I am on the pre-order list for an inspire. No one seems to know if the pilot will be able to pan the camera 360 degrees or will that only be possible if there is the second controller in play. Anyone know the answer to this?

Right now the answer is no.  However, the App has not been finalized and who knows what additional features could be included.

You mean the pilot (if alone) won't be able to move the cam?

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-10 03:58
Right now the answer is no.  However, the App has not been finalized and who knows what additional f ...

Well, I can't imagine flying in FPV with the camera aimed somewhere other than straight ahead anyway. But it seems that the panning limit should have been made clear early in the offer. I have no problem with panning the aircraft around to aim the camera, but why pay for the 360 gimbal if you can't use it?

szeles.m@gmail. Posted at 2014-12-10 04:24
You mean the pilot (if alone) won't be able to move the cam?

Pan is not an available option, only tilt.

So basically with 1 controller you can rotate your camera by rotating the drone.
With 2 controllers a second user can rotate the camera, right?

szeles.m@gmail. Posted at 2014-12-10 05:06
So basically with 1 controller you can rotate your camera by rotating the drone.
With 2 controllers  ...

Correct right now.  We don't know that may change.

Thanks Ed

Zhao from DJI has stated on this forum that it's we will ultimately be able to toggle the tilt control between tilt and pan.

metalios Posted at 2014-12-10 06:02
Zhao from DJI has stated on this forum that it's we will ultimately be able to toggle the tilt contr ...

Correct but it is not available now and may not be available later.  There are always improvements in the pipe, not all of them make it to production.  I don't want to set expectations only to have to say it will not be supported later.  Base your decisions on what is not what may be.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-10 06:40
Correct but it is not available now and may not be available later.  There are always improvements ...

If I may add to this....I'm a bit tired of hearing about crooked horizons, "fish-eye" curves etc. . I don't know about other photographers...but I never use raw footage. To expect to have perfectly aligned, perfectly exposed video...right out of the camera...every time....well, that's a lot to expect of a consumer camera. It's a lot less trouble just to post this stuff. I just ask a camera to give me a base point from which to work. The fact that exposure can be adjusted on the fly and the view in the monitor is good enough to even have an idea of what you are getting is pretty amazing to me. And what  if the video is "perfect"?...well I can fix that too.

metalios Posted at 2014-12-10 06:02
Zhao from DJI has stated on this forum that it's we will ultimately be able to toggle the tilt contr ...

Correct me if Im wrong, but inside the beta ipad app, you already have different options for the gimbal, including one which locks the camera to always point to one particular direction (ie north for example).

Under one controller configuration, you would already be taking advantage of the 360 pan?

Paras Posted at 2014-12-11 00:05
Correct me if Im wrong, but inside the beta ipad app, you already have different options for the g ...

Your are correct for a dual operator system, not for a single operator.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-11 00:12
Your are correct for a dual operator system, not for a single operator.

So in single operator you will not be able to block the camera pointing north for example?

Paras Posted at 2014-12-11 02:22
So in single operator you will not be able to block the camera pointing north for example?

No you have the same control of the camera orientation that is available for all controllers, Follow, FPV and Free.  There is also a reset mode.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-10 03:58
Right now the answer is no.  However, the App has not been finalized and who knows what additional f ...

Wow I always figured that one person could control the whole operation. I'm a one man team and have to maybe rethink this whole thing. I will have to let the people in my users group no this little tid bit as I'm not sure many if any realized this. They promote the 360 degrees but never told anyone that you had to have 2 controllers to do it. This was going to be my first step into the DJI world and all I can say for now is hummmmmm...... Is it worth 3k to be forced to use a second person? Why can't 1 person use all the features?

I would like to thank 2001guns for bring this to lite early before paying as I haven't been charged yet...

2001guns Posted at 2014-12-10 04:37
Well, I can't imagine flying in FPV with the camera aimed somewhere other than straight ahead anyw ...

