I feel like even though the mini was slower it had a more cinematic feel to it, I think if they allowed you to 'accept' it being slightly more aggressive that would be a big win. The Skydio honestly I wouldn't really even want that footage as a whole but it would probably have lots of good clips come out of it.

Also kinda funny the Nifty mode is basically this more aggressive mode.

Completely agree with this. Even though DJI loses on the object avoidance, it at least made some good usable footage, I feel like with the Skydio just rubber banding all over the place negates any useful footage you would want from that feature.

Specifically went to your review. Seriously who else would do tracking on release day? You rock.

Bro just use some a.i stabilize software it will smooth out the skydio

Every time I see I new drone I look for this guy hoping he has a new tracking video… 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🐐

Best drone review I've ever seen. And that skydio thing is amazing

First of all thank you very much for the review. I do not like the tracking of the Skadio, it is very aggressive compared to DJI.

Yeah I like real world stuff he does in addition to everyone else doing the generic review videos lol

Your DJI vs Skydio tracking videos are the best!! I'm really impressed with the Mini 3's tracking ability - more so than its big brothers. I think this is the drone I'll be getting to track my bike rides. Thank you!

The next mavic 100% is going to have at least the mini 3 tracking, if Skydio doesnt release some new drones, i could see DJI reclaiming the lead

DJI is definitely improving! Although I appreciate Skydio's prowess on avoiding obstacle, I can't help feeling that it results in a video which is less cinematic, it's like the camera is moving all over the place

The Mini 3 Pro did remarkably well in this test. The Mini 3 had trouble keeping up with you in the open area's, but I thought the video it captured, due to its smoother moves made it feel more cinematic than the Skydio. Great testing, you are always so thorough in these tracking video's. Thanks for sharing.

Wow. I'm really impressed with The Mini 3's tracking and dodging ability. It works so much better than the first version of Active Track. The Skydio 2+ definitely avoids obstacles much better, but it's pointless if the footage is unusable--and I would consider all of the footage it took unusable. It's far too inconsistent and lacks the smoothness of DJI Active Track.

@Elliot 100% agree. Framing, angle of view is so inconsistent and makes me seasick on the skydio. DJI needs an update to get the speed faster

@Elliot yes a professional isnt going to post the complete video as done. clearly youre not a professional 😂. a professional is gonna cut into parts up to add to the rest of his video. again, its better to have footage than lost drone. all what youre trying to say is, its better to have a lost or crashed drone than to have footages and that clearly shows again youre not a professional. btw i actually own dji products and not a single skydio product. dont let facts hurt your feelings.

@truth seeker Go ahead and reread my original comment. I clearly stated that the Skydio had better obstacle avoidance. Your comments about what a professional would do are hilarious coming from someone who thinks that footage is not only usable, but good, and the solution is to just “cut it up”. If you had any real experience or cinematic taste you’d know that you often need long shots. I can’t believe I need to clarify this for you, but yes, obviously you wouldn’t use entire clips without editing. Again, my point is even if you cut that footage into 3 second clips they would still look bad because it is objectively bad footage. Stop role playing like you know what you’re talking about and accept the fact that you’re just an upset amateur that feels the need to defend their favorite drone brand to strangers on the internet.

@Elliot then its a baby tracker and not very dependable tracker if youve got to keep helping it. active track is not as good as skydio tracker and this video clearly proves it. also anyone making a video isnt going to post all the video from the skydio as one video. a professional would cut into parts the scenes they like. unless youre an amateur, seems like. again, better to have footage than crashed drone or lost drone.

@truth seeker Have you actually used Active Track ever? No one with common sense is going to put 100% blind trust in a tracker. It works great if you’re not an idiot choosing where you use it keeping the drone’s sensor locations in mind. Haven’t crashed a single time. And no, that Skydio footage is completely unusable for anything cinematic or remotely professional, even if you cut it up. It looks amateur and inconsistent.

Nice - thanks for the detailed tests. I've been flying DJI since Phantom 2, tracking since Mavic Pro, and Skydio all models. I would've thought DJI would've done better against Skydio by now but they are still improving and that's great. I like them both and they both have different strengths.

