so ive had the Air 3 since last spring and honestly love it but keep seeing people talk about the Air 3S and im kind of tempted. my main thing is im not a pro or anything, i just fly on weekends, mostly hiking trips and occasional family stuff at the beach or whatever. not doing any paid work.

the main thing that keeps catching my eye is the bigger sensor on the 3S. i shoot mostly in good light so im not sure it matters that much for me? but then again i dunno. the low light stuff does look insane in the sample videos ive seen. also heard the obstacle avoidance is better but my Air 3 hasnt really given me issues there.

anyone actually upgraded from the 3 to the 3S and regretted it or felt it was totally worth it? or should i just put that money toward ND filters and maybe a better bag

honestly if you're happy with the Air 3 footage in daylight i'd probably skip it. the 3S is a genuinely better camera but the jump in low light is really where you feel it and if you're not shooting in tricky conditions the difference in a nice sunny hike is going to be pretty subtle. i went from an Air 2S to the Air 3 and that felt meaningful. 3 to 3S feels more incremental to me at least from what i've seen side by side.

that said the new front camera setup on the 3S is pretty nice and the APAS feels snappier. if you've got the cash just sitting there and you sell the Air 3 to offset it then maybe. but don't upgrade just from FOMO, your footage is probably already great.

i just got the 3S last month as my first drone so i cant really compare but the low light is genuinely wow. took it out at golden hour and a bit after and it held up way better than i expected. though i guess i have nothing to compare it to lol. the ND filters thing is a good call either way, i noticed a huge difference once i started using them properly