I received a P3P the other day, and noticed the gimbal clamp was *not* fully secured to camera/gimbal. Seemed a little concering as I don't know if or how badly is was bounced around. However, I really took a close look at the camera/gimbal and found no damage worth noting. Upon start up the camera seemed fine, self tested etc. Pics and video seem nice and clear, connected right to the RC (after I updated firmware - IOS)

However, today, I noted the pics seem to be slightly out of level to the horizon, slightly uphill to the right. The camera and gimbal seem to behave very much like the P2V3 I had, the footage is really smooth as well, so I'm thinking maybe no damage and maybe a re-cal issue?  

However, in reading the forums here (I'm new btw), it would seem like this is maybe an "issue"?

I'm wondering if it's best to wait and see or if I should try to re-cal or ?? If I wasn't thinking that it's a known issue, I'd have a better idea what to do

I'll try to post a pic or two and get some feedback from this great community!!

Try doing a calibration first.  There is also a way to adjust it in the app.

If the Gimble adjustment can not fix. You can try the method below:
1)  Plug out the battery and wait for 30 minutes to cool it down.
2)  Put the aircraft on a horizontal surface (need to be completely level, very important), calibrate IMU after powering on the aircraft immediately.
3)  Calibrate Gimbal after IMU calibration.

Try that and tell me the result.

DJI-Autumn Posted at 2015-5-25 13:44
If the Gimble adjustment can not fix. You can try the method below:
1)  Plug out the battery and wai ...

Thank you for the insight and advice.

I placed on a level table today and both IMU and Gimbal calibrated OK. I will look to have in use and check to see if resolved in next day or so.

Thanks again!

DJI-Autumn Posted at 2015-5-25 13:44
If the Gimble adjustment can not fix. You can try the method below:
1)  Plug out the battery and wai ...

Hi there,

I have the same issue with the tilted horizon, and also did the cold calibration yesterday on a table that I thought was leveled.  Can you tell me exactly how important is it to have it 100% leveled? I just checked the table outside with a level, and it was slightly off, do you think that explains why the horizon is still messed up?

I'm still trying to find out if there actually are people who have their Phantom 3 completely stable and leveled in all directions even after rotating in the air etc?
DJI claims that only a few people have this issue, but my bet is that most if not all Phantoms have it, but not all PEOPLE have an issue with it.

I havent found any video on youtube that has 100% level horizons, not even 'the' DJI official video for the Phantom 3, it also has lots of shots with tilted horizons.

I'm wondering of it is of any use to bring it in and have it 'repaired', its either a software issue or a hardware issue not both!

Marcel

I have the same problem and I seriously hate flying the Phantom because of this. I mean I bought it for professional applications and what I'm getting as a result is a tilted video i could have taken with any drone that simply flies.

I still haven't heard from the DJI service center in Germany (been 3 weeks now)... so I have no idea what the issue is.

For now I just shoot in 4k and adjust the horizon in Premiere Pro, but of course I have to crop a little bit because you will get some black area from turning the video left or right. Anyways for 1080p it does the job, but I hate flying and seeing this effect. I never know if my shot is the way i want it to be or not. Demotivating and not really encouraging me to support the brand.

Seems like not many people here have this issue - could someone else post their horizon levels?

Thanks
Bart

blo220 Posted at 2015-6-8 14:29
I have the same problem and I seriously hate flying the Phantom because of this. I mean I bought it  ...

Hey Bart,

Is your horizon always tilted the same way then? Or does it also change all the time? It hard to correct this in post when it changes all the time like with mine...

To be honest I don't believe DJI when they say that only a few of the Phantoms have this issue. All you have to do is check their own MAIN promo video for the Phantom 3 on the frontpage of this website, there are a lot of tilted shots in it.  For example the selfie shot at 1.25, the shots starting at 2.18 etc  They are great shots, but with tilted horizon...

My feeling is that not everyone notices or cares about it as much as we do as professional filmmakers maybe?

info.marcelvoss Posted at 2015-6-8 14:41
Hey Bart,

Is your horizon always tilted the same way then? Or does it also change all the time? It ...

Hi Marcel,

I would say there is a general tendency that it will be tilted to the right, although I've seen it go to the left as well, and once in a blue moon it's just dead on straight.

Using yaw will most likely tilt the horizon in the case I had it straight from the start, but usually it's just tilted first lift off.

I guess I have not looked at horizon lines when watching promo clips as they do overpower you with the quality and the shot itself. For me, it's just a no go. Even if I have a beautiful shot in front of me and I see everything tilted I just loose my will to do more.

As previously said I do adjust this manually and render at 1080p.. while shooting 4k to have the buffer zone for rotating the videos. Ah modern technology...

I wonder, if this was not foreseen by DJI? I mean so many components onboard this aircraft and they can't preserve the gimbal to keep in a straight line? Weird...

Bart

blo220 Posted at 2015-6-8 15:31
Hi Marcel,

I would say there is a general tendency that it will be tilted to the right, although  ...

Hi Bart,

I agree, its very weird, esp. that they seem to try to act as if nothing is going on and that you just have to calibrate etc.

If you want a particular shot straight, you could open the gimbal settings and change 'gimbal roll' , but for me that only works until I do another YAW, but for a still shot in the air you can use it.

Maybe they can at least offer an update of the app where you can set the buttons on the back of the controler to adjust the gimball tilt during the fly, that would help...

Hi Marcel,

Same here, gimbal roll can help, although most of the times the change is not linear and sometimes when I'm a click away from the desired level - the next stop is something completely odd or tilted the other way.
Yeah gimbal tilt mapped as the two buttons on the bottom would help a lot - but then again only if you're flying in straight lines.

