Blurred Photographs

[Valdez]

I'm very disappointed with the pics I took today. Seemingly ideal conditions, and yet blurred. I did focus, but can't understand why they turned out like this.

It's especially annoying as this is a risky place the fly. Lot's of interference, and remote signal weak at a mere 1000ft out and 600ft of elevation.

 

[Kilrah]

If you focused you probably failed to notice that it did not actually focus correctly. You've got to actually check it looks OK after tapping, it won't get it right every time - especially if it's trying to focus on empty space like it seems is the case here.

 

[Valdez]

I would have expected a focus to infinity to have produced a sharper picture.

 

[Kilrah]

How did you "focus to infinity"? It obviously did not.

 

[Valdez]

I touched the screen on the tower, but it's narrow. Either side will have produced an infinity focus.

I usually fly late in the day, this was taken at noon, with a hazy sun at the two o'clock position. It shouldn't be a difficult shot. My cellphone managed it thirty minutes earlier with much better results

 

[Kilrah]

Well, as said it simply missed focus. You need to look at the image and try again, either on same thing or another.
No different from any camera, AF doesn't always work.

 

[Valdez]

Thanks for your replies, thinking about my flight, I think it may be a prop vibration issue.

The first time I saw a Mavic fly, the guy didn't unfold the props, just used centripetal force to do it. It probably works with old props, mine are 2.5 hours old, and I was a little careless opening them. The joints are sufficiently stiff that they still weren't perfectly unfolded when it landed. Maybe the resulting vibration caused blurring. I will use a ruler next time. Very easy to become complacent.

 

[MChittum]

Props should have no resistance at all. Something is amiss here.

 

[Valdez]

Not the props (as in motors), but the hinges.

Open them properly, and an imaginary line between the hinges should go through the centre of mass of each blade. I had imagined that 500rpm would achieve that, but on new props it doesn't.

This is the first time I have had blurred photos, and in the brightest conditions...

 

[Kilrah]

That loks like out of focus blur, not vibration. And it's literally impossible for the aircraft to be flying with props that aren't lined up.

 

[4wd]

When they stop they can swivel again, however it is good practice to open them out.
Starting with them part folded shows lack of mechanical sympathy.

 

[Meta4]

Thanks for your replies, thinking about my flight, I think it may be a prop vibration issue.

That sounds unlikely and is much more likely to be a focus issue.
But it should be easy to test to see if you can duplicate the blurred pix by launching without unfolding the props.

 

[4wd]

exif shows shutter speed of 1/4000 which would freeze any camera movement.

 

[Garritynet]

The building on the right is in better focus than the building behind it which is about even with the tower. You missed focus, happens to the best of us sometimes.

 

[Valdez]

Aaaargh, I've just found out what it is. At the top right of the DJI Go app there is an MF/AF button which I have inadvertently toggled. I'm simultaneously impressed by the sophistication, and disappointed in my ruined photos. You live and you learn.

 

[Cymruflyer]

You never need to open the props, they will do it on their own, but it is always good practice to do it yourself before take off and you do not need to have them ruler perfect either. The whole aircraft would shake badly if the props were out of balance. In the future if you are not getting something to focus, as you suspected it was the thin tower, then simply rotate the camera a little down towards the ground so you have more area for it to focus on, then once focused realign the camera angle to what you want.