P4 Camera reverting back to manual after update

Hi,

Just upgraded the Drone Deploy app on android, and have found this issue.

After the DD software takes the test photo it reverts the camera back to manual exposure control. As verified in the DJI Go 4 app…

Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, Android ver 6.0.1

&

Motorola Moto G (3rd Gen) Android ver 6.0.1

Have you tried a short test flight to see what it does in the air with the camera?

Are you seeing issues during your flight or are you checking this before the flight?

I am flying P4P with nvidia shield, new DJI Go 4 App, also latest DD release.

1.) I have camera set to manual in DD and have set camera in DJI Go 4 to shutter priority, ISO 200, shutter at 1600. When I fly the DD mission and look at the photo meta, it shows that the pics are shutter priority, ISO 200, but the shutter speed fluctuates between 1/160 to 1/320. When I fly with DJI, I get a constant shutter speed of 1/1600. DD people, I need consistently sharp pics with consistent exposures. Pics with 1/160 to 1/320 speed just do not cut it for sharpness with drone vibrations. Any help is appreciated. I am flying a 450 acre site tomorrow for a customer.

2.) I also, noticed that the DD mission flew the drone at 12 mph, vs the 34 mph set in the Flight Plan.

3.) drone seemed to make alot of adjustments on its vertical descent, as if there was gusty wind, but it was calm

Your speed is going to depend on your overlap and altitude. The speed set in the plan is the max speed it will let the drone fly.

So you’re saying that after the test photo you’re getting switched to auto exposure before takeoff?

In an upcoming release there is are some new exposure improvements which should allow you to use auto settings to get consistently sharp photos.

Chase, I am not getting a test photo. OK about max speed, it was a small test area.

In DJI Go, the meta for photos taken manually, where Exposure program: Shutter Priority, and the ISO was as set, 200. Shutter speed was as set 1/1600.

When I flew the test mission with DD, camera set to manual, the photo meta says Exposure program: normal, the ISO is a constant 200, but the shutter is between 1/160 and 1/320. I think the slower shutter speeds are compromising the image sharpness.

I am going to switch DD camera back to auto and run a test of same mission.

Please add a dynamic camera settings info area to the screen that shows the actual cam settings for each image after it is taken. Include ISO, Aperture, and shutter speed. That would let me cancel or continue a mission if settings were amiss.

Thanks for the quick response!

If your checklist is passing, then we have successfully taken a test photo before takeoff. You don’t see it, but we are confirming that we are able to write to the SD card, etc.

Yes, checklist is passing. Perhaps my expectations of the 20mp P4P camera are to hi. I have heard comments that it is not really a very good camera. I have shot Nikon for 30 years and am used to eye popping resolution with 12-15 mp cameras. If DD set to auto would always insure that maximum resolution and image sharpness is achieved I will live with that. But I am not sure that is happening. Thanks for working on this.

Yes I let it fly the mission and all the photos were all shot in manual… some were overexposed when the light was good and the rest were too dark and unusable… i have set it back to auto after each mission and the result is the same (6 flights).

Before the last update i have flown around 1000 hectares with no issues :slight_smile:

I fly in cloudy areas where the light is constantly changing so auto is my easiest option

edit…

Its not the camera check issue causing the problem(just checked it) it reverts back to manual exposure after the ‘Fly’ button is pushed…

DD Auto exposure worked fine for about 10,000 pics on about 20 missions. Then at some point the pics started coming out very dark (unusable). Auto is just not consistently working. So I have flown about 1200 pics on manual. Those pics look good exposure wise, but even with DJI set to Shutter Priority (1/1600) the pics are not sharp and actual shutter is between 1/160 and 1/320 with F4.5, ISO 200. I have a definite lack of control on the exposure.

Can DD program the app so that I can control the manual cam settings in DD while I am flying or at least at the first way point? Or add a shutter priority speed option to the DD cam setting. So Either auto, manual in DD or off.

Recent trials,

Last mission I planned in DD I turned off “Automatic Camera Settings” and then it doesn’t force the camera back to manual exposure… yay a small win there

now it goes to first waypoint and hovers…arghh

is there an APK folder we can access with older versions? I’d like to roll back to the good old days…