DJI Air 3S Unboxing and Why I Finally Upgraded from the Mini 3 Pro

gear reviewsbehind the sceneswedding videography

6 Aug

If you’ve followed my work for a while, you’ll know I’ve been flying the DJI Mini 3 Pro at weddings for a couple of years now. It’s been my little workhorse. Quiet, lightweight, reliable and perfect for quick aerial shots during a busy wedding day.

Until I crashed it.

Yes. At a wedding.

It wasn’t anything dramatic like the movies. No fiery explosion. No drone spiralling into a guest. Just one of those unlucky moments where a branch appeared out of nowhere, the Mini 3 clipped it, and down it went. Luckily, I’d worked at this venue before and had plenty of aerial shots from past weddings to use for the couple’s intro. They still got a gorgeous film and none of the stress made it into their final video. But for me, it was a sign.

The Mini 3 Pro had served its time. And it was time for an upgrade.

Black Friday couldn’t have come at a better moment.

After weeks of research, watching far too many reviews, and comparing every drone under the sun, I finally locked in my new purchase: the DJI Air 3S.

And honestly, this is going to set me up perfectly for the next couple of years as I expand my wedding video packages, lean harder into YouTube, and push out more landscape prints on my website.

Here’s why.

What I Need from a Drone as a Wedding Photographer

Wedding days move fast. I don’t have the luxury of spending ten minutes setting up a drone or fiddling with settings while the bride walks down the aisle. My drone needs to:

• Launch quickly
• Fly confidently in wind
• Produce clean, cinematic shots with minimal tweaking
• Stay stable even when the weather isn’t playing nice
• Give me flexibility for photo and video
• Still be portable enough to throw in my camera bag

The Mini 3 Pro does a lot of that brilliantly, which is why I used it for so long. But as my video packages grow and more couples want cinematic aerial shots, I needed something with more power and more consistency.

This is where the Air 3S shines.

Mini 3 Pro vs DJI Air 3S – The Key Differences That Matter

I’m not going to list every spec like a spreadsheet. Instead, here are the upgrades that actually make a difference in real life.

1. Dual Camera System vs Single Camera

Mini 3 Pro: 1 wide camera
Air 3S: Wide camera + telephoto camera

That telephoto camera is a game changer. I can now grab cinematic parallax shots, compressed landscapes, venue details and high-angle reveals without having to fly dangerously close. For weddings, that’s huge.

2. Better Flight Stability and Wind Resistance

The Air 3S is heavier, more powerful and built to handle wind.
On a British wedding day, that matters.
I don’t want my drone drifting like a Tesco bag in the breeze.

3. Battery Life

Mini 3 Pro: great
Air 3S: even better

Longer flights mean fewer battery swaps. When I’ve got ten minutes between the wedding breakfast and speeches, that extra time counts.

4. Image Quality

The Air 3S gives me cleaner dynamic range, sharper details and more room to grade footage to match my Canon R6s.
It feels closer to my actual cameras now, instead of being “drone footage” slapped into an edit.

5. Obstacle Avoidance

After the branch incident… yeah, I’m happy to have a smarter drone.

Why This Drone Fits My Growing Wedding Video Packages

Over the last year I’ve been slowly expanding what I offer for wedding films. More couples are choosing hybrid coverage, more are booking highlight films, and a lot of venues are perfect for adding cinematic aerial shots.

The Air 3S fits perfectly into that world.

I can now deliver smoother reveals, more dynamic movements, and a more polished final film. It helps me move from “nice drone shot” to “professional cinematic opener”.

And for the couples who book me because they love storytelling, that’s a massive win.

Perfect for My Walking Talking YouTube Videos Too

One of the things I’m focusing on next is building more YouTube content. Walking and talking videos. Behind the scenes. Photography tips. A bit of everything.

The Air 3S lets me grab quick establishing shots, location cutaways, overhead shots of me walking through the Cotswolds and just generally gives the videos more cinematic production value.

It’s going to level up the channel massively.

And Yes, I Also Wanted It for Landscape Photography

I’ve recently started listing landscape prints on my website, and the Air 3S gives me a much better sensor for capturing those wide vistas with clarity.

The telephoto lens also lets me frame landscapes in a way the Mini couldn’t. More compression, more detail, more drama. Perfect for prints.

If you haven’t seen them yet, the prints are now available on my site.