With baited breath, we all waited for the arrival of the Mavic 3
It promised to be an absolute game changer and a massive upgrade from all previous Mavics but hey, guess what.... DJI got it wrong and made a monumental mistake
The Mavic 3, in principal is a great drone but for those that already own a Mavic 2, it's hardly worth upgrading and certainly not worth the huge price tag
We think that DJI have made a big mistake on this launch and have damaged their reputation within DJI users
Sure, you'll get a new drone with not one but TWO cameras, improved obstacle avoidance and a few other 'upgrades' but there's a catch. ......
If you invested £600 in a Smart Controller recently then you will be fuming. It doesn't work with the new Mavic 3. You have a choice. Stick with the standard brick controller that ships with it or spend £5,000 on the Cine version that ships with a Smart Controller 2. It doesn't end there though. You could buy the Smart Controller V2 for £800 but it will only work with the Cine version of the Mavic 3
In essence, you are simply being ripped off and there's no excuse
DJI stated that the Smart Controller uses Occusync 2 so will not work with the Mavic 3
However, the standard Mavic 3 uses Occusync 2, it's only the Cine version that uses Occusync 3 which is why it's the only one to work with the new Smart Controller
Our opinion is that DJI have adopted a really bad business practice of simply fleecing their buyers for as much money as possible
And there's a bigger issue yet to be ironed out
This drone does not have a C marking - it can't have because the rules haven't been finalised yet. If the EU next year issue regulations for C marking, this drone may not be able to conform which in effect, for many will give it a very short life
DJI stated that they [may] recall the drones and have engineers adapt them
That is unlikely to work in practice as in order to gain the new markings, drones [may] have to be of a shape that will minimise injury, ie: no sharp edges, among other points
We watched the launch with debit card in hand but totally refused to be drawn in to this total waste of money. We'' stick with our Mavic 2's and Inspires for now and maybe even start looking at other brands
Shame on you DJI
I couldn't agree more. There are cheaper alternatives which are more fun, e.g., Hubsan mini pro, sub 250gms with obstacle avoidance :) or a Fimi X8 2022 rain and snow proof with level 8 wind resistance. They might not have the high end optics, but will do 4k at 30/60fps which, since most of our stuff ends up on the internet is OK. Autel drones are now looking more attractive in terms of "bang for buck" as well.