Mavic 3 SDK

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Yes, but Canon and Nikon don't build flying cameras that can crash and destroy an expensive camera/drone system, so I suspect if they did, they would want to take some more time to get their SDKs just right just like DJI is likely doing before releasing the SDK to third party software developers.

Chris

Believe me, if Pro photographers have their camera gear stop working during a job (even if it doesn't destroy the camera) as much as DJI's buggy and unfinished products give their users grief, those photographers would jump ship.

Pro photographers buy and sell equipment at the drop of a hat, so switching brands (including lenses, which makes it a very large expenditure) is not unheard of from them.

AND pro photographers have a lot of prosumer followers. They sell a lot of cameras for those manufactures. It's why they're called brand ambassadors. So it's a big deal for the makers to keep them happy.

Lastly, as a prosumer that's flown drones AND has had a lot of high end photo equipment over decades of time, I can tell you that NONE of the big camera brands release product the way DJI does (as buggy and feature incomplete). It seems to be the DJI business model because it's been going on for many years.

Chris

PS: the only reason I buy drones is to put a camera in the air where my tripod can't go, but's still only a percentage of my photo work. If I cut it out completely, I will still have lots of photo work to do. And as a reminder, I have already decided to not buy a Mavic 3, at least for a long while (money already spent).

 

[Jagerbomb52]

This is painful to watch, with all the rambling and unrelated information. Anyone have a Reader's Digest version? Is he simply buying into the idea that the automotive GPS chip is the culprit? Thanks.

LOL most times he is painful to watch but at least he was not swearing in this video. I got the impression he was just relaying info that has already been posted in the different social media sites.
Haye Kesteloo from DroneXL is pretty well respected in the industry and Ken was just going with what Haye Kesteloo hinted to.

 

[Chrislaf]

Believe me, if Pro photographers have their camera gear stop working during a job (even if it doesn't destroy the camera) as much as DJI's buggy and unfinished products give their users grief, those photographers would jump ship.

Pro photographers buy and sell equipment at the drop of a hat, so switching brands (including lenses, which makes it a very large expenditure) is not unheard of from them.

AND pro photographers have a lot of prosumer followers. They sell a lot of cameras for those manufactures. It's why they're called brand ambassadors. So it's a big deal for the makers to keep them happy.

Lastly, as a prosumer that's flown drones AND has had a lot of high end photo equipment over decades of time, I can tell you that NONE of the big camera brands release product the way DJI does (as buggy and feature incomplete). It seems to be the DJI business model because it's been going on for many years.

Chris

PS: the only reason I buy drones is to put a camera in the air where my tripod can't go, but's still only a percentage of my photo work. If I cut it out completely, I will still have lots of photo work to do. And as a reminder, I have already decided to not buy a Mavic 3, at least for a long while (money already spent).

Chris, I am going to disagree with your view on DJI SDK updates and leave it at that.

From my perspective, I feel fortunate that DJI even releases the SDK for their drones so I can use my third party software like Dronelink, Litchi and Hammer. They could if they wanted to refuse to release the SDK altogether and close down any possibility of software development from any third party.

With regard to your comments about camera equipment, I have had my full frame Nikon lock up in the field while shooting due to a firmware problem. I had to send it away to Nikon to have it fixed under warranty. I have had to send a Nikon lens in to have its firmware updated and I recently had to buy a Tap-In console to update firmware and tweak settings on a recently purchased Tamron lens. Sigma does the same if you want to update firmware or tweak settings.

DJIs system of releasing their SDK may not be perfect, but at least they eventually do release it. Until that time I am going to enjoy the amazing camera they have on the Mavic 3 and the photo opportunities it will provide for me.

Chris

 

[hoipolloisix]

Chris, I am going to disagree with your view on DJI SDK updates and leave it at that.

From my perspective, I feel fortunate that DJI even releases the SDK for their drones so I can use my third party software like Dronelink, Litchi and Hammer. They could if they wanted to refuse to release the SDK altogether and close down any possibility of software development from any third party.

