Can't win with focusing

[davedrone 178]

Just can't win with this Mini 3 Pro and it's focusing issues. None of my other 9 or 10 big boy drones EVER had a problem with autofocus. Not once in well over 1500 miles of flight. DJI shipped out a replacement 3 Pro a couple of weeks ago because of focus issues. The replacement loses focus the minute you execute any kind of zoom. Even my first one didn't do that. All my footage ruined again. No excuse for this! DJI must know they have a problem. Time to send her back again.

 

[Drone Master]

Just can't win with this Mini 3 Pro and it's focusing issues. None of my other 9 or 10 big boy drones EVER had a problem with autofocus. Not once in well over 1500 miles of flight. DJI shipped out a replacement 3 Pro a couple of weeks ago because of focus issues. The replacement loses focus the minute you execute any kind of zoom. Even my first one didn't do that. All my footage ruined again. No excuse for this! DJI must know they have a problem. Time to send her back again.

For what it's worth,

 

[brett8883]

For what it's worth,

Yep just manual focus to infinity. It will actually work close to infinity too

 

[davedrone 178]

Manually focused to infinity? Tried that too and that didn't work. Even in manual focus to infinity, it hunts for focus and is blurry. DJI knows about the problem (obviously) and they we'll be sending me another unit. Anyway, what is suggested here is just a work-around that we shouldn't have to employ and it doesn't even fix the problem.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Pulling to infinity will work. I had a similar problem with the Nano+ I had which also showed focus breathing and returned a lot of out-of-focus shots. My M3P also hunts and fails to focus accurately a lot of the time. As with the Nano+ I think this is down to PDAF. Screen-tap autofocus with my old (?) Mavic 2 Zoom works well, but this is CDAF, which isn't available with the M3P. Low contrast scenes at mid to close range give me the most problems. Focus pulling is a pain and I much prefer the old Mavic 2's green autofocus box but you can only work with what you're given. I do a lot of focus stacking shots and the M2Z green square A/F (CDAF) is perfect for quick refocusing. Mucking about with the manual slider takes too long between captures, increasing the chances of an ultra-light drone being knocked off station.... Result? At least one shot in three that won't register in the stack.

 

[davedrone 178]

It's more than the auto focus problem. In manual focus to infinity, the landscape a half mile out is in focus and the landscape FURTHER out is blurry. It needs to be replaced again. I love my Autel Lite plus and would get the Nano but it has a shorter battery life and doesn't do well in windy conditions.

 

[Felix le Chat]

You think the mini 3's bad? I had 2 nano+'s, autofocus problem with both, terrible E.M and weird colour, vignetting and chromatic aberrations with the RAW's . Poor quality camera firmware... And then the motor failures started. Both drones. Exactly the same motor twice.

 

[brett8883]

It's more than the auto focus problem. In manual focus to infinity, the landscape a half mile out is in focus and the landscape FURTHER out is blurry. It needs to be replaced again. I love my Autel Lite plus and would get the Nano but it has a shorter battery life and doesn't do well in windy conditions.

Can you share some photos or screen recording of what you are experiencing? You are right it doesn’t sound like a focusing issue because from a physics standpoint, with such a wide angle lens it doesn’t make sense to be able to focus on something a half mile away but not further. That’s physically impossible if you are actually focused to infinity. If it’s in manual focus it also shouldn’t be hunting

 

[ExEvo]

Just can't win with this Mini 3 Pro and it's focusing issues. None of my other 9 or 10 big boy drones EVER had a problem with autofocus. Not once in well over 1500 miles of flight. DJI shipped out a replacement 3 Pro a couple of weeks ago because of focus issues. The replacement loses focus the minute you execute any kind of zoom. Even my first one didn't do that. All my footage ruined again. No excuse for this! DJI must know they have a problem. Time to send her back again.

Coincidentally, something similar may have just happened to me, straight after upgrading my M3Pro and RC to latest FW. Flying in Pro and with no intervention from me apart from a short zoom in and out moments earlier, my video suddenly defocused at 4secs in - at the same time as exposure glitched. Is this what you see?

 

[brett8883]

Coincidentally, something similar may have just happened to me, straight after upgrading my M3Pro and RC to latest FW. Flying in Pro and with no intervention from me apart from a short zoom in and out moments earlier, my video suddenly defocused at 4secs in - at the same time as exposure glitched. Is this what you see?

Are you using manual focus?

 

[ExEvo]

Are you using manual focus?

I think this flight was in AF.

 

[Mavikhan]

For what it's worth,

YES. Thank you.

 

[davedrone 178]

No thank you. That video doesn't apply to me. That's old news. DJI will just have to replace again.