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FIMI MINI 3: A Mini Camera Drone that Rivals DJI?
Updated on October 9, 2024
Discover how FIMI MINI 3 can rival the DJI drones and dominate the world of aerial photography and filming!
This drone review will feature its camera quality, design, flight performance, pros & cons, and usage. This will also show why it’s one of the best drones for photography and filming right now!
We are aiming to help you get all the information about this product so you can decide whether its perfect to your liking or not.
Quick Glance
The FIMI MINI 3 is one of the best & cheapest camera drones that can rival the dominant DJI drones in the market right now.
This drone only weighs 245 grams so it doesn’t need to be registered on the Federa Aviation Authority. You can technically fly it right away!
The FIMI Navi app that it uses when you connect your smartphone and the drone is compatible with Android 9.0 & IOS 12.0 and above.
Its camera consists unique camera features that most camera drones in this price range don’t possess! AI Super Night Video (amazing during sunset), 8k timelapse, 12x zoom technology and many more.
Moreover, if you purchase the FIMI MINI 3 Combo, it comes with two high-quality performance batteries that provides up to 64 minutes of flight time.
The maximum speed of this drone can reach up to 18m/s and it can withstand level 5 winds (up to 38kph).
FIMI MINI 3’s battery port is compatible with the batteries of its previous models such as FIMI MINI 2 & 1 hence, you can use them on this drone!
A Mini drone that rivals the dji drones
FIMI MINI 3 Rating
These are the results of our personal tests & challenges given to the drone with the consideration to its camera, flight performance, structure, design, and price range. FIMI Mini got an impressive overall rating of 92.33%.
Structure and Design
The FIMI MINI 3 is a mini drone with excellent camera supported by 3-axis gimbal and GPS for extra stable and extra smooth aerial capture. It is only available in orange color.
This drone weighs 245g with 7.87″L x 5.7″W x 2.2″H inches dimensions. Since it doesn’t exceed the 250g weight limit of the FAA, there’s no need to register this drone hence you can fly it right away!
Learn more about the drone weight regulation implemented by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
It is primarily made with the combination of durable plastic materials which makes it extra lightweight and durable at the same time (though I don’t recommend bumping it).
When you connect your smatphone to the drone, you can simply scan the QR code found at the side of the box. The APP is compatible with Android 9.0 & IOS 12.0 and above.
The recommended and supported memory cards by this drone are Micro SD (U3 and above) 8 up to 256 GB.
Moreover, it comes with 4x spare propellers, 4x screws, 1x USB-cable, 1x charger, 2x Manual, 1x Gimbal cover, 1x battery, 1x screwdriver, a Type C/Lightning cable, and a Remote Contoller.
Camera and Video Quality
What makes FIMI MINI 3 camera rival the highly established DJI camera drones? Well, it consists unique camera features that most camera drones in this price range don’t possess!
One of them is the AI Super Night Video which adopts the latest generation of AI ISP chip, this means it can achieve 400% higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to the traditional ISP chips.
Due to this, it can provide stunning aerial videos even in low-light conditions (If you want the best results from this feature, I highly recommend you perform it during sunset).
Moreover, it can perform 8k timelapse (which lets you capture the flow of time with 8000*6000 Pixels UHD image quality), tripod mode, and cinematic mode.
This camera has a 4k video capture resolution coupled with 48MP still resolution. It offers up to 9km of video transmission range.
It also supports dual-frequency band that switches between 2.4 & 5.8GHz with a latency as low as 120 ms to ensure more stable & smoother image transmission!
Furthermore, features such as Visual Tracking, Waypoint, Point of Interest, Orbit, Spiral, Drift, Dronie, and Soaring can be enjoyed on this drone camera.
When your smartphone is connected on the FIMI Navi app, your life becomes way easier since it offers easy-to-use and one click functions on the screen!
Another important feature to mention is its digital zoom technology, it can easily zoom up to 12x and it zooms out smoothly which I think a very helpful feature when filming.
Flight Performance
If you purchase the FIMI MINI 3 Combo, it comes with two high-quality performance batteries. Based on the manual, each battery provides 32 minutes of flight time.
