ok so ive been going back and forth on this for like two weeks now and i cant make up my mind. i fly maybe once or twice a week, mostly parks and the occasional beach trip, nothing crazy. no real interest in doing professional stuff, this is just a hobby for me.

the mini 3 pro feels like the obvious choice price wise but every time i watch a side by side the air 3 footage just looks so much better, especially in the shadows. but then i think about how often im actually gonna notice that on a 1080p tv and i talk myself back into the mini 3 pro again.

the other thing is the obstacle avoidance on the air 3 is omnidirectional which i know sounds like a selling point but how much does it actually matter in practice? i already have a mini 2 and ive never had a real close call with that. is the air 3 OA that much better in real world flying or is it just a spec sheet thing

honestly for casual flying the mini 3 pro is hard to beat. i had the same internal debate and went with the air 3 and dont regret it but i also shoot a lot of golden hour stuff where the larger sensor actually makes a visible difference. if youre mostly doing midday parks and beaches the mini 3 pro footage is going to look great and you probably wont be sitting there wishing you spent more.

the OA question is a good one though. i've found the omnidirectional setup on the air 3 has saved me maybe twice in spots where i wouldnt have expected an obstacle. but honestly if youre already comfortable flying a mini 2 without incidents you probably dont need it as a safety net. it's more useful for people learning or flying in dense areas fast.

im kind of in the same boat as you actually, just got into drones a few months ago. what pushed me toward the mini 3 pro was the weight class ? staying under 250g means way less hassle in a lot of spots near me. the air 3 is heavier so depending on where you fly that might matter. just something to check before you decide