Who doesn't love your tracking videos! I love watching you smashing into trees and signs, or go into the freezing water to retrieve your crashed drones. I haven't come across anyone else that does this even remotely as well as you do. Nice work. I'm glad they're sending you drones to test even though you give honest feedback and seem to pay for some of your own equipment. THANK YOU!

@leadsled213 Thanks for the tip. He's one of my other favorites and Flytpath. I just ordered mine. Estimated ship date is 5/31.

You might want to check out Billy Kyle, if you haven't already....

Great review. Thanks! 🙂Active track looks good enough to be viable in controlled environments. I am looking forward to watching from the sidelines what creators will be able to do with it.

That's impressive coming from dji mini 3 Pro. Dji truly has improve its tracking feature. If mini can do this, then expect it's bigger brother mavic line will get the upgrade soon probably better with more sensors.

If I'm going to purchase anything technical to do with the outdoors you have always been my first source of info and, again, you haven't disappointed. Your reviews are comprehensive, honest and without any 'attention grabbing hype' other than the odd bit of canal diving searching for the elusive marine drone. David Attenborough would be proud!

This is by far the best drone review I have ever come across on this platform. Incredible work mate. Love from India.

Two very different approaches to tracking. I ordered the Mini 3 but I gotta say even though the skydio is going back and forth a lot, it makes some much more interesting shots compared to the mini 3. There were multiple small 1 - 2 second snippets in the footage where the drone came from behind to the side, weaved around the trees etc. With good editing i think the footage allows for a lot more creativity.

Great comparison video as always (although weight and price put these drones in completely different worlds) I really want the features of the skydio in the mini 3 pro, the skydio is good but DJI just has the high quality parts and namesake. I have DJI's products already too and their replacement plans are superior. With that said tho man the mini 3 is damn near perfect and skydio is good for what it's intended purpose

Thanks again for risking all to give such informative reviews. Both drones look awesome but for me the perfect drone would be something of a hybrid. I’m sat patiently waiting for the air3 to be released as I’d prefer a heavier drone

Unless you want to jump through the endless hoops and cut through all the red tape, it's almost impossible to beat the newest version of the Mini. The 249g factor is MASSIVE for people in this class of drone

Love this video, thank you for testing the tracking and letting us see it definitely works on most cases! I appreciate you!

I always enjoy watching your videos. I wonder if the mini 3 does active track well even at high speeds. It's about 50-60 km/h. Both trace and parallel.

Super informative. I love how you stress test these things. Definitely paints a better picture than some of the other channels.

nice video. Just wondering, if you drop the Mini 3 a little lower when you were going through the section with the trees would it follow you better without slowing down when it got close to any obstacle? Are you even able to adjust the height that the mini 3 follows you or is it just a default height setting?

Thanks for the high speed test. I bought a drone a couple of years ago not knowing it wouldn't be able to keep up when tracking fast skiing. Even worse, what it doesn't do at all is follow me downhill. Can you do a back to back with a very steep altitude change?

"Parallel" tracking on my Mavic Air 2 usually turns into Trace mode, unless I'm going VERY slow. Anything faster and the drone always ends up following behind no matter where it started off. I'd like to see what this one does in those regards.

@DC Rainmaker Thanks little buddy. I found some parallel footage at 11:02.

Check out the section in the video where I do it high speed on the bike, and it stays there really nicely to the side (when out in the open).

A great review, as always, high quality content!

One of the best comparison videos so far on the YouTube. But I must say Mini 3, did an amazing job here honestly was not expecting this !

Great video! Was wondering about the tracking capabilities. I guess downhill mountain biking is still out of the question unfortunately, maybe it would work in open sections. Skydio 2 with the beacon is still the King.

I want to use a drone to track my form while mountain biking for training alone. The mini looks good, but so much of the footage is useless, obstacle avoidance while mountain biking is a deal breaker. Your analysis is spot on, from what I see here.

Brilliant review - thanks for doing that review, exactly what I've been looking for! Looks like the obstacle avoidance is even better than I thought originally. Skydio gotta watch out now!

