This past week I was documenting a fixed wing experimental build at work. I only had 1 battery at the time and it was only 35%. I was still determined to get as much footage as possible with the little airtime I had. As you probably know, there is no active track on the M3E. Keeping a moving target in frame that is this fast is difficult. Especially when using the 7x lens. So I had a nice manual track of the plane going when all of the sudden the low battery warning automatically switched to the main camera and ruined the shot as you can see. I didn't have much time to film already, so killing a really nice shot for no reason really doesn't sit well. Has anyone experienced this type of issue with other Mavic 3's?

And what of your responibility in piloting the drone ?
If you fly with a discharged battery then you must be prepared to bear any consequences.
I would suggest that you bear a fair portion of the blame.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 3-24 12:46
And what of your responibility in piloting the drone ?
If you fly with a discharged battery then you must be prepared to bear any consequences.
I would suggest that you bear a fair portion of the blame.

I am partially to blame for the camera switching when no command was given to? How would you like it if your vehicle's headlights automatically turned off when the low fuel warning was given? Would the driver bear the consequences of the chain of events that followed? Of course not.

Dirty Bird Posted at 3-24 13:00
I don't understand how it is the fault of the drone that you began a project with only 35% battery?

Also, even were it available, ActiveTrack would have likely been unable to successfully track the plane.

Because I had a job to do and that was document this experiential flight. We had a small window of time with calm winds and had no time to prepare batteries. Reporting back to my boss empty handed with the excuse of "sorry, I only had 35% battery" isn't an excuse anyone would accept. If I have an important task given to me I will do whatever possible to achieve that. I was never further than a quarter mile away from my home point so even when it went into forced landing I could easily keep the plane in frame. There's no need to switch cameras like this.

100% Pilot error!!!! No excuse!

Mobilehomer Posted at 3-24 13:37
100% Pilot error!!!! No excuse!

There wasn't an error at all..? I just landed with a little less footage than I should have. No excuse is needed because I chose to do my job rather than going back to my boss with a bad excuse.

Johnnokomis Posted at 3-24 13:58
There wasn't an error at all..? I just landed with a little less footage than I should have. No excuse is needed because I chose to do my job rather than going back to my boss with a bad excuse.

The PILOT error was taking off with 35% expecting to get a perfect outcome. Just own it and let it go!

Mobilehomer Posted at 3-24 14:02
The PILOT error was taking off with 35% expecting to get a perfect outcome. Just own it and let it go!

Yea let me tell the rest on my crew to stand by for an hour while I let this battery charge. That's not how things work in the real world. The fixed wing needs calm winds at this early stage and when we unexpectedly got notification that we had an opportunity, we went. If I had taken your advice we would have missed the opportunity to fly completely or it would have flown and I wouldn't have captured anything from the air. If presented with the same set of circumstances again, I would do the same as I did 100 out of 100 times. I ended up with several managers who were pretty happy with what I came back with and you're damn right I'll own that.

Johnnokomis Posted at 3-24 14:18
Yea let me tell the rest on my crew to stand by for an hour while I let this battery charge. That's not how things work in the real world. The fixed wing needs calm winds at this early stage and when we unexpectedly got notification that we had an opportunity, we went. If I had taken your advice we would have missed the opportunity to fly completely or it would have flown and I wouldn't have captured anything from the air. If presented with the same set of circumstances again, I would do the same as I did 100 out of 100 times. I ended up with several managers who were pretty happy with what I came back with and you're damn right I'll own that.

Why weren't your batteries already charged? It's called "being prepared". As I said, quit your whining. PILOT ERROR!!

Mobilehomer Posted at 3-24 13:37
100% Pilot error!!!! No excuse!

I think a few of y'all forget the M3E isn't designed for family vacation shots or taking out of the box a couple weekends a month. This is made for licensed pilots to earn a living with. This isn't made for people who look at drones as a hobby it's made for job sites. If you think a 35% battery justifies not getting a job done, then you're definitely a recreational pilot.

Johnnokomis Posted at 3-24 14:54
I think a few of y'all forget the M3E isn't designed for family vacation shots or taking out of the box a couple weekends a month. This is made for licensed pilots to earn a living with. This isn't made for people who look at drones as a hobby it's made for job sites. If you think a 35% battery justifies not getting a job done, then you're definitely a recreational pilot.

If you think not being prepared is ok, you're not much of a "pro" flyer. Batteries are a consumable cost of business, no excuse for not being charged ready to go.

Mobilehomer Posted at 3-24 14:45
Why weren't your batteries already charged? It's called "being prepared". As I said, quit your whining. PILOT ERROR!!

I had actually left my M3E at home accidentally because the batteries were charging. That's when I grabbed the company M3E that never gets used. Also the reason the batteries never get charged. The M3E has so many unaddressed bugs that work's M3E literally collects dust on the shelf. By far, our P4 RTK gets used more. Think of this, during a search and rescue mission which is one thing this drone is made for, you've finally found the missing person after flying for 28 mins. Then the camera glitches out and you lose them. You think a pilot is going to care about a low battery notification when seconds could be the difference between life and death? Please, keep your Mini 4 batteries charged and have fun at your city park on weekends. You and I have two completely different uses for drones.

