so ive been going back and forth on this for like two weeks now and i cant make up my mind. my budget is around $900 give or take and i keep landing on the mini 3 pro as the obvious choice but then i see the air 3 on sale sometimes and start second guessing myself.

quick context: i mostly shoot landscape stuff on weekends, occasionally some light travel, nothing crazy commercial or anything. i dont need obstacle avoidance for racing or whatever, but id like to not crash into a tree lol. the omnidirectional sensing on the air 3 is what keeps pulling me back to it even though its more money.

the mini 3 pro sensor size and the no registration thing under 249g is genuinely appealing though. i live near a lot of restricted airspace so flying under the weight limit actually matters to me. anyone whos used both or switched between them have thoughts? feels like both camps are pretty passionate online and its hard to cut through the noise.

had the mini 3 pro for about 8 months before i upgraded to the air 3 and honestly the jump is real but whether its worth it depends on your situation. for landscape photography the image quality difference is noticeable but not dramatic ? the air 3's larger sensor does better in low light which i only really noticed shooting golden hour stuff in shadowy canyons. the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is genuinely useful though, not just a gimmick. i flew through some trees in Colorado that i would have been way more nervous about on the mini 3. that said if the weight exemption matters for where you fly, thats not a small thing to give up. i flew in areas near my house on the mini 3 that i flat out cant fly the air 3 without dealing with waivers and laanc stuff.

im probably not the most experienced person to answer this but i went with the mini 3 pro a few months ago in almost exactly your situation and i dont regret it. the footage looks incredible to me, like way better than i expected for the price. i think if youre not doing paid work the air 3 is probably overkill but i havent flown one so take that with a grain of salt