Damn I'm impressed with what this little drone can do. Good thing you reminded us to hit the like button cause I was so engrossed with your usual awesome test that I would have forgotten to hit it. The Skydio 2+ is definitely in a class by itself. But you stayed away from the water. Can't wait for the wind torture test. (Edit: I saw the test ... awesome video as usual)

The most usefull active track function is to be able to shot yourself when you ride alone. But it mostly requires one simple but very critical function - lock all controls on remote control before you can put it in your back.

Hi DC Rainmaker, Takes a lot of work to do these video tests. Thanks for the efforts! Very useful to see these real world tracking tests. Will you have time to do lowlight test? I have M2P but looking to add another but haven’t decided between Air 2S and M3MP. Do you have both to do a comparison on IQ, features, and lowlight? Prices are similar. Of course, M3MP is portable but it’s not a big selling feature for what I do or need.

If Skydio added an option to smooth things out preferntially, it'd be untouchable. The tracking is just incredible vs. the Mavics I own; I had no idea that level of obstacle avoidance was even possible in a sub-$1000 unit

Fabulous video - great to see what these drones can now do.

Fantastic testing!!! I've been looking at the Skydio for cycling. Not sure it would handle really deep woods with face slappers during overgrowth season but looks promising!

In my experiance, neither drone handles deep woods well. My originial Skydio 2 test covers this a bit in MTB scenarios, and basically, it's kinda rough. In theory, Skydio makes a 1m bubble (1m radius from aircraft) around itself that it needs to clear to get through. So that's like 2m/6ft of actual distance. Many times in MTB, you'll squeek through some trees barely bigger than your handlebars. So, it quickly gets stuck. If you have more open terrain, then it's fine. But for everything I have around here, or the Alps in the woods, etc...no luck.

Ordered the mini 3 pro and wasn't 100% sure it was good enough upgrade from my mini 2 but this video has confirmed that for me. Roll on delivery day. Great video!!

Great video, thank you. One question I have is how is the resolution on the avoidance cameras? Another drone Youtuber was showing active track on the DJI M3P in trees with no leaves and although it avoided the trunks and bigger branches it seemed to run into the smaller branches. With your testing footage the leaves present larger solid looking shape and I was wondering if you had noted if there was a difference in avoidance of small things? (As a side note - I was impressed in how each drone was able to depth perceive closer leaves from those deeper in the FOV and avoid the closer obstacles before worrying about the deeper ones.) Cheers, Ian

It's hard to say, for better or worse, it was a very early spring here, and we had leaves on trees by the first week of March. I often joke that drone companies would do so much better releasing products in spring or summer, than fall/winter releases. My guess is it'll still struggle with very thin leaves like it's siblings, however, the siblings also ran into tree trunks and more. Unfortunately, DJI doesn't publish min object size to sense, they just publish FOV and depth range (distance).

This technology is absolutely amazing.. there is still some work to be done but it is only going to get better and better. I hope soon it will simply follow your path..

Thank you. One of the best reviews I have ever seen. Serious and no-nonsense and without all those stupid jokes.

Everything on this channel is always awesome! Thank you for showing us what the DJI Mini 3 can really do! i'm on the fence about it but i think you've tipped me over to get one. But would you know if for cycling, is it possible to put the DJI Mini 3 remote into your hydration pack and pedal away totally hands-free? Would the joysticks be pushed around inside the hydration pack and mess up the active track into a disaster? Is there a way to switch off or override the joysticks so i can be safe inside the hydration pack?

@dubmob151 that sounds like a solution!

Why not just unscrew the joysticks and control it by rotating the balls instead? They wouldn't move on their own.

Great video, thanks! I mean as a video editor I think most of the clips from the Skydio are basically unusable for any sort of professional video. It is way too wobbly. Mini 3 is seemingly the way to go if you don’t fly in the jungle.

I think one of the things that many people (including myself) often do is we look at a long-form cut of these shoots and think about how the footage might not be as usuable due to wobble/etc. However, in reality, from a video editing standpoint, we're often only using 3-5 seconds of it as b-roll/etc... Meaning, very few people are watching it end to end (if ever). Certainly, the Skydio gives you less 'clean' b-roll chunks to choose from. No doubt. However, inversely, some of the higher speed shots it gets when you do have those pockets just blow away the DJI Mini 3 in terms of speed/creativity/closeness. Sadly, there isn't a perfect unit that does both of those yet.

if you dont fly in the jungle the skydio would stick to the position you place it. the skydio is "wobbly" because its trying not to lose tracking the subject, so prioritize tracking instead of not being "wobbly". thats why it never lost tracking in his test.

