So I sent DJI support an email and received a response. The correspondence is below:
Me:
I would like to bring attention to an interaction I had with DJI and DJI support which seems like nothing short of ridiculous. I have owned several DJI drones from the P2V+ through the Mavic. I was experienceing an issue with the Mavic when shooting in any 4K video mode where the video would very quickly stop and start at the 9:06 minute mark. After spending many hours figuring this out and working with support at DJI I was told that the unit would need to be sent in for repair. So after creating a repair ticket, the result is the Mavic would be going away for 4-6 weeks even though I have not even had the unit that long.
But that there is the issue! The drone did not need to go back to DJI. After more research it came to my attention that the file size on the memory card was reaching 4Gb which is a limitation of the file system format (FAT) used on the memory card in the unit. So here is what I have an issue with:
1. 4Gb file sizes when shooting in 4K are very common, why is this limitation built into drones that DJI has been building since the Phantom 3 Advanced 4K and not been addressd?
2. Why has DJI not made this issue or limitation known?
3. Why has DJI not addressed this? There are other manufacturers like GoPro that encounter this limitation but deal with it in a manner that there is a small overlap between video files so that it can be dealt with in post?
And last number 4. Why was I not informed about this known issue by DJI support which would have allowed me to not be without my $1000 investment for 4-6 weeks?
I will be the first to say that DJI makes exceptional products. The domination of the market that DJI now owns is due to its innovation and foresight. But now I am dealing with a useless line of events that should have never happened. I am very disappointed. As I am sure you already know the reputation of DJI support is an issue that DJI has struggled with for many years most likely due to its explosive growth but I am now being affected by it for no legitimate reason other than lack of communication between DJI and its support staff or DJI's support staff with me.
In closing I would like to express my disappointment with the way this entire issue has been handled by DJI. I feel that any customer dealt with in such an improper manner needs to be addressed. I only hope that DJI will try to address this immediately.
DJI Response:
Thank you for contacting DJI Support.
We apologize for the inconvenience. We understand how frustrating it is for you.
We'll be happy to help you out with your concern.
We sincerely apologize for what happened with your drone and terrible experience you had.
Regarding the SD Card that DJI is using for every drone is Micro SD Card Class 10 USH-1 rating,
we apologize again because you were not informed about the details. Nevertheless, All SD Cards
has a limitation of certain gigabytes it can consume. For FAT it can consume up to 32GB
and writing speed should be more than 60Mbps. For EXFAT, it can consume up to 64GB.
However, it is recommended that you try to format your SD Card to able to record more videos.
For FAT size, you may format it to FAT32, cluster size 32KB. Don't worry, I've already made a follow up request regarding
your concern. We'll do our best to have this issue resolve as soon as possible and forward your concern
to higher level of support.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
