use is apple and I like pro res format, that said, the only reason I don't know about the air 2s is because I plan on moving/retiring to Florida shortly and I want the drone to be able to track me while in my boat, and I've heard the mavic just does way better with tracking. Do either of them track at high speed? Or is boat tracking exclusively for manual control? Please keep making videos. I plan to subscribe to your patron as well as your YouTube. You're great dude.

[constantinosschinas]

3:20 that looks like an almost 1 stop of measuring difference, not only a profile mismatch. This should better be compensates, guess there is manual exposure overide.

[chappy]

8:25 The Air2S has a setting which allows it to bypass obsticals. It works really well.

[ChrisParayno]

Drone cameras have come so far, in good lighting you can't even tell the difference between the air 2, 2s and the 3. This just goes to show, its the person behind the lens and not the camera itself. At the end of the day, you can't make fillet minion out of ground beef. If you can afford the 3, great but if you cant, just get better at your craft with what you have!! I hope fpv follows suit! Keep up the great work.

[SunriseWaterMedia]

That's a slightly detuned interval of a perfect 4th. Lol I don't know why I noticed that. 2:00

Why does it seem that the ISO options are at first glance "worse" on the M3 in D-LOG? 3:30

Great comparison, Jake.

[neyland]

Excellent comparison, just reinforced me ordering the Mavic 3 Fly More. I just hope my RC Pro gets here soon so I can take advantage of the better controls and range. The difference in low light video and photos is quite large (and expected based on sensor size) and that is important to me. I am really interested to see how the tracking and obstacle avoidance work after the January update… could make this the only drone people need in their fleet.

[MikeAzul]

Fantastic comparisons was very helpful 💚

[katynoel]

Most helpful youtube video I've seen. Been researching these for weeks and this was by far the most helpful resource I have found! Thank you for your insight!