Do you have an example of a mapping application that allows camera settings to be altered? I can’t think of one. Pretty much everything related to DJI and manual settings are controlled in DJI Go. If DroneDeploy released any camera controls the only thing that we should need to alter is the ISO. Already somewhat control the iso by using the low light toggle in advanced settings. I have never had to do anything else to the camera. Everything else should be automatic. On the Mavic 2 Pro’s this has always been a problem which is why many of those pilots use DJI Go before they open DroneDeploy.
Hi Michael
Thanks for your response.
I must admit that I prefer to know exactly what my camera is doing especially the shutter speed. In my experience this is vital for photogrammetry with cameras that only have an electronic shutter.
Dji’s GroundStation Pro has a camera page just like the GoApp and It’s readily accessible from the flight plan page and works a treat.
Their app wasn’t very good to start with hence my preference for DD but there’s been some serious improvement recently which is why I think DD ought to be able to implement the same so we don’t have to change app.
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Totally get it. We have to realize though that with an ISO priority you are controlling both the exposure and the shutter speed. Do some testing yourself and look at the EXIF data. I am starting to run the Low Light setting more and more. not necessarily because it captures more light, but it does speed up the shutter and creates crisper images. This is with Phantom 4 Pro’s.
I will also admit that I do some photo processing afterwards that balances images, gets rid of dark shadows and brings detail back into blowout. I find the Drone deploy settings whether it be 100 or 400 ISO to be plenty to work with.
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Map Pilot also has full camera control from within the app. The UI is not as clean as DD and I have not tried GSP out of principle do to their TOS.
My camera settings are:
Shutter priority set at 300 - 1000th depending on daylight.
White balance: Sunny
ISO: Auto
If I choose the appropriate shutter speed, ISO will not go beyond 200 in the shadowed areas.
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Thanks Dave,
Good to see your settings 
I will have a look at Map Pilot as, like you, I have a natural aversion to DJI’s software!
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It seems like you use manual camera settings quite allot. Are you still flying a Mavic? I’m just curious what it is that you aren’t getting out of Auto or even the ability to change the ISO to 400 that you feel the need to adjust otherwise.
Shutter priority mode is not technically manual. But, yes, I always use shutter priority. If using “auto” I almost always get some % of images with what I consider too slow of a shutter speed and / or higher ISO than I like. This is true when using auto in either flight app.
I’m not sure what the question is about ISO? With these small sensors, I really don’t want anything above ISO 200 if I can help it.
I always use a P4P for image capture. If the client just wants an orthophoto I may use the M2P if other factors of the area make it’s size preferrable.
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Steve, Map Pilot also lets you pull a focus while in the air. I always do this manually as well when I get to mission height and over a high contrast spot. I do the same thing when using DD but it has to be done in GO when setting camera controls before switching back to DD. Does GSP allow you to tap-to-focus during a mission?
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While it may not be a full “Manual mode” as you would see in a DSLR where you would be setting every aspect any time you manipulate the camera to different static value from the manufacturer’s Auto settings it should be considered Manual especially when you include more than one setting. From what I see in your description you are manipulating three settings. Even forcing the ISO is a priority or manual mode however you want to look at it. I can’t speak to Matt pilot, but in DroneDeploy the ISO is not dynamic value. It is either 100 or 400. And ISO value of 400 is definitely not too high on a 1in sensor with a mechanical shutter.
Call it what you will. If the camera is making any decisions, e.g. the aperture and ISO in my case, I tend to not call that Manual mode. It doesn’t bother me though if you prefer to call that manual.
My preference is to not get into ISO 400 if possible. With my settings, it does hit 400 occasionally if there is a deep shadow, which I often encounter at the edge of a project with a stand of 100’ + conifers. Or, the backside of 60’ tall stockpiles or 200’ quarry walls. The shadow detail is still usable but definitely not as clean as 200.
I’m not trying to convince you that my settings are necessary for you. They are just what I have found work consistently well for me. 
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Good discussion guys - really appreciate all the input 
I guess my camera background makes me a bit ‘old school’ in that I like to know what my camera is doing all of the time. I reluctantly gave into shutter priority auto but that makes complete sense especially when covering a large area.
With GSP, if I’d started the mission from the ground, then it didn’t let me tap focus once the mission was under way but was always sharp. Alongside the iPad I have a good hdmi camera monitor which has focus peaking in it so I can exactly what is in focus.
Dave, I think your approach is a good one - fly to the start manually, check focus then start mission.
What’s great is that we all have our own way of doing things that works and keeps the clients happy
PS: 400+ iso on a P4Pro can fall apart quite quickly whereas you can go to 800 on a bigger sensor size like M4/3.
There’s no doubt that the mechanical shutter on the P4P is a total winner. To equal that now you’d have to use a much bigger aircraft and a dslr of some sort which bumps you straight into a potential geotagging conundrum! There are ways around that though…
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No disagreement here. We all come from different backgrounds and probably have different terminology as far as photography goes. I don’t know how many trainings I have seen by “professionals” that have their own explanations and processes. No doubt you have very different conditions than what we do in Texas. I think the point is that each pilot is going to have to find their optimum settings and then make small adjustments from there.
We control noise and blow out with post-processing. Only the pixels that meet a certain criteria are adjusted which eliminates most of the undesired characteristics from the limitations of the cameras. Where you can get into trouble is applying auto-corrections on the images by letting the program manipulate each image individually to meet a certain profile. This leads to poor matches and thus stitching and while artificial sharpening can be a benefit it can turn into a real problem quickly.
I grew up with a Father as a professional photographer that is now very selective on which digital cameras that he will use. We even had a darkroom built in the house. I’ll never forget the smell of the chemical…
That is an awesome idea! It’s easy to think images are good on the iPad itself, particularly when your using a Mini. I can’t imagine using a phone.
Note the image PP above. I suppose if you are looking for absolute natural images and not taking photogrammetry into account then this could be assumed.
We have totally experienced this! The setup becomes much more expensive and a PPK/RTK solution is almost a necessity.
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This is my control station for all my survey work. Configged here for thermal over solar farms.
Topo / photogrammetry is similar but the hdmi monitor is bigger. The whole thing swivels on the stand so the controller never comes off and I can manual fly from it without problem.
Flight plan on the iPad and camera image on the hdmi. With a P4P you would need the extra hdmi board which is the same as the P3 one. It’s a bit fiddly to fit but not beyond anyone with diy skills.
Completely understand why you post process your images. Here in the UK our light levels never get that high!
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Hey Steve,
That looks very cool and is similar to something I made for doing product photography. What is that red, anodized bracket that you have?
Hopefully I’ll work my way up to that level of work but for now I’m just doing basic, entry level work. I do this stuff seated (not by choice) so recently I designed something similar to your setup, although mine is more basic. The neck strap is a safety. In the event that the plywood falls to the ground the radio wont go with it…
Hi Michael, JamesC
I’ve been using my ipad for a while now and trying to use this workflow that you suggested. I have two issues. Sometimes when I want to finish the mission w/o landing I switch the controller to S and back to P, then tap Manual Flight but nothing happens. Then I tap everything else and nothing happens so I land and start over. Have you ever experienced this? Sometimes I get the feeling that the app has crashed or that the ipad doesn’t sense my touch. It’s strange.
The other thing is that when I want to select a new mission while airborne I cant get back to that page in the app.
I havent seen any tutorials on how to “build the flight list”. Do you know of any?
Thanks!
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Likely a Secraft TX tray (http://www.secraft.net/index.php)
When you use the mode switch to cancel the mission, it is gone. You would need to load it again. If you want to stay within the app, use pause instead.
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