Gimbal Flight Cover?

[Rackminster]

I've been searching here and online for a transparent cover for the gimbal while the drone is in flight. I haven't turned up much of anything useful. I honestly don't know if it would ruin any camera work to have a product like that on the drone during flight.

The more I think about it, the more I want to protect the gimbal and camera from things like flying debris, dust, bugs, water droplets, etc. That poor little gimbal just looks so exposed when the transport cover is off.

Is anyone aware of a product like that?

*Edit: I may have found my answer, though one reviewer mentions it ruins his shots with lots of lens flares. Drat.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF6UVNG

 

[Coskier]

Anything you cover it with would definitely distort the images.

 

[mwardncsu]

And that one is the Amazon link is NOT for the M2P.....

 

[Rackminster]

Well, I'm batting 1.000 today...

Gotta get more than 3 hours of sleep tonight.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Putting cheap curved plastic over the camera is going to cause horrible distortions and reflections/flare - I would just forget it personally. The actual camera lens is protected by whatever filter you're using (including the OEM filter), and the gimbal itself is a lot more robust than you're giving it credit for - think about how many people use their drones every day and you never read about a gimbal failing due to a little bit of dust or a bug. If it's raining out you shouldn't be flying anyway.

What you can do though is keep your gimbal much cleaner by always doing a hand launch and hand landing/catch. It's dead simple and very safe, and you don't have to fiddle with the annoying landing pads that blow away in the wind. I do this exclusively with all my drones and they look like new when I sell them. Keeping the drone far away from the ground at all times does wonders for keeping the drone clean and free of debris. Takeoffs/landings on dirt, sand, etc is where it is going to get 90% of it's debris from, not really while it's in the air.

 

[Rackminster]

I'll have to look into the hand land/launch. I was mostly worried about stuff getting kicked up on launch and landing. I was also curious about using the pontoon pads for water land and launch, and assumed there'd be some small amount of water kicked up.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Former Member]

Water can be kicked up and into your air intakes, even with floats. Not a good thing.

Hand launching is another way to do it but not without its risks.

If you will be doing water takeoffs and landings, I would really recommend a Swellpro. Its not a DJI, but its waterproof.

 

[Rackminster]

I appreciate the tips. I'm very much in this "What's this? What's this? Can I do that?" phase of ownership right now. It's good to know what to avoid or where there may be risks.

 

[msinger]

I was mostly worried about stuff getting kicked up on launch and landing

You could prevent those things from kicking up by taking off from a landing pad like the FStop Labs landing pad or one of these landing pads.

 

[CanadaDrone]

The problem with landing pads are they blow around (can't always stake them down), they are annoying and bulky even when folded (subjective), and if there is any dirt or sand around, a slight breeze blows all of the stuff you're trying to avoid right onto the landing pad. With a hand launch/catch you avoid all of that, and it's free If the goal is to keep the drone as clean as possible, landing pads are only a partial solution and very environment dependent - for example it's probably fine staked down to grass, but on sand they are useless.

 

[msinger]

The problem with landing pads are they blow around (can't always stake them down), they are annoying and bulky even when folded (subjective), and if there is any dirt or sand around, a slight breeze blows all of the stuff you're trying to avoid right onto the landing pad

If you don't like stakes, Hoodman makes landing pads that contain a galvanized-steel perimeter. And, you're right, landing pads do not work well in some locations. They are a good option for those people who won't want to hand launch/catch.

 

[Former Member]

The problem with landing pads are they blow around (can't always stake them down), they are annoying and bulky even when folded (subjective), and if there is any dirt or sand around, a slight breeze blows all of the stuff you're trying to avoid right onto the landing pad. With a hand launch/catch you avoid all of that, and it's free If the goal is to keep the drone as clean as possible, landing pads are only a partial solution and very environment dependent - for example it's probably fine staked down to grass, but on sand they are useless.

