DJI Mavic Pro Autofocus Issue

Hi Julie,

Can i send you some sample data - it is definitely not a lighting issue!
I was flying on a cloud free day, during the middle of the day, so no variations in light intensity were possible!

Also, if you look closer at the full-res oblique images, you will see that they are blurred.

Please could you give this a second look?

Thank you

Hi Jonathan,

Please use the request form to contact the support team so we can investigate further.
You can attach a .zip file with a subset of images having the problem and the app log files (how to extract).

The problem of blurry pictures still persists.

I am using:

Pix4DCapture 2.5.0 for iOS and a Mavic Pro

It is not a problem of exposure as the pictures are all equally exposed. The workarounds do not work, ie using the C1 button or flying to the desired altitude with Go4 and adjusting the focus.

Please get this fixed, maybe together with DJI?

Following - another Mavic owner hoping for a swift resolution to this ongoing problem.

Has there been any update on this?

I tried focusing at my mission altitude with C1 before starting my mission, closed DJI Go and started my mission. The preview showed the image as out of focus so I aborted and went back to DJI Go to find out that the Pix4D app set the camera back to out of focus again… 

This is extremely disappointing. Not at all reliable for commercial use. 

still waiting here. still almost not usable. definitely not for professional use.

would be great if we could get a statement from Pix4D on plans how to address this issue.

 

thomas

I’m a Mavic pilot. I do 99% of my flying using Ground Station pro. Manual focus and all the same settings as in DJI GO. Is there a specific reason why you want to use Pix4DCapture?

DJI Ground Station Pro only allows you to capture one -sided oblique during one mission.
Pix4DCapture allows you to capture four -sided oblique in one mission.

I would far rather fly P4Dc and collect everything in one flight, than trying to mess around with collecting the same data in 4 separate flights, where environmental conditions can change rapidly and affect your product.

I fly large format oblique sensors in aircraft for a living - so I see great potential with P4Dc if they would just address the issue of focusing and allow manual exposure.

@Jaakko Laihola Ground Station Pro has some good advantages, but also some disadvantages:

  • It is only available for iOS

  • It is limited to 99 way points (is this the case for Pix4D Capture as well???), I know one can work around it with continuous flight, but that is not the point

  • Missions cannot be easily duplicated

  • It doesn’t automize the double grid pattern

 

I’m just getting into mapping now and have been running a few tests before implementing it in my team’s workflow.

Altizure + Pix4Dmapper seems to do the job well for 2D, including battery swaps for iOS and no area limit.

Still need to review 3D modeling a bit further.

Hi there, it seems like the out of focus image for mavic is still unresolved, now i would like to know whats everyone’s firmware version for their mavic thats having this problem? did u guys have the latest firmware on.

Just to share my tips of getting focused image when flying

  1. go to dji go 4- switch on peak focus threshold(google it this will help you see clearly which part of the view is in focus

  2. fly to desired altitude manually with dji go 4- set focus to manual-make sure everhthing is in focus, pay attention to the peak focus threshold indecator

  3. fly back down- clear you ram(android)

  4. open dji+ctrl-once connected to mavic-open pix4dcapture

  5. plan your path set the desired altitude as the same when in dji go4

  6. then start your mission.

Really hope to have some input from you guys on the firmware version, maybe together we can figure something out, hope pix4d can pinch in and provide a better solution for their apps, i tried flying using another app called ground control, the focus seems to be alright.

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We have been testing a lot, both with Android and iOS devices to find the best work around for unsharp pictures with a Mavic Pro ( v01.04.0100 ) and Pix4Dcapture. All firmware and software versions are up to date as of this post.

We used the generally recommended work around to first set the camera in focus in the DJI Go 4 App ( v4.1.18 ) and then switch to Pix4Dcapture. Additionally, we tried Litchi ( iOS v2.0.0, Android v4.0.2 ) replacing the Go 4 App.

