DJI Mavic 3 Firmware Update – Manual Controls and New Framerates

Drone News

by Jakub HanMay 31^st, 2022

The new DJI Mavic 3 firmware update improves the telephoto camera with manual ISO and shutter speed settings as well as new framerates. It can now shoot 25, 30, and 50fps in both UHD and 1080p. The main Micro Four Thirds camera got HLG as well as 1080p 200fps slow-mo mode. The DJI Mavic 3 Cine can now shoot other ProRes flavors – ProRes 422 and 422 LT. The firmware update is available now free of charge.

DJI’s flagship foldable drone for cinematographers, the Mavic 3, was announced last year in November, and it introduced an impressive list of specs and features. The 3-axis stabilized camera unit actually includes two cameras – the main 20MP f/2.8-11 Micro Four Thirds “Hasselblad” camera with 24mm focal length (full-frame equivalent) and the smaller 12MP f/4.4 1/2″ telephoto camera with 162mm focal length (full-frame equivalent).

Telephoto camera for exploring only?

While DJI thought about the smaller telephoto camera to be used mainly for “exploring” the surroundings, many filmmakers started using it for the actual image acquisition, because a flying telephoto camera can create unique perspectives. The problem was that the telephoto camera did not offer manual controls and was limited to UHD 30fps only. That’s why the company offered to bring more features with an upcoming firmware update. Well, now the update is here, so let’s take a look at what’s changed.

DJI Mavic 3 firmware update

The new free update brings new versions of firmware to the aircraft, both controllers, and the DJI Fly app. You need to have all the components updated in order to use the new features:

• Aircraft firmware: v01.00.0700
• RC-N1 remote controller firmware: v04.13.0600
• DJI RC Pro remote controller firmware: v03.01.0700
• DJI Fly app (both iOS and Android): v1.6.4

As I mentioned above, the telephoto camera of the Mavic 3 received the most love from DJI with this update. They added a switch in photo mode that includes single shot, AEB, burst, and timed shot which supports JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW photo formats. In video mode, the tele camera now supports 25, 30, and 50fps in UHD or 1080p. It is also finally possible to manually set ISO and shutter speed in both photo and video mode. I am not sure why 24p is not supported and why the camera did not get the D-Cinelike flat picture profile, but I asked DJI and will update the article if and when I get an answer.

DJI did not forget to bring some new stuff to the main camera either. They added HLG (hybrid log-gamma), 1080p 200fps slow-motion mode, and new functions to the automatic modes. The Cine version of Mavic 3 can now also shoot other flavors of ProRes – ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 LT.

Full firmware release notes

Here is the full list of the new features and improvements of the new firmware for the DJI Mavic 3 drone:

• Added switch to the tele camera in photo mode, includes single shot, AEB, burst and timed shot, supports JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW photo format, and ISO and shutter speed settings.
• Added switch to the tele camera in video mode, supports 4K@25/30/50fps, 1080p@25/30/50fps format, and ISO and shutter speed settings.
• Added HLG for the Hasselblad camera.
• Added 1080p/200fps to Slow Motion when using the Hasselblad camera.
• Added HLG and D-Log to shoot MasterShots and QuickShots (not including Asteroid).
• Digital zoom reaches up to 3x in normal video mode when using the Hasselblad camera.
• Added support to FocusTrack, QuickShots (not including Asteroid), MasterShots, and Hyperlapse for the aircraft when the Wide-Angle Lens is mounted.
• Added ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 LT format to the Hasselblad camera of Mavic 3 Cine.
• Added one-second option to interval time setting when using Hyperlapse on Mavic 3 Cine.
• Added DJI Mavic 3 D-Log to Rec.709 vivid LUT, providing a more vivid color effect. You can download the LUT via the DJI support website.
• Added Nifty option for Bypassing when using APAS 5.0. Refer to the Mavic 3 User Manual v1.6 for details.
• Added Reset All Settings and Clear All Data options. Refer to the Mavic 3 User Manual v1.6 for details.
• Added support for Japanese RID requirements.
• Increased Home Point refresh rate.
• Optimized the focus performance when recording with the tele camera.
• Optimized the stability of the aircraft when shooting a Hyperlapse.
• Fixed issue: unable to use Hyperlapse when flying near a Flight Altitude Limit Zone.

The RC Pro controller firmware update (aside from fixing some minor bugs) adds more custom functions for buttons and dials. DJI advises users to refer to the onscreen tips for details about this.

Do you fly with the DJI Mavic 3 drone? And do you use the footage captured with the telephoto camera in your videos? What do you think about the new firmware update? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.