Hi all, got issues with this new drone, hope someone can help.
Every other flight I get fog/mist build up on the camera lense.
Strangely, I could be flying clear one minute then it will just appear, getting worse, but can then clear a few minutes later.
This happens despite the weather, had it on cold, warm, sunny & dull days, it's unpredictable.
DCRainmaker thorough review stated some early models were indeed faulty, but how can I verify this?
Anu ideas?

I had this yesterday,  took off and it was like I was in fog,  landed cleaned lens and it was fine,   Id assumed it was too close my water bottle but that didnt add up.   

Only had this once on a Air 1, but I was in fog so that's expected!
Never had it on Mini 2, ever

Happened me once. I flew directly after charging the battery and noticed the drone was warm. When I took off in the cold air the lens was fogged up. It disappeared after a few minutes but hasn't happened me before with equipment. I also noticed it on Henrik's latest video flying around the radio tower, I think he mentioned something similar about flying it shortly after charging.

Would it be drone where you’re keeping the drone prior to flying ?

hallmark007 Posted at 5-28 06:42
Would it be drone where you’re keeping the drone prior to flying ?

Don't know. I charge it in the same place each time. I put it down to change in temperature / conditions from my room to the outside. Drone was warm after charging and it was late in the evening so the air was heavy and cold. I've done several more flights since and the issue hasn't recurred.

Hot to cold could cause this, i have never seen it happen to my Mini 2 or P4P though, but i have to my old Canon 70D lens and when fitting security cameras outside, they do acclimate though, try leaving it in the temp you're going to fly in for a short time should help if that's what the issue is, but, its normally on the outside,  is yours on the outside or inside of the lens?

Bashy Posted at 5-28 06:51
Hot to cold could cause this, i have never seen it happen to my Mini 2 or P4P though, but i have to my old Canon 70D lens and when fitting security cameras outside, they do acclimate though, try leaving it in the temp you're going to fly in for a short time should help if that's what the issue is, but, its normally on the outside,  is yours on the outside or inside of the lens?

Really not sure, as it's gone clear by the time it gets home.  Assume it's the camera generating moisture as it tends to happen after the drone has been in the air for a few minutes

I have never had this issue even during winter coming from 21°C to outside -5°C. But honestly i have had always monted min. a UV filter on the camera for protection.
Due to the current humid weather, that there no filters available yet and that the lense is directly exposed to the humid air, while camera is warming up in operation,
it can be that ther will condense some moisture directly  on the lense.
Hopefully the Freewell filters will be available soon.

Seems you are not alone unfortunately

Chinese DJI Forum

https://bbs.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=301416

I had this problem from day 1, and wasnt happy about it. Ive heard people assume its from storing it around damp or wet objects, or humidity changes in the air, or temprature changes........but I dont think any of these are the real issue. Heres why.
If its a change of temperature or humidity,  moisture would condense on the outside of the front element due to the lower temperature of the outside surface of the glass.......but this problem is presenting itself on the inside of the front lens element.  If it was moisture in the air getting into the camera housing, then the chance of it condensing on the inside of the front lens element wouldnt be likely as it would be the same temperature as the outside air, with the same moisture content.
Now, if the camera unit is a sealed unit, it would have to be manufactured in a hermetically sealed 'dry room' so no moisture is present before its sealed. However, if there was an error in that part of the manufacturing process and moisture was present, it would be sealed inside the camera housing. Then, with natural temperature changes, or due to the possibly mild heat generated by the sensor, that moisture would heat up and condense on the inside of the lens element. This would make sense, because on cold or mild days, the camera housing would be warmer and cause the moisture to condense. Even on warm or hot days, the external heat from the sun or even the internal heat from the sensor would still cause the moisture to condense as there would be no flow of air to keep it cool and avoid it condensing.
That said, Ive also heard mention that DJI have rather quietly identified the issue with at least one batch of these drones, but Im thinking it could be a wider batch issue.
Anyway, Ive returned mine to be repaired under the manufacturers guarantee. Im not settling for a brand new drone that has this problem from the very outset. I still have a Phantom 4 Pro which I bought shortly after they were released, and Ive never had this problem in the 6 years or so that Ive had it, so I dont expect to have it with a new drone today. Rather than exchange mutterings in the board room, DJI should be making the issue known and addressing it, putting the consumer first before investor profits.

