ok so this might be a bit of a rant but bear with me. i bought the Autel Evo Lite+ about a year and a half ago because i was fed up with all the DJI geofencing stuff and wanted something that felt less locked down. and look, the drone is fine. image is decent, flies well enough. but the app is honestly kind of a mess, the updates feel slow, and i had a really weird fly-away scare a few months ago that Autel support was basically useless about.

now im seriously considering just biting the bullet and going DJI, probably looking at the Air 3 or maybe even the Mavic 3 Classic if i can find one at a good price. my main use is landscape and some travel content, nothing commercial. is the ecosystem really that much better in day to day use or am i just romanticizing it because im annoyed at Autel right now. also curious if anyone has shot with both and can actually compare the footage

the DJI ecosystem is genuinely better for day to day usability, thats just the honest answer. the app is more stable, the ActiveTrack stuff actually works, and firmware updates come regularly and usually dont break things. that said the geofencing is real and depending on where you fly it can be annoying. i fly mostly rural landscapes and it rarely affects me but i know people in more urban areas who find it frustrating. for travel and landscape work i think youd be happy with the switch. the Mavic 3 Classic footage is beautiful if you can find one at a decent price, the Hasselblad color science is genuinely nice to work with even if some people think its overhyped

switched from an Evo 2 Pro to a Mavic 3 about two years ago and never looked back tbh. the fly more combo ecosystem, the RC controller options, the way the waypoints mission planning actually works reliably ? its just a more polished experience top to bottom. footage comparison is kind of subjective but i find DJI colors grade easier for me. your mileage may vary obviously but i dont think youre just romanticizing it