Here's your complete DJI Air 3 drone Beginners guide, regardless of whether you have the DJI RC 2 or the DJI RC-N2, I've got you covered. Buy the DJI Air 3 here (amzn.to/46rdLh0), link helps support the channel and is much appreciated!
Handlebar mount (For DJI RC-N2 & N1): amzn.to/3RB39Ib
256GB MicroSD Cards I use: amzn.to/3rh5PzQ
Mic I used: amzn.to/3ZzPIKq
Lav I used with the mic (in that wind): amzn.to/3ZzzEbn
(I specifically used the Lav audio source for this entire video. The other mic was a backup.)
This guide takes you from never flying a drone before, to all the interworkings of the DJI Air 3, and becoming comfortable using the features and most importantly - tons of DJI Air 3 tips & tricks based on months of usage.
0:00 Quick Intro
0:40 Controller/Bundle Options
2:05 Battery Considerations/Battery Pack
3:50 Preparing for First Flight
10:24 Flying Basics: First Takeoff
16:16 Obstacle Avoidance Explainer
17:55 Main Video Modes
18:19 Telephoto Lens Explainer
20:15 Slow-mo Explainer
20:50 Vertical Video
21:54 Gimbal Deep-Dive/Customization
24:33 Pro Video Options
27:15 Photography Modes
31:18 Return To Home Explainer
34:39 Quickshots & Mastershots
39:36 Spotlight & POI
42:15 ActiveTrack Explainer
46:38 Hyperlapse
48:22 Waypoints/Flight Planning
53:41 Sport Mode'
55:02 Hand Catching
57:06 Downloading Footage (DJI App)
Some links may be Amazon Affiliate links, for which I may earn a commission.
#DJIAir3 Air3 #Drones
man, you are THE HERO!
Thanks!
Even for non-owner like me this is really interesting reference material 👍
Thanks! I try and make it useful for both owners and potential purchasers alike! Or, simply just those intersted in drone tech.
Great video keep them coming
Thank you very much for this
Wonderful guide.
A good job. Very easily understood
amazing thank you!!!
Awesome tutorial - love your work - thank you
So very helpful! Thank you for such a complete run down of everything!
If you haven't owned a drone previously and are considering purchasing one like this, I would highly recommend evaluating how often you you plan on using one. They really aren't casual devices. I live in a very rural area and when flying it from home, I've had negative interactions with most of my neighbors. They just don't like the idea of someone flying a camera anywhere near their house. You really almost have to go somewhere to use it and it's a lot of money to dump on something you can't just use whenever you want whenever the urge casually arises. For context, I have the Air 2.
The mini drone really isn't that different it's still a drone. You just need to be honest with your neighbors if they ask and tell them you don't film their houses
“Rural”..generally means “out and away from CLOSE-proximity neighbors”. I (we) live rural..3 miles from town on 25 acres. You’d think just looking at the area we were WAY out. Our neighbors (North & South of us) are sharing fencelines of similar-sized properties. WHEN I fly I’m NOWHERE NEAR ANY ‘home’..or people UNLESS I fly on THEIR property..which I don’t do. It’s all pasture and open/brush-type topography. I also have the Air 2S. I’d have to be over their house or harrassing animals or vehicles on the roads to ACTUALLY get into trouble..
I live in a “semi rural” area north of Manchester ,surrounded by fields with some industry and housing.When I fly my drones,especially the fpv drone,I send them up and out as quickly as possible.Do not think I would buy a drone if I lived in the city.Air 2s my go to drone then the mini 2,the fpv drone is rarely used.I would probably wait for the air 4.Great video.
Yes, almost no use unless for a once a time and sit after 2 years, you found air 5 on market and it worthless.
Well jack I didn't understand any of that ?
Thank you so much for your complete beginners video tutorials ❤❤❤
Thank you for this video. 2nd time watching this video. Best I have found so far.👍🏼
Thank you for this, straight to the point explaining everything well. I've been flying for 7 years and there is always something to learn.