Another issue is, that if i spend 5 minutes in total of my airtime out of lets say 20, that greatly decreases the potential... especially, that sometimes you think its levelled, but because of the sun etc. you only notice that its still wrong when you start moving - then you have to stop go in the menu AGAIN... painful.

Hope this can be fixed, but like you're saying - would have to be addressed first by DJI.

How can they not notice this, or not design this toy to keep levelled is beyond me.

Bart

btw by rotating the whole picture in premiere i found that by far the most often (95%)  a correction of 2,25 degrees CCW was needed to make it horizontal.
Then again i have  single shots from the same day of shooting, which needed 1.5 CW.

I read and watched a lot of movies today and will attempt to do the cold IMU calibration followed by a gimbal auto calibration on a perfeeeeeeeeectly levelled surface - lets see if that works.

                        I never had the gimbal tilt until I did an IMU followed by a gimbal calibration. I did the whole cold, level routine and now I have the problem. Autum, I did exactly what you described and it did not cure the problem, it actually seems to have  induced the problem. DJI please fix this issue.

kevinobaby.gmai Posted at 2015-6-8 19:55
I never had the gimbal tilt until I did an IMU followed by a gimbal calibrat ...

Posted on another Phantom forum:

Originally Posted by Tahoe Ed View Post

If you have done a "cold" calibration of the IMU. That means cooling down the P3 by sticking it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes then upon removal do an immediate IMU calibration on a level surface. Follow that with a compass calibration. If that does not cure the horizon issue then you will have to send it in.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2384430&page=976

There was a previous thread, same issue where the person took the plate off the gimbal and physically rotated the shaft and got the camera straight to the horizon. I can't find the thread now. If the shaft is not in the position it should be in, after IMU and gimbal calibration is done, it won't fix it.

kevinobaby.gmai Posted at 2015-6-8 19:55
I never had the gimbal tilt until I did an IMU followed by a gimbal calibrat ...

Thats a bummer, why did you do the calibration then if I may ask? ;)

I have tried cool imu calibration and room temperature calibration. I saw a youtube video where they discussed the cool calibration was for an issue with a previous dji device that would give a temperature warning during the imu calibration. We can probably put that to rest.

However these solutions have not fixed my problem. I spoke with someone over the chat and they told me it is a software thing that will get reset. Until then I will keep practicing my skills

Because I only had mine less than 7 days, I was able to bring it back and get a new one, DJI helped in this, they said they would swap it. Yesterday i tried out the new one (uncalibrated) and found out it did a lot better than the one I had. Its not perfect but within a reasonable margin I would say, with 1-3 degrees of tilting.  Perhaps this is totally normal , I'm not sure at this point but some people have told me any gimbal system on any drone has a certain tilting going on. I think its better not to try any calibrations to avoid the problem getting worse until DJI comes up with a fix for this.
Maybe someone has a link to some technical information on how a gimbal actually works to get the horizon leveled in mid-air?

What measured information does it use as input, does anyone know that?

info.marcelvoss Posted at 2015-6-10 21:43
Because I only had mine less than 7 days, I was able to bring it back and get a new one, DJI helped  ...

I have the same problem and DJI ask me to send the unit to repair.

I hate that tilt to the right...have also tried every calibration "trick"

JazBas Posted at 2015-6-11 18:39
I hate that tilt to the right...have also tried every calibration "trick"  

https://www.youtube.c ...

If its a constant tilt to one side and you have done a IMU and gimbal calibration then im afraid its a trip back to DJI for the Phantom.

If its ONLY horizon drift when  YAWing or other flying, then this is something DJI are working on fixing.

You can now buy the official DJI Hardshell Backpack

Remember to buy extra propellers and one or two spare batteries to keep you flying

www.Phantom-Guide.co.uk - The Ultimate Phantom 3 Resource

JazBas Posted at 2015-6-11 18:39
I hate that tilt to the right...have also tried every calibration "trick"  

https://www.youtube.c ...

Have you tried the Gimball Roll setting?

Yours looks like its always tilted to one side, maybe you can at least temporary correct it to make your shots. mine changed the tilt from left to right during YAW (Mine had gimbal drift like Sploodge said)

Great action BTW, is that a remote controled boat in the water? Are you controling the Phantom 3 and the boat from your big boat?

Tried the gimbal roll setting...but the tilt is not consistent...it has the yaw drifting as well.

Its a friend driving the "big" boat and another friend driving the rc boat.
Try not to drive like a drunk next time...and keep the yaw steady :p

I had the same packing fault (the fixture was in the package and not on the gimbal).
After the first flight I did not notice that the camera was rotating without reason. But I could see it when the drone was standing an a table without movement. Perhaps the Hardware is damaged! Im am not shure, if I should send the drone back to DJI

The issue is actually that the plastic gimbal saver is too short. To fix use all 4 or none at all. You can run a small zip tie thru the grommet if you are worried about it coming off.

Well, a couple of imu and gimbal calibrations, and again post fw update, and it's still tilted. I'd mail it in... Is there still a 6-8 week time it'd be gone?

I am not sure if I have the same problem, but gimbal always goes off horizon when yawing, but then it slowly levels to normal. Is this a normal attitude?
To be honest it's a little bit irritating. Why this is even occurring, I thought keeping the horizon is a pretty simple task, and other axis are doing fine.
I did IMU calibration before the first flight (demanded after firmware update), but I'm not sure the surface was perfectly leveled. And again, everything else seem to work fine.
Just wanted to know if this is okay or not. Should I maybe make a video of this?