A UK resident without the necessary certification found it essential to be cautious about where they operated the Air 3S drone. Residing on the coast allowed them to fly the drone over the sea, maintaining the required distance from people, buildings, parks, and beaches. However, if residing in a large town or city, the restrictions would likely be too cumbersome. In such cases, they might choose an ultra-lightweight, fly-anywhere drone like the DJI Mini 4 Pro, assuming many casual drone enthusiasts share this perspective.
Individuals who complete the necessary courses and paperwork can expect to reap substantial benefits for their efforts. If the camera performance of the older Air 3 was impressive, the Air 3S takes it to a new level. The updated 1-inch sensor offers 14 stops of dynamic range and performs exceptionally well in challenging lighting conditions, delivering detailed, low-noise images even at dusk or nighttime. The sample photos, taken in DNG RAW format (with the wide-angle camera producing 50-megapixel stills and the telephoto 48-megapixel), were edited in Adobe Lightroom. The video footage was captured in 10-bit D-Log M and underwent color grading and correction using DaVinci Resolve Studio. The editing process was enjoyable, with the original 10-bit files offering extensive flexibility. While D-Log M is not mandatory for shooting, the cameras support standard color profiles in both 8- and 10-bit quality and 10-bit HLG.
The Air 3S offers a variety of excellent video and photo options. Although it cannot shoot 5.7K footage like the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, it can capture regular 4K videos at up to 60 fps, 4K slow-motion clips at 120 fps, and Full HD slow-motion clips at 240 fps. Additionally, it can produce 9:16 portrait-format videos, perfect for social media sharing, at a 2.7K resolution and 60 fps.
The cameras are not without flaws. The absence of adjustable apertures makes purchasing a set of neutral density (ND) filters almost essential for daytime video shooting, though changing these filters can be cumbersome. It is hoped that DJI will introduce this upgrade in the possible future release of the Air 4.
