Using a folded Mavic as handheld gimbal?

[Wfrank]

Any chance for this - any evidence out there?

I am doing things like car shows and it would be a great asset to have that kind of shots to complement aerial.

Just as GoPro have realized with the Karma with detachable gimbal. I wouldnt mind it would be bulkier, I'd just love the possibility.

 

[Scott99]

Interesting concept, the Mavic only weighs a little over a pound. That being said, that Karma gimbal (and the Hero 5 Black) are pretty **** cool !

 

[stefan350]

Osmo mobile would be better. Consider most smart phones are equipped with a camera even better than the mavic.


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[Wfrank]

Osmo mobile would be better. Consider most smart phones are equipped with a camera even better than the mavic.


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Thanks but I dont agree. I'd like to color grade, WB-balance and so forth quite equal with as little effort as possible. To bring in another camera would deteriorate the end result. Add to that the apparent DOF possibility the Mavic cam comes with - adding another dif to what smartphones can do.

 

[With The Birds]

The question might really be if the Mavic can go through its initialisation routine without the arms deployed.

Assuming it can, and you can film in the folded position you would still need to link to a phone/tablet or the controller to accurately frame shots and control the camera. You would likely spend most of your time distracted by other patrons at the event asking questions about what you are doing.

I'm not sure most mobile phones take better footage than the Mavic however some may be as good and probably most are more suitable in this application.

 

[Morgon]

The question might really be if the Mavic can go through its initialisation routine without the arms deployed.

Assuming it can, and you can film in the folded position you would still need to link to a phone/tablet or the controller to accurately frame shots and control the camera. You would likely spend most of your time distracted by other patrons at the event asking questions about what you are doing.

I'm not sure most mobile phones take better footage than the Mavic however some may be as good and probably most are more suitable in this application.

Yes and yes. The Mavic can be powered on, and the gimbal does work, without the arms deployed. Since the Mavic isn't much bigger than a soda can, I do think it's feasible to use it for handheld recording if you also wanted to fly with it.

Having said that, I don't know what would happen if you CSC'd, or tried to take off.. but presumably you would be smart enough not to do that

 

[Rick A]

I asked a DJI tech support rep if the camera could be used while holding the drone. The answer was yes, the drone could be turned on and the camera used, even with the arms folded in. Based on his answer, the drone could be used as a hand held gimbal with camera.
That brings the question of how would you adjust camera settings? My assumption would be that the camera settings could be done through either your phone or the hand held controller. Undoubtedly there is some sort of failsafe mechanism built in that would prevent the props from turning if the drone was turned on but the arms were still folded in.

 

[DefaultIT]

Undoubtedly there is some sort of failsafe mechanism built in that would prevent the props from turning if the drone was turned on but the arms were still folded in.

I would be surprised if there were...wouldn't guess the use of the sensors for this would be justifiable in terms of cost or weight. In fact, since the motors exhibit a little bit of twitching on start up, I don't think I'd even attempt this without fully removing the props. Totally gonna try it though...the FOV and variable focus will be great on the ground...or on my roof rack

 

[hudster]

That is a great idea!


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[BDOG]

One could just get an oversized sports band to wrap around the area where the props are folded back and that would secure them. Then the twitching of props on start up would not be as intimidating.

I am sure there will be 3 D printed handles for the Mavic Pro being produced in the future that allow this functionality and perhaps even with a built in phone holder. There is already a 3 D printable handle for the Phantom 3 series that has been out since August of 2015

 

[stefan350]

Thanks but I dont agree. I'd like to color grade, WB-balance and so forth quite equal with as little effort as possible. To bring in another camera would deteriorate the end result. Add to that the apparent DOF possibility the Mavic cam comes with - adding another dif to what smartphones can do.

Take out the aerial aspect and I bet my iPhone 7 camera would kill the phantom 4. With a aperture of 1.8f and looks great in 4K.


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[DefaultIT]

With a aperture of 1.8f and looks great in 4K.

Now imagine if someone stuffed that iphone camera unit and just enough electronics and battery for it into a similarly dense package. I bet you could get it in a watch. If I were GoPro, that's the direction I'd have taken...DJI may be poised to deal them another blow if they release a compact Osmo-type thing using the gimbal and camera tech from the Mavic.

That Phantom handle is hilarious! (and I laugh, but there's at least one occasion I really could have used that!)

 

[montelatici]

Doesn't the Mavic camera fit on the Osmo?

 

[DefaultIT]

Nope...it doesn't come off at all. It looks seriously doubtful you'll even be able to get to the dampeners.

To bring my meandering back to the original topic; I wonder if those quick releases for the props might actually make a good attachment method for a mount or handle. Could actually be fairly simple to slap something together from a sacrificial set of props

 

[John Locke]

Doesn't the Mavic camera fit on the Osmo?

No, the Inspire cameras fit Osmo.

 

[Mako79]

Take out the aerial aspect and I bet my iPhone 7 camera would kill the phantom 4. With a aperture of 1.8f and looks great in 4K.


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But does the IPhone 7 have 3 axis stabilisation?
And don't tell me it has optical image stabilization because that is only used to smooth out the shakes.

On a side note, unlike the P3A/P and P4, the Mavic has built in wifi. This eliminates carrying around the remote that is attached to the phone/tablet. You could now just simply tape the phone to the mavic switch to wifi mode.

 

[stefan350]

But does the IPhone 7 have 3 axis stabilisation?
And don't tell me it has optical image stabilization because that is only used to smooth out the shakes.

On a side note, unlike the P3A/P and P4, the Mavic has built in wifi. This eliminates carrying around the remote that is attached to the phone/tablet. You could now just simply tape the phone to the mavic switch to wifi mode.

That's why I mentioned osmo mobile???

And yes, the 7 does now have image stabilizer built in. Not quite sure if it's as good as the gimbal though. But isn't that why DJI created the Osmo Mobile?

Normal shooting conditions (non-aerial) the mavic camera isn't quite up to par with the iPhone imo. Definitely not great in low light either.




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[John Locke]

My Osmo mobile shipped to me from DJI, Atlanta GA yesterday. It's supposed to arrive Tuesday. I look forward to testing it out on vacation this month.

 

[Morgon]

That's why I mentioned osmo mobile???
But isn't that why DJI created the Osmo Mobile?

I only have one gripe about the Osmo Mobile (at least based on camera tests and reviews from people who do own them), and that's a lack of Z-axis dampening. Footsteps are much more pronounced than the Osmo gimbals with integrated cameras; I could definitely see people getting motion sickness just watching it.

My Osmo mobile shipped to me from China yesterday. I look forward to testing it out on vacation this month.

I'll be very interested in seeing any test footage!

I actually want to purchase this for my parents, who are going on an epic RV trip for most of next year; they're not filmmakers by any means, but I think they'd love the idea of non-shaky footage. Just want to make sure that camera 'bob' is not as bad as I've seen, through normal use.

 

[kykayak]

iPhone 7 Plus and Osmo mobile are working pretty **** good for me! Really happy with purchases. Friend and I used them both to make a short two minute video here in KY if would like to see an example.

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