So the Spark is super awesome for flatwater kayaking, paddleboarding, canoeing, etc.  ActiveTrack makes it super easy to get great shots.  And when near land, takeoffs and landings are a piece of cake--next I will have to work on water landings on my kayak, which will be quite a bit more difficult (but I think possible at least in somewhat still water).  Piloting from the boat itself is actually great, especially with the RC.

But I am left wondering about the exposure compensation.  For one, when over water and in sunlight, I am always finding that I have to adjust the exposure right off the bat--the images get really overexposed by default.  Secondly, with reflections in the water, the Spark seems to be constantly hunting to adjust the exposure.  In a few shots it is really noticeable.  But I feel this could be corrected, at least a bit, in software.  When I am normally using the Spark, I want it to be adjusting the exposure automatically when say, panning from a dark area to a bright area.  But I only am having it auto-adjust exposure once in that case.  I sort of feel like in this kind of situation on the water, where Spark finds itself auto-adjusting exposure every half second for quite some time, it should eventually just stop itself, pick an exposure, and stick with it...like after a while of flip-flopping, the software should fall back to auto-adjust exposure maybe once every 5 or 10 seconds, instead of super frequently like once a second or every half second.

Lastly, it would be SUPER nice if we could set one of the function buttons on the RC, to toggle the gimbal dial between gimbal, and exposure compensation.  I REALLY want an exposure compensation dial for this thing... and just being able to toggle the gimbal dial to exposure with a function button would be more than sufficient.  

I agree on the exposure.  Now that I've got a bit more experience with it, I find I'm always trying to adjust the exposure.  Having a dial to adjust it would be awesome!

Forgot to add...  looks like a fun day out on the water!

Nice video.  One of the major reasons I got the Spark was to take video while kayaking.  I haven't been brave enough to do it yet.

Awesome videos, I'll be using it a ton on the water next week on vacation.  I've hand launched once out of the kayak and it freaked me out so much because of my fear of flying over water, especially in water, that I forgot to hit record.  I did manage to land it back in my hand from the kayak, using the remote.  I may experiment with using a fold up landing pad on my cockpit area, or maybe a "no slip" mat that I could land on my dash, but not sure as of yet.  Have to be in a spot where I'm not moving in the water.  Are you going back to land each time to land it after filming?  

Cravenfan Posted at 2017-7-31 07:08
Are you going back to land each time to land it after filming?

I wondered the same thing.

Cravenfan Posted at 2017-7-31 07:08
Awesome videos, I'll be using it a ton on the water next week on vacation.  I've hand launched once out of the kayak and it freaked me out so much because of my fear of flying over water, especially in water, that I forgot to hit record.  I did manage to land it back in my hand from the kayak, using the remote.  I may experiment with using a fold up landing pad on my cockpit area, or maybe a "no slip" mat that I could land on my dash, but not sure as of yet.  Have to be in a spot where I'm not moving in the water.  Are you going back to land each time to land it after filming?

For this set of clips, yes.  The video is taken over 2 batteries, and I cut out at least half the footage I shot.

I landed it from the boat, back on the beach.  There is a big rock that I land it on, but I also have one of those soft drone landing pads you can get on Amazon.

This is just the neighborhood pond, so not a big deal to go back to the beach with the boat for the one time I needed to swap out the battery.  But next time I will probably palm launch and land and bring batteries on board.  I am headed to the beach in the Great Lakes soon, so I will probably try it there.

My other thought was to rig some kind of flatter platform to my kayak deck, to land the Spark on the boat right in front of me.  Either that, or some kind of inflatable outrigger that I could fold out, and have it stretch out a nice vinyl landing deck.  The kayak deck is a little too sloped to try landing the spark on it with the RC.  I really prefer flying with the RC.

wow thats the next level of brave...i fly over water and sea, but you actually being on water too is fantastic...love it

I'd also kind of like to find something flat, small, and stable enough that I could just toss in the water and use as a floating drone landing pad.  Kind of like the droneship for SpaceX.  Just small enough to pull in and out of my kayak

rick bernotas Posted at 2017-7-31 08:25
For this set of clips, yes.  The video is taken over 2 batteries, and I cut out at least half the footage I shot.

I landed it from the boat, back on the beach.  There is a big rock that I land it on, but I also have one of those soft drone landing pads you can get on Amazon.

Ya, I hear ya, not yet sure what to do, the hand landing is doable, but stressful, at least for me.  My kayak I think is 31" wide,  so there is not a lot of room for error, especially when the miss = submarine with rotors.  