I got the same problem with my Mini 3 Pro. Bought it like a week ago and got the problem since yesterday. The camera gets fogy and the picture looks misty. It desappears after few minutes on the ground

I had some issue. If anyone have a solver. Please let me know

You shouldn't need to solve this short of sending it back. Camera was sealed with moisture inside. Good luck!

Hi there, I am deeply sorry for the issue and the belated reply. May I know if you have sorted out the issue? If not, could you please tell take a clear picture of the lens by your phone for double confirmation? I look forward to your reply.

DJI Susan Posted at 6-22 19:22
Hi there, I am deeply sorry for the issue and the belated reply. May I know if you have sorted out the issue? If not, could you please tell take a clear picture of the lens by your phone for double confirmation? I look forward to your reply.

I had to send it back to Amazon for refund, it was just too unreliable to trust in it.
I've heard a lot of buyer's 1st flights have this for a few seconds (probably due to the large update required after activation) but mine was far worse, & would happen randomly during flights.
Some suggest the cause is the seal/o-ring within the camera -it may not be seated correctly during manufacture. I hope it's that, & not a design flaw as I wouldn't want to see it on my 2nd unit

djiuser_RytEDQnU3sV5 Posted at 6-23 08:55
I had to send it back to Amazon for refund, it was just too unreliable to trust in it.
I've heard a lot of buyer's 1st flights have this for a few seconds (probably due to the large update required after activation) but mine was far worse, & would happen randomly during flights.
Some suggest the cause is the seal/o-ring within the camera -it may not be seated correctly during manufacture. I hope it's that, & not a design flaw as I wouldn't want to see it on my 2nd unit

I understand your concern, just to clarify, during manufacturing, we usually remove the moisture before sealing the lens and ship out products after strictly following the inspection and testing procedure. Please stay assured that this phenomenon will not occur. If any issue occurs after receipt of a product, please contact us for help.

DJI Susan Posted at 6-27 04:08
I understand your concern, just to clarify, during manufacturing, we usually remove the moisture before sealing the lens and ship out products after strictly following the inspection and testing procedure. Please stay assured that this phenomenon will not occur. If any issue occurs after receipt of a product, please contact us for help.

That’s a very strong statement.

Unfortunately “this phenomenon” is occurring for a lot of people, some have had replacement drones and it’s still happening. It’s clearly been quite a large flaw in the manufacturing process.

I’ve sent mine in for repair or replacement today for the same issue and I just pray the unit I receive back no longer has the issue, but sadly I’m not greatly confident.

Hi
I have 3 DJI Drones never had a problem before, the Mini 3 Pro is causing me so much trouble whilst out on jobs, it mists up then clears after about 5 minutes causing all the first few shots useless, never had a problem with Mini 2 in all its 50+ hours of working  or the Air 2 , Pro 2, do i send it back I need it for work grrrr

Images

Wiganer Posted at 6-27 04:48
That’s a very strong statement.

Unfortunately “this phenomenon” is occurring for a lot of people, some have had replacement drones and it’s still happening. It’s clearly been quite a large flaw in the manufacturing process.

I understand your concern. Please keep us updated on this case when you receive the drone back. Thank you.

fans1dbb0e7a Posted at 6-27 06:41
Hi
I have 3 DJI Drones never had a problem before, the Mini 3 Pro is causing me so much trouble whilst out on jobs, it mists up then clears after about 5 minutes causing all the first few shots useless, never had a problem with Mini 2 in all its 50+ hours of working  or the Air 2 , Pro 2, do i send it back I need it for work grrrr

Hi there, I am sorry to read about the issue. Could you please help to double confirm if the condensation was generated inside the lens?
A picture of the lens would be highly appreciated.
If the condensation was generated inside the lens, please send the drone back to our service center for further diagnosis and assistance.
You can click https://www.dji.com/us/service/repair to start an online repair case.

It happen to my mini 3 so many time. DJI, will you take action and responsible with this issue??

You just can't make this up, the 2nd Mini 3 Pro I've bought has just had lens fogging, much like the 1st one! Typically, this has occurred whilst filming people at an event for a client, obviously I'm less than happy with this -destroying my reputation for reliable service.
How am I supposed to trust this company when BOTH have been faulty for the same reason.
Landed & tried wiping the lens cover, but confirmed it's 100% on the inside of the camera!
I need a reliable drone for my business, not one that lets me down again & again.

djiuser_RytEDQnU3sV5 Posted at 7-1 07:50
You just can't make this up, the 2nd Mini 3 Pro I've bought has just had lens fogging, much like the 1st one! Typically, this has occurred whilst filming people at an event for a client, obviously I'm less than happy with this -destroying my reputation for reliable service.
How am I supposed to trust this company when BOTH have been faulty for the same reason.
Landed & tried wiping the lens cover, but confirmed it's 100% on the inside of the camera!

