I am close to getting a Y6 with GoPro and T-2D gimbal in the air, and I'm hoping to eventually get some great footage of friends on mountain bikes. To that end, I have some questions for videographers.
- What flight mode do you use? From watching videos online, I infer that it's common to use some equivalent of Loiter with Simple Mode. This would allow panning of the shot without affecting the drone's trajectory.
- What time of day is best? I would think sunrise and sunset would have less wind, but is the light a problem? Daytime would have better light, but how much wind does it take to make shooting pointless?
- Is there any use to scripting a shot using a mission, or is manual the only way to get decent footage of a moving target?
- Is Follow Me mode useful for getting good action shots?
- What software, if any, do you use to remove vibration artefacts from the video?
Thanks in advance. Looking forward to getting this camera up in the air and having some great footage to share.
Nick
Replies
Gary,
That's a lot of good info. Thanks!
I tried to add tags that I thought might be relevant to increase the odds of the post being seen by the right people, but things definitely do go by the main page quickly. Thanks for the input on that. Do you recommend a blog post instead?
I'm excited about Position Hold just for flying, but I wondered if the transition from Loiter to Alt Hold might have been a bit jerky. Good to hear that it's smooth! I haven't flashed 3.2 yet, but once I get a gimbal on the drone it will be hard to resist Pos Hold and Follow Me.
When you say "built in no loss digital zoom", are you referring to the Medium and Narrow FOV modes on a GoPro or a straight up digital zoom? I'm planning on shooting in Narrow, because the fish-eye view, while perhaps good for FPV, isn't the type of footage I want, and fixing the FOV in post can leave some distortions (in addition to taking a lot of time for long clips).
Good to know that autonomous mode can be useful for shooting. Spline mode sounds like it might provide some interesting camera movement to keep the viewer engaged. Have you used Region of Interest in combination with a flight plan to get any good shots?
I am definitely hoping to follow your advice and get right of vibration at the camera. The T-2D has generally good reviews, so as long as I don't mess up the props too badly I hope it is pretty steady.
Off to your site to have a look now...
Hi Nick,
I am referring to the medium and narrow FOV modes which are really 2x and 4x telephoto.
Keep in mind that the narrower you go the more it exaggerates any motion or vibration in the copter by 2 or by 4 accordingly.
It is considerably harder to hold a narrow photo steady than a wide one.
I recommend you actually try all 3 modes extensively to determine what actually works best for you empirically.
ROI has had a lot of work put into it recently and although I haven't had a chance to try it yet I know it is getting to the point where it actually works.
I will also say this, put extra effort into getting your copter tuned as well as possible (PIDs) it is especially important for optimal video use.
Sounds like your pretty well lined up with what you need to know.
I personally am not as fond of coax X and Y copters because of the extra power consumption from the coax loss and I prefer quadcopters that permit as big as possible a prop because of the extra efficiency you can squeeze out of it.
The Iris seems a bit low in performance and I have been bulding my own from bare and ARF kits.
My latest is a Hoverthings FPV Pro "dead-cat" style frame:
http://www.hoverthings.com/frame-sets/flip-fpv-pro-g-black-gimbal-v...
with extended frame arms also available from them that support 13" props
and ultra high end and efficient KDE 515KV motors:
http://www.kdedirect.com/KDE2814XF515.html
For a high performance GoPro brushless Gimbal system I think this is really close to optimal.
Here is a link to a standard build on my website:
http://quadcoptersarefun.com/2FlipsBuild.html#FlipFPVProBuild
Just a thought,
Gary
The "dead cat" form factor seems well adapted for video, with only 4 rotors but good visibility between the front 2. That name is also very descriptive. :)
I hadn't thought about the narrow FOV exaggerating movement. I'll definitely try with the different FOVs to see what works.
No answers at all!
However, today FlightBots.com posted this link. A bit of an ad for DJI, but some good tips in there for any UAV:
http://tinyurl.com/interview-aerial-photographer
Hm... if no answers to these specific questions, does anyone who shoots video with their copter have any general advice, experiences, or footage they want to share?
http://youtu.be/uAmhQ4Zsa5k
That's an interesting effect when you're just above the top of the wheat and you're floating side to side. Nice zoom, and a very stable platform.
I thought that was Germany - unfortunately, I've never been outside of Frankfurt airport, but as soon as you went above the trees I knew where it was from the views I've seen through jet windows.
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