No Doubt!!! Couple of the Main features legs that lift out of the way so you can pan 360 degrees. Well I hope this can be done from 1 controller as a photographer I almost always work alone and that would be a strike against the Inspire 1 for me....

svencool Posted at 2014-12-11 08:03
No Doubt!!! Couple of the Main features legs that lift out of the way so you can pan 360 degrees.  ...

Do an auto take off and the Inspire raises the gear for you.  If you auto land it lowers the landing gear as well.  You cannot get much simpler than that.
As far as pan control, DJI has indicated that it will be available via the App.  It is not now on the version that I have and I don't know when if will be include as a feature.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-10 05:10
Correct right now.  We don't know that may change.

I hope it's not a marketing thing just to sell more controllers. I will say that there are situations where 2 people would be far better than one for sure and it's a nice feature to have if needed. But along that same lines there are lots of times where 2 people are not needed and still would be nice to use all the features that they are advertising such as panning 360 degrees with just a single controller..... Just my 2 zinc cents worth....

svencool Posted at 2014-12-11 22:23
I hope it's not a marketing thing just to sell more controllers. I will say that there are situati ...

Yes, i can support this opinion

svencool have you ever operated an aircraft that had both tilt and pan available for the camera on the same controller as the aircraft? I have and I can tell you it is not practical. If you are operating as a single pilot you want to be able to tilt the camera up and down but there is no need to turn the camera left and right separately from the aircraft. As a single operator if you want to turn the camera left or right then you just turn the aircraft left or right to point the camera. You will get confused if you try and pan the camera while yawing the aircraft. To accurately control aircraft yaw separately from camera pan you need a second person. One exception is doing multi-photo panos. For that it is handy to pan the camera and shoot while the aircraft stays in position. In this case you are not trying to control yaw and pan at the same time.

When I first heard about no panning in single op mode, I shared Sven's opinion.  Mainly, I just thought that panning around the camera would be cool.  But then, after further discussion here, I changed my viewpoint and realized that yawing is panning.  It puts more emphasis on pilot ability but one could still achieve great shots in single op mode.  You also have Follow Mode that can be combined with IOC modes like Home Lock and Course Lock, to help with orientation problems.

I like referring to this video from Skynamics that demonstrates what kind of shots are possible in single op mode.  Granted, the operator is quite experienced, but it just takes practice.  

Regardless, it does sound like panning will be an option(probably a toggle for the upper left dial, between pan/tilt or maybe dragging the touchscreen?) in the app, but will have to wait until Ed confirms it is active in a future update.

--------------

Hey Ed, just curious - when you fly, do you prefer auto take-off/landing, or manual(with manual gear control)?

chrisgeigerphot Posted at 2014-12-12 01:29
svencool have you ever operated an aircraft that had both tilt and pan available for the camera on t ...

As I stated in one of my above posts I am a photographer. I was looking at this as a floating tripod. Yes I do lots of Panoramic shots that would include up to 6-9 shots and use Photoshop to edit and stitch them together. So having the ability to pan the camera while sitting mostly still taking multiple shots would be a great feature. I never once implied that I wanted to fly in circles and pan the camera at the same time.

We all have our reasons for buying one of these. After watching allot of video's of the Inspire 1 I and others assumed that you could fly and pan the camera with just one controller. Assuming is dangerous but like another poster said above it would have been nice if they put that info out there so we wouldn't have to guess or make an uneducated purchase and be sorry later.

With that being said I wanted to get into doing some video's as well. Thus buy and inspire 1 and didn't want to buy last years model.

Another question for Ed then.  What is the yaw control like on your test unit?  Is there some kind of default curve/exponential on the stick movement so that you can essentially ramp up/down a yaw movement, instead of abrupt starts/stops?  Get what I mean?

ETDroneHome Posted at 2014-12-12 02:02
Another question for Ed then.  What is the yaw control like on your test unit?  Is there some kind o ...

Yes, i've been searching all over for the answer to this question! Surely smooth transitions in and out of panning movement on the sticks or shoulder toggles would be an obvious thing to implement and show off.