What is the manufacture month of your SECOND drone compared to the first?  The manufacture month and year are on the bar code sticker on the outside of the retail box.

djiuser_UiOpbSlvbHqN Posted at 7-1 10:19
What is the manufacture month of your SECOND drone compared to the first?  The manufacture month and year are on the bar code sticker on the outside of the retail box.

...I know what your saying as I noticed (& photographed) this before opening the second, they are both 2022/04 ☹️

djiuser_UiOpbSlvbHqN Posted at 7-1 10:19
What is the manufacture month of your SECOND drone compared to the first?  The manufacture month and year are on the bar code sticker on the outside of the retail box.

Interesting point.
Just for your reference .
Mine is 2022/05 and no fogging.

That’s really not good having a 2nd drone with the same issue. There are clearly a ton of drones out there with this issue.

My drone has been repaired/replaced by DJI for this issue and is currently on the way back to me. Will be interesting to see if it’s been resolved or not. I won’t hold my breath sadly.

Just checked the manufacture month of the drone I sent back and that was also 2022/04

I just got my drone today and having the same issue. This is ridiculous. I've been completely in 70° temperature inside my house and out. Before that the drone was riding around in the UPS truck at the same temperature. The only thing I can think of is the drone was fairly hot after charging it and doing all of the updates and maybe that's what caused the condensation? I'm going to do a full charge and let it sit and wait till it's ice cold and fly it again. If I get condensation I'm returning it.

Sadly this is clearly a major manufacturing fault, happening to a lot of people and there's probably a lot of people who haven't yet noticed it on their drones.

If you return it I hope you have better luck than me anyway!  I returned mine, got the replacement yesterday and it had a lot more faults on it than the new one I sent back to them! I've now had to go through the same process again to send this one back.  I have no faith in what I'll receive next. Terrible quality control they've got if they can't even test and send working drones back to people.  My post on it is here (which Admins moved to the Service section):  https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D617%26typeid%3D617

Hi from the Philippines! I've got the same issue with my brand new unit when I had my first test flight yesterday. May I know how can I resolve this? Thanks!

Good luck getting one without this issue. I’ve had 3 drones now from DJI, all different manufacture months and all had the fogging issue. Finally returned it to the store for a refund today as I’ve had enough of the poor quality control.

Wiganer Posted at 7-25 01:11
Good luck getting one without this issue. I’ve had 3 drones now from DJI, all different manufacture months and all had the fogging issue. Finally returned it to the store for a refund today as I’ve had enough of the poor quality control.

Hi, Wiganer. We are greatly sorry to hear about that. Please kindly note that we have replied to your other post. You may have a check. Thank you.

Keith Anthony F Posted at 7-24 17:21
Hi from the Philippines! I've got the same issue with my brand new unit when I had my first test flight yesterday. May I know how can I resolve this? Thanks!

Hi, there. Sorry for your inconvenience. May we know if you encounter the fog issue? If yes, please provide us with related pictures for our further checks. Thank you.

djiuser_johHJdrrmfxj Posted at 6-30 04:01
It happen to my mini 3 so many time. DJI, will you take action and responsible with this issue??

Hi, there. We are greatly sorry to hear about that. May we know if your issue has been solved?

djiuser_RytEDQnU3sV5 Posted at 7-1 07:50
You just can't make this up, the 2nd Mini 3 Pro I've bought has just had lens fogging, much like the 1st one! Typically, this has occurred whilst filming people at an event for a client, obviously I'm less than happy with this -destroying my reputation for reliable service.
How am I supposed to trust this company when BOTH have been faulty for the same reason.
Landed & tried wiping the lens cover, but confirmed it's 100% on the inside of the camera!

Hi, there. We are greatly sorry to hear about that. May we know if you have sent the drone back for further testing? Please keep us updated. Please rest assured we will try our best to help you out.

Has anybody experienced if the same problem is there with a ND-filter on, or the white angle lens. I had the problem with my old Mavic pro, but not when I had I ND filter on

This is the 2nd mini3 got this issue,  i just got it back today as a replacement and still foggy after a short fly.