FC200 Soft Focus

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Hi, I'm a relatively new Vision owner. I'm really enjoying it so far and also finding this forum a valuable resource. I have been lurking for a while but decided it was time to register and start posting etc.
I know the topic of soft focus down either the left or right side of photos has been covered extensively in previous threads but I thought I would ask a couple of specific questions rather than tack on to those.
As you can see in the accompanying image my photos suffer from soft focus down the left hand side. I have contacted the dealer I bought my P2 from and am waiting for a full response.
In the meantime I have a couple of questions that I couldn't find a definitive answer to in related threads.
Firstly, is this an inherent camera design problem suffered by all FC200 cameras?
Secondly, are those who return their cameras for repair or exchange satisfied with the results from the repaired or new camera?
 

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I got lucky and my second one was tolerable. Some have sent theirs back 3, 4, and 5 times and still get a bad one with the soft focus edge returned. DJI tech support in California told me it's a known manufacturing defect where the sensor is misaligned. There must have been a huge batch of defects go out with so many people having the same problem on this forum alone. I'd return it and get a new one if you have easy access to your dealer/shipper. Mine was through Amazon.com so was a very simple return and replace process. Sending it back direct to DJI could take a month from what others have said. :shock:
 
enseth said:
Firstly, is this an inherent camera design problem suffered by all FC200 cameras?
Secondly, are those who return their cameras for repair or exchange satisfied with the results from the repaired or new camera?

I think it is a quality control problem rather than an inherent design fault. I say that because some people get left side softness, some people get right side softness, some people (like me) get lousy resolution all over, and some people get reasonably acceptable images. So, it seems to be a lottery.

As to the second question, personally, I returned mine and didn't want another one, I went a different route instead. I know that some people on this forum have had three or four replacements and have still not been happy. Some have even taken the camera apart and repositioned or re-focused the lens. Others have been more lucky. However, I get the impression that the lucky ones are in the minority.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. After reading the thread that has just been posted on adjusting the sensor I'm really tempted to have a go myself but given it's under warrantee and I used a local dealer I'll think I'll wait to see what response he comes back with. It's a bit disappointing to hear that this is basically a quality control issue. These UAV's cost a bit. One would think the least they could do is send them out totally fit for purpose.
 
enseth said:
It's a bit disappointing to hear that this is basically a quality control issue. These UAV's cost a bit. One would think the least they could do is send them out totally fit for purpose.

Yes, it is very disappointing because (IMHO) the Phantom 2 is a brilliant camera platform. It flies beautifully and is pretty easy to control right out of the box in 'Phantom' mode. Once you get used to it and then go over to 'Naza' mode, you have even more capability. It really is a very clever and well constructed piece of technology.

If only the same could be said of that FC200 camera they've fixed to the Vision version.
 
I had no problems swapping mine and the dealer did not quibble at all. The original one was very soft on the right and the new one is much sharper but of course a bit soft on all extremities which is inherent in all the cameras. The fix just posted does look good so it is quite a dilemma as you would void your warrantee (if they found out ;)).

Alternatively you could use it as an excuse for swapping it for the V+ !
 
If this post @ RC is right, you can fix it yourself.

After long hesitation on whether to buy the Phantom 2 Vision, having in mind I’ve seen lots of sample images from it being completely out of focus or soft on one of its sides, I have finally decided to go ahead and risk and buy the quad. I was quite unfortunate to find out my unit was having heavy issues with lack of focus in the center and left side of the image while the right side was very sharp.
While the quad is in warranty it was bought from abroad and would be quite a hassle to send it back so I have decided to check on how and if I can resolve it by myself. And I have achieved… great success.
So first of all you need to remove the whole camera/wifi unit from the Phantom 2.
1. Start by removing the small plug on the back of the camera and gently remove the camera from the rubber bumpers.
2. After which you will need to disconnect the servo lead on the bottom of the camera.
3. When you do so, remove the four little screws holding the bottom cover, you will need 1.5 mm Allen key. Be careful with the shutter button as it may fall off. It’s best to tape it before you start disassembling.
4. Once you remove the bottom cover you will need to unscrew the camera unit inside which is held by two little screws. You can use the screwdriver which comes with the Phantom. Just be careful with the little lens and with the ribbon cable for the camera sensor.
5. Once you remove the unit you will see that the sensor is held to the lens with 4 tiny screws. And that is where the issue lies. It appears DJI do not make quality check and/or adjustments to the camera lens. Therefore it is not aligned to the sensor so the two are perpendicular to each other. In other words you achieve tilt-shift effect as the lens is tilted to a very small degree on one side and therefore the image is soft on one side or completely. In my case it was soft on the left side and center as two of the screws were very over tightened resulting in a tilted sensor.
6. So what needs to be done is to adjust the tension between the sensor and the lens in such way to increase or decrease the distance from the sensor to the lens where the image is soft.
Take into account that the image is flipped vertically (like with a telescope) and is corrected by software in camera to appear normal. Therefore for example if your image is soft on the bottom left you will need to adjust the top right screw on the camera unit.

So after doing all this my image is completely sharp with slight softness on extreme corners which is fine for me.
 

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