Image wrong focus (?)

[mikeGR]

Hello, fellow Mavic pilots!

Let me start by saying I have read multiple posts about setting camera focus and experimented with different settings; long back I made the decision not to use manual but instead go with autofocus. Also, I opted out of continuous autofocus and rather focus "once", by pressing the C1 key on the controller, before I hit the camera button. As we all know this is supposed to reset focus to the background, in the middle of the screen.

However, examining my pictures I can see that they all tend to be in good focus in the centre (where the focus is applied) but near the edges, the images appear to be more blurry.

So here goes my question, am I doing something wrong here? Is there a focus method that keeps the whole frame in focus (including the edges)? As an example, see below image that I took where, if I zoom in, the cars in the middle look a lot sharper than those near the top left edge.





Looking forward to your views.

 

[Callum]

Hi mike, I'm not seeing your images.

Interested to see them as I have a similar problem.

 

[Mike4884]

I usually fly a little above tree line, focus on something distant. Should be infinity. Try it see what happens. Works for me

 

[mikeGR]

@Callum , there seems to be an issue with my pictures not showing, will refresh those when I go home tonight and report back.

@Mike4884 So I am guessing you don't use continuous autofocus either. Every single time before I take a new shot I hit the C1 button which I have assigned to focus function and the camera focuses to infinity. Then the core of the image ends up being very sharp and as you go near the edges you see it becomes out of focus. Will upload my pics later again so you can see what I mean.

 

[mikeGR]

You can hopefully see the images now. Appreciate your feedback.

 

[Callum]

You can hopefully see the images now. Appreciate your feedback.

My problem is similar, centre is in focus but right side of image is soft.

Sorry I don't have any answers for you, hopefully someone has some advice.

 

[Mike4884]

That c1 focus mainly just focuses in tge middle of the shot. I learned this the hard way trust me if you want to detailed shot do what I do before rolling up to the subject tap on something very distant and you will have a very focused shot

 

[mikeGR]

That c1 focus mainly just focuses in tge middle of the shot. I learned this the hard way trust me if you want to detailed shot do what I do before rolling up to the subject tap on something very distant and you will have a very focused shot

I still think that if I tapped somewhere specific on the screen I would get it to focus around that area rather than the whole frame. The only difference from pressing C1 would be that the focus is now centred elsewhere rather than the middle of the frame. Isn't it?

 

[mildim]

Hi Mike (and if i am guessing correctly also co patriot ? ) ,

if you focus manually at the right side of the screen, does the blurriness go away ?

Did you check this thread here ?

Left Side In Focus, Right Side Mushy

You may have the well known lens alignment issue some of the earlier mavics (including mine) had.

/Dimitris

 

[jon1111]

There are at least 2 things working against a good focus near the edge of the picture:
1. For most lens designs, the focus near the edge of the field-of-view is "softer", that is, not as good. This is especially pronounced in lower light levels when the aperture is close to wide open.
2. When you focus at the center, the distance from the lens to the center view is different than the distance from the lens to the edge of the field and is consequently not in focus. Again, low light levels make the issue worse.
In your case, I would guess its the first item that is most important as there appears to be no direct sunlight in the picture, but there doesn't seem to be much variation in distance. Hope this helps!

 

[sebastian.bilbao]

My problem is similar, centre is in focus but right side of image is soft.

Sorry I don't have any answers for you, hopefully someone has some advice.

It is a common issue, a hardware problem. Use de RMA, or fix it yourself. The camera cost 20 dollars on ebay.

 

[mildim]

It is a common issue, a hardware problem. Use de RMA, or fix it yourself. The camera cost 20 dollars on ebay.

Just be really careful with the cables.

 

[mikeGR]

Hi Mike (and if i am guessing correctly also co patriot ? ) ,

if you focus manually at the right side of the screen, does the blurriness go away ?

Did you check this thread here ?

Left Side In Focus Side Mushy

You may have the well known lens alignment issue some of the earlier mavics (including mine) had.

/Dimitris

Dimitris, you guessed right on the patriot bit

I read the discussion, looks like it might just be that, however it's not just the left side of it that's blurry, I also get it across the top and right border, it's like a Π surrounding the frame. Could this still be caused by de-centred lens?

