I was just wondering if there was a problem with my camera or is this the quality that it gives? The first two are from the image at full size when looking at it in photoshop (foreground and background). Finally a small version of the full picture which looks ok when not zoomed in. I have only flown twice so far and both times I noticed this with stills.

The Background

The full image as a small version:

It's hard to say with just a couple of crops, but it looks like it might be a de-centred lens problem. The top of the frame  (mountains) looks softer than the bottom.
It's just poor quality control.  It might be within DJI's acceptable tolerances, but it'd be worth comparing it directly with another (same scene, same time) to see if you can improve on it.  This is common with all cheap lenses.  Batch to batch variations are worse the cheaper they get.

Well, one thing is for sure, your horizon is perfectly square.  ;-)


Not sure about the camera, as the pics look fine from here.

RedHotPoker

nigelw Posted at 2016-1-5 15:50
It's hard to say with just a couple of crops, but it looks like it might be a de-centred lens proble ...

I appreciate it. If that is the case would they replace the camera free of charge since I just got the thing?

Comparing those images with a recent one of mine from the P3 yours look a little blurry?

Here's a quick one of mine to compare:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137440628@N03/shares/63iR20

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-5 21:17
I appreciate it. If that is the case would they replace the camera free of charge since I just got ...

I would expect so depending where you bought it...others have.  You have to at least try, otherwise you'll be constantly seeing problems & not enjoying your drone.

There is most probably a way to adjust the back-focus on the lens, as that is most likely the cure to the problem. It can be done on the GoPro but it is a scary procedure.

My quality is also pretty horrible. Can you guys look at my video and see that the skyline is very blurry?

Test

crbalch Posted at 2016-1-5 16:19
My quality is also pretty horrible. Can you guys look at my video and see that the skyline is very b ...

From the supplied pictures it is extremely hard to tell what is going on:

1) We don't know what, if any, post processing you did OR the web site did - the latter being very important.
2) We don't know the shutter speed and ISO of the images, both very important in terms of expected image quality.

That said, the crop image looks pretty good, the overall image, not so much.  Which again suggests a problem in processing, not an inherent camera image.

A couple of general points - the Phantom appears to be an OK still camera, not a great still camera by any means.  The whole thing costs less than some of my Nikon lenses.  I'd call it a point-and-shoot level camera.

You can do some things to get the most out of the camera:

- shoot in manual mode, aim for the highest shutter speed while keeping the ISO no higher than 400.  
- shoot in RAW mode, if you cannot do that, make a custom setting of -1 to -2 contrast, ISO and saturation.  Add that back in post processing.
- watch your histogram, expose to the right (look that up on photography web sites, basically avoid underexposure).   If you are pushing highlights AND shadows to the limit, shoot in HDR mode.
- balance your props
- shoot several shots of any desired image.   Film is cheap.

Geebax Posted at 2016-1-5 13:25
There is most probably a way to adjust the back-focus on the lens, as that is most likely the cure t ...

Don't think that would help.  Look at the foreground picture.  It is basically in focus.  Further, the lack of sharpness is fairly consistent throughout the lens although this is a bad picture for this - there is a reason that measurebators take pictures of brick walls.

rogergolub Posted at 2016-1-6 13:28
Don't think that would help.  Look at the foreground picture.  It is basically in focus.  Further, ...

Sorry, I disagree, none of the photos he has posted are in focus. And that is exactly what back-focus in a fixed lens is designed to set. If focusses the image in the lens onto the sensor. I have replaced the stock lens in a GoPro Hero 4 with a non-distorting after-market lens, and one of the processes you go through in the installation is to adjust the back-focus by screwing the lens in or out and then locking it with a thread locker.

The problem with trying to adjust focus in these cameras is it will almost certainly void the warranty.

From what I understand it could be a prop balance issue causing some vibration. What is everyone's thoughts on balancing?

rogergolub Posted at 2016-1-6 10:23
From the supplied pictures it is extremely hard to tell what is going on:

1) We don't know what,  ...