Without their SDK they would lose a lot of sales to other companies that support an SDK also these SDK's helped them build the business.

With regard to your comments about camera equipment, I have had my full frame Nikon lock up in the field while shooting due to a firmware problem. I had to send it away to Nikon to have it fixed under warranty. I have had to send a Nikon lens in to have its firmware updated and I recently had to buy a Tap-In console to update firmware and tweak settings on a recently purchased Tamron lens. Sigma does the same if you want to update firmware or tweak settings.

DJIs system of releasing their SDK may not be perfect, but at least they eventually do release it. Until that time I am going to enjoy the amazing camera they have on the Mavic 3 and the photo opportunities it will provide for me.

Chris

Just like they lost me on my larger drone stuff with the S1000+ going from being very customizable to fully integrated not able to pick camera package for job, nor lenses that I wanted to work with. They are likely to be losing this round of smaller drones for me. I use Litchi extensively and while I am from the United States I now live in Central America. My new Mavic Cinema that my other half bought for me is flying back to the United States to be returned in the morning, love the drone the lack of Litchi until the end of the year means that Amazon is getting it returned after a week of loving it.

 

[MS Coast]

Without their SDK they would lose a lot of sales to other companies that support an SDK also these SDK's helped them build the business.



Just like they lost me on my larger drone stuff with the S1000+ going from being very customizable to fully integrated not able to pick camera package for job, nor lenses that I wanted to work with. They are likely to be losing this round of smaller drones for me. I use Litchi extensively and while I am from the United States I now live in Central America. My new Mavic Cinema that my other half bought for me is flying back to the United States to be returned in the morning, love the drone the lack of Litchi until the end of the year means that Amazon is getting it returned after a week of loving it.

In any case, it's well understood that DJI doesn't release the SDKs until a year or so after the release of a new model. It should have been no surprise that it didn't happen with the Mavic 3, especially since it's been out for months.

 

[Michael W.]

In any case, it's well understood that DJI doesn't release the SDKs until a year or so after the release of a new model. It should have been no surprise that it didn't happen with the Mavic 3, especially since it's been out for months.

Well understood by who? My Mavic 1 and Mavic 2 both had the SDK working upon release, my Inspire 2 had a working SDK when I bought it (no idea if it had it when released as I bought it after).

DJI stated a date when the SDK for the Mavic 3 would be released, which I used to make a purchase decision since I use DroneDeploy extensively, yet they are missing that by a year which is ridiculous when you have assured your customers that it would be ready by a certain time. If I had known it would be well over a year before an SDK would be released I would never have bought the Mavic 3 and I am well past the return window.

 

[MS Coast]

Well understood by who? My Mavic 1 and Mavic 2 both had the SDK working upon release, my Inspire 2 had a working SDK when I bought it (no idea if it had it when released as I bought it after).

DJI stated a date when the SDK for the Mavic 3 would be released, which I used to make a purchase decision since I use DroneDeploy extensively, yet they are missing that by a year which is ridiculous when you have assured your customers that it would be ready by a certain time. If I had known it would be well over a year before an SDK would be released I would never have bought the Mavic 3 and I am well past the return window.

For the models released recently, the SDK was not released with the drone. I can't find a DJI announcement of a release date for the M3 SDK. Have a link?

I'll certainly consider an M3 when the SDK is available and the GPS lock issue is resolved.

 

[vr_driver]

I read that the SDK for the Mavic 3 is due out in August. So, good news.

 

[hoipolloisix]

Yes, but Canon and Nikon don't build flying cameras that can crash and destroy an expensive camera/drone system, so I suspect if they did, they would want to take some more time to get their SDKs just right just like DJI is likely doing before releasing the SDK to third party software developers.

Chris

Way wrong! I am not to get into specifics but one of those brands not only destroyed a 5k camera body and 15k lens but burned a commercial office building's floor all the way back to the concrete due to an over heat condition. While it is more likely to happen that a 5k drone will gone down, anything's firmware can cause problems that have things like this happen.