I don't get why these kind of things on a flying camera are not made clear, especially on a 'prosumer' model such as this. So many unanswered questions and so little info available!

And as Sven pointed out, why does everyone assume we are flying this thing around like some kind of banshee, when most might actually be using it for actual filming or imaging purposes?
Fly the Inspire up to a suitable elevation, say near the top of a bike jump or maybe a pole vault, whatever, then hover it in GPS mode and then pan and tilt the camera?
Or how about setting two waypoints, the start and end of a 100m race, and then hitting go, whilst you then operate the camera, both pan and tilt? Seems like an obvious things to implement, no?

I'd also like to know if when the camera is 'locked', what this means exactly?! Can we frame our subject, lock the camera, and then move the Inspire around whilst the camera essentially tracks our subject?

I do hope we get some more info soon. I'm holding back on my purchase until i know at least a little more info, which is not a lot at the moment....

stripealipe Posted at 2014-12-12 02:47
Yes, i've been searching all over for the answer to this question! Surely smooth transitions in an ...

I am waiting for the first reviews after the final model is delivered to know about the full features before making a buy decision

Well I read a post that just got deleted but he brought a really good point. I have shot many supercross pictures and was thinking just 1 of what could be a million uses is staging the Inspire 1 at the big jump at the end while in GPS mode its very stable and then all I have to worry about is controlling the side to side movement along with the vertical movement of the camera. So as of now from what I understand can't be done with the use of a single controller?

ETDroneHome Posted at 2014-12-12 02:02
Another question for Ed then.  What is the yaw control like on your test unit?  Is there some kind o ...

You can make smooth pans/yaw with the Inspire.  You just have to be light on the sticks.  If not it can get jerky.  I have not found it to be an issue for me.  

Thanks Ed, it's all in the fingers.

If you look at the Tarot gimble, they let you set an amount of in/out smoothness so that when start to pan, however quickly, it smoothly gets up to speed, and then when you let go it smoothly stops. Or not, but you're given the option and parameters to tweak.

Why oh why is tilt and panning *always* seemingly an after thought on these machines....?! Was really hoping this would be addressed...

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-12 03:26
You can make smooth pans/yaw with the Inspire.  You just have to be light on the sticks.  If not i ...

I knew you could do it that way but I'm not as skilled as you are but I'm working on it most everyday but till I get there. Can you see the benefit of just staging the Inspire 1 and then maybe if everyone's skills are not the best then we could spin the camera side to side and up and down while not having to move the Inspire as it's very stable with the GPS Lock and still get the shot or video clip? Well I've said all I'm gonna say about this we will just have to wait and see.... Thanks for hearing what I had to say that's an important part knowing that you listen to your customers and potential customers....

Mike

svencool Posted at 2014-12-12 01:53
As I stated in one of my above posts I am a photographer. I was looking at this as a floating trip ...

As a pilot and director of photography I always get concerned when I see posts like this.  Flying a quadcopter isn't easy - not even with all the automation the Inspire brings to the table.  It's much easier than you may yet realize to get disoriented and make a mistake.  Also if something goes wrong, like a loss of GPS, if you're focused on the camera and not flying the aircraft the results could be disastrous (as in: a crash that could not only destroy the Inspire but cause injury or death to people on the ground, for which you as the pilot would be held responsible).  A dedicated and experienced pilot could maneuver the quad out of harm's way and land it in manual mode.  A lone operator trying to do everything at once, especially having panned the camera into a different orientation, is very likely to get behind the aircraft in the event of something unexpected and very likely would not have time to avert disaster.

The bottom line is that a six-pound missile that can travel at 50+ MPH is a lot more than a floating tripod.  I don't mean to sound like I'm lecturing here, but I've spoken with more and more people who are only looking at this product from the standpoint of video or still photography and haven't considered the substantial undertaking in mastering the aircraft FIRST.  Once you do that, you will understand just how risky it would be to allow a single operator to focus on the camera rather than flying.

