so ive been going back and forth on this for like three weeks now and i cant decide. currently have a Mini 2 SE that i use mostly for weekend trips and the occasional family video, nothing serious. my budget is around $800 and i keep landing on the Mini 3 Pro but then i see the Air 3 on sale sometimes and start second guessing myself.

the main things i care about are image quality in low light and battery life honestly. i dont really do obstacle avoidance stuff, i fly pretty cautiously. but my friend keeps telling me the Air 3 sensors are way better and worth stretching the budget. is that actually true for someone who isnt doing like professional work? or am i just going to end up paying more for features i wont use

honestly the Mini 3 Pro is probably fine for what you're describing. the low light difference between the two is real but its not night and day unless youre shooting in genuinely dark conditions, like golden hour stuff looks great on both. the bigger thing nobody talks about is the Mini 3 Pro's vertical shooting mode which is surprisingly useful if you ever post anything to reels or shorts. i flew both back to back last summer and the Air 3 is definitely a step up but for casual weekend stuff it felt like overkill. save the extra cash.

I went through the exact same thing lol. ended up getting the Air 3 because it was on sale during some event and I didn't regret it but I also kind of feel like I'm not fully using everything it offers. the dual cameras are cool though, I use the medium tele more than i expected. if low light matters to you the 1/1.3 inch sensor does make a noticable difference in tricky lighting. that said if youre coming from a Mini 2 SE the Mini 3 Pro is still going to feel like a massive upgrade so you probably cant go wrong either way