I totally agree, except that sometimes it's better to have someone hand catch it for you. So what would you recommend for sand? I recommend not taking off from sand at all lol

 

[CanadaDrone]

I totally agree, except that sometimes it's better to have someone hand catch it for you. So what would you recommend for sand? I recommend not taking off from sand at all lol

I hand launch / hand catch every single flight, so that is what I recommend Works perfectly regardless of terrain (even on a boat) and is guaranteed to keep your drone squeaky clean and away from all ground debris. It even saves time because there is nothing else to do. With the M2P just hold the drone in your outstretched hand and swipe to takeoff, at the same time gently lower your hand out from underneath and it floats there like magic, waiting for your input. To land just bring it above you, left stick down for 3 seconds and it very gently descends into your grasp, and the props shut down 1 second after you grab it. Everything happens in a very slow, controlled, and safe manner.

Sand is the enemy of all electronics, especially those with moving parts like drones, cameras, etc. I cringe just thinking about people who use things like this on the beach - one grain of sand in the wrong place and it can cause massive damage. I don't bring any device I care about anywhere near the sand on a beach, especially my camera gear and expensive electronics.

 

[ff22]

I'm not there yet with hand catching but I presume that the finish on the Zoom can be washed clean of blood!

 

[jbuy41]

I have been using a door mat that is about 1/2 in rubber backing and like a leave design. It dose not move when launching. Also have the add on legs to bring it off the ground.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I'm not there yet with hand catching but I presume that the finish on the Zoom can be washed clean of blood!

Your hands don't get anywhere near the props if you grasp it from the bottom, and it comes in very slow and gentle - nothing to worry about. It is almost impossible to mess up a hand catch unless you are being grossly negligent.

 

[G Pilot]

Yes, it works as a protective cover. (I use it frequently) but, you WILL get solar flare and image aberration and some distortion. I have attached a short video showing what you can expect. I do a full 360 rotation and you will see what happens when you shoot near angles to the sun. This is especially bad at Sunset and sunrise when the sun is closer to the horizon. You will be able to use it for decent video on cloudy days or if the sun is nearly or directly above. (I have the exact cover shown in the link and it is not for a pro2. It is for a pro.

 

[Rackminster]

Your hands don't get anywhere near the props if you grasp it from the bottom, and it comes in very slow and gentle - nothing to worry about. It is almost impossible to mess up a hand catch unless you are being grossly negligent.

I was going to start trying the hand release & catch method after watching some videos on it. Before ever attempting it, my plan was to move the props as close as they can get to the area where I'd grab it and just put a little masking tape there to indicate to myself where the "Safe Zone" is for my fingers.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I was going to start trying the hand release & catch method after watching some videos on it. Before ever attempting it, my plan was to move the props as close as they can get to the area where I'd grab it and just put a little masking tape there to indicate to myself where the "Safe Zone" is for my fingers.

That's not a bad idea, but I think you will find you don't need to do that. It comes in so slow and so gently that you will have no trouble whatsoever grasping it normally. After you grasp it, the props shut down ~1 second later (keep the left controller stick down until this happens). The body/fuselage is also shaped in such a way that it would be very difficult to touch the props from the bottom - the safe area is the entire bottom/sides of the fuselage, and it's extremely easy to grab accurately and safely.

Launching is just as easy, hold the drone out and swipe the screen for takeoff. Gently move your hand out from underneath at the same time and it will just float there rock steady.

After you do it 1 or 2 times I think you will see how easy it is and it will soon become second nature No more landing pads, no more worrying about terrain, and no more dirt/dust/sand. It's also great when you don't want to make a spectacle of yourself if launching/landing around other people.

 

[Rackminster]

It's also great when you don't want to make a spectacle of yourself if launching/landing around other people.

The instructor for the "Drone Basics" class I took a couple weekends ago would insist that I make a spectacle of myself.

He had all of us announcing clearly and loudly into the parking lot each time any of these things happened...

ENGINES ON!
AIRCRAFT LAUNCHING!
AIRCRAFT LANDING!

His head would probably explode if he watched someone launch from their hand without yelling at everyone nearby to watch. The hand launch actually seems safer, not just cleaner. It puts you in direct control of the drone instead of putting it down and stepping back, hoping no little kid or dog runs up to it as you take off.