DrDrone's Verdict
The DJI Air 3S takes everything great about the Air 3 and elevates it with key upgrades, including a 50MP wide-angle camera for stunning clarity, a 70mm telephoto lens for detailed zoom shots, and improved obstacle sensing with forward-facing LiDAR for safer night flights. With advanced features like 4K/120fps slow-motion video, ActiveTrack 360°, and Free Panorama mode, the Air 3S delivers an all-around superior flying experience, making it ideal for both professional creators and serious hobbyists.
After taking the DJI Air 3S for several flights, we were blown away by its performance. On a sunset flight along the coastline, the upgraded 1-inch CMOS wide-angle camera captured vibrant 50MP images that beautifully highlighted the rich colors of the sky without losing any detail in the shadows. We also flew it over a forested area, where the 70mm medium tele camera’s 3x optical zoom allowed us to get sharp close-up shots of birds in the distance without disturbing them. The Free Panorama mode made it easy to combine multiple shots into one seamless image, resulting in an expansive, high-detail panorama of the entire coastline.
Flying the Air 3S at night really showcased its advanced obstacle sensing system. While testing it in an urban environment, the forward-facing LiDAR and omnidirectional sensors helped us safely navigate around buildings even in low-light conditions. We engaged the upgraded Return to Home feature after dark, and it flawlessly retraced its path back to us, avoiding obstacles along the way. We also tested the ActiveTrack 360° while filming a cyclist on a winding road, and it kept the subject perfectly centered, even when trees and railings momentarily blocked the view. The Air 3S made every flight feel smooth and secure, with a level of precision and ease that made it a clear upgrade from the Air 3.
DJI has released many camera drones that excel in midair photography, but none have been better suited for travel photography than the new Air 3S. The DJI Air 3S is a decent step up from its predecessor, featuring an upgraded wide-angle camera and a 70mm medium tele camera, both of which come with up to 14 stops of dynamic range. Whether you’re shooting panoramas of breathtaking landscapes or close-up portraits of wildlife, the Air 3S has the tools to capture stunning details from the sky.
While the DJI Air 3S and the Air 3 are quite similar, there are enough upgrades here to warrant a closer look. Let’s check out the biggest features of DJI’s latest camera drone to see how it holds up.
Like the DJI Air 3, the Air 3S is a dual-camera drone that combines a primary wide-angle camera and an additional medium tele camera. Each camera provides a different benefit: the wide-angle camera can capture broad landscapes with a wide field of view, while the medium tele camera can zoom in on faraway details and offers a compressed depth of field to give shots a more professional look. It’s the same shtick that made the Air 3 so beloved, but there are a few upgrades worth mentioning.
The primary camera of the Air 3S is designed with a 1-inch CMOS sensor and a 24mm lens, capturing 50 MP photos with pretty superior clarity. Basic specs include an f/1.8 aperture and 3.2μm large pixel size, which is achieved with Quad Bayer Coding (QBC) techniques that combine four pixels into one (although this isn’t supported when shooting 48MP or 50MP photos). The larger sensor means the lens can pick up on greater details in low-light conditions, making it quite good for shooting at night or dusk/dawn.
The camera really shines when it comes to video recording, as it’s capable of capturing 4K/60fps HDR video as well as 4K/120fps slow-motion video. Both video recording modes are enhanced by 10-bit D-log M and HLG color modes, which bring out the natural colors and minute details in every shot. This is most apparent when shooting high-contrast scenes like the sky at sunset–you’ll be able to see pretty detailed views of the clouds without them appearing dark or washed out. It also makes post-processing a lot easier since you’ve got a lot more detail you can work with.
While the wide-angle camera is best suited for landscapes and wide FOV shots, the medium tele camera is more geared toward portrait and vehicle shots. The 1/1.3” CMOS sensor is slightly smaller, although the 70mm lens allows for 3x optical zoom, giving you more freedom to narrow in on details from afar.
It effectively highlights the subject in the shot, allowing you to take close-up portraits of your subject from a safe distance. If you’re shooting wildlife or following a moving object like a car or cyclist, this can be a great way of capturing cinematic shots in mid-action.
