DJI Air 3S: 1-inch sensor and LiDAR

The drone manufacturer DJI is renewing its mid-range model. Like its predecessor, the DJI Air 3S has two cameras: a main camera with a focal length of 24 millimetres and a telephoto camera with a focal length of 70 millimetres. The design has not changed. The weight increases by 4 grams to a total of 724 grams.

Drone

EUR1679,–

DJI Air 3s RC-N3

45 min, 724 g, 50 Mpx

Drone

EUR1679,–

DJI Air 3s RC-N3

45 min, 724 g, 50 Mpx

The biggest innovation is the main camera sensor. It is now 1 inch in size and has a resolution of 50 megapixels. The DJI Air 3 still had a 1/1.3-inch sensor with 48 megapixels. This is still in the telephoto camera. According to DJI, the new main sensor should ensure better image quality, especially in low light. The dynamic range of both cameras is 14 f-stops.

The maximum frame rate for 4K videos increases from 100 to 120 frames per second (FPS) thanks to the fast image processor. For HDR recordings it is 60 FPS. Thanks to more effective compression, video clips take up 30 per cent less memory than the previous model. The drone has a microSD slot and the internal memory is expanded from 8 to 42 gigabytes.

LiDAR sensor and new panorama mode

Further improvements have been made to obstacle detection: the DJI Air 3S is the first DJI drone ever to feature a forward-facing LiDAR sensor. It measures distances using a laser, which works reliably even in low light. This should prevent collisions with objects even better.

According to DJI, Active Tracking also works better, for example when a person is half-obscured. And the new "Free Panorama" mode lets you define the image area for a panorama yourself. The Air 3S then takes several photos of this area itself and automatically combines them to create the desired section.

The DJI Air 3S does not make any great leaps overall. An upgrade from the previous model is unlikely to be worthwhile. However, the improvements are all sensible. This positions the mid-range drone closer than ever to the Mavic series. It is probably the best compromise yet between image quality, versatility and price. The relatively high weight remains a disadvantage.