Although drones were only reserved for the wealthy and experts not long ago, they are becoming more and more accessible. If you also dream of being able to fly a high quality drone, then DJI MINI 3 is for you. For you and me, because I too can explore the airspace and evolve from an ordinary person to a rookie pilot.

Depending on the configuration you ordered, the drone will come with a controller with a screen, as is but no screen or no controller altogether if you already own one. The screenless console has a mounting point for your phone so it can transmit the live image from the cameras. However, DJI provided me with the complete kit in which the monitor was built in as well as a charging station with three interchangeable batteries and a shoulder bag called Fly More Combo. This meant that I immediately had everything I needed to get started, so I jumped at the chance to finally make that dream come true.

Not just in the air

The controller feels very sturdy, provides enough grip and is comfortable to hold. Easy to transport since the sticks can be removed and stored in the recess at the back. Once you find the combination to operate the controller and drone, you discover that you will not only be allowed into the air. DJI has a very extensive catalog of flight lesson videos available in their app for you as a novice pilot to boot. This was also welcome, as flying the drone turned out to be a bit more of a challenge than I had imagined! You should also take into account the no-fly zones, so check this first for the area you want to travel to. Going back to the controller, this seems pretty standard as the player has two joysticks to control horizontal and vertical movement and a couple of bumper buttons for additional controls like taking pictures. The touchscreen is wide, well arranged, and visible in full sunlight.

The controls took some getting used to

My association with the games was a bit against me. In the default configuration, the left stick pushes forward to make the aircraft take off and returns down, the left and right control the direction of the drone. You can use the right stick to go forward, backward, and fly sideways. To my feeling, fueled by years of gaming, this is the exact opposite of what I expected and I had to actively work on remembering the correct actions. Fortunately, I found the ability to adjust the controls so that the sticks are controlled just like the PlayStation. With this newfound familiarity, I was soon able to successfully ascend to the skies and hover over my house, passing the roundabout and watching sheep in the pasture. You can follow the live view of the camera on the console screen, which can be easily adjusted thanks to the fully movable camera on the front of the drone. Behind the fenders we find two scroll wheels that make this easy and I found it tilted forward and straight down, my favorite views as I’ve been flying.

More successful in open spaces

And I did fly! Clumsy at first, that’s for sure; But within a short time with more great results I can record directly to the SD card in the drone. Starting outdoors is the advice I’d like to give myself, but you know how it goes when you’re excited to try some cool new technology when the kids are in bed. My first attempt was shocked, cats from the fan noise and cut down plants my wife had yet to discover. Taking off from the park gives you a little more room for potential understeer, such as when you discover that the acceleration can move too quickly when you hit the stick. As long as I stayed out of the trees behind my house, I was quickly able to fly in circles and come back in one piece—though I did have to catch the DJI 3 Mini off a neighbor’s fence once. The blades are made of soft material so they do a lot of damage and don’t take the device, but I tried to fly with them as carefully as possible of course. If you go too far out of range, the drone will automatically return to its last position. The aforementioned lawn with sheep was the border of my backyard when I sat in my garden.

Take crazy pictures

By default, videos are stored on the SD card and are at 1080p at 30fps, with photos coming out at 12MP. As you might expect, everything in Pro mode is customizable, from white balance to resolution, and from frame rate to shutter speed. If that’s too much detail, the automatic mode also has a number of settings for the most popular options. At 4K and 30fps, it delivered impressive results that made nature shots look amazing. Shooting the flyby as smoothly as possible was fun, although quite a challenge. In addition to a video of your trip, a photo is also taken quickly thanks to the dedicated shoulder button. An SD card can be put 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 thus easier to transfer to other devices. I’ve noticed that, especially when recording in flight, your drone doesn’t stay in the air for long. In less than 20 minutes, I was regularly asked to bring the drone to the ground. This is where the Fly Longer Pack shines and can charge three battery packs simultaneously in a fairly short time.

Conclusion

With the Mini 3, DJI is creating a beautiful and accessible drone. If you’ve never flown before, the Academy is an absolute must for exploring the skies, as is a tour of the many customizable options on the console. When I flipped the controls, I flew smoothly and maneuvered around the house, the meadow, and between the trees. With the beautiful screen on the spacious and comfortable console, it was easy to keep track of everything, and plenty of options for video recording and photo taking add up a lot. The battery life isn’t very long, so the multiple batteries and way to charge them quickly is certainly welcome. DJI makes flying fun and accessible with the Mini 3 drone.

Sander Nordic