Basic specs of the medium tele camera include an f/2.8 aperture and 2.4μm large pixel size, which again isn’t supported when shooting 48 MP photos. The video recording capabilities of this camera are identical to those of the wide-angle camera, but the addition of the optical zoom and 70mm lens means you can record some pretty sweet action shots.
Free panorama mode is a cool feature the DJI Air 3S includes in both of its cameras. This feature essentially expands the FOV capabilities of every shot by allowing you to combine multiple images with a manually selected subject or area. With the wide-angle camera, this means maximizing the already large FOV to capture even more of the landscape. With the medium tele camera, the extra focal length will create much less image distortion, giving you tons of rich details in a wide, expansive shot. Free panorama mode makes it easier to curate your own panoramas to highlight the angles and moments you like the best.
ActiveTrack 360° is DJI’s flagship tracking feature that keeps a subject focused in the center of the frame. The drone takes into account the surrounding flight environment to plan the flight path and adjust the framing in order to keep the subject centered at all times. With the Air 3S, ActiveTrack 360° will automatically avoid cluttered backgrounds and keep the subject in focus even if it’s partially obscured (such as by a bush or a railing).
The Air 3S also uses a new Subject Focusing feature that maintains focus even if you’re flying the drone manually or if the subject moves out of the center of the frame. Together, all of these features make it easier to film moving subjects like a skier, a flying bird, or a racecar.
As is custom with DJI drones, you can rely on a host of classic DJI features that facilitate a more professional, cinematic creativity. These include features like:
● 2.7K vertical shooting. This mode lets you shoot vertically, giving you photos and videos that are more geared towards being viewed on a mobile device.
● QuickShots. QuickShots is a selection of predesigned movements that capture social-media-ready videos. They include modes like Dronie, Rocket, Circle, Helix, and Boomerang.
● MasterShots. MasterShots is the next level up of QuickShots, giving you flight templates based on three flight routes: Proximity, Landscape, and Portrait.
● Hyperlapse. This mode lets you speed up time by compressing minutes of video into mere seconds.
These features and more work together to make the DJI Air 3S one of the most versatile camera drones DJI has released. The creative toolbox is pretty much overflowing, giving you a lot to work with based on your level of expertise. Both professional photographers and newbies will have more than enough to tinker around with.
Now that we’ve gone over the camera specs, how does the Air 3S actually fly? Luckily, its flight performance is more than a match for its visual capabilities. It’s got an extended max flight time of 45 minutes, which should be more than enough for nearly any photo shoot or recording session. It’s also powered by O4 FHD video transmission technology, which will give you consistent live footage at a distance of up to 20 kilometers. The feed is reliable, too, with 10-bit video transmission at 1080p/60fps. Together with the ultra-responsive control system, you’ll be able to navigate the drone as quickly and deftly as if you were right there with it.
It should be noted that the 20 km max transmission distance is effective in outdoor, open environments with no interference. If you do want to fly in an area with the potential for O4 signal obstruction or interference, you can use the DJI Cellular Dongle 2 to switch to 4G connectivity (in supported areas). This essentially works as a safety net to prevent signal loss, keeping the drone connected at all times when flying in complicated environments.
Omnidirectional sensing has long been the top tier of DJI obstacle avoidance technology, but the DJI Air 3S goes even further with nightscape obstacle sensing. The Air 3S relies on a forward-facing LiDAR sensor; downward infrared time-of-flight (ToF) sensors; and six vision sensors spread out among the front, rear, and bottom of the drone.
Together, these eight sensors can spot obstacles in every direction both day and night, allowing the drone to automatically dodge them and continue safely on its way. Since the camera is designed to accommodate nighttime filming, nightscape obstacle detection is a major asset to midflight safety.
The Air 3S features an upgraded Return to Home (RTH) function that further aids nighttime flying. The real-time vision positioning sensors work together with map construction technologies to help the Air 3S memorize flight paths in real time. That means you take off before sunset and the drone will actually be able to memorize the flight path while there’s still light out, allowing it to return home safely even in the dark.
This is a boon when taking off from locations where there might not be any satellite signals like balconies (as long as there’s a usable space of at least 2 meters by 2 meters).
