Camera Focus - how is it?

[Kai Mele]

So for those of you who already have logged some time in the air with your new Mavic, how are you finding the focus of the camera? Do you find yourself constantly tapping the monitor/phone to get your scene into the desired focus? Is this no big deal or is it a bit of a distraction when you're filming?

 

[Fonejacker]

Well I new with the Mav and haven't had the best days to really test it.... but I am wondering how it would cope from being low level with say two trees either side to then pan out and up to see how you then focus to infinity without having a focus shudder in your recorded footage......

Haven't done it yet so can't comment but if you're focused on one thing and then pan out..... you're going to need to refocus at some point during that action.


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[Kennetf]

It has not bothered me so much. I have the c1 button programmed to center focus, and the way I hold the controller makes me often "accidentally" hit it which constantly ensures me that the scene is in focus. Im actually considering changing this button, to stop the random auto focus change in the middle of a shot. The focusing on the desired point with the touch screen has allready entered my muscle memory every time I start a recording, so it should not be a problem.

Another thing to consider, is to try using manual focus, since I want to focus on a foreground object, and then raise the aircraft above it, and focus on the horizon. I haven't tried this yet, but I've tried to change the focus to the horizon using the auto function, which looks really ugly in the video.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

When I take off I tap focus on something at least 50-60 feet away. This takes care of pretty much anything from there to infinity, and pretty much most of my aerial footage. Occasionally for closer subjects, I'll tap focus on them specifically, and then re-tap after passing, but that is rare.

 

[RallySoob]

I have not had to tap to focus no. I left it on manual focusing set to off and auto focus on then i set my c2 button to auto center focus just in case i want to manually refocus instead waiting for auto because once u start filming you will get good sense when auto refocus kicks in. Usually about 1-2 seconds after changing scenery from gimbal or yaw swing etc.
Personally i believe they changed the default settings on the later batches to be manual focus off/auto focus on in order to help fix troubles peoples had figuring out these focus settings themselves. Fyi im still able to manually focus by tapping on certain objects so when you enable that manual focus option its really manual focus 'only' i believe

Ive got 20 flights, 50 miles on my mavic in like 2 weeks ive owned it. Its a beast i love it. Best grand ive ever spent by far. I would pay 2k for it personally

 

[Filmscum]

It really depends on what version of Go you're on. In Go 3 tap to focus works great, you just have to remember to focus on something far away after takeoff and it will be focused to infinity (it will automatically focus after takeoff at a certain height so you really need to remember to tap once you get up over trees, etc). In Go 4 everything changed and for the worse as far as many are concerned. They introduced CAF-continuous auto focus. Now the camera will randomly focus itself, which is bad if you're in the middle of a shot because it will go out of focus briefly while it searches for something to focus on. The workaround is to tap to focus and then immediately switch to manual focus, which you must enable in general settings. It will then remain at that focus until you decide when to change it.

 

[EspenT]

You should be able to focus on an object at the hyper focal distance and almost everything in your frame should be within acceptable focus.

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[Kai Mele]

Sheesh, so many different versions of what is happening with the focus! I was just about to buy this bird but hesitated when all these conflicting stories related to the Mavic's camera focus started to come out.

 

[Filmscum]

Sheesh, so many different versions of what is happening with the focus! I was just about to buy this bird but hesitated when all these conflicting stories related to the Mavic's camera focus started to come out.

It's really only because up until now there was no need to worry about focus. Once you get used to it, it really isn't an issue at all. Is the Mavic a professional quality camera like the Inspire, no. Is it an amazing craft considering size and portability, definitely yes.

 

[Ike582]

When I take off I tap focus on something at least 50-60 feet away. This takes care of pretty much anything from there to infinity, and pretty much most of my aerial footage. Occasionally for closer subjects, I'll tap focus on them specifically, and then re-tap after passing, but that is rare.

That's exactly my strategy, and it seems to be working well for me. No focus issues in my first three flights.