Gimble cover?

[adventures]

This may be silly, but I wanted to know who else is flying it with the gimble cover on or not? I've been watching all kinds of footage and finding a lot of images of it with the cover both on and off. Mine has had scratches on it since I first got it but I'm too nervous to fly with it off. Anyone doing this? Thanks.

 

[John Shaw]

This has been highly debated so you can search for those threads. There are people on both sides of the issue and you just have to make up your own mind. Personally I don't like the idea of shutting off the airflow to the grill and fan located just behind the gimbal - I feel the DJI engineers wouldn't have put that fan and grill there if they didn't need the airflow to cool the electronics. However many don't agree - but the reliability of electronics is highly dependent on it's operating temperature - and that's a fact.

 

[CC Rider]

DJI video tutorials clearly state to remove the gimbal cover before flying. So what is there even to make a decision about? You either follow instructions or suffer the consequences, as a rule.

I don't think a piece of non-optical, molded plastic is going to help out anyone's photography or filming, especially if it's scratched. The camera simply is not designed to shoot through that material at all. Besides, if you can mount filter lenses on the Mavic then it must come with it's own lens filter, probably a UV filter, that is going to protect the optically-ground lens in the camera. I say leave the engineering to the experts and follow what they say about their creation unless you can prove them wrong. To me this is a real no-brainer.

The optics on the camera are cherry. The optics in the gimbal cover are toast. If they were any good for looking through, then corrective glasses would cost a helluva lot less money than they do.

 

[hroberts]

DJI video tutorials clearly state to remove the gimbal cover before flying. So what is there even to make a decision about? You either follow instructions or suffer the consequences, as a rule.

I don't think a piece of non-optical, molded plastic is going to help out anyone's photography or filming, especially if it's scratched. The camera simply is not designed to shoot through that material at all. Besides, if you can mount filter lenses on the Mavic then it must come with it's own lens filter, probably a UV filter, that is going to protect the optically-ground lens in the camera. I say leave the engineering to the experts and follow what they say about their creation unless you can prove them wrong. To me this is a real no-brainer.

The optics on the camera are cherry. The optics in the gimbal cover are toast. If they were any good for looking through, then corrective glasses would cost a helluva lot less money than they do.

I have to agree with this. The image, due to refracted light through the cover, gets messed up. I want to use it for protection but after my first set of shots, i remove it every time.

 

[Perspectivesailor15]

I have flowen mine with the gimble cover in place never had a problem with over heat, I have crashed it and I have no dought that if it wasn't in place the gimble would have taken a hit.
I agree with the sun glare issue, I bought but haven't received yet a dark open face gimble protector for use in flight. Bottom line jury is still out..

 

[Drone Police]

No gimble cover for me. No brainer. Degrades image quality and restricts airflow to the intake.

 

[Courtervideo]

I got a lot of sun flare with mine


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[Nikon1]

I was nervous about the gimble cover as well. I did order a black lens shade as well as a UV filter to both protect the front lens element and cut down on sun flare / glare.

 

[tcope]

This may be silly, but I wanted to know who else is flying it with the gimble cover on or not?

Dumbest Question Ever Asked on this forum......

 

[John Shaw]

Dumbest Question Ever Asked on this forum......

The only thing dumb is that DJI should come out and make a clear statement, and explain why. The are two opposite opinions on this forum and each side knows their right. I think it's crazy to block that airflow but many disagree going instead for the protection of the Mavic's vulnerable gimbal.

 

[rydfree]

The gimbal cover has a slot to allow air to flow over the gimbal motors and into the aircraft . The instructions from DJI that I read stated to use it if there were a concern the gimbal might get wet from landing on damp grass or that the type flying might put the gimbal in more danger of a crash .

I personally never fly with it on but have ordered the cut out one to offer the camera some degree of protection in case of a mishap.

For DJI Mavic Pro - Sun Glare Shield Gimbal Cover | eBay


Directly from DJI
Mavic - Gimbal Cover | DJI Store
"Protects gimbal and camera from collision, dust and water during transportation and in flight."

 

[rydfree]

The only thing dumb is that DJI should come out and make a clear statement, and explain why.

From the DJI website:

"Protects gimbal and camera from collision, dust and water during transportation and in flight."

Mavic - Gimbal Cover | DJI Store

 

[John Shaw]

From the DJI website:

"Protects gimbal and camera from collision, dust and water during transportation and in flight."

Mavic - Gimbal Cover | DJI Store

It looks like the sales people are the smart ones at DJI. The engineers who designed the Mavic installed a 900 sqmm grille and a fan that wasn't needed. That small slot in the cover is a joke compared to the 900 sqmm grill. But then I'm a engineer so I tend to think there was some reason the engineers added all that drag and weight to a drone whose design goals were just the opposite. I do agree that the modified gimbal covers that offer some protection with no blocking of the camera view or airflow are very attractive.

 

[rydfree]

Well there's the techs also .......

"Dear John,

Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support.

With your concern, when you are preparing for flying, the gimbal clamp should be removed, but if you are referring for the Camera bubble cover, we best recommend not to remove it since that will serve as a protection for the camera from water sprinkle, dust, and other objects that may hit the camera in any case during flying.

Hope this will help and thank you for your time.

If you have any other inquiry in the future please feel free to contact us back anytime and we will be more than happy to assist you with your concern.

Have a wonderful day ahead.

Best Regards,
Myra
DJI NA TECHNICAL SUPPORT "

The fan and grill are more than capable of pulling adequate airflow as the gimbal cover and rest of the airframe are in no way airtight . Even without the built in cooling slot the cover provides , it has ample opportunity to draw in air . The built in cooling slot is simply positioned so that air flow will be drawn in and pass over the gimbal motors . I think the engineers did a fine job of using it as an option for when the grass may be wet from dew or recent rain or for protection when new owners are more concerned with learning to fly than take great video .

 

[Capt Drone]

I noticed that most but not all of the official DJI videos show the craft with the cover on. I fly with mine on most of the time. It does come off to capture video or photos when I'm serious about it.

Not long after I received my Mavic I backed it into a bush at night WITHOUT the cover on and of course it landed on the camera. This necessitated the famous 3 week trip to DJI. Once it was back I decided to leave the cover on and being a slow learner, I hit another bush and the ground. No damage this time.

 

[TobiasP]

I'm not sure if it's already been suggested, but there is a middle way too, preserve the quality of your photage and keep you camera protected. F stops and many other retailers are selling lens hood protecting your camera and gimbal from damage of an accident occurs. This lens hood is identical to the one that comes with the mavic pro, apart from that it's not transperance and has a cut out section for the camera. This might not be as protective as the full original cover but it's a great alternative. I believe this hood was mainly meant to keep the sun flares under control, but I think many people use it for protection too, atleast that's why I ordered one.

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[CC Rider]

Check out the latest video offered up yesterday by the fellow at the Drone Valley website about this topic of debate. On my phone so I can't repost it here but it's definitely worth seeing.


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