Hey All,

I'm new to this forum and this is my first post so feel free to put me right where necessary.

I bought my new toy last week, a DJI Inspire 1 v2.0 with X3 camera.  I've been out a few times trying to get familiar with its features and the one thing which I can't work out is an issue with the video.  It's quite difficult to describe but I'll do my best...

The camera under certain conditions appears perfectly capable of taking good video, crisp images, good colour depth, focussing, etc..  However, when I was out yesterday which was a very bright sunny day the camera seemed to struggle.  I flew the Inspire over a corn field fairly low at a moderate speed.  The resulting footage seems to become pixelated before reaching focus and then goes back to pixilation.  There seems to be a clear cycle on the footage which almost looks as if it is struggling to focus on the more detailed parts which the Inspire is flying over.  The result is something that isn't even 720p quality, never mind 4k.  I also find that when I take the Inspire up and start a slow speed 360 degree panoramic shot that every couple of seconds when playing back the footage it appears to jump, almost as if the camera is struggling to cope with the image.  

Are there settings which I need to be adjusting?  
Is this something to do with the brightness when shooting video?
Is this normal when the Inspire moves too quickly?
Could it be a hardware fault?

Note:  I don't seem to get this issue when I fly in the evening and the sun is not so bright.  Also, I did notice that the camera seems to automatically reduce the brightness at some stages within the footage.

Any info welcomed.

Many Thanks

Andrew

You are going to want to  purchase filters for the bright sun.  These are a must have  for anyone shooting video.  

This will help immensely.  Polar Pro makes a good set and B & H photo carries a quality line as well.

donnie

1++ on what Donnie said just be sure to get a good set of filters. Also you to shoot video so that the shutter is double the frame rate.
If you shoot at 30fps the shutter should be set at 60 - 80.

Welcome new user. Take time to search through the vast trove of knowledge cumulated by other pilots.

If you look at the professional results obtained by many, then what you observed are limitations of technique interacting with hardware and perceptual system limitations. In general, if you want smooth results do not fly or pan too fast.

Look up terms 'rotating/ rolling shutter' and get familiar with setting shutter speed https://vimeo.com/blog/post/frame-rate-vs-shutter-speed-setting-the-record-str

Look up GOP and video compression http://www.axis.com/global/en/le ... o-compression-guide

Take time to learn. Good results require that.

Donnie Posted at 2016-7-25 01:27
You are going to want to  purchase filters for the bright sun.  These are a must have  for anyone sh ...

Donnie,

Are you suggesting the ND filters from DJI are not as good as PP or B&H?

I take it you were using the auto settings. You might want to do a quick read and lock all your settings to manual and run a filter.

markaguille Posted at 2016-7-25 11:15
Donnie,

Are you suggesting the ND filters from DJI are not as good as PP or B&H?

No, I was just naming a couple of sources.  I should have mentioned DJI as well.

donnie

Here is a test video I took this evening.  I fitted the DJI ND4 filter and the sun was on its way down.  Watch the pan and you can see the jumping which I was on about. https://www.skypixel.com/pilot/v ... 829?account=uk-midd

Andrewbullie Posted at 2016-7-25 23:53
Here is a test video I took this evening.  I fitted the DJI ND4 filter and the sun was on its way do ...

Further to this, I have since spoken to DJI Technical Support via Chat.  They have suggested re-linking the RC to the Inspire which should apparently be done every time it is flown.  They think this may fix the issue and if not then I have to send the machine away for repair

uk.middlesbroug Posted at 2016-7-26 07:33
Further to this, I have since spoken to DJI Technical Support via Chat.  They have suggested re-li ...

Also make sure you're not mixing formats (NTSC / PAL)

Andrewbullie Posted at 2016-7-25 23:53
Here is a test video I took this evening.  I fitted the DJI ND4 filter and the sun was on its way do ...

Personally, I would have used ND 16 at least for that shot. Do you recall what your camera settings where here?

markaguille Posted at 2016-7-26 11:32
Personally, I would have used ND 16 at least for that shot. Do you recall what your camera setting ...

They were set at 4K 30fps on Auto shutter

Andrewbullie Posted at 2016-7-26 06:11
They were set at 4K 30fps on Auto shutter

Unless you playback in 4k , you may wish to lower to say 1080 at 30 FPS,

Just a suggestions, there is a whole lot of trial and error in this hobby

have Fun

donnie

Andrewbullie Posted at 2016-7-26 12:11
They were set at 4K 30fps on Auto shutter

Keeping the ISO to as close to 100 as possible, aim to get at the shutter speed double the fps, so at 30 fps try to set the shutter to 1/60. This may involve experimenting with ND filters to get best results. Keep the pans slow and as Donnie said, shooting in 1080 can help.

Let us know how you get on.

How are you achieving the pans? If it is by yawing the craft, then that is NOT a good way if you want a 360 pan. Yaw the camera via the gimbal; set the gain to a slow rate for a smooth 360. The reason for this is that under default settings, the gimbal is set to keep focused on a given heading ('follow' mode) and will compensate slightly to 'soften' this move. Beyond a certain point, and if the rotation speed exceeds a threshold it will reset the 'forward' position and that will result in a sudden change in yaw. I presume this is what you mean.

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2016-7-26 16:07
How are you achieving the pans? If it is by yawing the craft, then that is NOT a good way if you wan ...

Wow! Thanks Mike, I had never given that a thought, I have usually yawed the AC. I will definitely try this next time.
Every day is a school day!

Mike-the-cat Posted at 2016-7-26 16:07
How are you achieving the pans? If it is by yawing the craft, then that is NOT a good way if you wan ...

Mike, this makes perfect sense!.... After reading what you'd said, I did actually rush out with the drone this evening to give it a try.  When I got there and started flying I saw the words "No SD Card" on my scree...  Aaaggghh!... this is the 3rd time I've forgotten to put it back in the camera after uploading to my PC.  Subsequently, no recorded footage tonight..

uk.middlesbroug Posted at 2016-7-26 07:33
Further to this, I have since spoken to DJI Technical Support via Chat.  They have suggested re-li ...

Nope - no need to re-link the controllers.
Be a little skeptical of such advice. DJI's 'chat' support folks are sometimes stuck for answers and tend to follow the script a little too closely.

Re-link if you have issues with control - video quality issues have no relation to RC links. (recording to SD is done in-camera) If you are getting breakup of the video feed to the controller in flight, then check your app settings and find a clear transmit channel.

Farnk666 Posted at 2016-7-27 06:43
Nope - no need to re-link the controllers.
Be a little skeptical of such advice. DJI's 'chat' supp ...

Agree, it makes no sense to have to relink the controller each time you fly.

markaguille Posted at 2016-7-26 23:29
Wow! Thanks Mike, I had never given that a thought, I have usually yawed the AC. I will definitely ...

The caveat to my tip is that it applies to a fast wide yaw like 90 degrees or so. For lesser movements, its fine to yaw the aircraft but, and this is key, rate of yaw matters. If the AC yaw is very slow, and there is no wind, results can be equivalent.  

For those with Osmos, the tip works in reverse. If you want nice smooth pans, without adjusting the yaw gains, yaw the Osmo ever so gently and the gimbal will follow suit. Enjoy.