Gotta say, freaking love how the skydio tracks. It looks like someone is filming it to get the best shot. The mini just looked like it was trying to do what it could to not hit stuff.

@Robert Dee Wiro A.Anjum oh I agree on the quality of the footage not being great. Why it'd be awesome to see the 3 get 6 sensors and phenomenal obstacles avoidance

@Gianluca Alessia you see the footage is garbade.. why tf someone one footage like that rofl🤣… we need both good avoidance and footage..

@Robert Dee Wiro A.Anjum how exactly is it no reason. The drone actually follows you and gets footage. I don't think it's aggressive, i think it dies a great job. Better question would why would u want a drone that while following you, loses u completely behind trees and bushes and has to wait for you to cone out the other side. That's absolutely pointless. Why would you want that?but if you get rid of all the trees and it doesn't have to avoid so many obstacles, the skydio will give u incredible cinematic footage. While the mini will just keep dropping in behind u trailing along

@Gianluca Alessia so why do you want drone to follow you aggressively but can’t record steady shot? What the point you buy the drone then? Just to follow you around for no reason?

Personally I'll take it trying to move fast and actually choosing routes that follow the person vs. It going up and around and losing the person completely until they come out from the trees on the other side. To me all that footage is useless. Plus if your watching the 2 videos one adds dramatic effect of speed and the other, completely kills any kind of action but to each his own

How it negotiates the trees at 8:50 is really impressive.

The only review that matters for active drone users. How likely do you think it is Skydio will release a Skydio 3 within the next year? I feel like this Mini 3 Pro will probably become the go to for cyclists at this point with the small profile & weight. That being said, amazing they haven't tried to implement a tracking beacon like skydio at this point. Seems like it would just improve tracking that much more for very little extra work. And yes, these new controllers are GIANT. My OG Mavic Air controller is smaller than the drone. Maybe they can do a flip out screen in the future like a good ol' Motorola Razor phone :)

@DC Rainmaker that makes sense. Yeah I really think DJI is catching up on the huge lead Skydio had from Skydio one. Would be great to see Skydio 3 this fall blow everyone away again, maybe a highspeed car chase at 100kph+ through downtown NYC? 😂

That's a tough one. The question is whether Skydio meant for the Skydio 2+ to be released last fall, and slipped to CES (Jan 2022), or if Jan 2022 was the plan. If last fall was the plan, then maybe a Skydio 3 this fall, given how incremental the Skydio 2+ really was.

Great to see that someone does really put some effort in decent tracking tests and comparisons! Is a comparison of the Mini 3 Pro agains the Xiaomi, Hubsan and Autel also plannend? As expected it won't beat the Skydio w.r.t. tracking, but how does it compare to similarly sized drones (

autel/hubsan/mi even still have no usable tracking for use, just can break at some times. DJI Mini 3 is totally in different level

I got most of my drones from the Amsterdam-Rijn Canal. But I’m afraid I have to buy this one in a store. Fantastic review, as always.

😁😄🤣😅😀

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Finally! Been wanting to upgrade to the mini for a while, but the lack of sensors and active track always held me back. Just have to swallow the cost for this now :/

So glad you tested this! I love when I don't have to loose my drone in a tree or river :)

Wow! Nice review and comparison in terms of tracking and obstacle avoidance features.

Lol this was really enjoyable to watch. Cool seeing the test as I don’t have a bike or somewhere like this to fly, impressed how it went backwards and found you again I was rooting for the technology inside the drone lol

I like DJI tracking way more even it loses you sometimes. Skydio 2 is just too wacky and unstable.

Props (HA) to skydio for their crazy obstacle avoidance system, but you are right, it’s anything but cinematic. The mini 3 pro seems to track about as well as my air2s, which is great, impressive even-and this is on early firmware. With the addition of 10 bit in this new update, this is going to be great companion to the air2s.

