Stationary auto tracking?

Thor · Jan 7, 2017

Hey guys,
So I like the idea of auto tracking but I'm not quite ready to hand over full control of the mavic to the A.I. Is there some sort of setting or app that would allow the mavic to track me from tripod mode? I'd like to just hover at a specific point and use the yaw and gimble tilt to follow me. I would prefer to use the gps to track me instead of the visual tracking since i will most likely be far away. any thoughts?

Also, any ideas of how i could carry the remote/phone in my bag? i'd like to use the mavic to track me skiing but i'm a little concerned about just throwing it in my bag and possibly changing a setting or moving the sticks inadvertently.

Thanks!

Falcon · Jan 7, 2017

Hi, active track works really good, check my toe videos I made, the second time I trust Mavic performance that I left my bag in the parking lot and the drone RH with the battery was gone and it work great

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Thor · Jan 7, 2017

Thats pretty cool but i don't think it will work especially well for what i want to do. My plan is to ski down steep mountains at a speed of 40 to 50 miles an hour. I will need to have the mavic at least a 100 to 200 yards away and i don't think the active track will work at that distance. gps seems like the only option.

Robert Mitchell · Jan 7, 2017

Thor said:
Thats pretty cool but i don't think it will work especially well for what i want to do. My plan is to ski down steep mountains at a speed of 40 to 50 miles an hour. I will need to have the mavic at least a 100 to 200 yards away and i don't think the active track will work at that distance. gps seems like the only option.

Active track will not descend in altitude with you anyway. It will track you but remain at the starting altitude.

I've successfully used active track profile and spotlight for tracking skiers (while I film) but again they will eventually recede in the view as they descend and the Mavic does not.

Thor · Jan 7, 2017

I'm sure active track works well but I'm looking to film myself and won't be able to fly the drone, I just don't think active track will be able to track me from 2-300 yards away I am going to look like a speck on the mountain. If you skip to 50 seconds in to this video, this is kinda the effect I'm looking for. Thanks for any input!

Robert Mitchell · Jan 8, 2017

Thor said:
I'm sure active track works well but I'm looking to film myself and won't be able to fly the drone, I just don't think active track will be able to track me from 2-300 yards away I am going to look like a speck on the mountain. If you skip to 50 seconds in to this video, this is kinda the effect I'm looking for. Thanks for any input!

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From what I saw in your video, at :50, active track looks almost exactly like that. Did you see the video posted above?
I thought you wanted the camera following along at precisely the same distance, altitude and angle. And it can be used filming yourself but you would need to keep the controllers sticks undisturbed during your run, probably not an easy task.

wnfaknd · Jan 8, 2017

You need to get an app called autopilot for dji. That should do what you want. Not free and the app has a steep learning curve.

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erikgraham · Jan 8, 2017

Just use the follow me function instead of active track.

AlexSP · Jan 8, 2017

Not sure I get what you mean but if you're looking to use the Mavic as a tripod (as you said) to follow you in AT while you ski down a slope, then the answer is yes you can if you use SPOTLIGHT. You'll set the Mavic as you want and then pick the subject, it'll pan (yaw) and tilt as you pass but stay still. As in the same spot you "parked" it.

If you have someone to pilot, you can chose the same SPOTLIGHT which basically control yaw and gimbal tilt to follow subject while the pilot can control the drone and change position. I've used Spotlight along other AT features in this short video, it's not super special or radical just a quick pass on the basic features. I was by myself all the time so every Spotlight action was basically the Mavic acting as a flying tripod.

Robert Mitchell · Jan 8, 2017

erikgraham said:
Just use the follow me function instead of active track.

According to the manual, follow me is less accurate than active track, as it uses the devices GPS instead of visual follow. It also doesn't adjust for vertical descent, unless I am mistaken.

erikgraham · Jan 8, 2017

Robert Mitchell said:
According to the manual, follow me is less accurate than active track, as it uses the devices GPS instead of visual follow. It also doesn't adjust for vertical descent, unless I am mistaken.

Neither active track nor follow will descend with him. Kind of a bummer, but I guess it's a safety feature. He's concerned about skiing out of view of the camera, so follow me using GPS makes sense. If it were me, I'd attempt it with Active Track first like the videos above.

Thor · Jan 8, 2017

My worry with active track is that i am going to be too far away at the beginning to lock on to. I guess my question is can spotlight be used with "follow me" gps or does it have to use active track. or is there an affordable, relatively simply app that can do this?

This is more of the effect i am trying to accomplish, sorry for the poor quality

Robert Mitchell · Jan 8, 2017

Okay, so you're wanting to get the vast landscape, with you in it. Yeah, I'm not sure what the maximum distance away is that you could still lock on to yourself or another person.

So, go out to a big field, fly your Mavic way out, turn it around and see if it will lock onto you. You'll never know until you try.

AlexSP · Jan 8, 2017

I got mixed results with the bike. Once or twice it displayed something like "subject too far - out of range" despite me being actually quite close. I would then stop and leave AT and set it up again and it would work. Most times it locked on right away, but I admit my distances were waaaay shorter than what is on the snowboarding video every time!

So I really have no idea on max range, but I guess it also depends on surface, light, contrast, etc. Indeed we have to experiment. The MP also has a 2X digital zoom but I'm not sure it works when AT is on, or if it has any effect in the tracking whatsoever.

Jeromeo · Jan 8, 2017

Robert Mitchell said:
According to the manual, follow me is less accurate than active track, as it uses the devices GPS instead of visual follow. It also doesn't adjust for vertical descent, unless I am mistaken.

I beleived it can if your phone as atmospheric pressure sensor.

Thor · Jan 8, 2017

I tested to "follow me" mode but unfortunately it doesn't seem to adjust the gimbal tilt at all and there is no way i can see to keep it stationary. the active track works well but has a hard time picking me up on snow at any distance more that 20-30 yards or so. I've heard autopilot mentioned but didn't see anything specific about being able to keep the mavic stationary while still tracking. Does anyone know an app that i may be overlooking with these capabilities?

MoOriginal · Jan 8, 2017

As someone mentioned above - even in the days of p3p - autopilot would descend with you while following you - if your phone has a barometer..
if tried this function and it does work but its not without its limitations.
Ive not used autopilot on the Mavic