Additionally, there’s a nighttime RTH function that allows the Air 3S to return home in low-light conditions. Thanks to the forward-facing LiDAR sensor, the Air 3S can detect and fly over obstacles even at night. It should be noted, however, that the drone will stop and hover if it reaches its maximum flight altitude. In this case, the pilot will have to take over and fly the drone manually.
Additional safety features on the Air 3S include:
● Vision Assist. This view changes the horizontal speed direction either forward, backward, left, or right to help you detect and avoid obstacles. It also provides collision warnings to show you how far away objects are from the drone.
● Waypoint Flight. Waypoints can be set on a map using GPS coordinates, allowing you to plan automatic flight routes to certain locations. This is a great tool for replicating flight paths and recreating video shots.
● Cruise Control. The Cruise Control feature allows you to continue flying the drone in a straight line at the same speed until you toggle it off. This allows you to focus on recording while the drone pilots itself.
Like most DJI camera drones, you can choose from a variety of combos that come with fun accessories and different remote controllers. The combos include:
● DJI Air 3S (DJI RC-N3). This is the basic package that includes the standard RC-N3 remote controller. Since it doesn’t come with a built-in screen, you’ll need to use your smartphone to view the live feed.
● DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (DJI RC-N3). This Fly More Combo includes an ND filter set as well as two extra batteries and a battery charging hub. It’s a good bargain to add a few handy accessories that expand the drone’s capabilities.
● DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2). This Fly More Combo swaps out the RC-N3 with the RC 2, a remote controller that comes with a built-in 5.5-inch 1080p 700-nit high-bright screen. This can be helpful for people who want a more advanced remote controller or don’t want to rely on their smartphone to fly it.
The basic accessories compatible with the DJI Air 3S include:
● Intelligent Flight Battery. Extra flight batteries allow you to get back up in the sky right away, which is handy for all-day shoots.
● Battery Charging Hub. The charging hub can support sequential fast charging for up to three batteries or fast-charge your smartphone/remote controller.
● ND Filter Set (ND 8/32/128). These filters allow you to lower the shutter speed so you can get even smoother footage.
● Wide-Angle Lens. This accessory expands the wide-angle camera’s FOV to 114°, opening up the perspective even further.
● Weight. The weights are nearly identical. The Air 3S weighs 724g compared to the Air 3 at 720g.
● Medium tele camera. Both cameras have a 1/1.3” CMOS sensor that takes 48 MP photos.
● Max video resolution. The max video resolution of both drones is 4K/60fps HDR or 4K/120fps slow motion.
● Flight time. The Air 3S has one less minute of flight time–45 minutes compared to 46 minutes for the Air 3.
● Max video transmission. The maximum video transmission distance is up to 20 km with no interference.
● Wide-angle camera. The Air 3S has a 1” CMOS sensor that takes 50 MP photos, while the Air 3 has a 1/1.3” CMOS sensor that takes 48 MP photos.
● Obstacle sensing. Both drones have omnidirectional obstacle sensing, but the Air 3S has a forward-facing LiDAR sensor that allows for nightscape obstacle sensing.
● RTH functions. The Air 3S features upgraded RTH functions that enable safer flying at night.
● ActiveTrack. The Air 3S uses the advanced ActiveTrack 360°, while the Air 3 uses ActiveTrack 5.0.
● Free panorama mode. The free panorama mode is exclusive to the Air 3S.
All in all, the DJI Air 3S is a worthy successor to the Air 3. The nighttime safety features, upgraded wide-angle camera, and superior subject tracking make filming at night that much easier. It’s got a few major upgrades that make it a better choice all-around, although current owners of the Air 3 may not see the need to buy a whole new drone. Still, if you’re looking for a superior DJI camera drone, the Air 3S is upgraded enough to stand out as the clear winner.
Dr Drone
Author
DrDrone is Canada's leading provider of drone technical services, with over a decade of experience and the distinction of being the first company in the country to offer drone servicing and repairs. As the largest drone vendor in Canada, we are also the primary supplier of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) to the Canadian government. Our team members possess extensive knowledge of each drone's technical specifications and have a wealth of hands-on experience. For more than ten years, we have been dismantling and reconstructing drones, ensuring a deep understanding of these systems.