ok so ive been lurking here for a while and i finally made an account just to ask this because im losing my mind over it. i shoot mostly landscape and travel stuff, nothing crazy commercial or anything, just personal projects and maybe some youtube content eventually. my budget is right around the $900-1000 range which puts me squarely between these two and i cant figure out which way to go.

the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance on the air 3 is really calling to me because im still relatively new and i know ill probably do something dumb eventually. but then the mini 4 pro also has that now? i think? and the size difference is genuinely meaningful to me because i travel with carry-on only most of the time and every gram matters when youre already at the limit.

ive watched probably 15 youtube reviews and they all just say theyre both great which is not helpful at all. does anyone actually have hands on time with both and can tell me which one they'd actually pick if they were starting over

had the mini 4 pro for about 8 months now and honestly for travel it is just unbeatable for the size. fits in a jacket pocket basically. the image quality surprised me ? i was expecting to have to compromise compared to the larger sensors but for youtube and landscape stuff it really holds up well especially in good light. low light is where you start to notice the sensor difference if you're being picky.

the omnidirectional avoidance is real on the mini 4 pro, they did add it, though i find myself turning apas off half the time anyway because it gets a little twitchy in complex environments like trees. if pure portability matters to you i dont think you'll regret the mini. the only time i wished i had the air 3 was shooting into the sun at golden hour, the larger sensor just handles that kind of dynamic range better from what ive seen.

i went through this exact same thing lol and ended up just flipping a coin basically. got the air 3 and im happy but if i traveled more i think id have gone mini. the dual camera thing on the air 3 is actually really useful though, having that 3x medium tele option changes how you compose shots. just something to factor in that the reviews dont always emphasize enough