During our drone test, it lasted around 25 minutes of undisturbed flight time. This is still very impressive, considering many drones in this price range don’t last that long.
Another good thing about this drone is that you can actually use the batteries from FIMI MINI 2 & 1 if you already have these previous models (not many drones can do this).
This drone can reach a maximum speed of 18m/s which also helps it easily fly in winds of up to 38kph (Level 5 Winds).
Furthermore, it has beginner-friendly features such as auto-return and one-key takeoff/landing that will allow you to easily master the FIMI MINI 3
You can fly it indoors but I highly recommend you fly it in an open area since it doesn’t have obstacle avoidance to easily avoid and maneuver in tight spaces.
Usage of this Drone
The FIMI MINI 3 certainly has remarkable camera quality, decent structure and incredible flight performance.
Therefore, you can use in variety of recreational activities such as aerial photography and videography, exploration, sightseeing, hobby flying, social media content creation, and many more.
With all this all-around perfromance, I highly recommend this to photographers, filmmakers, drone fanatics, content creators and hobbyists.
Features and Details
| FEATURES | DETAILS |
| 4k Camera | It can perform 4K/2.7K/1080P @ 60fps/50fps/30fps/25fps/24fps |
| AI Super Night Video | Night sceneries are just so underrated! Its camera has fully adopted the latest generation of AI ISP to achieve 400% higher signal-to-noise ratio. This makes it deliver stunning aerial photos in low-light conditions prefereably sunset. |
| Intelligent Flight Modes | Enjoy different types of flight modes such as Soaring, Dronie, Orbit, Spiral, Waypoint, Virtual Tracking and Drift. |
| 3-axis Gimbal | This feature ensures the smoother and more stable photos and videos even in windy situations. |
| 9km Video Transmission | This drone supports 2.4G/5GHz SoLink Dual Band so even in this far away situations, you still have crystal clear real-time video transmission! |
| Up to 48MP Still Resolution | Tired of low quality images? Well, this drone can certainly produce up to 48MP photos |
| Zoom Technology | FIMI MINI 3’s camera can zoom in up to 12x and interestingly zooms out pretty smooth remarkable zoom in & out transition. |
| High Performance Batteries | This purchase will include two high quality batteries that will provide up to 64 minutes of flight time! |
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Specifications
| Brand | FIMI |
|---|---|
| Model Name | MINI 3 |
| Special Feature | Under 249g; No need for FAA or Remote ID Registration, 4K/60fps, AI Super Night Video, Max 29000ft Video Transmission, 3-axis Gimbal 48MP Stacked CMOS Sensor, Smart Tracking; 38kph (Level 5) Wind Resistance |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Color | Orange |
| Video Capture Resolution | 4K/2.7K/1080P@60fps/50fps/30fps/25fps/24fps; |
| Effective Still Resolution | 48.00 |
| Connectivity Technology | USB |
| Item Weight | 245 Grams |
| Battery Capacity | 2200 Milliamp Hours |
| Control Type | Remote Control |
| Media Type | Micro SD |
| Maximum Range | 29000 Feet |
| Material | Plastic |
| Battery Cell Composition | Lithium Polymer |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Remote Control Included? | Yes |
| Rechargeable Battery Included | Yes |
| Product Dimensions | 7.87″L x 5.7″W x 2.2″H |
| Manufacturer | FIMI |
| Item Weight | 8.6 ounces |
Conclusion
In this FIMI MINI 3 drone review, we have certainly seen that it could rival the DJI drones as the best drones for photography and filming you can find out there.
The camera quality is outstanding which is very crucial for taking high-quality photos and movie-like videos. It certainly brought aerial sceneries to a whole new level!
Additionally, it supports unique camera features like AI Super Night Video, 8k timelapse, 12x zoom technology, and many more.
This is a remarkable outdoor drone since it has amazing flight time as well as pretty good wind resistance of Level 5 (38kph).
However, it also has its downside like the lack of obstacle sensors and its having trouble with its virtual tracking feature when there are many trees or high obstacles.
Overall, this drone is very impressive especially on its price range! Not many drones with this price tag have this amazing camera quality and features.
I will personally recommend product this to photographers, fillmmakers, content creators, drone fanatics, and even beginners.