Also what about Dodge having it so that if you knew the VIN to someones car you could basically turn their brakes off. With 0 traces left of the attack. A VIN is easily obtainable with just the license plate number or if they don't to take the time to search that walking up to the car and photographing it through the windshield is easy enough. This was with factory firmware loaded onto the car and no modifications done to the car. While publicly only turning the brakes off was done it isn't much to control the throttle if it is drive by wire or the direction if it is a newer car with either driving assist or auto drive. Meaning someone could potentially target a victim that was walking down the street, on a bicycle, a passenger buss, a hazmat semi or hundreds of people walking down the strip. Think of the potential here!
I was an ATP pilot before losing my medical and personally have seen a plane used thousands of a time a day have something the size of compact car hit it's wing. Drone's firmware I trust more than one of the new passenger jets just look at the Boeing fiasco with using a single point of failure on something as sensitive as angle of attack and a system that can override PIC!

 

[bkushner]

I read that the SDK for the Mavic 3 is due out in August. So, good news.

And the Mavic 4 comes in September...ha

 

[GadgetGuy]

And the Mavic 4 comes in September...ha

And, assuming that were to happen, its SDK will be out next year. That's the process.

 

[vr_driver]

And the Mavic 4 comes in September...ha

Haha. yeah, always the way.

 

[shb]

I read that the SDK for the Mavic 3 is due out in August. So, good news.

Yes, that's good news. Better late than never!

 

[SCCooper]

No SDK is why I haven't upgraded from the M2P. apps like dronedeploy and dronelink are part of my workflow. And I hope, if there is a "new" Mavic in the fall, they drop the SDK on launch. I hate the way DJI plays games with stuff like this..

 

[GadgetGuy]

No SDK is why I haven't upgraded from the M2P. apps like dronedeploy and dronelink are part of my workflow. And I hope, if there is a "new" Mavic in the fall, they drop the SDK on launch. I hate the way DJI plays games with stuff like this..

SDK will never be available at launch. The FW and app are still being fine tuned at launch. Takes 6-12 months for the SDK to be finalized and released. Trust me: You wouldn‘t want it any other way. Neither would the app developers that use the SDK to create the apps you use! It‘s not game playing. It‘s making sure the SDK code is stable and robust.

 

[SCCooper]

SDK will never be available at launch. The FW and app are still being fine tuned at launch. Takes 6-12 months for the SDK to be finalized and released. Trust me: You wouldn‘t want it any other way. Neither would the app developers that use the SDK to create the apps you use! It‘s not game playing. It‘s making sure the SDK code is stable and robust.

Yeah, dude, I'm aware it's not "gameplaying". I get this kind of work for a reason..DJI needs to find a way to streamline the SDK process. but, considering how they dropped the M3 with like half of it's advertised features missing, I may be expecting too much from them. They're the "We'll fix it in post" of the drone industry lol..

 

[AnzacJack]

No more than any of the other big players

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yeah, dude, I'm aware it's not "gameplaying". I get this kind of work for a reason..DJI needs to find a way to streamline the SDK process. but, considering how they dropped the M3 with like half of it's advertised features missing, I may be expecting too much from them. They're the "We'll fix it in post" of the drone industry lol..

DJI actually advertised that half the features were missing at launch on the M3. Those of us that bought it early knew and accepted that willingly. If you want everything, including the SDK, when you purchase, wait until a year after release.

 

[shb]

That really sucks. I wrote my app for the mavic pro. No more third party apps. So why does this other thread say they will have a m3 sdk?

last week I wrote to DJI SDK support.

I asked them if they were planning on releasing the SDKs for the Air 2S and Mavic 3 and here is what they answered.

Hummels Lei （DJI） 2021年12月13日 GMT+815:52 Dear Serge Thank you for contacting DJI. Yes. We will release SDK for Air 2S and Mavic 3. And the mobile SDK version that supports Air 2s will be released at the end of December. Hopefully our solution can help you. Kindly Regards, DJI Developer Support

 

[Tjarboe50]

Every post I've seen regarding the SDK has said "No plans to release a SDK in 2022". 2023 is a few months away. Maybe a January surprise?