ok so ive been going back and forth on this for like two weeks now and i cant decide. my budget is around $800 and i mostly want to shoot video for family stuff, some hiking trips, maybe eventually post things on youtube but nothing serious. i dont need crazy range or anything professional grade.

the thing is everyone online seems to have a strong opinion one way or the other and half the reviews feel like they were written by people who get paid to say nice things. i liked that the mini 3 pro doesnt need to be registered in most places because of the weight but then someone told me the Air 2S has a better sensor and that kinda matters to me. i shoot in low light sometimes like evening hikes and stuff.

anyone actually own both or switched from one to the other? what do you actually use day to day

had the Air 2S for almost a year before my buddy let me fly his Mini 3 Pro for a weekend and honestly the low light thing is real - the 1 inch sensor on the Air 2S is just noticeably better when the sun starts going down. for evening hiking that alone would probably make me lean that way. the mini 3 pro is great dont get me wrong but if low light matters to you i dont think you'll regret going for the Air 2S.

the registration thing is kind of a non-issue imo, takes like 5 minutes and its not that big a deal unless you're flying in really specific situations. just my two cents though, either way you'll be happy with the footage compared to phone video.

i was in the exact same spot a few months ago lol. went with the mini 3 pro mostly because of the weight exemption thing and honestly no regrets so far. the vertical shooting mode is genuinely useful if you ever post reels or shorts which i do sometimes. low light isnt amazing but its fine for most things i do.