For users focused on photography, the Mini 3 Pro is a big step up compared to the Mini 2. But there is a noticeable gap in image quality compared to the Air 2s, which remains a legendary model for photography with its large 1″ sensor with a resolution of 20MP and a beautiful rendition of colors
Here you will find my analysis of photography with the Mini 3 Pro and of photography with the Air 2s
If You Prefer To Watch This As a Video
Specs for Photography
| Air 2S | Mini 3 Pro | |
| Sensor | 1″ | 1/1.3″ |
| Aperture | F 2.8 | F 1.7 |
| Field of View | 88° (22mm) | 82.1° (24mm) |
| Resolution | 20MP | 12MP (48MP Mode available) |
| Vertical Photo | No | Yes |
| Photo Modes | Single Shot Burst Shooting AEB (3 or 5 photos) Timed Photos | Single Shot Burst Shooting AEB (3 or 5 photos) Timed Photos |
The Air 2S has a bigger sensor, but the very wide aperture of F 1.7 of the Mini 3 Pro should help in low light and high dynamic range situations
The real photo resolution is 20MP, versus 12MP for the smaller model, but the Mini 3 has a 48MP mode, useful in certain conditions
The Mini 3 Pro can take vertical photos
The vertical format is meant mainly for footage to be posted on social media platforms
It also adds extra creativity to photography and can be useful for full panoramas using vertical images
There is some confusion about the 48 MP mode of the Mini 3 Pro
The QuadBeyer sensor is capable of splitting each pixel into four smaller ones, therefore creating a sort of 48 MP resolution which adds extra detail in easy light conditions, but the size of each pixel is very small, therefore it is not very effective in high dynamic range and low light conditions
It is a useful feature in certain situations, but to state that the Mini 3 Pro has a photo resolution of 48MP is misleading
I have done an in-depth analysis of the 48MP of the Mini 3 Pro
Image Quality in Easy Light
Let’s start by watching some images shot in easy light conditions
For editing and color grading all the images I have used the excellent Luminar Neo, the tool I use for editing and managing all my photos
You will find info about Luminar Neo together with a coupon for a 10% discount by entering the code “vicvideopic” using the button below
Air 2S
The Air 2s was a big step forward compared to previous models, both for video and photos quality
The colors are a thing of beauty and there is plenty of detail available, without looking oversharpened
The files respond very well to post-processing and the colors can easily be tweaked to reach any possible shade. In my opinion, the Air 2S belongs to the same category as the Mavic 3, at the very top of the DJI prosumer line
Mini 3 Pro
The new Mini 3 Pro performs well with still images with pleasant colors and good contrast. With the first version of the firmware, there was an area of higher luminosity above the middle of the image, especially with the sky in the frame, with a tendency to a magenta cast. But things have improved since
The 12MP files don’t respond as well as the 20MP ones of the Air 2s to post-production, and I cannot get the exact shades of colors that I am after
The detail cannot match the one of the Air 2S
In these side-by-side images, we notice a better rendition of the elements far away and the vegetation for the bigger model
Top-Down Photo Quality
Let’s turn the camera down to take the sky out of the equation and concentrate on detail and color rendition
The performance of both models is excellent, but once again the Air 2s has the edge over the Mini 3 Pro in terms of detail and color rendition
DJI Air 2s vs Mini 3 Pro Photo Quality Against the Sun
In images containing the sky, the Mini 3 Pro performs quite well: there are no nasty flares around the sun and the structure of the sky is good. The shadows have limited detail and some chromatic noise
The Air 2S is in a different league with plenty of detail in the shadows and no noise. One single photo is enough, merging is not needed
With the Mini 3 Pro, in high dynamic range situations, much better results are obtained by merging five Automatic Exposure Bracketing photos to HDR. Here is an analysis of Automatic Exposure Bracketing with the Mini 3 Pro
DJI Air 2s vs Mini 3 Pro Photo Quality in low light
In low light conditions, the Mini 3 Pro puts up its best performance with good detail in the shadows and nice colors
The extremely wide F 1.7 aperture of its lens certainly plays a big part
The Air 2S is an excellent performer in low light, but in this area, it is now behind the smaller model
My in-depth analysis of night photography with the Mini 3 Pro