Is anyone using a Multispectral IR conversation on their M2P?

[AMann]

I am planning on converting my spare M2P to a multispectral camera drone- getting the filter kit from Kolari Vision. I’m planning on using it for doing artistic B&W and false color landscape photos, and possibly for work doing plant monitoring imagery.

I’m just wondering if anyone has done the same and what filters they are using, and if so, can you post some results?

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Is that like a full spectrum thing, where they take out the internal hot filter, but don't put anything in it's place, so you put on IR filters on the camera lens to filter visible light at a certain bandwidth? If so, that would be fine, because Kolari probably also offers a hot mirror filter to also put on your lens, so you can turn it back into a regular visual light camera.

But the multispectral thing throws me. That sounds like a dual-band thing.

No, I have not done it and wouldn't unless it was "full spectrum like" as I described above, or I had more than one M2P.

Or (thinking aloud) I suppose if I had more than one camera/gimbal package for my one M2P ... which used to be an easy thing to swap out, back in the Phantom days, but I'm not sure how simple it is with the M2P.

Chris

 

[Felix le Chat]

2019/2020 it was possible to simply swap Mavic 2 camera/gimbal assemblies. DJI clued on to the fact that people were doing something for themselves that DJI could charge them for and pretty soon, that gateway to upgrading had a firmware lock on it.

 

[AMann]

Hi Chris, yes- the multispectral modification is more of a broad-spectrum modification where the IR filter is replaced with a clear one that passes IR then the user puts external ones on depending on which wavebands they want to block or pass. You can do false-color infrared and NDVI imagery with it. My interest is in doing high-contrast B&W aerials and vegetation mapping where the photosynthetic plants show up brilliant red depending on their health. Especially useful for wetlands delineation. I have a spare M2P and the process to take out the filter is easily reversible.

 

[AMann]

2019/2020 it was possible to simply swap Mavic 2 camera/gimbal assemblies. DJI clued on to the fact that people were doing something for themselves that DJI could charge them for and pretty soon, that gateway to upgrading had a firmware lock on it.

Some people do just that or simply swap out the camera/lens board. Mine is going to be dedicated for it as I have 2 MP2’s. They are a deal these days especially as the photo quality is superb and they can run Litchi.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Hi Chris, yes- the multispectral modification is more of a broad-spectrum modification where the IR filter is replaced with a clear one that passes IR then the user puts external ones on depending on which wavebands they want to block or pass. You can do false-color infrared and NDVI imagery with it. My interest is in doing high-contrast B&W aerials and vegetation mapping where the photosynthetic plants show up brilliant red depending on their health. Especially useful for wetlands delineation. I have a spare M2P and the process to take out the filter is easily reversible.

Okay, thanks. If you go out to the major conversion sites (not necessarily drone related) like LifePixel or Kolarivision, they call that full spectrum. They also have some specialized dual spectrum (multi-spectrum) filters which is a completely different thing, but you put those filters on a full-spectrum converted camera.

I suppose that someone out there might be thinking of multi-spectrum because you can change filters on the lens for differing wavelengths, but you are still shooting only one wavelength at a time. The rest of the world calls that full-spectrum.

Chris

 

[AMann]

Okay, thanks. If you go out to the major conversion sites (not necessarily drone related) like LifePixel or Kolarivision, they call that full spectrum. They also have some specialized dual spectrum (multi-spectrum) filters which is a completely different thing, but you put those filters on a full-spectrum converted camera.

I suppose that someone out there might be thinking of multi-spectrum because you can change filters on the lens for differing wavelengths, but you are still shooting only one wavelength at a time. The rest of the world calls that full-spectrum.

Chris

Actually, since you’re using RGB pixels it’s shooting three spectra - you just modifying it if you put on a bandpass or a band cut off filter. You made a good point about the terminology, full-spectrum is really a more descriptive and better term.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Actually, since you’re using RGB pixels it’s shooting three spectra - you just modifying it if you put on a bandpass or a band cut off filter. You made a good point about the terminology, full-spectrum is really a more descriptive and better term.

There is clarity when we're all using the same the same terminology for technology. We understand each other better when we speak the same language and have the same definitions for terms and phrases.

Chris

 

[AMann]

There are some interesting light filters that one can ad to such a camera that give various results, such as a ban-pass filter that allows only a certain wavelength of light to pass, and a rejection or cutoff filter that is essentially the opposite of a band-pass in that it prevents only a certain wavelength from passing, and a notch filter which is essentially a very narrow band-pass filter. My solar telescope uses a rejection filter to prevent the eye-damaging UV and infrared wavelengths of solar light from passing, and allows only red light through. I’ve used a deep red band pass filter on my standard b&w film camera to photograph petroglyphs on desert varnish-stained boulders. Using this filter (a Wratten #70) made the petroglyphs stand out and someone chalked them in. I hope to use a similar filter on my M2P and do aerial surveys for petroglyphs with it also.