All you shutterbugs out there must recall the DJI Mavic 3 unveiled last year and a hefty price of €2,100 (₹1.7 lakh approx.) for the base pack. While the price has diminished slightly over time, it is still quite a pricey investment and so DJI has unveiled the more “budget” version of this cam– the DJI Mavic 3 Classic, priced at “just” €1,600 (₹1.3 lakh) with the RC-N1 controller.
What makes it so much cheaper you may ask? Well, it is missing the second 162mm telephoto lens. And while the optical magnification is also missing, you still get 3x digital zoom. The Hasselblad-branded camera with an excellent 4/3rds 20MP sensor and a 24mm lens with a variable aperture (f/2.8 to f/11), makes an appearance too! And it is capable of shooting photos in 12-bit RAW and videos in 10-bit D-Log. So, to sum it up, still pretty impressive.
While we are discussing video, we can’t forget that the Classic can record up to 5.1K video at 24-50fps, DCI 4K at up to 120fps and 1080p at up to 200fps. Additionally, H.264 and H.265 codecs are supported by a 200Mbps bitrate. All this holds no value without the 8GB of storage on board (and the MicroSD slot, of course).
When it comes to flight stats, you get up to 46 minutes of flight time with a 30km (18.6mi) flight distance. Like the batteries, this remains unchanged from the original model. The drone is even compatible with the pre-existing DJI RC-N1, RC and RC Pro controllers. Want to see where you are flying? The camera can transmit HD video at up to 15km (9.3mi) courtesy of the O3+ system. And best of all, if you already have one of these controllers, you can get just the drone for €1,500 (₹1.2 lakh approx).
Other features that remain the same are the 3-axis gimbal for stabilization and the original suite of sensors to ensure your cam isn’t bumped and bruised. If you happen to be a gearhead, you’d be interested to know that in calm conditions, the drone can hit a speed of 21m/s (75km/h). And in not-so-nice conditions, it can survive 12m/s winds (43km/h). That said, this drone is definitely on the heavier side, for consumer drones, at 895g.