I did get a set of those round sytrofoam floats that attach on the Spark that I will use for flying over the pond, but I don't want to test them for landing.  It's more of a "just in case I splash down" insurance policy.  I flew with them on Saturday and they are not a burden, the Spark didn't act any different.  

They make a rubbery mat that I may try, my kayak is an Old Town Loon 126 and I have a dash on mine, it's not as enclosed as yours.  I might be able to put that rubbery mat down and land right back on the dash, but if there is wind, I could also crash the props into me.  There is not a lot of room for error anywhere.  

The stryofoam floats take the place of the prop guards on each arm of the Spark.  It's either safety for the hands, or safety for the $700 drone.  I'll post a picture on here if I can.  

ya auto exposure and compensation is kind of bad... but here is to hoping that someone figures out how to properly make filters for the lens that does not offset the gimbal to badly.

Here are two pix. One is the styrofoam floats I just got for flying over water (not planning on taking off or landing in water) and one when I palm launched out of the kayak and then landed back in my hand.

Cravenfan Posted at 2017-7-31 10:45
Here are two pix. One is the styrofoam floats I just got for flying over water (not planning on taking off or landing in water) and one when I palm launched out of the kayak and then landed back in my hand.

And for Standup Paddeling also. One of my main reasons i bought me a Spark. The Spark is so perfect for this kind of thing. But i have to admit that this video was made some days before i read about the horror stories of "SPARKs fall from the skies" and DJI does not accept a warranty by all the owners who haven´t recorvered their drones :-(

Where did you get the Styrofoam floats?

Great video!

I usually launch from a boat but when I retrieve I just hover the spark, grab it and flip it upside down to turn off the motors.  That said, I can see how any sudden movenemnt can be a little more tricky in a kayak or on a sup . If I was going to do that, I d consider attaching a plastic container big enough to land in so that the drone can't slip in the drying . You could also tow a float but most get wet so again some kind of plastic open container would be best.

PascalG Posted at 2017-7-31 15:21
Great video!

I usually launch from a boat but when I retrieve I just hover the spark, grab it and flip it upside down to turn off the motors.  That said, I can see how any sudden movenemnt can be a little more tricky in a kayak or on a sup . If I was going to do that, I d consider attaching a plastic container big enough to land in so that the drone can't slip in the drying . You could also tow a float but most get wet so again some kind of plastic open container would be best.

That's great.  We have been working on a landing system for when we are on the kayak.  Only one small mishap so far  which ended in a water proof testing of the spark...which it passed with flying colors in freshwater.  ARGH.  More on that when we get our set up more finely tuned.  

The main problem on the water so far has been the higher wind conditions.  It doesn't make for very good circle quick shots for example because the tracking is not so good in high wind.  But its going to be pretty cool when I can get a system ready to launch as soon as possible, then to be able to land the drone of a kayak.  

I think I posted them on here somewhere but a few video shots I used from kayak fishing.

fans3c3673db Posted at 2017-7-31 14:57
Where did you get the Styrofoam floats?

Amazon...as an update, crashed and burned last night...was doing my second test on the floats and it was going well, but then I had it in Sport mode and went into my decent and then all of a sudden, it was spiraling end over end...not sure if a pontoon came unattached and if the Sport mode was too much for it?  

I was freaking out, as it was about 60' in the air...it came down (slow motion style) and crashed (luckily) into my tree, lessening the fall to the grass.  Initially, it was screwed up, motor issue warnings, etc.  It almost instantaneously flipped over in the air when I tried to take off and crashed again.  I took off the props, re-calibrated the compass, checked the arms, then test flew it at a low altitude through the other two remaining batteries and so far, no issues.  

I've asked the Amazon guy who I got them from for another set, or a refund.  They broke all apart where they attach to the arms.  It could be that either 1) one pontoon fell off, throwing the Spark askew and then into a tumble, 2) using Sport mode was too much tilt, causing it to flip over end over end 3) it wasn't too windy, so I don't think that was the issue, 4) freak thing.  

Now my fear of flying over water is twofold, 1) the chance of splash landing, 2) the chance the Spark is goofy and tilts over again and goes for a swim.  

Ack...

still have not been brave enough to fly it over water.

To follow up on this thread, here is a recent video I made of kayaking in Lake Michigan.

Great thread. I too want to use Spark to follow me once I get kayak. Good to know others have the same idea