UPDATE #2:

Took it to the dealer today, tried the camera side by side with a new unit, the new unit was good, mine was horrible.  Phantom Thailand swapped out the bad camera for the good one on the spot, no charge, superb after sales service by Phantom Thailand.  DJI... learn from them.

UPDATE:

After two weeks with no replies from tech support I finally got a reply, this is what they said...

Sophie Zhang (DJI) Oct 10, 18:04 Dear Dm, Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support. So sorry for the late reply. We have checked the picture attached on the forum link, it seems it's Okay. It's suggested to use the DNG Cleaner to clean the picture and check again. http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3/download If you think it's still unsatisfying, please kindly send us more original photos for further analysis. Thank you for choosing DJI. Best Regards, DJI Product Application Technical Support So, they read this thread, saw the contrasting images here including the blurry out of focus images from my camera and the sharp ones from other people's cameras and conclude my blurry out of focus images are good?  Obviously, DJI has no idea what they are doing and it is clearly evidenced in the reply I received.

First off I would like to say as a quad copter DJI hit a home run with the P3P, flying one is a joy and it is an amazing package until you try to use it as an aerial camera.

As a photographer I am extremely disappointed with this P3P image quality.  Soft, blurry, chromatic abberations, not a pro quality camera as advertised by any means, not anywhere near it.  I can't get a sharp image in stills or in video and even stills taken from video clips are awful.  I tested it sitting on the ground with no props on it, motors off, just the remote control and the body powered on.  Yes, the clear screw on lens filter is off, plastic lens protector removed... yes.  No other possible issues other than the capabilities of the camera.  

I took some stills and video with the bird on the ground which basically means the camera is sitting on a tripod and no possibility of camera shake (motion blur).  I shoot with my DSLR on a tripod all the time so I know even if I am at f/2.8 ISO 100, shutter speed 250 (depending on your light) I'm going to get a sharp image.  At f/2.8 there is going to be somewhat of a depth of field issue on close objects and distant objects in front or behind your subject until you get far enough away that DOF is no longer an issue, but I can't get any part of the image in focus on my P3P from any distance whether it be close or far away.  Nothing in the frame is in focus in any shot I take whether it be video or stills.  In addition, if you shoot in RAW (DNG) you get white specs all over the image requiring you to download the "DJI_DNG_Cleaner application" which tells me right there the camera is defective.  The camera is clearly not up to par and has faults right out of the box and this needs to be sorted out... good luck, I know.

I bought this to use it for professional use because it was advertised as such... not even close.  My iPhone 4S takes better photos than this P3P camera as does my 5 year old Sony point and shoot and this DJI camera is supposed to be 4K quality?  Of course I didn't expect images like my 5D Mark III but what I get from this thing is really bad.  For me, it can't be used for anything other than a toy RC Quad copter and as far as that goes it is great!  The bird, DJI GO app, and all the rest it is an amazing package that is a joy to use, but as an aerial camera it is totally useless for any professional purposes, or even recreational purposes in my case.  If I would have known this I wouldn't have bought it.  

I have tried everything including downgrading back to FW 1.3.20 and it is the same.  Blurry, out of focus images, terrible chromatic abberations, dirty white noise images, very bad quality.  The camera is defective, low quality, unable to produce sharp images.  At least mine is.

Did I get a lemon?

Can you post examples? Many take amazing photos/video with the P3P..

DNG Image #1
Image 1 (DNG file)

DNG Image #2
DNG 2

100% crop image
100 % Crop
100% Crop

Yeh I can understand your point it seems the inspire would of been more suitable to your needs.

Fully agree with your comment duey101!
Same problem here with my P3A. Compared with my still images out of a cheap Samsung S4 mini, the P3 image quality is really poor!
Not a gimbal problem, images with P3 static on a table (motors off) are poor. I understand this cam is not suitable for shooting close objects with a fix focus on infinity. But even the rest is disappointing!
I'm still experimenting with the video. ND filters arrived yesterday and I'll see how that goes...

First of all you should use an appropriate subject to ckeck the camera.
Anything inside a backyard I wouldn't consider appropriate.
Take a landscape shot with some detailed structures like houses or branches and trees with leafes.
For still images the camera of the P3 is not top notch, but definitely can deliver usefull results.
One has to be aware that 12MP from a small sensor is not state of the art.

