I want to fly my drone at night and get a view of my town and all that at night but the biggest issue is i live in a small town so not alot of light sources are out there.

So is it possible to change the settings that much to allow me to fly this at night (or any type of night vison flying)

i know there is limitations and i will post a video of my last flight at night but heres a video of my town in the day wouldnt it be cool to fly at night and see just how it looks (to me yeah but in general i mean)

P.s. the leg got in the frame i dont like how that looks i wish i knew why it did that because it never has done that any other time.





If you need a example of my last night flight i will either upload screenshots or the video (be warned the screencaps or video may take long time.

The Phantom cameras are not low light cameras, and need plenty of light for the best pictures, but you can get acxceptable results flying at night. The trick is to fly slowly and make all moves very gentle. The camera can take better stills at night than movies. And yes, that leg in shot is a worry.

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-20 23:36
The Phantom cameras are not low light cameras, and need plenty of light for the best pictures, but y ...

The only time I;ve had a leg in the shot is when a huge gust up around 30 meters got a hold of me on the way back to home, took the best of 60% battery to return, little scary I tell you.
Now, I always go to my cruise height, & flip to ATT mode & see what she does.
Sunday, it was blowing a bit, 10-15mph, no worries, but when I got to cruise height  & flipped to ATT, my bird went off sideways at an alarming rate of speed, I was really shocked at how fast she took off.
I must look into a wind app or some form of local wind reports

Along with the above posts, if filming at night, turn off the front LED's as well.

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-20 22:36
The Phantom cameras are not low light cameras, and need plenty of light for the best pictures, but y ...

ok i guess il live without night photos (i saw people do videos like the drone in firework videos i wonder how they managed that???

Any idea why the leg shot?

Depending on the wind, your feet will show up sometimes.. when your left leg shows, try going and tunring to the left then to the right, see if that helps.
Are you planning to film or take photos?
If you take photos, be in manual mode and play with flying backwards/forward and/or sideways slowly, see if that helps to get get a good shot with nothing in view...  
When i shoot the sky i learned to fly back to raise the front props, so they are not in the shot....
If  you do a long exposure, naturally u can only be moving slowly and steadily, and maybe u just cannot. Either way, u can crop pictures as well as video, u just need an editor that can do it....Also, trey flying with full moon, and u can even try at dusk.. many light come on already, but yet it's not completely dark.. if u r an early bird, morning is an option too - just be ware of morning fog/dew and temperatures.. between mositure and cold, may be a problem....
Or, just hire a helicopter with a wide spotloght ;)

Good luck...

the winds that day were less than 5mph as it was a colder day but not windy
and i had it set to just point of interest at 7mph



This is what i mean by night photography / videos

I ask because winter is coming soon and here in minnesota it gets dark super fast so if i have someone who wants to have videos or photos done for there family i would like to get as good of shots as i can get.

acegolfking Posted at 2016-10-21 15:58
the winds that day were less than 5mph as it was a colder day but not windy
and i had it set to just ...

Yes, but the amount of light generated by the fireworks alone is huge, if you are just shooting night scenes of the streets then you will not get that much light. But give it a try anyway, and set the exposure to automatic for the shot.

well i am saving up for a mavik and i hope that works better for other photos andvideos i do want to make stuff look good.

Is there a way to change the move speed or is it just me manually slowly moving it?

Btw when i say the move speed i mean like if im recording a track meet for someone
when i tilt the stick to the right it moves to the right
do i push gently or is there a setting to change the move speed so i can hold it all the way and it wil move slowly

Pushing the RC sticks all the way to the back stop, is like putting the peddle to the metal, burning rubber and squeeling out.
Just gentle nudges are best, easing your small aircraft towards your ultimate goal. Slow and steady, as she goes...


