"DJI MINI 3 Review: How to Fly a High-Quality Drone Like a Pro"

While not so long ago flying drones was only reserved for the rich and experts, this is becoming more and more accessible. If you also dream of being able to fly with a high-quality drone, then the DJI MINI 3 is for you. For you and me, because I too could explore the airspace and develop from complete layman to novice pilot.

Depending on the configuration you ordered, the drone will come with a controller with a screen, the same but without a screen or completely without a controller if you already own one. The screenless controller has a mounting point for your phone so that it can transmit the live image from the cameras. However, DJI supplied me with the complete set in which the screen is built in and also a charging station with three interchangeable batteries and a shoulder bag called the Fly More Combo. This meant that I immediately had everything I needed to start, so I seized the opportunity to finally realize that dream.

Not just in the air

The controller feels very sturdy, offers sufficient grip and is comfortable to hold. It is easy to transport because the sticks can be unscrewed and stored in a recess at the back. Once you’ve found the combination to turn on the controller and the drone, you discover that you won’t just be let into the air. DJI has a very extensive catalog of flying lesson videos available in their app for you as a novice pilot to take off. And this was welcome too, since flying a drone turned out to be a bit more challenging than I had thought! You should also take into account restricted flying zones, so check this first for the area where you want to fly. Back to the controller, this feels fairly standard as a gamer with two joysticks for horizontal and vertical movement and two bumper buttons for extra controls such as shooting pictures. The touch screen is spacious and well-arranged and can still be seen in full sunlight.

Controls took some getting used to

My link to gaming was a bit against me. In the default configuration, you push the left stick forward to make the drone take off and back down, where left and right control the direction of the drone. You use the right stick to go forward and backward and to fly sideways. For my feeling, fueled by years of games, this is the opposite of what I expected and I had to actively work on remembering the right actions. Fortunately, I found the ability to adjust the controls so that the sticks controlled exactly like a PlayStation. With this newfound familiarity I soon managed to successfully take to the skies and fly over my house, past the roundabout and watch the sheep in the pasture. You can follow the live image of the camera on the screen of the controller, which can be easily adjusted thanks to the fully movable camera at the front of the drone. Behind the bumpers we find two scroll wheels that make this easy and I found in slant forward and straight down my favorite views where I was flying.

More successful in open space

And fly I did! Clumsy at first, that’s for sure; but within a short time with more presentable results that I could record directly to the SD card in the drone. Starting in the open air is the tip I’d like to give myself, but you know how it goes when you’re eager to try out some cool new tech when the kids are in bed. My first attempt shocked, ducked cats from the propeller noise and clipped plants that my wife has not yet discovered. Taking off from the garden gives a little more room for possible sloppiness, such as when you discover that acceleration can go quite fast when the stick is pressed. As long as I stayed clear of the trees behind my house, I quickly managed to fly circles and return in one piece – even though I had to fish the DJI 3 Mini out of a neighbour’s hedge once. The blades are made of soft material so it does a lot of damage and does not take the device, but I tried to fly with it as carefully as possible of course. If you go too far out of range, the drone will automatically return to where it last had range. The aforementioned lawn with the sheep was the border from the backyard when I sat in my garden.

Shoot crazy images

By default, videos are stored on the SD card and are in 1080p and 30fps, where the photos come out in 12MP. As you might expect, everything in pro mode is customizable, from white balance to resolution, and from frame rate to shutter speed. If this is a bit too much detail, the automatic mode also has a number of settings for the most common choices. In 4K and 30 FPS I achieved great results that made nature shots look spectacular. It was a lot of fun filming flyby’s as smoothly as possible, even though it is quite a challenge. In addition to video of your flight, a photo is also quickly taken thanks to the dedicated shoulder button. The SD card can be placed in the drone, which I did, but the controller itself also has the option to insert one. By placing the SD in the drone itself, the highest quality images are recorded and are therefore easy to transfer to other devices. I did notice that, especially when you record while flying, your drone doesn’t stay in the air for very long. In less than 20 minutes I was regularly asked to bring the drone to the ground. That’s where the Fly Longer Pack shines and it can charge three battery packs simultaneously in a fairly short time.

Conclusion

With the Mini 3, DJI makes a beautiful and very accessible drone. If you’ve never flown before, the Academy is an absolute must for exploring the skies, and so is a tour of the many customizable options on the controller. When I turned the controls I flew smoothly and maneuvered around the house, the meadow and between the trees. Thanks to the beautiful screen on the spacious and comfortable controller, everything was easy to follow and the many options for recording video and taking photos add a lot. The battery life is not very long, so multiple batteries and a way to charge them quickly are certainly welcome. DJI makes flying fun and accessible with the Mini 3 drone.