Love your vid, easy to understand and fast moving, cleared up a lot of my questions. Thank you!
The best lecture under the sun.
Amazing explain 🔥🔥🔥 super ❤
This is the best video I have seen!
Thanks for taking the time to post a user guide on the Air 3. Really useful and good explanations on the functions available.
Great video
Great content. Thanks man!
Thank you so much!
Great video as I just got one of these drones as a gift :) Great learning experience for newbies and beginners.!
Really well done video.. thank you. Just upgraded from an old Mavic and found this useful.
You're definitely the friend I wish I had when I have tech questions.
Great video. Thank you.
EXCELLENT VIDEO!!!!!
The best vid out there. For dji air 3 owners😍
Great video - wanted to add a datapoint that might make you reconsider the safe hand-catch method. I've been using the hand-catch method where you flip the drone over to "fake" a crash and have the props turn off for many years now (Mavic Air and Air 2S). The other week when I did this, the propellers did not turn off for some reason. My hand slipped a bit under the prop forces, and the Air 2S propeller hit my pinky finger. It was not a paper-cut. It cut nearly 1/3rd the way into my finger and stopped at the nail; I almost needed stitches. Just cautioning that the hand-flip method is not fool-proof and you better make sure you have a very strong grip on the drone before attempting. Know that the propellers can do some serious damage. There's also another merged method where you can grab the drone with your hand and continue holding down on the stick so it eventually turns the motors off. This is a good compromise where the drone won't fly away, but should remain stable and not hurt yourself.
Great video, I learned a number of things today....Thanks
Good to hear, thanks!
Awesome video! Hopefully most of those features are built in the Mini 4 Pro. Can't wait to see the Mini 4 Pro wind resistance near the lighthouse😊
Thanks!
Thx you very much for this very detailed tutorial guide~ but I think you might forgotten to describing about the "Cruise Speed Shooting" function~
Dope!
Thank you so much for this video. So well done. I just received my Air 3 and can't wait to get started!
How's it going with the drone?
Really well! Love this drone!
thanks Ray, very informative and helpful. Must have taken a while to put together. Out of interest, what do you use to record your audio? Is it a completely separate feed? I checked out your gear page but that was from 2016 so perhaps still not the Saramonic mics.
Thank you for this video! Our Air 3 should be here tomorrow. I’m going to repeat the first 25 minutes so I can get the basics locked in my head for when we try it out. One question so, the drone records it’s “home” location when it first takes off? In case I need to use the rth?
Fascinating presentation that totally makes me overconfident I can do the exact same thing right after unboxing a new drone.
Thanks! The obstacle avoidance and automated modes help quite a bit!
@@Dcrainmaker I run, hike and bike with an REI hydration vest with a rear pocket that seems just large enough for a DJI Mini, controller and batteries. Probably in some kind of waterproof neoprene holder I'd stitch together.
@@flymypg Yup, totally works. Not sure exactly which REI vest model you have, but I have something pretty much the same, and used it a ton this summer with the Air 3 & DJI RC in there. It definitely works better with the Mini 3 Pro, as it's lighter and easier to pack a spare bit of clothing around it. But either work fine.
Thank you sir, for your time and effort! This tutorial explains it all! With a bit of luck, I’ll have my air 3 this afternoon. 😋 Ps, wat is Nederland toch een schitterend land hè! ❤️🇳🇱
Awesome - enjoy it!
Please do a review of the hover X1 :)
Wow super❤ brother very clearly good explain brother thank you so much Love❤from Tamilnadu India🇮🇳 Recently am added Dji air3 Dinesh Dronography ambur...
DJI!!!