1) Using Apple iPad 4 Mini ( iOS v11.2.1 ) with Pix4Dcapture ( v2.8.0 )

This combination gave very unreliable results, but most of the time the camera would reset to out of focus after uploading and starting the mission. Trying all sorts of combinations of autofocus/manual focus, Litchi vs. Go 4, unplugging and replugging did not result in a reliable work around.

The few times we managed to get sharp pictures, was only with single grid missions and was never successful with double grid missions.

–> Main observation: Pix4Dcapture in the iOS version hijacks the camera settings when starting the mission resulting in overriding the previously focused camera settings. Even within Pix4Dcapture the camera view shows sharp pictures prior to starting the app.

–> Our recommendation to Pix4D: Give the user an option that allows/disallows the app to change the camera settings.

2) Using a Samsung Galaxy S7 ( Android 7.0 ) with Pix4Dcapture ( v4.0.1 )

Using the workaround as described above results in sharp pictures every time we tried, for both single and double grid missions.

–> The problem: Switching apps on Android is much more complicated, error prone and much less reliable than on iOS. Specifically, even if executed correctly Pix4Dcapture might not connect to the drone after using Go 4 or Litchi.

–> Our recommendation to Pix4D: Take a look into why Litchi and Go 4 can easily be loaded at the same time, switched in between and connect to the drone, but Pix4Dcapture cannot.

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Our solution, that works 100% of the time: We use two devices: One to set the camera in focus, in our case the iPad, and the other (must be an Android device) to execute the mission. However cumbersome that might be, it is very reliable and doesn’t cost valuable flight time.

Additionally, we set the camera in focus to a distant point while the drone is still on the ground and the motors aren’t armed. This way we safe some more battery and the pictures are sharp enough for the purpose of mapping.

 

Please let me know, if you have any questions about the above or if something is unclear

2 Likes

Pix4D, can you please confirm whether or not you are actively working to eliminate this Mavic Pro focus issue?

1 Like

Lance Miller, I don’t think they are… :frowning:

@Lance Miller
@Vusal Jalilov

 

Did either of you have the same exposure issues which I posted about (look for the thumbnail screenshot on Pg1).
Apparently this was due to white balance issues but I know that’s not true at all!

@Jonathan Bingham

 

Not that I recall, but I got frustrated and stopped using Pix4DCapture pretty quickly when I realized the problem was on P4D’s end and not my own setup.

I’m in a chicken-and-egg situation.  Pix4D seems to be the software of choice, and I need to practice to become proficient.  But my “learner” drone is a Mavic, and I didn’t plan on upgrading until I was making some more money.  Annoying.

I remember reading that iOS version of Pix4DCapture works like a charm with Mavic Pro. Then it is obvious that Android version has a bug and Pix4D is incapable of solving their own bug for almost a year already :frowning:

@Vusal Jalilov: Must have been a while ago that you read that :wink: my issues are all related to using the iOS version.  Issues appear to exist on BOTH platforms!
My issues are that all images are out of focus (no control of setting focus) and also that the data is captured in AUTO exposure mode, which means all my images have varying brightness.  But as Pix4D say, my exposure issues are related to me (supposedly) using Auto White Balance and the drone/sw figures out the ‘best’ focus setting to use for the mission.

This works for me:

On ground go to DJI GO and focus (AF) the Mavic to an object near the same distance you’re going to plan your flight altitude, then switch to manual focus (MF). Quit the app and then close it.

Until you not turn the Mavic off this focus will remain unchanged.

So, after that, just go to Pix4Dcapture and do your flight.

@Julie Can you please comment on the status of the Mavic Pro focus issue (iOS and Android)?  Is Pix4D actively working to resolve this issue?

I will certainly be upgrading to a bigger/better drone at some point, but without the capability to practice with Pix4D I’m not confident it will become my platform of choice.  I am sure a lot of other aspiring map pilots are in the same situation.