Dumb question. Does the lens cover have glass or is it just an open hole?I just noticed that my lens cover has no glass - just an open hole. Is this how it came or did something fall out? On the DJI parts site, it does say "Only the protective lid frame, no glass attached" so I'm guessing this is how it came so I'm wondering how this really protects the lens.

Yes, oddly enough, that's exactly what it is. There is no protective glass. Use either an ND filter or a UV filter to protect the lens.

bobmalkh Posted at 8-17 03:59
Yes, oddly enough, that's exactly what it is. There is no protective glass. Use either an ND filter or a UV filter to protect the lens.

Ok Thanks.

I'd like to understand: protect against what? If anything would damage the lens, there would also be severe damage to the gimbal or the drone as a whole. In my opinion, there is no need for a protection.

_SoP_ Posted at 8-17 04:40
I'd like to understand: protect against what? If anything would damage the lens, there would also be severe damage to the gimbal or the drone as a whole. In my opinion, there is no need for a protection.

I don't know, just thought that was a clear glass cover that could be removed to attached other types of filters. Maybe a dust cover to keep the camera lens clean? You make sense I just didn't notice it was just a hole.

_SoP_ Posted at 8-17 04:40
I'd like to understand: protect against what? If anything would damage the lens, there would also be severe damage to the gimbal or the drone as a whole. In my opinion, there is no need for a protection.

dust, sand, slight moisture (fog for example)... is it still better to be protected than not? this is my personal opinion, and everyone is free to do as he sees fit

If the lens is covered with dust or sand, or the lens is a bit wet, I would be more worried about the internal electronic behind the cooling gaps which point to the front of the drone.
I used to mount "protection filters" on the lens of my very first camera (in the late 1980s) until I was told by a professional insider of the camera business that the front lens is specially hard coated and there is absolutely no need for protection. Even the other way round: Any additional glass or material has some influence on the overall optical quality of a lens.

Hello. When designing the gimbal camera, we added a gimbal camera frame to protect the lens from scratches and avoid dust accumulation on the corners after long-term usage. In addition, a protective frame without a lens is installed on the camera for using the ND filter. As a result, this protects the lens without compromising on the appearance, and the removal of the gimbal camera frame enables the easy mounting of the ND filter. Thank you for your valued support.

It’s common practise amongst many photographers to protect their camera lens with an inert lens that collects the dust and moisture on its surface. Cleaning the protective lens is normally straightforward but if it does get damaged it’s much cheaper to replace that than the lens itself. I use an ultra violet filter on my drone for the same purpose.
The ‘lens cover’ that comes with the drone doesn’t protect the lens st all, it does however hide the fixing points for any filters that owner wants to use. This serves two purposes, it looks neater and stops dust and dirt building up on the fixing points. I suppose it also adds a bit of weight to the drone which goes some way to compensating for the weight of an aftermarket filter. To make a drone that could be flown with some add-ones and still weigh less than 250g must have been auite a balancing act.

_SoP_ Posted at 8-17 08:09
If the lens is covered with dust or sand, or the lens is a bit wet, I would be more worried about the internal electronic behind the cooling gaps which point to the front of the drone.
I used to mount "protection filters" on the lens of my very first camera (in the late 1980s) until I was told by a professional insider of the camera business that the front lens is specially hard coated and there is absolutely no need for protection. Even the other way round: Any additional glass or material has some influence on the overall optical quality of a lens.

I’m not sure that that was good advice. It is not hard to scratch any lens when cleaning it.