Great video as always. Couldn’t find the link for the mico sd cards. 😅
Great video thanks for making it. My only question is you charge a battery and it takes all day to charge even run put of daylight can it sut full overnight till use next day? Thanks
Great video! Just got my first drone and I picked an Air 3. This video really helped my get the hang of things, especially the camera modes. Curious: is that Abcoude in the background at 45:15 :)?
Thank you for showing how to transfer the video onto the iPhone. This is the ONLY Utube demonstration of this I have found. Would you please make another video of this process more completely? I am now a subscriber. Thank you so much.
Thanks - much appreciated! Here's a dedicated video that shows it a little bit more for the Mini 3 Pro, but it's identical for the Air 3: kzhead.info/sun/gsiilbGijXuKlYU/bejne.html
@@Dcrainmaker That helped a lot. Thank you very much!
Great insight to an air 3 before i fly my own. Thanks. What nut/ screw size did you use to attach the karabiner.
Hi thanks for entertaining and informative videos! Which filter pack ND/cpl do you recommend for Air 3? I want the best.. Thanks!
I noticed when you opened the pro video settings, the camera had chosen a shutter speed of 5000 but the fps was at 60. I thought with video, the shutter should be 2x the fps? I just bought an Air3 and was thinking I needed ND filters. Guess not?
Thanks for the video! Did your drone come with a landing pad? Just curious because you were talking about how it’s not ideal to launch or land on the pebbly trail
good video......what thread is on the carabine?
Great tutorial! I am doing my research for my first drone purchase….I don’t have to buy one right away and am wondering if I am looking at the Air and Mini models, should I wait for newer models to be released some time in 2024? I am unfamiliar with the DJI release schedule in the past. Thank you for any advice!
Hi is there a way to enable manual decent on this Air whilst its in RTH ? The Mini 3 Pro does it but i can't seem to do with with the Air 3
i'm just here refreshing youtube waiting for your gopro 12 review
I chose the air 3 over the mini 4 pro for the quality
Can you record on Hd to save disk space? Or just on 4k?
what camera you're using? white tini on cap?
Burst is beneficial for birds.
bro what's that camera on your hat?
Thanks so much for the very informational review. I've been waiting for the 'follow me' feature to be ready for primetime before purchasing one. Should i continue to wait or is it satisfactory as it is? Thank you.
I'd say it's normally 'fine'. Not great, not bad, just fine. This was an oddly failure-prone day, especially given that this was actually pretty easy. While I trimmed it down a fair bit, it did stick with me both directions on the final run (the raw filming time of that section was something like 20 minutes...crazy long). That said, on the whole it represents success. If you're out in the open, it tends to do well. If in trees, no chance.
@@Dcrainmaker - Thanks so much. I think my waiting days are over!
99.9 % of reviews on the Air 3 show people always explaining why they chose the RC-2 Over The N-2 controller. I just ordered the Air 3 and it’s currently showing out on delivery so I’m a bit excited about it. I chose the cheapest option with the N-2 controller for a couple different reasons. 1 the price was a couple hundred dollars cheaper that’s a primary reason. I can always go back later and purchase the RC-2 and extra batteries individually. In the long run I will pay more but sometimes it’s easier to come up with a couple hundred dollars than it is 5 or 6 hundred especially after you already have to pay a grand just for the drone. Another reason is that I already own 5 DJI drones such as the mini 2 mini 3 mini 3 pro mavic air 2 and the Air 2s and I have the basic N-1 controller on all of them. As you probably know DJI released a firmware update making the Air 3 compatible with the goggles 2 but unfortunately you can only use the goggles with the motion controller. That’s a huge disappointment. I don’t know why DJI can’t just allow us to use the goggles with our regular controllers. But I found another solution that will allow me to use FPV goggles on any and all DJI drones. On Amazon they have a tablet called the tripltech 9 pro and it has HDMI ports so that you can download the DJI fly app and then use goggles that also have an HDMI port to view the onscreen display through the goggles. But if I had the RC-2 I couldn’t use the tablet. Purchasing the tablet is just under a thousand and then the goggles will be around 500 but having the ability to use goggles in those hard to see sunlit days will be much easier to get the shot you want.