Always the most in depth testing in here. You challenge the drones..you risk the drones...and you explain it all as you go. No one does it better. You answer exactly what people are wondering without playing suck up to the manufacturers. So appreciated.

Excellent video, thank you. I would love to see the performance over steep hills such, like when mountain biking.

Real time testing that is what we need to see. Good stuff, I have 1 qwestion if you are in poi and you select a moving object will it still follow you and circle automatically or do you have to physically control the drone to keep you in focus or not. Like when you were riding your bike will it circle you and follow you with touching the controls. I ask this because you are always doing real time testing..cheers

It'll follow you automatically, forever looping. Check out the last 2 minutes of my wind video here, and I do exactly that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFf2g9By8rI

love the test. Very informative. Thanks!

Top Video.. I love it. Good work, thank you for being entertaining as well as informative 🙂

thanks Ray, feels like watching a hide and seek game. Awesome review and simulation

This video just sold me a mini 3!!! I love the skydio 2's active tracking and 180deg camera tilt which is what I need for a drone, but it costs a lot, and isn't easily available here in my country, not to mention the size and weight (not foldable). The mini 3's camera can tilt up by 60deg, and the active track isn't as good as skydio2 but it's enough for me specially with it being small and foldable, weight below 250g and price is affordable enough.

If you want a proper review then there's only one man to do it. Nice one D. Pre-ordered mine a while ago. Can't wait to get it now

I appreciate you’re only doing a tracking comparison, which was brilliant, but there are so many things that make the skydio second rate compared to the mini; weight being just one major difference.

Nice test !!! ok skydio can really follow, but most part of the time, images where unusable because it was jerking. It's strange because I've watched most of your comparisons tests and I didnt remember it was that bad. Maybe it's just because DJI is evolving my perception has changed

Outstanding, love the comparisons tests

Great video content! I would enjoy watching football or soccer where a drone continuously remained, say, 10ft or so above the field but only 20ft from the ball or something like that.

Certainly the Mini 3 is the best tracking of all the DJI drones, plus it is quite smooth in its tracking. Hopefully the Mini 4 will have a full 360 obstacle avoidance.

Love this test! Especially on this channel.

This is the first time I've heard that tracking isn't available in vertical mode. That really gives me pause on the DJI. Thank you

Thank you so much for this information. I have been waiting for an mini to finally have active track. It's time to buy my first drone :)

I've been dying to try this out with my air2s. Cycling through Colorado canyons and etc

Great work!!! Loved watching this. New viewer here. 👍🏼

Some shots of the Skydio looked pretty amazing (i.e. 14:29 ) but overall i'd give it to dji for making a way smoother video

I always look forward to your comparison video 💪🏽

Update to my earlier comment. I think your video was fair and balanced. I would’ve liked to have known what it was like with the tracker unit that you can keep on you though with the Skydo.

I’d like to see a round 2 between Mavic 3 and Skydio 2

It’s amazing watching the drone avoid the branches. My only concern is when it becomes self aware.

Primitive versions of the Skynet drones...

That is what I needed to verify. Excellent job. Thanks dude !👍

You push them like no other! Most useful videos of all for peace of mind before making the purchase decision! Thanks so much!

Great review!!! But Skydio 2 cam really sucks, I will definitely going to wait for Skydio 3!

For the specific use case of running form analysis (for example, in Dartfish software) a coach might want high frame rate video, and close-range parallel tracking in a more or less unobstructed environment. Do you see a winner for this application? Thx!

Yes, you can do 120FPS at 1080p, but not in active track. But it’s easy enough to just lightly hold side stick to follow a runner in a straight line manually.

Cycles and drones. What's not to like. Awesome review, hands on.

Waiting for your wind test. This guy does the best wind tests on the planet!

It depends so much on conditions 1/10 claimed range is probably realistic expectations with low flying where there's tree cover and interference in populated areas .

@DC Rainmaker Gulp, and its supposed to be good for 10, or 12km! That aside, disappointed that the larger battery isn't going to be available in Europe...

@Sparts I don’t typically do them, purely from a regulatory standpoint. However, I will say that very consistently on multiple continents I was hitting max range limits of 1,100-1,200m, with a singular exception of 1,500m once. This was with the DJI RC, before signal drops started.

