Mavic 4 Pro Vs. Mavic 3 Pro: Compare The RAW Files Yourself!

Ever since the DJI Mavic 4 Pro launched, a lot of doubt has seemingly been cast over whether or not it is actually a significant upgrade from its predecessor. Because I like to follow my own thoughts and observations, I decided to just test it myself by flying the Mavic 4 Pro and Mavic 3 Pro side-by-side, taking the same images in the same conditions.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: I am not a pixel-peeper. I generally don’t go and zoom in on an image at 400% to see whether or not something is every so slightly sharper. I don’t think it matters all that much. And you know why? It’s because a new drone, or a new camera, is not solely defined by whether or not it produces significantly better images. There are so many factors to take into consideration whether something is a significant step up such as battery life, transmission technology, controllers, easy-of-use, …

So what did I find by putting the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and DJI Mavic 4 Pro next to each other? Let’s find out!

Disclaimer: This is an opinion article based on all the available information of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro at the time of writing. This article is not sponsored in any way. However, when you make a purchase using the link in this article, I may earn a small commission.

Things You Should Know About The Mavic 3 Pro/Mavic 4 Pro RAW Files

Since the release of DJI Mavic 4 Pro, I have been getting a lot of requests for files so I decided to do it properly and make a full set of files of both the Mavic 3 Pro and Mavic 4 Pro. Today, I went out, flew both drones next to each other at about 14 meter altitude and then took all of the images according to a list I made. Some of the differences are considerable and I am sure you will be curious about them too.

If you sign up below, you will get a link sent to download the files. However, there are a few things I want to point out first…

• The Mavic 4 Pro has many more ISO steps to choose from. For example, you jump from ISO100 straight into ISO200 on Mavic 3 Pro, while Mavic 4 Pro has ISO125 & ISO160 in between. To keep the download size smaller, I removed these in between ISO steps from the RAW files.
• The 1x lens on the Mavic 4 Pro has an aperture that can open up considerably wider than the Mavic 3 Pro’s 1x lens.
• Mavic 4 Pro is also capable of shooting at much faster shutter speeds (up to 1/16000s) which you will notice when comparing the highest ISO’s. Some images on the Mavic 3 Pro are overexposed as a result of the slower maximum shutter speed.
• After inspecting the RAW files, I can conclude that the Mavic 4 Pro RAW files have a higher effective color depth than Mavic 3 Pro.
• Mavic 4 Pro has dual-native ISO on all three cameras for photography with a native ISO at 100 & 400. This is different in video, and depending on the color profile, where it will be ISO 400 & ISO 1600 instead.
• Even though the white balance is the same on all images, the colors on Mavic 3 Pro are much cooler in comparison.
• The minimal focusing distance is different with the Mavic 3 Pro focusing from one meter, as opposed to two meters on the Mavic 4 Pro.
• For some of these images, for example when changing the ISO, I had to leave the settings on Auto for aperture and shutter speed so the exposures wouldn’t be wildly different. This is when I noticed that the metering on both of these camera systems is seemingly very different. You will notice that the choices for aperture and shutter speed on both drones, in the same situation, are completely different. By default, the Mavic 3 Pro seems a lot darker in choosing its exposures.

A Few Comparisons I Wanted To Highlight

While I do not want to draw conclusions just yet, because I want to use my drone more thoroughly before I write a thorough review, there are a few comparisons I want to show you in the imaging department. As mentioned, these are comparisons under certain conditions between DJI Mavic 3 Pro and Mavic 4 Pro. Without hyping it too much, there is definitely a very visible difference between both of them.

Disclaimer: it is by far the best to download the files yourself and have a look. The images you see here are also in some way compressed because you are viewing them on my website.

Stay Tuned!

I am planning to do an extensive review of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro after 6 months of usage. This summer, I am running a lot of drone-focused photography workshops, and I will be doing a few personal projects as well. That means I will have plenty of opportunities to fully test the DJI Mavic 4 Pro out in the field in all sorts of conditions. Stay tuned!

Affordable Alternatives

If you are looking at alternatives to the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, I can point you into the direction of my updated drone buyer’s guide. If you are considering upgrading from an older model, you may also be able to get some great deals on second-hand Mavic 3 series drones or others.

What to Expect?

• A 125-page educational PDF about nature drone photography with very detailed explanations
• Which drone to get for photography and why
• Important settings and configuration options 
• A list of useful skills & tips
• A list of useful accessories and what not to buy at all
• How to research locations for drone photography
• How to compose with a drone and insight into Jeroen’s thought process with plenty of examples
• Thoughtfully planning ahead for your drone shoot
• The how and why of creating bracketed images
• The how and why of shooting HDR panoramas
• What challenges you might face and how to deal with them
• Common mistakes & how to deal with them
• How to stitch your panoramas together

Use EBOOK20 to get 20% off your Nature Drone Photography (E-Book) purchase!