DJI Air 3, Footage Quality with the 70mm Lens

This second lens is a true game changer, as it adds plenty of extra creative possibilities for parallax effect

and a different representation of the proportions between the element in the foreground and the one in the background

Apart from the more affordable price, the Mini 3 Pro has the advantage of a weight below the important threshold of 250 grams, for more relaxed regulation

It has also the ability to rotate the camera to shoot vertical footage, maintaining the 4K video resolution

while the Air 3 can achieve vertical video by cropping to a resolution of 2.7K

So, let's start with the jewel of the crown, the telephoto lens

When I started using drones, about 10 years ago, the one thing that I really missed compared to ground-based DSLR cameras

was the ability to switch lenses of different focal lengths. This option was introduced in DJI drones with the Mavic 3, and is now also added to the Air 3. I simply love it

With the first version of the Mavic 3, the telephoto lens had many limitations in terms of functionalities

and the quality of the footage was much lower compared to the wide-angle lens

In Air 3, the footage shot with the 7mm lens is excellent, and very similar to the other lens

which makes it easy to integrate footage on the same projects. This lens is compatible with practically all the functionalities of the Air 3, including the intelligent flight modes

The only feature not compatible that I've found so far is panorama photography

70mm is the ideal focal length to pair with the wide-angle one

I like the compression of the element on different planes, and the parallax effect when rotating around the target

It's also very useful for getting close to subjects that we could not otherwise reach, to avoid disturbing wildlife

or when tracking subjects from a point of view farther away. The telephoto lens is compatible with the three color modes of the Air 3

In normal mode, it needs a touch of extra contrast and saturation to shine

For many users, the presence of this second lens could be enough to justify the price difference