RedHotPoker

awww i wish it was possible to change a setting to make it move slowly because otherwise i fear id go 2 fast

One of the biggest advantages of getting lots of flights & practicing flying, (even with the onboard flight SIM) is gaining that all important muscle memory.
Sure you can turn down the Gain and Expo in the RC, through the Go app. If you want a reduced throttle response, it's easy to do...
Are you already, thoroughly familiar, with this procedure?
Go into Advanced Settings and EXP Throttle Up~Throttle Down.
Have fun... Haha

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-10-22 03:24
One of the biggest advantages of getting lots of flights & practicing flying, (even with the onboard ...

yeah im familar with all that right now i just need to pratice with this untill i raise about $1000 for a mavik because i would love to use that over the advanced even though its not alot of huge changes it does have more features and more learning to it

You asked how to lower the thrusters... That's how, aside from learning to have more sensitive thumb control of the RC.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-10-22 04:01
You asked how to lower the thrusters... That's how, aside from learning to have more sensitive thumb ...

il experiment around with it and practice i want to get better so i can record kids bike races or other little events.

Yes, practice flying is going to be best, before fiddling with the app controls.
It may seem quite difficult for you at first, but it will get much better with experience as time goes on.
Don't get frustrated, as it's all part of the RC learning curve, and because we love this hobby/sport and lifestyle, it's also fun.

RedHotPoker

acegolfking Posted at 2016-10-22 20:10
il experiment around with it and practice i want to get better so i can record kids bike races or  ...

Another thing to do is to lengthen the sticks.  Using longer sticks will make inputting finer movements easier than making the same movement with short sticks.  To lengthen them, unscrew the top part all the way until they come off, then screw them back on about a turn or so.  Then screw the bottom part up to meet the top, and tighten them against each other to lock them in place.

With your leg being visible in the video, I don't think it has anything to do with the wind, although that is what you would see in a strong wind.  Your camera orientation is the same regardless of what heading you are flying, I notice it does not change while you are rotating.  I think your camera is skewed to the left, possibly from a crash or hard landing?  Check the gimbal for alignment while on the table in front of you.  It should point straight ahead.  Check the arms are not bent or twisted.  Perhaps a gimbal calibration will fix it.  I don't think the camera is supported on a spindle on that axis, sometimes the camera slips on an axis and can be adjusted with a locking screw.

The Mavic is probably not going to perform any better in respect to nighttime photography.

The front LEDs can be turned off (as Ken says) in the GO app. You want to do this do this for any kind of night photography.

Flying at night means that when you spot your bird with your eyeballs, obstacles are going to be a lot harder to see, trees and such, unless they're lit up. So, you have a much greater chance of crashing into something.

You do realize that night flying is against FAA rules, yes? Not that this has stopped a lot of us; I just wanted to throw that out there for awareness.

@endotherm.    No crash landings or other issues and gimbal is fine no other issues this is first time ever


@not a speck of.     I doubt faa cares if im nowhere near airports or above people im not talking flying at airplane height either

You can add Lume Cubes to your drone for better nighttime visibility, they will also greatly improve your drone photography, if within the light cast of these bright lights.

http://www.lumecube.com/164.html


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-10-22 13:29
You can add Lume Cubes to your drone for better nighttime visibility, they will also greatly improve ...

Thank you that be perfect

acegolfking Posted at 2016-10-22 14:23
Thank you that be perfect

With my ongoing positive experiences so far, I can more or less guarantee you will Definately be impressed and more than pleased with your purchase.
Allowing you to increase the drone visibility day or night, is important, but remember, this is a camera platform, so you can improve the quality of your pics and videos tremendously.

Hope others will follow suit, get onboard, and gleam a bright idea... Haha

RedHotPoker

acegolfking Posted at 2016-10-22 02:23
Btw when i say the move speed i mean like if im recording a track meet for someone
when i tilt the s ...

the real answer to this is , until you actually get hold of one and fly it, it will be hard to explain.

once you start flying and learn the feel for control you can work on special stuff..
start simple and learn to fly before trying figure out special sport shots etc.
at least that's my thought on that...

it / they will fly as well as you fly it,
fast, slow, easy, or crazy
remember it is designed to do exactly what you are saying you want to do....

good luck and have fun flying

acegolfking Posted at 2016-10-22 04:13
awww i wish it was possible to change a setting to make it move slowly because otherwise i fear id g ...

that's exactly what practice and experience will give you...
the ability to fly it the speed and way YOU want..

don't fear it until you actually try it...

Not A Speck Of  Posted at 2016-10-22 11:04
The Mavic is probably not going to perform any better in respect to nighttime photography.

The fron ...