😍👍
The reason your explanation of the D-log looked exactly the same on screen was because the color display assist was on. It's basically just a LUT so you can see what it'd look like once you're done color grading
Are you getting the high resolutions footage from quick transfer mode ?
Yes, you'll get 4K footage. However, on other DJI drones it won't let you transer 5K footage, nor some slow-mo footage.
My photos are coming out at 12mp how do you switch to 48mp? I can’t find it.
Can i charge the battery pack from a powerbank ?
How do I take photos with 9:16 or anything I can upload to social media?
Apas 5,active track,m/s ?
Here’s what I can’t figure out…the Remote has a mic and speaker, but I can’t figure out how to record my voice as a slate for the clips, or how to playback the audio. Ami I missing something?
These are on sale at the moment. I have never piloted a drone. Would this be a good beginner drone?
I've never used one but i'm confident I could fly this with minimal problems. If I can do it, you can too. I believe in you.
Thank you for the video! Would I be able to take my drone and batteries with me on a plane? I know TSA is strict on L-ion batteries, do you know how many watts a battery has?
No problems with taking these onboard, as long as they're in your carry-on luggage (not checked luggage).
1 month ago 😮
I love this but where’s the link for the memory card??
Eeks, here ya go! amzn.to/3rh5PzQ Thanks!
Have to by charger separate
You like DJI over Autel? Why or why not?
I need mapping DJI Air 3..
I take off drones all the time on my car. My aluminum car. Did I mention that my car is aluminum? It's attractive too, being a Jaguar, but only to people, not to metal, drones or electronic compasses. Thanks for a great primer! 👍
Interesting - it's always been a problem when I've occasioanlyl tried. Good to know!
Where did you get the screw for the bottom of the controller? I want to get one, but all the ones I look cheap
So it was originally from this neck strap kit (amzn.to/3UWdHmr) but that seems discontinued. Honestly, most of them will all work the same though for this purpose, as long as it's metal.
I need to charge may batteries wherever you're charging them. One hour per battery would be a dream. Mine is more like 6 hours. Per battery.
The wattage of the power supply matters a lot. I defaulted to using the one built into my wall power outlet, and it was taking hours. So I grabbed the power brick for my MacBook Pro, which is a 96 watt supply. Sure enough - 1 hour charge time, and it made quick work of all three batteries in the pack. I’m buying a separate power supply for future use, so I’m not stealing my computer’s one (forgetting to bring it back).
It appears that Active track is “improving” sort of but still nowhere near Skydio. Given Skydio is exiting the consumer market I wonder if DJI will even try.
Can you tell me why my video footage is not smooth? It seems like it has hiccups. How can I correct this? I just took the DJI Air 3 for the first time. Thank you.
Generally speaking, if you’re seeing hiccups in the footage, it means there’s something wrong with the gimbal (unless you were in sport mode). Common causes are other outright damage, but also things like sand is a big one. Dirt is less of a problem as it usually doesn’t stick. But if it’s glitching, it’s almost certainly the gimbal is somehow blocked or damaged (of course, ensure there isn’t is the the foam behind it or stickers still on it).
I can’t get the downloads to work with either the Mini 3 Pro or the Air 3. Both times it says it’s transferring, but it says “0b/s” and never downloads anything.
Hmm, that's odd. Generally speaking the main issues are: A) Left controller on (won't work) B) WiFi or BT not turned on (on phone), but my guess is that's not it. C) WiFi got reconnected to some other network behind the scenes (home/work/etc) D) Arms aren't open (super important). I've never had 0b/s though, that's a very odd one. Sorry man!
