The DJI Mini 3 Pro's camera can physically rotate 90-degrees to shoot vertical videos, eliminating the need to crop landscape shots for social media.
DJI's Mini 3 Pro features a high-quality camera with the unique ability to twist and capture portrait photos and videos while maintaining their full quality. This makes it perfect for recording tall buildings and statues that tend to have a vertical orientation. It's also ideal for capturing action videos of people walking or running. The camera can rotate into a horizontal position as well, providing the traditional drone footage that best covers expansive landscapes.
DJI is best known for its drones, however, the company has made significant strides in video technology. Its gimbals provide silky-smooth stabilization for smartphone cameras, DSLRs, and even cinematic cameras. In 2017, DJI became the majority stakeholder of camera company Hasselblad, bringing new camera technology and decades of experience to further improve its offerings.
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The Mini 3 Pro is DJI's latest lightweight drone, an advanced model that has an industry-first camera that can physically rotate 90-degrees, allowing full-resolution portrait photos and videos. Since social media favors viewing on a smartphone, DJI's innovation will make a huge difference in post-processing time and quality. In the past, a drone video had to be cropped before posting on social media. It is presented in a much smaller size in landscape view unless the phone is rotated for viewing. The vertical format works better for many subjects, and having the option provides creative freedom to the photographer. With Active Track 4.0 technology, the drone can follow the user, providing high-quality aerial selfie videos. The MasterShots feature makes beginners look like they've had years of experience, automating several classic drone maneuvers.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro's camera has a wider f/1.7 aperture to allow more light to reach the image sensor. Low-light performance is also improved by using a much larger image sensor, at 1/1.3-inches with bigger 2.4-micrometer pixels. Resolution gets a significant increase, jumping to 48-megapixels compared to the previous 12-megapixel sensor. The end result is a big advance in image quality and the ability to capture photos and videos at dusk and even into the evening.
4K resolution video can now be captured at 60 frames per second and there's a new slow-motion option of 1080p at 120 frames per second. Vertical tilt control of the camera offers a much greater range from negative 135-degrees, pointing down and behind, to 80-degrees, facing almost straight up. This allows low-angle shots as well as the more traditional aerial views that drones are known for. Somehow, DJI managed to pack technology found in much larger drones into the Mini 3 Pro, while keeping the weight under 249 grams, an incredible engineering feat.
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Alan is a Tech Writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. A tech-enthusiast since his youth, Alan stays current on what is new and what is next. With over 30 years experience in computer, video and photo equipment, you can expect useful tips and insights in his writing. Alan has a degree in programming, many years focused on design, editing, and animation. A period of managing logistics and e-commerce operations for a mobile accessories company rounds out a diverse background. Alan is a true jack of all digital trades in this ever-changing computer-enriched world. To stay flexible in mind and in body, he practices yoga, light cardio, and eats a whole food diet, based on minimally processed plants.