I was a little surprised by that comment also.  I don't think there will be nearly as fine a control on the Mavic as there is with a P3, due to the lack of a decent controller.  I'm wondering if the OP has watched reviews that show the lack of quality of images the Mavic collects.  They aren't nearly as good as a P3.  They can't be.  Look at the sensor size.  Here's a little sample from a couple of odd-balls, but they have a great comparison of video/still image quality.

AG0N-Gary Posted at 2016-10-23 11:16
I was a little surprised by that comment also.  I don't think there will be nearly as fine a contro ...

'I'm wondering if the OP has watched reviews that show the lack of quality of images the Mavic collects.  They aren't nearly as good as a P3.  They can't be.  Look at the sensor size. '


The DJI web site shows the specs of the sensor for the P3, P4 and Mavic Pro to be exactly the same. The apparent poor image quality of the Mavic appeared to be a lack of knowledge about the lens focussing system, all the early footage published was not in focus because the operators did not understand that you had to 'tap-to-focus' the image.

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-22 20:00
'I'm wondering if the OP has watched reviews that show the lack of quality of images the Mavic coll ...

I thought video quality n pictures were great i had no doubts

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-22 20:00
'I'm wondering if the OP has watched reviews that show the lack of quality of images the Mavic coll ...

I haven't seen that explained/demonstrated yet.  I'll go looking for it.  Thanks.

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-23 09:00
'I'm wondering if the OP has watched reviews that show the lack of quality of images the Mavic coll ...

Right. But given that it still has the same / equivalent sensor to the P3/P4, it's still not that great at nighttime photography, even when you don't consider the fact that it's far from sitting on a stable tripod.

Not A Speck Of  Posted at 2016-10-29 06:36
Right. But given that it still has the same / equivalent sensor to the P3/P4, it's still not that  ...

No, it is not brilliant, but I don't remember it being promoted as a low light camera at any time. Very few cameras are, it usually requires a large sensor area to pull that off. In the end it is simply a balance of how much noise you are prepared to accept in the picture, against how long an exposure it can make (preferably without moving).

Yeah get some lame cubes....haha

Geebax Posted at 2016-10-29 06:55
No, it is not brilliant, but I don't remember it being promoted as a low light camera at any time. ...

"No, it is not brilliant, but I don't remember it being promoted as a low light camera at any time."

I didn't say it was promoted as such. I'm just setting the record straight / expectations for the OP.

They were and are still relatively small sensor cameras that should not be considered very good for low light photography.

Not A Speck Of  Posted at 2016-11-8 03:39
"No, it is not brilliant, but I don't remember it being promoted as a low light camera at any time ...

I agree, but there is a tendency for people to expect the Phantom cameras to do everything well.

Geebax Posted at 2016-11-7 15:52
I agree, but there is a tendency for people to expect the Phantom cameras to do everything well.

Yeah, I'm soooo disappointed that it does not perform as well as my 5D3 with my 24-70 2.8. I mean, they both have 2.8 lenses right?     /sarcasm

KM5RG-Robert Posted at 2016-11-8 12:12
Yeah, I'm soooo disappointed that it does not perform as well as my 5D3 with my 24-70 2.8. I mean, ...

Yes, I agree. There is a tendency to compare these cameras with expensive DSLRs, and it is so wrong. You cannot expect a small format consaumer grade sensor with a fixed aperture and cheap lens to perform well. The fact that they get so close is amazing. I hold the opinion that aerial photography is not that difficult with fixed focal length lenses, I would love to be able to control the aperture though.

thegaz99 Posted at 2016-10-29 00:29
Yeah get some lame cubes....haha

Did you buy your Lume Cube kit yet? ;-)
The ones you mentioned went way off line... Ha

RedHotPoker

You can get "OK" images on a still night at 3 second exposures! - and stay sharp... though they do start to get "noise"

Geebax Posted at 2016-11-7 20:33
Yes, I agree. There is a tendency to compare these cameras with expensive DSLRs, and it is so wron ...

Control aperture. You and me both.
Small remote-controlled zoom would be nice too.

SimonH78 Posted at 2016-11-8 01:43
You can get "OK" images on a still night at 3 second exposures! - and stay sharp... though they do s ...

Yeah, just gotta keep the ISO at 100 always.