Fingers or Thumbs

[Skyflyer129]

I’m all thumbs. Avid gamer ever since the Atari 2600 days(1977).
Blue Skies from Idaho

 

[mfc]

I’m all thumbs. Avid gamer ever since the Atari 2600 days(1977).
Blue Skies from Idaho

I generally use the side of a finger to deflect the stick from centre. Easily moved away to allow the stick to self-centre.

 

[Cobra193]

I’m a pincher if fine control is needed. Sometimes just use thumbs to maneuver when flying for fun at full on speed.

Same here. I just got used that flying planes and heli's. Sometimes I do have to use my pointer finger to flip a D/R switch or something.

I'm noticing more and more though, that some controllers seem to have been designed specifically with thumb only controlling in mind. M2P for example seems to be like that but maybe it's just because of it's small size, it feels awkward to use thumb/pointer. With my Inspire I use both fingers, and my middle finger for camera tilt wheel.

 

[Baqca Sanke]

i usually incorprate a lot of advanced shots ie. using left and right stick as well as the gimbal and/or zoom. So i have to use thumbs. If i pinch i dont have enough fingers for gimbal and holding the controller

 

[mfc]

i usually incorprate a lot of advanced shots ie. using left and right stick as well as the gimbal and/or zoom. So i have to use thumbs. If i pinch i dont have enough fingers for gimbal and holding the controller

This is for video, correct? Techniques differ for stills (for example, I usually take a spherical pano from where I want the drone to be, and select the bearing , pitch, and zoom when back home).

 

[Hegemone]

For tilting crane shots. I find myself lodging the tip of my thumb into the bases of the stick so I can get a consistent fine motion. Kind of the same with my index finger into the front edge of the gimbal wheel. Can only make superfine adjustments after I find the spot but that's what I want.

Overall it's thumbs in the tip of the sticks for big movements and at the base for fine movements. Nothing too wierd.

 

[mfc]

For tilting crane shots. I find myself lodging the tip of my thumb into the bases of the stick so I can get a consistent fine motion. Kind of the same with my index finger into the front edge of the gimbal wheel. Can only make superfine adjustments after I find the spot but that's what I want.

Overall it's thumbs in the tip of the sticks for big movements and at the base for fine movements. Nothing too wierd.

Chuckle .. using thumbs on the joystick is quite weird. Not what one would do in a 'real' 'plane or microlight (or camera). And three of the other four digits of your hand have better control and also better touch feedback to your brain.

So ... I am suspecting this is a behaviour driven by the poor design of controllers, and not about the human hand at all. The current design of controllers is as bizarre as the QWERTY [etc.] keyboard!

 

[Hegemone]

Chuckle .. using thumbs on the joystick is quite weird. Not what one would do in a 'real' 'plane or microlight (or camera). And three of the other four digits of your hand have better control and also better touch feedback to your brain.

So ... I am suspecting this is a behaviour driven by the poor design of controllers, and not about the human hand at all. The current design of controllers is as bizarre as the QWERTY [etc.] keyboard!

Guess I am of the PlayStation generation. Thumb sticks/pads are pretty standard everywhere other then rc so the design for me is spot on. I can change elevation, tilt the gimbal and click the autofocus button all with my left hand. I guess my nimbal wierd thumbs will just have to continue living on the fringe lol.

 

[mfc]

Guess I am of the PlayStation generation thumb sticks are pretty standard everywhere other then rc so the design for me is spot on. I can change elevation, tilt the gimbal and click the autofocus button all with my left hand. I guess my nimbal wierd thumbs will just have to continue living on the fringe lol.

I confess .. I have never seen a 'PlayStation' in person, let alone held one in my hands.

 

[dougiefresh27]

Thumbs for me.
I use a mouse on my laptop that uses my thumb
Very precise
If I added my index finger to the stick I would lose that for other controls like the gimbal

 

[dronerdave]

I fly a lot of RC fixed wing stuff. I learned to fly with thumbs but with my MP and its ability to hover, for specific shots many times I'll set the controller on a table and pinch to get a smoother rotational shot. If I were to fly my 3D planes using the pinch method, I'd probably crash.

 

[dioscuriII]

I do all my photography and in-camera adjustments manually. So, I use thumbs only. I have never had an issue and I think the comfort and control comes from decades of video games.

Photographing rock art high on cliff faces means extremely precise flying. I don't even use tripod mode anymore. Also, I came screaming out of the sky from 150 feet on the Oregon beach and hit a folded landing pad without pausing, so when folks say there is one way and one way only, they are probably just being snobby or my way or the highway thinking. And I am sure that their way works great for them. Not bragging, just presenting examples of flying that would test any type of joystick grip technique.

Like with cameras, it's not whether you shoot Nikon, Canon, or Sony... it's the photographer. I deal with that kind of close-minded thinking every day of the year.

So, it's not the grip technique, it's the pilot.

 

[Baqca Sanke]

This is for video, correct? Techniques differ for stills (for example, I usually take a spherical pano from where I want the drone to be, and select the bearing , pitch, and zoom when back home).

Oh yeah i only shoot video on my drones. I have to remind myself to stop and take a photo every once and awhile
?

 

[CAG]

This is a funny topic. I started RC flying in 2006. I learned from some old timers who used finger and thumb but I started out with thumbs and found the finger thing unnatural, at least for me. I fly/flew many different warbirds and other RC and never had a control issues. I tried switching several times just to see if I could do it and it still seemed unnatural so I am still a thumbs flyer.

 

[baddog]

When brand new (2018), I used a thumb on each controller stick. I have since switched to thumb and forefinger on each. I'm guessing this is personal preference, but would be interested to know others' thoughts.

I have my flight control sticks set for cinematography, yaw response is very low and pitch as well not as much as yaw though. Same thing for gimbal pitch, for slow. So I am all thumbs...LOL