The DJI Air 3S is known for delivering incredible aerial footage, but what if you could capture even more? Enter the DJI Air 3S Wide Angle Lens, which boasts a 114° field of view. This review dives into the product details, photo and video comparisons, compatibility, features, use cases, and my final thoughts on the lens.
Table of Contents
Product Information
The DJI Air 3S Wide Angle Lens comes in a high-quality case and is a solid addition to your drone kit. The lens is marked with “E24.6”, indicating a 14mm focal length that provides a 114° field of view. Weighing in at 11.8g, it is heavier than the standard DJI Air 3S wide-angle lens, which weighs 9.2g. This weight difference can impact the gimbal, causing it to point straight down until the drone is powered on and self-calibrates.
The lens is priced at $69, €59, or £49, depending on your location, plus shipping and tax.
Installing the lens is straightforward simply twist off the standard filter and attach the wide-angle lens. Keep in mind that the extra weight may cause some initial gimbal calibration, but once it’s powered on, everything will adjust automatically.
Photo Comparisons
In the slideshow of images shown, I used waypoints on the DJI Air 3S to ensure a fair comparison. At each waypoint, I paused, took a photo, and moved to the next location. This ensures the drone wasn’t moving while capturing, reducing any drifting issues.
Looking at the images, it’s clear where the extra width comes from the wide-angle lens captures more in the corners, including high-rise buildings that were not visible in the 24mm shots. Depending on the angle of the gimbal, you might see slight curvature, especially if the gimbal is pointed downward.
The wide-angle shots are on the right side of the images, while the 24mm shots are on the left. Distortion correction didn’t make much of a difference, so I embraced the curves as part of the lens’ unique effect.
Video Comparisons
For the video comparisons, I also used waypoints for a fair side-by-side comparison. From the first shot, it’s immediately noticeable that the wide-angle lens allows much more of the scene to be captured, including a tower in the corner of the frame that the 24mm lens missed.
The wide-angle lens provides more headroom above the tower and captures more of the scene, even with some slight distortion on the edges. The amount of distortion depends on how the gimbal is oriented. If the gimbal is level, distortion is minimal, but pointing it downward increases the visible distortion.
Another advantage of using the wide-angle lens is when shooting vertical content for social media. With more headroom, you can capture more of the scene without needing to fly further back. This can be particularly useful in tight spaces where you need to fit everything in the frame without compromising the shot.
However, it’s important to note that there is a slight crop when shooting video, so you’re effectively gaining back some of that width using the wide-angle lens. Additionally, shooting video without an ND filter means there won’t be any natural motion blur, so you’ll need to leave the drone in auto mode for exposure adjustments.
Features
Now, let’s cover some of the features you can and can’t use. The first one here is panoramas. The pin on the back of the lens actually has an effect. When you connect this to the drone, it will display a message in the top left-hand corner that says, ‘Wide-angle lens attached‘. However, if you try to use the panorama mode, it will show a message saying, ‘Wide-angle lens attached, cannot use this feature.
Panoramas
However, you can still manually create panoramas by taking several images and stitching them together in software like Lightroom. Though this adds to your workflow, it’s a viable option for those who prefer shooting panoramas manually.
Hyperlapses
The wide-angle lens is also great for creating hyperlapses. Since hyperlapses are essentially a series of images stitched together, the wide-angle lens lets you capture more of the scene, creating a unique and dynamic result. As with other shots, expect some distortion around the edges, but it’s part of the charm of the lens.
Use Cases
The wide-angle lens excels in dense urban environments, where capturing large buildings or expansive views can be difficult. In places like Toronto, Canada, where high-rise buildings are common, the wide-angle lens allows you to capture more of the scene without needing to fly further back, which may not always be possible in crowded urban spaces.
Additionally, if you’re not a fan of panoramic images due to the extra steps involved in stitching them together, the wide-angle lens allows you to capture a wide field of view in a single shot. This can save time in your workflow, especially when preparing content for social media, where wide horizontal or vertical shots are common.
My Thoughts
Overall, the DJI Air 3S Wide Angle Lens is a solid addition to the DJI Air 3S. While it is heavier than the standard lens, the drone automatically calibrates upon powering up, so there are no significant issues with gimbal performance. However, it’s important to note that you can’t switch between the 14mm and 24mm focal lengths, meaning you’ll need to plan your shots ahead of time.
The lens works best for photography, as there is no ND filter, and thus no natural motion blur for video. If you’re shooting video, you’ll need to rely on the drone’s auto mode to handle exposure. With the increasing capabilities of drone cameras, it would be great to see future models with internal ND filters that would allow for more natural motion blur in video footage.
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