However, I had ordered a second P3 as a quick replacement because the remote from my first one had an issue and DJI told me to send it in.
To my surprise the images from the new P3 had a significant issue with sharpness and were useless.

So I had to send that in too, and when it came back all they had done was a firmware upgrade and commented that the picture was very good!
After approaching my dealer and after he had a word with DJI suppport I was told to send it in again, which I did yesterday.

As a sidenote: The images from current Inspire 1 are the same as from the P3P, but I'm keen to see the first real results from the new X5 MFT camera.

I am a pro photographer too. I just couldn't expect a lot from a 12 mp sensor that is about 1 inch in size compared to a pro camera's large sensor.

Here are a few photos I took recently in RAW and processed in Lightroom CC. They are just shy of the sharpness I would like to see. They are suitable for web purposes, but I would not be making any large prints from them. It is what it is.
These could probably be a little better, but the forum only allows 1 MB files:

The thing is I have seen some really sharp and beautiful photos and videos from other owners so I can only imagine if you get a good camera you are a lucky one, and you can also be unlucky and get a crap one as I did.  Even shooting at high shutter speeds (800/1200) which is enough to freeze action still results in crappy blurred images.  Since I have seen other good quality images it can only be a QC issue.  DJI definitely released this thing without proper testing and troubleshooting (camera wise).  The white pixel dirt is a solid indicator of that and needs to be addressed.  My cam also has horrible CA issues (chromatic aberration) with purple fringe everywhere.  I bought mine in Thailand and I am going back there in a couple of weeks so hopefully they will help me out, they have a good DJI dealer there and the guy who runs it is top notch.

I bought a set of Taco RC filters which are great, they work well.  So now I get really well controlled exposure blurry videos.  Hopefully a FW update can fix this problem, I know there are a lot of others with the same issue.  Maybe they will offer a better cam like the Inspire does, or a Go Pro mount.  Anyway, the bird itself is superb and it is a joy to fly.  If the camera was on par DJI would have completely toppled any would be competitors.  I'll probably end up ditching this thing and get something else.

jschrader@bavar Posted at 2015-9-30 21:10
First of all you should use an appropriate subject to ckeck the camera.
Anything inside a backyard I ...

I have taken many, many shots in all different lighting conditions, in the air, on the ground, morning, mid day, late arvo, with/without ND filters, and they are all the same... blurry.  The shots I put up ARE proper, they show the camera isn't capable of taking clear images.  I have a GO PRO Hero 4 Black, it produces stunning sharp, crisp, clear images and video.  Same small sensor.  DJI's version of what I understand is basically the same camera should be able to do the same.  I think I just got a bad camera, simple as that and hopefully they will fix it in Thailand when I go there next month.

I imagine they will release a real Pro camera "Upgrade" that we will have to buy.  Changing the name to Phantom 3 and dropping the Pro would be a good start.  Other than the camera, the bird is incredibly good, easy to fly, I have absolutely no problems or complaints with mine at all... other than the dodgy camera! LOL!!!   Everything else is great!

Mine are quite crisp. It's not a 5diii, but I've no complaints at all. Been a pro photographer over 30 years, btw.

My first P3P was also producing poor quality images.  I sent some samples to DJI and they confirmed there was something wrong and through my supplier I had it replaced.

duey101 Posted at 2015-9-30 15:30
I have taken many, many shots in all different lighting conditions, in the air, on the ground, morn ...

I think you might well need to open a case with DJI.. Just a quick look about the forum and you see stunning shots taken by others.. The P3 is capable ( not DSLR quality ) of good photos.. Yours is clearly not a happy chappie..

duey101 Posted at 2015-9-30 22:19
The thing is I have seen some really sharp and beautiful photos and videos from other owners so I ca ...

NOw I see, that I am not the only one with same issues. Have created a topic with side-by-side comparison of P3A and Cheapish cell-phone. Shall see what DJI responds to that...

Bartone Posted at 2015-9-30 22:48
Mine are quite crisp. It's not a 5diii, but I've no complaints at all. Been a pro photographer over  ...

If I could get like your bird arrival video that would be great.  I think my cam needs to be replaced.