@@Dcrainmaker Now my wife is wondering why I’m standing in the middle of the room with my arms open wide. :-)
@@PaulTomblin 🤣🤣🤣
@@Dcrainmaker Pretty sure none of those things are true. Wifi is still connected to the DJI drone. One other odd thing - the strobes on the drone flash two long red flashes, and about 30 short yellow ones, then repeat.
I don't see the link for the data card he referenced in video
Agreed
Rumors were true, DJI Mini 4 Pro is just around the corner (do a quick check on X): 360° detection, O4 + RC2 combo, Waypoints, 4K@100fps HDR…etc. Air 3 will appear less attractive shortly. Be prepared for mini 4 Pro !
Here's to hoping!
Party pooper! 😂😉
No actually not because the air 3 is a much more stable drone for professional use. Not that the mini isn't any good but honestly I had a mini before I got my air 2 and now I have the air 3 and I almost lost it due to it not being able to come back to me in breezy conditions. I FIlm wedding and personal stuff and I can say I've met a few other wedding videographer and they had a tough time filming in some normal windy conditions 😅. Either way, the mini is a great travel drone and hobby drone
@@cassijoanna Mini 3 Pro enters the chat: kzhead.info/sun/lqqfYstxeatupYE/bejne.html
Boy I was seriously thinking about buying this until I saw all the Active Track issues. Yikes.
I strongly suspect that the non-standard layout of that bike and that it detects you as a person, not a bike, was partly at fault for some of the failures. The behavior for Bikes, Boats, Cars is different than for people. Faster, with more altitude and distance of the drone. It MAY have detected a bike if you flew low and close before selecting. Then again, maybe not!
Having tracked lots of things (boats/cars/people/bikes) over the years with ActiveTrack, this is pretty typical. Sometimes it locks on perfectly, and other times it just has a bad day. Even this day, towards the end it was holding pretty darn well.
@Dcrainmaker Yep... once it realized you weren't playin' -it stopped being goofy and got down to biz!
Skydio2 tracking is so much better, it's sad they are discontinuing there consumer drone
Everything thing else is really good tho
at 19:14 you were not recording.
Yeah, sorry meant still in 4K recording mode (versus being forced back to 1080p defaults), but not actively recording at that moment.
Cost of the drone in dollars
you could google that answer in the same time it took you to leave that comment. SMH
Construction of the Air 3 is hollow, thin plastic. Mine hit a tiny branch of a bush the second day of ownership. It fell 12.5 feet into the soft grass below and the foot of the front arm ripped off. Couldn’t believe how poor quality it was. I also have an Autel Robotics Evo II Pro. They are built much beefier and only take a few light scratches when then fall like this. I’ll never buy a DJI drone again.
Apples and oranges. The Evo II Pro is comparable to the DJI Mavic 3.
@@keithzastrow Ah. Well the Air 3 certainly isn't in that class :)
@@Diantane $1000 difference in price
Well actually my drone is not just the Pro. It’s a $4,000 Enterprise. Larger motors, ten inch propellers, carbon fiber arms. Really nice, but it can’t do some things that I was thinking it would do when I bought it. It won’t track vehicles and orbiting an object requires you to make a few manual adjustments each time. Far cry from the DJI products. I’m not a commercial pilot (just hold a recreational license). I bought the enterprise because I wanted a very strong drone. Thought it would do all the things that a Pro would do and more. Guess doing the missions took up a lot of its brain power.
Flying like this is going to completely screw up my muscle memory for FPV Quads, RC planes etc. The controls are completely different
Nah, it won't.
Anyone please help me buy the Air 3 which I'm planning to buy since a long time
Why are you sitting on a bike 🚴😩
To annoy you
take the bell off ya bike ya ding dong.
same guide like all drones no point watch
Cool, glad you enjoyed it!
Damm dissapointed when i hear 35 min fly time in real world. Sigh* i guess I will keep waiting until i see that 60 min fly time. Lol
Is it possible to make the drone automatically take pictures at specific distances on a specific path?
Specific times, yes, but not distances.