I really wouldn't want to send my drone to DJI only to receive someone else's crashed refurb which might still have the same issue (or new ones). Any chance I am doing sth wrong when focusing?

 

[sebastian.bilbao]

Dimitris, you guessed right on the patriot bit

I read the discussion, looks like it might just be that, however it's not just the left side of it that's blurry, I also get it across the top and right border, it's like a Π surrounding the frame. Could this still be caused by de-centred lens?

I really wouldn't want to send my drone to DJI only to receive someone else's crashed refurb which might still have the same issue (or new ones). Any chance I am doing sth wrong when focusing?

You can buy the sensor and lens camera here.

For DJI MAVIC PRO Drone Gimbal 4K Video Camera Lens Repair Part Accessories Hot | eBay

 

[mildim]

Dimitris, you guessed right on the patriot bit

I read the discussion, looks like it might just be that, however it's not just the left side of it that's blurry, I also get it across the top and right border, it's like a Π surrounding the frame. Could this still be caused by de-centred lens?

I really wouldn't want to send my drone to DJI only to receive someone else's crashed refurb which might still have the same issue (or new ones). Any chance I am doing sth wrong when focusing?

Hi Mike ,

i had the exact same problem and the exact same mentality regarding sending the drone back.

I am afraid you are doing nothing wrong with the focus , this seems to be the de centered issue.

You could replace the camera lens like i did but please be careful with the cable and the connectors.

Mine is on the way to the drone hospital here in Switzerland.

 

[mikeGR]

Hi Mike ,

i had the exact same problem and the exact same mentality regarding sending the drone back.

I am afraid you are doing nothing wrong with the focus , this seems to be the de centered issue.

You could replace the camera lens like i did but please be careful with the cable and the connectors.

Mine is on the way to the drone hospital here in Switzerland.

So you are saying that you tried replacing it yourself but you messed up the cables so now someone is fixing it for you? Did you get a chance to check the image quality after you replaced the camera or you haven’t managed so far?

Also, who says that the $20 camera replacement from eBay won’t have the same issue? Or that it won’t be coming from another crashed drone etc. Not to mention that replacing the camera on my own would void my warranty.

I just wrote an email to DJI Support to see what they have the say about this. I am happy with them keeping the Mavic as long as they need to fix it, on the condition that they can guarantee I’ll get MY drone back.

 

[sebastian.bilbao]

So you are saying that you tried replacing it yourself but you messed up the cables so now someone is fixing it for you? Did you get a chance to check the image quality after you replaced the camera or you haven’t managed so far?

Also, who says that the $20 camera replacement from eBay won’t have the same issue? Or that it won’t be coming from another crashed drone etc. Not to mention that replacing the camera on my own would void my warranty.

I just wrote an email to DJI Support to see what they have the say about this. I am happy with them keeping the Mavic as long as they need to fix it, on the condition that they can guarantee I’ll get MY drone back.

They Will send you a refurb mavic, no the same you sent.

 

[Callum]

Hi Mike (and if i am guessing correctly also co patriot ? ) ,

if you focus manually at the right side of the screen, does the blurriness go away ?

Did you check this thread here ?

Left Side In Focus, Right Side Mushy

You may have the well known lens alignment issue some of the earlier mavics (including mine) had.

/Dimitris

They Will send you a refurb mavic, no the same you sent.

What happens if you have refresh on the aircraft. Does it automatically carry over or do you need to chase them?

 

[mildim]

So you are saying that you tried replacing it yourself but you messed up the cables so now someone is fixing it for you? Did you get a chance to check the image quality after you replaced the camera or you haven’t managed so far?

Also, who says that the $20 camera replacement from eBay won’t have the same issue? Or that it won’t be coming from another crashed drone etc. Not to mention that replacing the camera on my own would void my warranty.

I just wrote an email to DJI Support to see what they have the say about this. I am happy with them keeping the Mavic as long as they need to fix it, on the condition that they can guarantee I’ll get MY drone back.

Yes , i somehow damaged the video cable and got no video feed at all.

Noone can say that the new camera will solve the problem but the seller states if the camera is a new or a used one.

I am afraid you are not going to get the same drone back , it is their policy and the mention it in the warranty conditions.

 

[mikeGR]

Quick update, I contacted DJI and after looking into the issue they said that my pictures look normal and there’s nothing wrong with the camera. So I don’t know what to believe anymore...