Yeah, The Phantom 3 and Inspire 1 have provided amazing CRISP photos and stunning videos.  We sell around 80-100 of them a month here and have had ZERO issues with photographic quality.

sploodge Posted at 2015-9-30 23:09
I think you might well need to open a case with DJI.. Just a quick look about the forum and you se ...

How do I go about opening a case with DJI sploodge??

duey101 Posted at 2015-9-30 16:23
How do I go about opening a case with DJI sploodge??

Choose your nearest region here - http://www.dji.com/support and either call/email..

Alternatively you can try the live chat ( right hand side button on the page above ).. But that's a bit hit and miss as to getting help or getting p1ssed about.. Bets call or email..

bevsev Posted at 2015-9-30 23:16
NOw I see, that I am not the only one with same issues. Have created a topic with side-by-side com ...

I saw that thread, how can a $100.00 phone with far less megapixels out perform DJI's flagship baby?  LOL!!! That is just unbelievable to me.  The phone blows away the P3P in your shots.  I'm going to do a similar comparison with my old iPhone 4S and my P3P and post on the forum.  They need to do something about this seeing this is supposed to be the whole selling point of the thing.

aopisa Posted at 2015-9-30 21:29
I am a pro photographer too. I just couldn't expect a lot from a 12 mp sensor that is about 1 inch i ...

The football field shot is great, this is what I was expecting to get from mine as well and if it was that good I could deal with the rest of it in LR6 but I can't even get anything salvageable in LR.  I don't expect 5D III quality but decent sharp I do expect and am very far from it.

Duey, I also think you've got a bad camera. Russell Brown did a pretty decent comparison of the P3P camera against the GoPro a few months back (a recent Gopro, can't remember which), and I thought the P3P camera was a tiny bit better - plus the controlability.

duey101 Posted at 2015-9-30 11:35
The football field shot is great, this is what I was expecting to get from mine as well and if it  ...

Yes, the football shot is probably the best. I thought it may have to do with your hunch on shutter speed, but I don't think so. The photo of the lake which I was expecting to be very sharp was shot at 1/750. I have to say I was disappointed with that one. The little island 1/120 and the football field was 1/250.

I can't explain the inconsistency. And it probably what you might be experiencing, but to a greater degree? Does it make sense that there might be a shutter speed sweet spot? I know lenses have an aperture sweet spot, but can't say I have heard the same with shutter speed.

aopisa Posted at 2015-10-1 00:37
Yes, the football shot is probably the best. I thought it may have to do with your hunch on shutte ...

All lenses have a sweet spot but this is usually in the aperture setting for example, my 70-200 L is super sharp at f/4.0 and my 50mm the same, f/4.0 and slightly soft at f/1.4.  Shutter speed plays more of a part when it comes to freezing motion/blur/shake, etc.  I took some shots on a bright day at high SS and got the same blurry images.  I think I just have a bad camera.  Since day one I have thought so, but it wasn't until I really started shooting did I notice it.  The first few weeks since I bought it I have pretty much just been mastering the flight controls, and putting in a lot of flight time getting comfortable with the bird and the app and not really concentrating on the camera until I actually got down to using it.  Hopefully I can get it replaced.

sploodge Posted at 2015-9-30 06:35
Can you post examples? Many take amazing photos/video with the P3P..

Hi,
I have a similar concern that started earlier this month. I talked with dji and they gave me everything I need to send back. But, I don't want to give it up for 6+ weeks. Mine was super sharp and clear. I took some awesome shots in Hawaii. What happened is suddenly the jpg images are out of focus. The .dng are still sharp and clear. My understanding of cameras is that the camera processes the raw image and makes a .jpg file.  So, the point to my long winded statement is, can I just reflash the camera? I have the latest update and that made no difference.
Thanks for any ideas.
Kevin

kgjamison Posted at 2015-10-1 02:39
Hi,
I have a similar concern that started earlier this month. I talked with dji and they gave me  ...

Hi Kevin, I tried everything including going back to the 1.3.20 FW.  Nothing helps.  I thought that perhaps a reinstall of the previous FW followed by IMU/Gimbal re-calibration would help, it didn't.  Mine has been blurry since day 1.  I think it has to do with the FW somehow.  Either that or the lens/sensor is bad.  Hard to say.

duey101 Posted at 2015-9-30 14:57
Hi Kevin, I tried everything including going back to the 1.3.20 FW.  Nothing helps.  I thought tha ...

