Having recently invested in a Sony VPL VW765ES 4K projector with 3D capability, I see the value of 3D and realize that drone footage in 3D would be that much more engaging.

Are there any plans to offer a 3D camera option on the Phantom drones?

Imagine flying through a wooded forest in 3D. That would be, as they say "da' bomb!"

That would be really cool. However, I imagine the cost would be well beyond us common folks.

Hello. Thank you for raising this concern. As of the moment, there is no plan for the 3D camera options for Phantom drones. If there is an update well post it on our DJI official website.

3D has always been a fringe interest. Sony has been very good at promoting it, and Da Vince Resolve allows you to process it, but it just never captured the imagination of the public. To do it in a half decent way, you need two cameras, two lenses and a recording sub-system that can record two streams at the same time. That would seriously impact the existing system and require much faster SD cards, probably SSDs instead. There is a significant weight and power consumption penalty that really is too much for the P4 aerial system.
No, I don't think DJI would consider it.

Geebax Posted at 2018-6-14 16:41
3D has always been a fringe interest. Sony has been very good at promoting it, and Da Vince Resolve allows you to process it, but it just never captured the imagination of the public. To do it in a half decent way, you need two cameras, two lenses and a recording sub-system that can record two streams at the same time. That would seriously impact the existing system and require much faster SD cards, probably SSDs instead. There is a significant weight and power consumption penalty that really is too much for the P4 aerial system.
No, I don't think DJI would consider it.

Not with current technology, but think about what would have been possible before the integrated circuit was invented? Imagine a drone powered by vacuum tubes. Impossible. So what's impossible or nearly so today, becomes reality tomorrow.

3D's a fringe thing because it was implemented so poorly in a lot of theaters and TV screens are really too small to engage in an immersive experience. And the bandwidth isn't any higher than 4K now. It's just two FHD streams.

I think it was Panasonic that released a consumer grade 3D camera a couple of years ago. I think it's doable with today's tech.

Mark Weiss Posted at 2018-6-14 17:27
Not with current technology, but think about what would have been possible before the integrated circuit was invented? Imagine a drone powered by vacuum tubes. Impossible. So what's impossible or nearly so today, becomes reality tomorrow.

3D's a fringe thing because it was implemented so poorly in a lot of theaters and TV screens are really too small to engage in an immersive experience. And the bandwidth isn't any higher than 4K now. It's just two FHD streams.

Mark, no-one cares. It has been doable for a long time, even GoPro supported it briefly, have you seen their latest version?

Commercial suicide.

I agree - 3D FPV with the goggles would be awesome - it’s only a matter of time before one is produced

The challenge with 3D from above is that due to the distances often you would need to have the cameras spaced several meters from each other, i already am making 3D pictures (Anaglyph Red/Cyan) with the P4P but is quite challenging due to the missing precision when moving from having taken one shot to the next.
If it keep up to it's promises you would have no need for a 3D camera, "Upscale 2D films to 3D and enjoy".

Do you know, what tech is used, is it some polarization or active flickering glass in the glasses?
Can you provide a link for some 3D material made for it?

The Phantom already has 3D for the collision sensors, providing that image for the FPV view in the goggles would make a lot of sense, even if it was only 720 resolution, since then the pilot would be able to judge distances like the collision sensors do making it much easier to navigate around obstacles.  The collision sensors are only monochrome, maybe the P5 will have colour ones for both collision and 3D FPV.

For the main camera 3D would be very difficult, the lenses have to be some distance apart, especially at normal flying distances, or the 3D would be pointless, and that would give the gimbal too much inertia if they shared a gimbal, and if they had separate gimbals then they would never stay in sync!

3D mapping in ground station pro will be your best option as things stand. 3D imaging cameras will cost more than the drone.

Nigel_ Posted at 2018-6-15 01:41
The Phantom already has 3D for the collision sensors, providing that image for the FPV view in the goggles would make a lot of sense, even if it was only 720 resolution, since then the pilot would be able to judge distances like the collision sensors do making it much easier to navigate around obstacles.  The collision sensors are only monochrome, maybe the P5 will have colour ones for both collision and 3D FPV.

For the main camera 3D would be very difficult, the lenses have to be some distance apart, especially at normal flying distances, or the 3D would be pointless, and that would give the gimbal too much inertia if they shared a gimbal, and if they had separate gimbals then they would never stay in sync!

3D didn't do so well because of the lack of proper playback equipment. You really need a IMAX like projection screen and sit close enough for an immersive experience. Done right, it can be amazing.

The cameras must be placed at the inter-ocular spacing of the human eyes, otherwise headaches will result. 3D doesn't have much affect if you're flying at 400', but if you're flying through a forest, it can be an amazing experience.

The hardware isn't that difficult. You just need to double the number of sensors and lenses. Since 3D is not 4K, the processing power needed isn't any worse than for 4K.

It looks like there are nine cameras on the Phantom 4 Pro 2.0. The one we use for video and 8 others for obstacle avoidance.

A new design with a more rugged gimbal would be necessary, but I think it could be done with improvements in component miniaturization.