PeteGould Posted at 2014-12-12 16:00
As a pilot and director of photography I always get concerned when I see posts like this.  Flying  ...

I understand some of these points, but are you saying that this aircraft should only be flown LOS without any monitor unless using it in dual operator mode? After all, simply looking at the monitor whilst flying is therefore being dangerous, no?!

I personally do not need to be hand held, and if i'm happy that the bird will be, say, hovering in a safe place whilst i pan and tilt to get my shot, and i take the necessary precautions and i'm ready for possible problems, i don't see why i shouldn't be given the options.

@ET I use auto take off and landing to wow the crowd that the Inspire always gathers.  Then there are times that I just get lazy.  It is like cruise control on your car.  Do you really need it, no, but it is convenient if you use it.  I am not in the product development loop.  The features that we have now are sufficient to make the Inspire fully capable in 95% of the circumstances that most pilots will encounter and it is not done yet.  The final tweaks that are occurring now are that last 5%.  I fly with guys that fly Red Epics.  They were impressed with the Inspire's all-in-one performance.  Would it be their only copter, no.  But it would add to their quiver of tools.  I have been involved with RE photography and videos, not individual homes but entire communities for the HOA's.  Those shoots have been with F450 and a H3-3D with a GP3 and the Vision+.  The Inspire is so superior to both of those platforms that there is not comparison.  Just my opinion and I am biased as I am a DJI employee.  But then I am only compairing DJI products.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-10 05:10
Correct right now.  We don't know that may change.

I was talking with a friend today about this subject and he brought up a good point. Couldn't there be an option like tripod mode where the Inspire hoovers at a certain altitude thus opening up the option to do both side to side and up and down tilting of the camera? Then when you take it out of tripod mode you loose the side to side panning and just have the up and down tilt like it has now?

svencool Posted at 2014-12-13 01:33
I was talking with a friend today about this subject and he brought up a good point. Couldn't ther ...

Good suggestion.  DJI monitors these posts and will forward to R&D.

Why not turn in place and use the tilt control? I've done lots of multi-photo pano shots from my multirotors. Just turn and shoot. I don't see any need for a tripod mode. That sould like something that someone would come up with that does not know how to fly.

chrisgeigerphot Posted at 2014-12-13 02:31
Why not turn in place and use the tilt control? I've done lots of multi-photo pano shots from my mul ...

Well when shooting Panoramic shots you want to, eliminate image parallax. Do this by positioning the optical center of the lens over the point of rotation.

So if you turning the quad itself then you are changing that center point. If the quad sits stationary then by spinning the camera on center that will help eliminate image parallax. There's more to it but that's just a basic point I would like to make...

Mike

I really don't know about such things, but is there really enough distortion with the camera being what, 4-5 inches off center, to matter?

That aside, if you are talking about strictly panning while in a stable hover, what difference in skill is there between yawing the Inspire vs. panning the gimbal?  If your desire is to be able to switch the stick controls from aircraft to gimbal, then the input would be exactly the same.

ETDroneHome Posted at 2014-12-13 03:40
I really don't know about such things, but is there really enough distortion with the camera being w ...

With one eye closed, extend your arm and point your thumb up. Line your thumb up with the side of a door frame. Now, turn your head left and right. Notice how the door frame shifts as you turn your head? This is an example of image parallax due to the fact that your eyes are not in the middle of your head.

Image parallax occurs when near and far objects don't align in overlapping images. For example, if you're shooting a scene that contains a fence line, each fencepost in Image 1 should line up with its twin in Image 2. You can eliminate the effects of parallax by placing the optical center of the lens (not the camera) directly over the point of rotation.

By spinning the quad instead of the camera is like spinning the tripod on the ground once you have it set, instead of spinning the Nodal Slide on top of the tripod.

I think something like a Tripod Mode like I mentioned in an earlier post would be a nice feature for those people that wanted to use it. For those who don't it's just an option nothing says you have to use it and having options is always nice at least in my book they are...

Mike