@DC Rainmaker Range test incoming?

Definitely your wind tests are awesome

It would be nice to know how the tracker worked higher up in the sky. All of this footage shows it being at max 10 meters, but will the tracking work at lets say 50 meters? Still really informative and looking to get my hands on the Mini 3

Generally it doesn't work that high, at least in terms of on purpose. It's really hard to get it to start the track there, though, once you get going you can get it upwards of 30m or so for a person, and far more for a boat/etc...

You can now proudly put the mention "No drones were harmed in the making of this video". Would have been great as an introduction.

Great review. Thanks! Looking forward to the wind test.

Good info! I can wait for the next year model. It will only get better and hopefully cheaper

Awesome comparison ... you've helped make my choice

Wow that is actually an improvement compared to the Mavic 3

This is the one video I was looking for from you. Thank you. 😎👍🏼

Did you ever feel Skydio 2 tracking got worse over time? I feel like when I fly it now it is somewhat erratic and wobbly. I don't remember my Skydio 2 like this when I forts had it. I've crashed it once as well when it clipped a tree branch so I'm no longer 100% comfortable flying it. At that point I'm thinking the Mini 3 would be a good choice.

Great content! Thanks! 👍

New to DJI products. I ordered the Mini 3 to create videos of my kids' wakeboarding at a cable park, not on a nice open lake, so the obstacle avoidance information is very helpful - thank you 👍🏻.

Awesome, sounds like fun. Cheers!

Would you recommend any of these for trail running? While my speed is significantly slower than a cyclist, but the environment is often much narrower

Both are really good for running tracking, because as you noted, it's far slower, so they can both think through their actions better. In general, the Skydio will get itself out of stickier situations better than the Mini 3, but the Mini 3 will give cleaner video - especially if you're in low-light conditions (waaaay cleaner). The downside to the Mini is you're going to have to find a creative place to stash the controller if you want to keep moving. Or, you can just (if regs allow), place it on the ground to get the shots you want out of frame.

I use the skydio 2+ for trail running. It's awesome! I just wish the arms folded in like DJI. It is bulking trying to attach it to my vest.

I swear to God man u r the best and really want to see more videos like that

Must say love your channel for both the bike and small camera tech. It has been a great resource for myself. I lost a Skydio 2 in the local mountains when the it flew away and self landed in inaccessible terrain. The only thing I miss about it is what you mentioned at the end about not needing a controller. The Skydio drone size is not convenient, but the fact you can fly it with just a phone was great. With that said, my old Mini 2 replaced the Skydio (when I still had it) really quickly due to it's compact size and just being able to always bring it. Which was a huge advantage. I've order the new mini 3 today :)

Yeah, I agree on the Skydio 2 feeling unpredictable sometimes in landing. It's a reason I don't actually use it as much as I'd like. The landing aspects can be tricky in 'spicy' terrain situations (like on the side of a mountain).

That Skydio movement is really odd. It’s like one of my kids was controlling it. Excellent comparison video BTW.

If this is the first time I see a DJI drone not ending up in a Dutch river it will be because DJI has tempered the algo to recognize it is a Dutch river! ;)

Thanks for the great vid. Do you know if there's any chance that an HDMI adaptor will be made available for the Mini 3 Pro RC?

@DC Rainmaker they went from dual headsets and dual controllers for the Mavic Pro, to single headset for the Mavic 2 Pro then no headset connections for the next generation.. not even an HDMI connection. I wonder if it's from pressure from various authorities? I love flying FPV.. it's a shame to lose that option

Sadly not, I tried, no luck. I’ve seen some talk that specifically the USB port they put in there isn’t compatible with the USB-C to HDMI standards. :/

Спасибо. Очень полезное видео.

I've watched a lot of Mini 3 reviews today, but this was the one I was waiting for before buying!

This convinced me to get the 3, this is the only channel that do legit drone tracking.

hey ray, A strange question, but can you confirm if the dji mavic air 2 (non s) controller is also compatible with the mini 3?

For US, the biggest advantage the mini 3 has is being under 250g, so you don’t need a license to fly it.