Hi, I would send it back. I have two of these and the use of an Inspire and they are very clear for a small sensor camera. I don't know why mine suddenly decided not to process the jpg correctly, but I just use the  raw file and save as needed. A pain, but workable.

You paid just over a grand for something that is ready to fly, out of the box, remote, batteries, camera, gimbal, etc etc  and you really think you're going to get professional quality images?

I wish the image quality was better too... but I'm happy with what I got for the money (as long as the shell cracking doesn't creep up on me!)

I just took a look at your DNG in Blackmagic Resolve, and I did not think it was too bad. I think the pebbles in the foreground being out of focus tend to make it look bad, but you would have to expect that as they are very close to the lens, and this camera has a fixed aperture lens.

To evaluate the images, if you want to get better results, I would take the camera up onto a high building or structure and point it out at a landscape from there. It should be remembered that this camera is optimised to shoot wide shots at altitude.

Geebax Posted at 2015-10-1 08:58
I just took a look at your DNG in Blackmagic Resolve, and I did not think it was too bad. I think th ...

I agree and thank everyone for this thread. I hadn't realized that with this camera exposure is going to control depth of field. Your photo exposure has a great histogram but the depth of field is far beyond your main subject matter in this photo:

dji.blitzk Posted at 2015-10-1 08:36
You paid just over a grand for something that is ready to fly, out of the box, remote, batteries, ca ...

I paid for this which is right on the front page of DJI...

Professional & ADVANCED
"Be your own director and tell your story as never before. Reach for the sky and capture professional-quality footage from a new perspective.  With a crystal-clear camera, real-time HD video display, and intuitive flight controls, what will you create?

Imagine amazing, immersive footage at your fingertips. Imagine capturing content fit for the big screen, with crisp images, beautiful resolution, and vivid colors. With an integrated, stabilized camera, your Phantom 3 brings your imagination to life."

I expected to get what was advertised, a crystal clear camera and professional quality footage.  It isn't, not even close.  Professional quality footage, I know what that it, this camera doesn't deliver it.  And to answer your question... yes.  I expected to get what I was told I would get for my $1515.00 (The cost of this thing in Thailand where I bought it).  So again, yes.  For $1515.00 I expected a whole lot more than what I got.  Maybe I'm crazy, but when I buy stuff I expect to get what I paid for and what the company advertised I am getting when I buy their product as they advertised it.  I don't accept less or just say I'm happy to get something at least.  For example, when I bought my Canon 5D Mark III I expected to get professional quality photos and video as was advertised.  I got that and far more than I ever expected for the $2900.00 it cost me.  Why would I accept anything less from another company like DJI?  They told me what I would get for my money and they don't deliver as advertised.

I simply expect to get what is promised and advertised.  Which is exactly what I should get.  

terrylewis Posted at 2015-10-1 09:06
I agree and thank everyone for this thread. I hadn't realized that with this camera exposure is go ...

Yes, exactly.  Not only that, the DNG file is full of white pixels requiring you to download and use the DJI DNG Clear tool.  I shouldn't have to do that.  And by looking at the edges of everything there is a lot of CA but you can get rid of most of it in LR6/Resolve.

Bartone Posted at 2015-9-30 18:48
Mine are quite crisp. It's not a 5diii, but I've no complaints at all. Been a pro photographer over  ...

Likewise - matter of expectations.

I'm not expecting this little thing to deliver the quality that I get off my Leica Ms and 50APO, my H4D, or even a Ricoh GR. It gets me shots that these cameras can't get without having to rent a helicopter and hire a pilot

duey101 Posted at 2015-10-1 09:37
I paid for this which is right on the front page of DJI...

Professional & ADVANCED

You're absolutely right.

DJI should have at least offered a full frame sensor and an apochromatic lens with double aspherical elements for the silly amount that we're paying for, and the fact that they advertised it as "professional" ;)

Now I want my money back

On a more serious note - take the aircraft back the dealer you bought it from, and see if you can get footage off another Phantom/inspire (they use the same camera), i.e. do a control test to eliminate the possibility that you have a sub-standard camera unit.

duey101 Posted at 2015-10-1 06:41
Yes, exactly.  Not only that, the DNG file is full of white pixels requiring you to download and u ...

