Please explain the focus

[AdamDom]

I'm coming from a Phantom 3. Can someone please explain the focus on the Mavic. I get you have to touch the screen. When recording video, Does that mean you have to keep touching it as you fly?

 

[Mr Tic tac]

No, you touch the screen when you want it to focus so where on the screen, and then it stays like that. You don't have to oeuvre your finger on the screen. On the controller, you have behind, two bottons that you can custom on which action you want to accomplish. You can program them to focus, so you don't have to always touch the screen!

 

[MrMavic]

I think what he means is if you set to focus on infinity far away, will you have to focus if the Mavic comes close to a subject afterwards in the same flight.

 

[Glen e]

When you take off, take it to 130 feet, point your camera down to the ground, touch the screen, now you're set for the rest of the flight ......

 

[MrMavic]

When you take off, take it to 130 feet, point your camera down to the ground, touch the screen, now you're set for the rest of the flight ......

I wish they would have just made it auto focus, They must have saved a whopping ten cents there.

 

[Filmscum]

It does have auto focus and it's awful.

 

[MrMavic]

So if it has auto focus why do we have to manually focus it? What I meant is why do we even have to mess with it. I have seen so many videos ruined because the guys forgot to tap focus.

 

[Filmscum]

You can choose between CAF (continuous auto focus) AF(auto focus or tap to focus) or MF (manual focus using the slider). CAF is in my mind awful as it will randomly choose to focus on something in the middle of your shot and you will see the camera searching for focus. It doesn't care if you're recording or not. I'll put it in AF, tap on an object far away so it's focused at infinity, then switch over to manual focus where it will stay at infinity and not change even if you touch the screen for any reason. Focus peaking is a great tool as well.

 

[misskimo]

Yeh. I get tired of hitting the button. Seams when it bright and hazy out is the worse it gets in auto

 

[AdamDom]

You can choose between CAF (continuous auto focus) AF(auto focus or tap to focus) or MF (manual focus using the slider). CAF is in my mind awful as it will randomly choose to focus on something in the middle of your shot and you will see the camera searching for focus. It doesn't care if you're recording or not. I'll put it in AF, tap on an object far away so it's focused at infinity, then switch over to manual focus where it will stay at infinity and not change even if you touch the screen for any reason. Focus peaking is a great tool as well.

Thanks for the suggestion. What is focus peaking?

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I wish they would have just made it auto focus, They must have saved a whopping ten cents there.

If you're making a video for production the last thing you want is AF and AE changing the look of a segment "all of the sudden". Set 'em and lock 'em. Between scenes change if needed.

 

[Georowe]

Thanks for the suggestion. What is focus peaking?

Focus peaking, puts a red outline around objects that are in focus. Only seems to work with ios.

 

[HFMan]

Focus peaking works fine on my Samsung Galaxy S5.

 

[Filmscum]

Also pick a white balance and go with it, NEVER use Auto WB it will bite you in the a**! In fact when it comes to these flying cameras auto anything is a really bad idea.

 

[HFMan]

Also pick a white balance and go with it, NEVER use Auto WB it will bite you in the a**! In fact when it comes to these flying cameras auto anything is a really bad idea.

I disagree. I use Auto WB all the time outdoors, and it's doing a fine job. NEVER is a rather harsh statement.

 

[Filmscum]

To each his own, not trying to be harsh at all. The general consensus when it comes to WB on any HD camera is to set it manually. On the Mavic or actually most of DJI birds this is done by aiming the camera while in auto WB at an 18% neutral grey card in the lighting conditions you will be shooting in (ie with sunlight on the card if it's sunny) and note the WB setting. Then go and switch to custom WB and enter that setting to lock it in. From then on all your shots will be consistent regardless of how the scenes change. DJI has made it really easy to pick a WB (sunny, cloudy, etc) but most professionals will take the time to get it right. Sure Auto may work fine for quick shots where your lighting and scenery isn't changing too much but I promise you will inevitably get color shift in your video. Say you're flying over a landscape where there are green trees and a dominant blue sky in your frame and then you slowly yaw to reveal a granite cliff that blocks much of that blue sky and there are no trees and some of it is in shadow. Your color is going to shift drastically and you'll spend way too much time in post adding keyframes and filters to try and fix it.

This is coming from someone who uses these UAVs professionally, I'm only trying to pass on information to those who may not know the equipment as well. Again not trying to be harsh.

 

[gixxerbill]

No, you touch the screen when you want it to focus so where on the screen, and then it stays like that. You don't have to oeuvre your finger on the screen. On the controller, you have behind, two bottons that you can custom on which action you want to accomplish. You can program them to focus, so you don't have to always touch the screen!

that is a good idea about the button in the back to focus. How do you go about doing that if you don't mind. That is GREAT IDEA for the under belly buttons.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I disagree. I use Auto WB all the time outdoors, and it's doing a fine job. NEVER is a rather harsh statement.

Photographers generally shun things that change mid shoot. If exposure, coloration or focus change in the middle of an interesting scene, it makes post very difficult to look consistent.

 

[HFMan]

All I'm trying to say is NEVER is really not entirely true. There's rarely a flight I make that doesn't require exposure changes. That's fine, as my final edits generally avoid sweeping exposure changes in a given scene. I often use auto during these times, as I'm not trying to get the perfect cinematic shot. I'm focused on the challenged flying skills required. In these shots I don't want to worry or even think about camera settings.

Obviously there are other flights or scenes where it's all about getting the camera right.

 

[Filmscum]

It seems that you're hung up on the fact I said NEVER use auto white balance. Like I said to each his own, I myself and many others here will never use it as it will eventually bite you. If it works for you that's awesome. Next time I'll opt out of using all caps so as not to offend anyone. Happy flying.