so ive been flying my Air 3 for almost a year now and honestly love it but keep seeing the Air 3S pop up everywhere and the variable aperture thing sounds cool but im not sure if i actually need it. most of what i shoot is family trips, some hiking footage, occasional beach stuff. nothing super professional. the Air 3 already blows my mind with what it can do compared to my old Mini 2 so part of me thinks im just falling into gear lust territory

anyone actually made that jump from Air 3 to 3S and noticed a real difference in their final footage? not talking lab tests or youtube comparison videos where they pixel peep at 400%, im talking like actual usable difference when you watch it on a tv or share it with people. curious what people think who actually use these things in the field

honest answer? for what you're describing probably not worth it. the Air 3 is genuinely excellent and the sensor on the 3S is better but you'd really only notice it in low light situations or if you're doing heavy color grading. if you're shooting vacation stuff and sharing it with family, the Air 3 footage is going to look incredible either way. save the money and put it toward ND filters or a good bag or just more fly time honestly

that said the variable aperture is kind of nice in tricky lighting situations, I'll give it that. but its not a game changer for casual use. I went from Air 2S to Air 3 and that felt like a real upgrade. Air 3 to 3S feels more iterative to me

i came from a mini 2 too and got the Air 3S as my first "real" drone upgrade and honestly the image quality is insane but i have nothing to compare it to haha. what i will say is the obstacle avoidance on the Air 3 series in general is so much better than older drones, like i fly through some pretty tight spots hiking and it saves me constantly. probably not helpful to your actual question but just saying the Air 3 is already a sick drone dont sleep on what you already have