On the question of CA I examined a recent video I took with my P3p (don't look at the lack of sharpness), but I can't see any obvious defect in the frame grab below? So, I am inclined to think your camera needs to be replaced.

duey101 Posted at 2015-9-30 18:30
I have taken many, many shots in all different lighting conditions, in the air, on the ground, morn ...

I hear you - the Pro label is probably relative to the rest of the Phantom 3 series (Pro, Advanced, Standard) as opposed to "Pro" that you and I would probably come to expect from the realm of photography.

That said, aside from blaming them for the naming convention/choices, I do think you might have a bad camera. I've been rather lucky and not had huge issues with the stills. Granted, I'm not printing them to 16x20, and 100% crops will show image softness, but for regular 8x10 prints, I can't say I'm displeased with the output.

Also, the P3P uses the same camera as the Inspire 1 (which costs a bit more), and there's not a HUGE difference between the two other than slightly better stability on the i1 and a gimbal that can rotate almost 360 degrees (which makes more sense for videography than photography), so unless you go down the line of an S800 with a 5D Mk III or an i1 Pro (with the X5 camera system - micro43), there's only that much to expect out of an off the shelf kit that sells for $1300.

The Standard is $699 while the Pro is $1259 - the $560 for camera and 4k capabilities.... well, I'm not really going to expect the kind of quality out of a full frame sensor and an L lens, to be honest...

dji.blitzk Posted at 2015-10-1 08:36
You paid just over a grand for something that is ready to fly, out of the box, remote, batteries, ca ...

Not professional quality, of course. But it has to be satisfactory. And it is not. After I bought my P3A I personally found out, that shots it takes are worse then ones from my cell-phone.

http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... 2&fromuid=94122

And it is a total shame for DJI, in my opinion. How can you advertise your camera as "crystal clear", when a discontinued $100 chinese cell-phone makes far better shots?

bevsev Posted at 2015-10-1 16:18
Not professional quality, of course. But it has to be satisfactory. And it is not. After I bought  ...

Yes, exactly my point.  How can a cheapo cell take better shots?  

ghoonk Posted at 2015-10-1 15:27
I hear you - the Pro label is probably relative to the rest of the Phantom 3 series (Pro, Advanced ...

I wasn't expecting 5D Mark III images, just very good quality shots that are clear and in focus, at least as good as if not better than my Hero 4 Black.  Anyway, I am sure that if my camera was a good one I would be more than happy as I am with the rest of the unit, it is really great to fly, I love it!  My friend's P3P takes great shots video/stills, clear and sharp.  I was expecting something like that.

I'm sure the camera is just a bad seed.  Now I can test out whether or not DJI support is good or not.  We shall see!  The dealer I bought it from in Thailand was great and they did the repairs there on the spot.  Hopefully when I get there on the 15th I'll get some good service.

duey101 Posted at 2015-10-1 13:37
I paid for this which is right on the front page of DJI...

Professional & ADVANCED

Much of the cost of the P3 is actually the Airframe ($680). The P3 camera is $539 and a portion of that is the stabilization gimbal, which a small "point and shoot" or cell phone wouldn't require. So just from a true cost perspective, designing a lightweight, aerial, stabilized camera is no small task. The sensor and lens system is clearly more adapted for video than still photography, so comparing its photos to our DSLR is stretching the comparison. All-in-all, we get what we pay for - in that the airframe can't lift a lot, we do get an exceptional aerial photography tool. I've always been told that the picture is in the photographer, not his/her tools...

terrylewis Posted at 2015-10-1 19:16
Much of the cost of the P3 is actually the Airframe ($680). The P3 camera is $539 and a portion of ...

That is why I am comparing it to a $100 cell-phone, not DSLR. But, what a surprise, P3A cant't even beat my cell phone in the means of photo quality and detalization.

bevsev Posted at 2015-10-1 19:31
That is why I am comparing it to a $100 cell-phone, not DSLR. But, what a surprise, P3A cant't eve ...

Perhaps the new Phantom 5 D coming in December, just in time for Christmas will be the answer...