Hi Roger,

Thanks for the reply. If you took a look at the link I sent over, that is a video straight out of the camera shot at 1080p60fps on a pretty sunny day. I used Final Cut Pro to export it in its original format, quality, etc. with zero post-processing. It is hosted on iCloud so there would be no processing from a web perspective either.

It seems as though the focus is very soft on the top of the image, and progressively sharper towards the bottom. Would this be a candidate for a decentered lens?

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-6 13:35
From what I understand it could be a prop balance issue causing some vibration. What is everyone's t ...

Try taking photos without the motors spinning...you don't have to fly.

I've just bought a prop balancer, but I don't expect it'll make any difference.  I just want to eliminate any potential complications.  It's more likely serious vibrations will come from gain settings when the drone's reacting to the wind.

crbalch Posted at 2016-1-6 15:12
Hi Roger,

Thanks for the reply. If you took a look at the link I sent over, that is a video strai ...

Yes, unless the part of the image at the bottom of the frame is very close to the camera (within a couple of metres or so)

I changed some settings and got  better result today (some post processing but the initial image wasn't as rough):

nigelw Posted at 2016-1-7 01:35
Yes, unless the part of the image at the bottom of the frame is very close to the camera (within a ...

Ok great thanks for the response, calling DJI now for a replacement!

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-6 17:38
I changed some settings and got  better result today (some post processing but the initial image was ...

The mountains still look soft to me.

It's always best to start with a good original.  My out-of-camera jpg's are much sharper than RAW images imported into Adobe Lightroom with default settings until I work on them, similar to what you have here.  The camera's jpg's are already sharpened to the limit.

The trouble with jpg's though is that you're limited to how much you can manipulate them because they've lost a lot of the original capture information.  Sharpening needs to be done after any other work, otherwise you get nasty artifacts, for example if you increase the contrast the sharpening becomes obvious & not pretty.

I'll see if I can dig out one of mine for comparison.

crbalch Posted at 2016-1-6 12:41
Ok great thanks for the response, calling DJI now for a replacement!

Let me know how that goes.

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-7 02:19
Let me know how that goes.

got setup for a return authorization, sending it out in the next few days then we will see

nigelw Posted at 2016-1-6 18:02
The mountains still look soft to me.

It's always best to start with a good original.  My out-of-ca ...

Here's one of mine...one's processed & sharpened, the other is un-sharpened.

Yeah still not great by any means. I am wondering then if I also have a decentered lens issue. It seems to be a fairly widespread problem. I ordered mine direct from DJI so I don't know how it will go trying to resolve it and get a replacement camera at least.

nigelw Posted at 2016-1-6 13:31
Here's one of mine...one's processed & sharpened, the other is un-sharpened.

Nice shot first of all and yeah there is inevitably blur with distance which I can see in the unsharpened version. I noticed with mine I don't see the issue nearly as much when taking a shot straight down. I am beginning to wonder if it is mainly vibration especially with reduced power in colder weather (apparently the new firmware update did something with cold weather operation in that regard). That could also be wishful thinking. Anyway here is one I took this afternoon with some processing but the original didn't look nearly as bad as earlier shots I took:

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-6 22:23
Nice shot first of all and yeah there is inevitably blur with distance which I can see in the unsh ...

That looks a lot better.  Try taking a photo with the drone on the ground & the motors switched off to eliminate vibration.

That photo of mine was taken when I first noticed the vibration after the firmware update & it was the worst it's ever been.  Obviously I couldn't see what was happening at altitude but it looks ok to me.

Heres the full unprocessed version of a photo I took the other day. Can you guys chime in on this? Notice that the bottom of the photo (billboard, brick building) are pretty in focus. Travel up the photo to the skyline, and more specifically the buildings toward the upper left of the picture, and you'll notice how out of focus/unsharp it is.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wjybxfga6b4ywcc/DJI_0166.jpg?dl=0

Thoughts?

crbalch Posted at 2016-1-6 18:09
Heres the full unprocessed version of a photo I took the other day. Can you guys chime in on this? N ...

