Phantom Vision camera - photos left side soft -

[Bunyarra]

And in an update, Buzzflyer in the UK believe they will have new cameras by the New Year and are happy to swap one out. Excellent support.

 

[Patb01027]

Packaged mine up and shipped it out this morning. Hope to have the replacement soon

 

[Chuggie]

Took second flight today. It was a little windy as a storm just came through New England but I was nit worried as it was not constant.

I was hoping for better snow but it was not sticking to trees as I had hoped. Anyway I wanted to see after readying a post by someone that was not happy with the visions camera because he thought the left side of the frame was soft. He returned his and the new one was not better. As I was so excited (as many our when they get it) I thought all looked ok on mine, but having bought from the same supplier I wanted to be sure.

After I went back and noticed the photos I took on flight one and now this one, the camera is not what I was hoping for. Or in fact maybe has an issue.

Here is a photo from first flight http://www.flickr.com/photos/63097412@N00/11277002963/ the center and right seem ok (sharpish) the left side it gets soft and softer off that edge.

Flight 2 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/63097412@N ... otostream/ again same softness on left edge, maybe I'm pixel peeping / or expecting more from the camera.

I have looked at a few other folks shots and they look pretty sharp across the board.

My video seems ok in general for the small amount I have shot.

Should I return this one for a replacement - or should I rethink this entirely and lose the ease of out of the box and FPV and switch to P2 with a gopro?

Im Glad you posted this, I noticed the loss of focus on the left side as well. Now I Know it is not just me.

Thanks,
Chuggie

 

[nhoover]

Well, I don't have good news to report. I received a replacement camera from All e RC and the QR code to redo the binding. I've only done one flight and it was near sunset so not a completely fair test, but I am not at all happy with the focus. On the original camera the right side was super soft; on this one it's the left.

The videos are nice and all, but I really wanted to be able to use the camera for stills. Maybe I'm picky but this quality is simply unusable. Maybe I need to rethink this and send it all back and get a Phantom 2 and GoPro, but that doesn't do the same thing. I can't shoot at will. And my favorite feature of all is FPV which is complicated and expensive to set up with a GoPro. :evil:

Since you can't attach large files, here is a link to a sample, untouched, from the new camera: http://nhoover.smugmug.com/Other-Fun/Test/i-sWPJ6wB

 

[semaj]

I'm thinking that this camera has a defective design flaw... DJI probably knows, but figures most will look past the slight blurr on the right or left and just fly it...

 

[iDrone]

I'm thinking that this camera has a defective design flaw... DJI probably knows, but figures most will look past the slight blurr on the right or left and just fly it...

You have to keep in mind Vision uses a "board camera" which is basically a sensor soldered to a printed circuit board with a pair of holes drilled thru it to secure a lens mounted in a plastic or sometimes aluminum barrel. Have a look at the photo below and click here on Google for examples of other board cameras: https://www.google.com/search?q=board+cameras



Board cameras were created to minimize the myriad of external components traditionally used to interconnect sensor, drive electronics, image processing, power-supply, lens, to minimize their cost, and to miniaturize the camera. Originally well-suited for standard definition security cameras & PC webcams, today they can easily resolve Full HD (1920x1080) and beyond with a good lens in front of them. However a printed circuit board is not immune to warping, nor does the traditional cheap plastic lens mount lend itself to precise four-corner flatfield alignment. Miniature lenses have improved significantly from what they once were, but the basic board camera remains along with its limitations. But course anything can be improved, for a price.

Frankly I'm impressed DJI uses a board camera with a fairly beefy lens mount. Made of solid metal as opposed to plastic it's held in place by four fasteners, not the traditional two and being made of metal helps conduct heat away from the sensor. I'm also pleased DJI has been willing to replace cameras that are exhibiting flatfield focus issues. They're probably doing so to remain competitive and to maintain a loyal customer base, after all this machine is supposed to be all about getting the images. Either thru tighter QC or improved design, my hope is it will only get better.

iDrone