so ive had my mini 3 pro for about a year and a half now and honestly its been great, no real complaints. but ive been watching a lot of videos lately and keep seeing people talk about the air 3 like its this massive leap forward and im not sure if thats just hype or if theres genuinely something there that would change how i fly.

my main thing is just weekend stuff, hiking trails, some beach shots, occasional family trip footage. nothing commercial, no plans to go pro or anything like that. i dont really need the extended range because i barely push past visual line of sight anyway. but the dual cameras on the air 3 do look pretty tempting when im trying to get both wide establishing shots and something tighter without having to move around so much.

the price jump is pretty significant though especially if i factor in getting new nd filters and another battery or two. anyone whos actually made this switch have thoughts? or am i just falling into the gear upgrade trap again

honestly i made this exact switch about six months ago and my take is... it depends on how much the dual camera thing actually matters to you in practice. i thought id use the 3x tele all the time but realistically when im out on a hike im usually just grabbing wide shots anyway. the image quality difference is real but its not like the mini 3 pro footage looks bad, it doesnt.

what i do notice is the obstacle avoidance feels more confident on the air 3, like ill fly through tighter gaps near trees and it just handles it better. and the battery life is noticeably better too. but if youre happy with your mini 3 pro results and not bumping into its limitations i wouldnt stress about upgrading. save the money for a trip somewhere worth flying over tbh

gear upgrade trap 100% lol. i went from a mini 2 to air 2s and then started eyeing the air 3 like three months later. the footage from what you already have is genuinely good for what you described, beach and hiking stuff. unless youre actually frustrated by something specific the mini 3 pro cant do i'd hold off. DJI will have something new out in another year anyway and youll be doing this all over again