Johnnokomis Posted at 3-24 15:57
I had actually left my M3E at home accidentally because the batteries were charging. That's when I grabbed the company M3E that never gets used. Also the reason the batteries never get charged. The M3E has so many unaddressed bugs that work's M3E literally collects dust on the shelf. By far, our P4 RTK gets used more. Think of this, during a search and rescue mission which is one thing this drone is made for, you've finally found the missing person after flying for 28 mins. Then the camera glitches out and you lose them. You think a pilot is going to care about a low battery notification when seconds could be the difference between life and death? Please, keep your Mini 4 batteries charged and have fun at your city park on weekends. You and I have two completely different uses for drones.

If capturing the shot is so vital then I would have thought it would be professional to have spare charged batteries to hand.
You never know when 'a moment' will arise and to me it would make sense to have enough batteries to always have decently charged battery available. If you don't then I hardly think it is fair to try to off load the blame on to somneone else's shoulders.
I guess you don't think like that.
Anyhow that will be my last comment in this thread as I get the impression from your other posts and threads, both here and Mavicpilots that you will not 'listen'.

Johnnokomis Posted at 3-24 15:57
I had actually left my M3E at home accidentally because the batteries were charging. That's when I grabbed the company M3E that never gets used. Also the reason the batteries never get charged. The M3E has so many unaddressed bugs that work's M3E literally collects dust on the shelf. By far, our P4 RTK gets used more. Think of this, during a search and rescue mission which is one thing this drone is made for, you've finally found the missing person after flying for 28 mins. Then the camera glitches out and you lose them. You think a pilot is going to care about a low battery notification when seconds could be the difference between life and death? Please, keep your Mini 4 batteries charged and have fun at your city park on weekends. You and I have two completely different uses for drones.

And you are completely inept.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 3-24 16:08
If capturing the shot is so vital then I would have thought it would be professional to have spare charged batteries to hand.
You never know when 'a moment' will arise and to me it would make sense to have enough batteries to always have decently charged battery available. If you don't then I hardly think it is fair to try to off load the blame on to somneone else's shoulders.
I guess you don't think like that.

I not blaming anyone because I ended up getting the shots I needed, also with the help from a Nikon.
I was banned from Mavicpilots several years ago for making a Joe Biden joke back when he was fresh in the White House and Dems were still optimistic. When an admin threatened to ban me I gave him full permission to do it and I haven't been back. My comment stood the test of time since now both parties understand Sleepy Joe is an idiot. It's rather telling when a forum ran by a Chinese company allows for more free speech than Mavicpilots.

Mobilehomer Posted at 3-24 16:36
And you are completely inept.

I got ya. Nothing of value to respond with so now it's just name calling.  

Johnnokomis Posted at 3-24 17:30
I got ya. Nothing of value to respond with so now it's just name calling.

Stating an obvious fact is not name calling.

Dirty Bird Posted at 3-24 18:33
I understand the desire to complete the job. I just don't understand how the drone is to blame for a low-battery, nor how the addition of ActiveTrack would have helped?  I know you are upset but the drone is not at fault.  Perhaps an extra battery or two would be a wise investment?

I knew starting out that I had a limited time flying. I took off with full intentions of coming back down during a forced landing. That's why I never went further than a quarter mile away. What I don't understand is what swapping cameras without being told has to do with receiving a warning that I was well aware of before I even took off.

Mobilehomer Posted at 3-24 18:58
Stating an obvious fact is not name calling.

You're on a roll! 2 absolute worthless comments in a row.

Dirty Bird Posted at 3-24 21:19
Unfortunately I have no experience with any of the Mavic 3 Series birds.  I don't know why it would switch cameras?  Just stay on the current sensor until the end.

I remembering ordering my Mavic 2 Pro FlyMore at $1800 & thinking things were getting pretty expensive.  When the Mavic 3 released I was shell shocked by the price.  Awesome tech but just no way I could justify the expense of a pair of those into my limited hobby budget.  Way too much money for the long range & rather risque' missions I lean towards.  That's why Phantom 3 Standards were so popular back in the day at only $500.

Oh the Phantom 3 Standards. Yep, that was my first ever drone and that's what started my addiction. Me and a buddy went half & half on a used one for $400 because it seemed so expensive. Then it was the Mavic Mini Fly More for $550, then Air 2 Fly More for $1100ish which features blew my mind at the time. Then jumping to a $4000+ M3E only to find it missing so many things I had been expecting really came as a shock. Jumping up in price that much only to find my OG Mini was more capable in most areas still angers me today.

I think that the battery warning should definitely NOT be changing the video task or settings like that.  As you said, every second counts sometimes to get the shot.