There is a definite difference between right and left. It changes just left of the Willis Tower is looks like to me. I definitely think you made a good call in contacting DJI there.

Geebax Posted at 2016-1-5 17:25
There is most probably a way to adjust the back-focus on the lens, as that is most likely the cure t ...

LOL bet not many remember setting back focus from the old days

crbalch Posted at 2016-1-7 10:09
Heres the full unprocessed version of a photo I took the other day. Can you guys chime in on this? N ...

Yes, I think you need to send that back to DJI, it is definitely out of whack.

jack1144 Posted at 2016-1-7 14:52
LOL bet not many remember setting back focus from the old days

Aint that the truth.

Geebax Posted at 2016-1-7 06:20
Aint that the truth.

The same softness I got, but I've it on the left side of the picture, http://forum.dji.com/thread-38850-1-1.html. I can't get any response from my dealer yet, maybe Christmas and all that.

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-7 07:49
There is a definite difference between right and left. It changes just left of the Willis Tower is ...

Thanks, yeah hopefully it doesnt take too long to get the bird back! Glad this is happening in the dead of winter at least

I took test shots on the ground while holding the drone in my hand and everything seems normal. My camera appears to be ok, which means it may be a vibrational issue at times, especially in the far distances. I will see if I can reduce that with prop balancing. This device is obviously geared more for video which appears fine to me as well. Again I stress I am a noob so I therefore stress about things I shouldn't. Overall I am enjoying the drone so far.

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-7 20:37
I took test shots on the ground while holding the drone in my hand and everything seems normal. My c ...

Thinking about it, it could actually be vibration.  Since the camera uses an electronic shutter, the vibration may be very short lived & only affect half of the frame.  The camera reads off the sensor one line at a time & it can take 1/10th second or more to complete the process.  This is the same regardless of shutter speed.  So, if the vibration only affects the first half of the exposure it would explain the problem.  It would also explain why sometimes it's ok as vibrations come & go at different frequencies etc.

crbalch Posted at 2016-1-6 18:09
Heres the full unprocessed version of a photo I took the other day. Can you guys chime in on this? N ...

Interesting discussion.

The photo posted in #28 by crbalch looks a lot like the ones I've been getting.  I sent my P3P in for an RMA, they replaced the camera, and when I started flying again I got blurry photos.  The right side is pretty good, but the center and left are bad -- exactly like this one.

What's driving me nuts is that it's not entirely reproducible.  Basically, whenever I shoot a brick wall as a test -- both stationary and in hover -- it's borderline acceptable (although the left side is still worse).  But whenever I go shoot something interesting, it seems much worse.  Maybe I just like pictures of brick walls?

Anyway, my best theory at this point is that it's temperature-related.  My disappointing shots have been at 10-15 F, whereas my test shots have been around 35-40 F.  (Not on purpose, it just worked out that way).  I'm hypothesizing that either (1) something happens to the camera in sub-freezing weather (maybe because I'm not letting it cool down ahead of time), or (2) the vibration/gimbal gets worse when it's cold.  

I notice that all the shots in this thread are snowy.  Nobody (yet) has said they're getting blurry pictures in Florida...

I didn't check your photo but in general reference to something I noticed
I wonder if some of the softness might be props in the shot. I have seen that in some shots when a bit windy and hovering as the phantom is tilting to maintain location. The props rotor plane can look like a soft area until you look closely. Depending on the shutter speed and background in the shot it can almost disappear.

jgilchristmusic Posted at 2016-1-6 09:38
I changed some settings and got  better result today (some post processing but the initial image was ...

Can you explain the settings used? My photos never look that good.

jeffm@shaw.ca Posted at 2016-1-8 00:11
Can you explain the settings used? My photos never look that good.

In short use the ISO at 100 if the lighting permits and as fast a shutter speed as possible to minimize motion blur. I took another pic this morning that I am happy with .