HOW TO: Set Mavic Pro camera focus

[msinger]

 

[Dronebow]

Ok, I have had a question on this and have yet not asked. This seems like a good place to do that.
Q: So this is a moving platform. When you tap to focus and then move, what happens to the focus??
Followup Q: if you are filming and tap to focus and continue to fly around, will you have to continue to tap to focus to keep things sharp??

 

[msinger]

When you tap to focus and then move, what happens to the focus?

You will have to reset the focus if whatever your filming is a different distance than what you previously tapped.

if you are filming and tap to focus and continue to fly around, will you have to continue to tap to focus to keep things sharp?

Yes -- if you're trying to focus on something nearby. For most flights, tapping the sky to set the focus to infinity (like the Phantom) will be the best setup.

 

[tomnjfl]

I have a follow up to the first question. So let's imagine a shot I'm trying to get. I want to stand on side of a cliff or on a rock (or something like that), and I want the Mavic to start real close to me (let's say about 5 feet away) and then pan up and away at a 45 degree angle. How would you handle the focus in that situation? Would you have to keep tapping the screen as it pulls away?

 

[Rick]

I have a follow up to the first question. So let's imagine a shot I'm trying to get. I want to stand on side of a cliff or on a rock (or something like that), and I want the Mavic to start real close to me (let's say about 5 feet away) and then pan up and away at a 45 degree angle. How would you handle the focus in that situation? Would you have to keep tapping the screen as it pulls away?

Once it was 25 to 30 feet away (possibly closer) the lens focus range would have got to infinity, so no need to adjust any more than that. If there is a slider for focusing in the GUI, that would make things super smooth.

 

[tomnjfl]

Once it was 25 to 30 feet away (possibly closer) the lens focus range would have got to infinity, so no need to adjust any more than that. If there is a slider for focusing in the GUI, that would make things super smooth.

I can see how that makes sense. But when I look back at some of the first samples of footage from the Mavic came out, the "soft" or blurry look seems to effect the entire image. If the tapping just re-focuses the camera, you would think that it was already focused on some other area and just needed to be told where to focus. But in Casey Neistat's footage, for example, the entire screen is blurry or soft. If that's just because he didn't tap to focus, you would think that some part of the image should be in focus already. Or am I thinking of it all wrong?

 

[Deckyon]

First, Casey was wrong, and he admitted it. Throw his footage out the window. There are others who show the actual function of the focusing mech.

If you use Casey as an example, you may as well get a Parrott BeBopp. I think even that drone is smarter than he is.

 

[tomnjfl]

First, Casey was wrong, and he admitted it. Throw his footage out the window. There are others who show the actual function of the focusing mech.

If you use Casey as an example, you may as well get a Parrott BeBopp. I think even that drone is smarter than he is.

I know he admitted it. But what exactly did he do wrong? I though his only mistake was that he forgot to tap the screen to focus?

 

[Deckyon]

That is correct. But the near focus is narrow (a few feet DoF) and when you dont follow through and get your far focus set, then everything is out of focus.

If you want to take a "selfie" for instance, or are in tripod mode and want to show real DoF, then you will set the focus on a near object (I believe it is within 30 feet, max).

If you are doing landscapes, and only care about everything further than the (roughly) 30 feet, then you tap the screen and focus on a distant, high contrast, object.


There are so many videos out there that show this, I really dont know how this is still an unknown.

 

[tomnjfl]

That is correct. But the near focus is narrow (a few feet DoF) and when you dont follow through and get your far focus set, then everything is out of focus.

If you want to take a "selfie" for instance, or are in tripod mode and want to show real DoF, then you will set the focus on a near object (I believe it is within 30 feet, max).

If you are doing landscapes, and only care about everything further than the (roughly) 30 feet, then you tap the screen and focus on a distant, high contrast, object.


There are so many videos out there that show this, I really dont know how this is still an unknown.

Thanks, I get it now...it just clicked, finally! LOL

I guess my fear was that you'd have to keep tapping to focus if you were flying over a mountainside, or something like that. But I see now what you mean, as long as what you're filming is beyond the roughly 30 foot threshold, it's all going to be in focus regardless. The tapping would be required for filming where your subject is very close, which I rarely ever do. So I'd just have to put Mavic in the air, tap once to set the focus, and then it would be fine for the rest of my flight.

 

[Rick]

Just read that the camera gets focus on the first thing it sees when the Mavic is first turned on

 

[2nd2non]

TTF is something that will require a new thought process when filming unless you're using infinity all the time and distant subjects. TTF took some getting use to on my X5 as I constantly like to fly from distant in for close shots. The close shots look soft unless you TTF again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kykayak]

There are multiple programmable buttons, so I'm going to set my C2 button (Right top) trigger as focus. That way I can set my focus easily while flying and don't have to worry about taking eyes off my bird, or hands off to touch the screen.

 

[Deckyon]

There are multiple programmable buttons, so I'm going to set my C2 button (Right top) trigger as focus. That way I can set my focus easily while flying and don't have to worry about taking eyes off my bird, or hands off to touch the screen.

Will be doing the same thing. Using same button on the same side as the gimbal control.

 

[Shacky]

Is it possible that a future firmware release would include auto-focus?

 

[Deckyon]

You wont want AutoFocus. It would be a nightmare, considering how much a drone moves, and how quickly. Assign the C1 or C2 to focus.

 

[Shacky]

You wont want AutoFocus. It would be a nightmare, considering how much a drone moves, and how quickly. Assign the C1 or C2 to focus.

Assigning the buttons is a great idea.
How does the focus compare to what I'm used to on my P3A?

 

[Deckyon]

Assigning the buttons is a great idea.
How does the focus compare to what I'm used to on my P3A?

There are plenty of videos showing the focus. I cannot comment exclusively as I dont have either drone. However, what I have seen has put the MP in line with the P4.

 

[DefaultIT]

[...]
How does the focus compare to what I'm used to on my P3A?

Your P3A has fixed focus (nothing to control), so this will be a new thing. The closest thing you have now is an exposure priority zone that you can set by tapping the screen...that's pretty much how the focus control works on a Mavic.

 

[Butterpuff 6]

You wont want AutoFocus. It would be a nightmare, considering how much a drone moves, and how quickly. Assign the C1 or C2 to focus.

A continuous autofocus function could make sense when you're using active tracking, follow me, or point-of-interest, but you definitely wouldn't want it on while you were doing normal flying without the camera being locked on a specific subject.