Mavic 3 Tele lens Great for Daytime Legal surveillance operations?

[cgmaxed]

I had to mention this because I just haven't noticed anyone talking about it. The Tele lens may be great to scope out areas where you may want to shoot, but I also think It's a great boon for daytime surveillance operations. Officers, w a warrant could scope out common street drug sale areas from a distance without being seen, then radio any suspicious activity to patrol cars on the ground. The tele lens could also come in handy for search missions. And with the longer flight times, search and rescue, and surveillence can be prolonged a bit versus the former flight times of DJI's other models. I wonder if this was part of DJIs thinking when making the 7x lossless lens addition. I wonder if license plates will be easier to read from further distances. I ordered a Mav 3. I guess I'll have to wait and find out. I'm no cop. so I won't be doing that kinda stuff, but I'm curious.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

We have tried everything under the sun to read boat regs and License plates from a safe distance , it not going well.
Advanced editing , trying different zoom approaches and Zooming in on pictures just shy of being able for Identification .

If the Software update fixes that , this will be legit.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic 3 in the Rain. Land on the Water

 

[canadian drone videos]

I had to mention this because I just haven't noticed anyone talking about it. The Tele lens may be great to scope out areas where you may want to shoot, but I also think It's a great boon for daytime surveillance operations. Officers, w a warrant could scope out common street drug sale areas from a distance without being seen, then radio any suspicious activity to patrol cars on the ground. The tele lens could also come in handy for search missions. And with the longer flight times, search and rescue, and surveillence can be prolonged a bit versus the former flight times of DJI's other models. I wonder if this was part of DJIs thinking when making the 7x lossless lens addition. I wonder if license plates will be easier to read from further distances. I ordered a Mav 3. I guess I'll have to wait and find out. I'm no cop. so I won't be doing that kinda stuff, but I'm curious.

The only time I saw a police drone in action it looked to be a Matrice 210, using the high end zoom or FLIR or both. The police have drone units, it’s highly unlikely they would be using consumer drones.

Keep in mind all Mavic drones are just consumer drones not meant for professional use, regardless how DJI markets them. Search and rescue need all weather drones designed to get wet with high end flir cameras worth $20k, the police already have drones that can read license plates and fly in rain.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Considering how many Police/ Fire and Search and Rescue nits have the Mavic 2 Dual because that is all they can afford , this could very much be a replacement with the Software update. Low budgets have forced hundreds of Search and Rescue to the Mavic 2 with third party lights and tows. as well as the Mavic 2 Enterprise .

But even crippled, blind and pre born the Mavic 3 is an upgrade for Search and Rescue units world wide for those that do not have the budget for the Matrice 210 or higher.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain , Search and Rescue and Land on the Water.

 

[canadian drone videos]

Considering how many Police/ Fire and Search and Rescue nits have the Mavic 2 Dual because that is all they can afford , this could very much be a replacement with the Software update. Low budgets have forced hundreds of Search and Rescue to the Mavic 2 with third party lights and tows. as well as the Mavic 2 Enterprise .

But even crippled, blind and pre born the Mavic 3 is an upgrade for Search and Rescue units world wide for those that do not have the budget for the Matrice 210 or higher.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain , Search and Rescue and Land on the Water.

N

We have tried everything under the sun to read boat regs and License plates from a safe distance , it not going well.
Advanced editing , trying different zoom approaches and Zooming in on pictures just shy of being able for Identification .

If the Software update fixes that , this will be legit.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic 3 in the Rain. Land on the Water

This is the type of equipment police use, then again Canada isn’t a 3rd world country. Mavics are useless for police work or rescue work. They need all weather industrial drones, not cheap hobby consumer drones.

Unmanned Aerial System

www.ottawapolice.ca

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I Think Canada has higher standards than the US as the majority of Search and Rescue Ect do not use the Matrice line but follow the Mavic Enterprise and Mavic 2 Pro for there needs do to tight budget concerns for drone operations.

We provide services for both Germany and US and they mostly use the Mavic 2 . We made special blue and yellow Wet Suits for the German Police units that use drones.

Just to give you an idea many in the US modified there drones to enhance Search and Rescue for the particular needs. both the police and fire and Rescue.

 

[sar104]

The only time I saw a police drone in action it looked to be a Matrice 210, using the high end zoom or FLIR or both. The police have drone units, it’s highly unlikely they would be using consumer drones.

I work with numerous police and fire departments that use Mavics and other DJI equipment. And the M2EA is currently the most cost effective search and rescue UAV available.

Keep in mind all Mavic drones are just consumer drones not meant for professional use, regardless how DJI markets them. Search and rescue need all weather drones designed to get wet with high end flir cameras worth $20k, the police already have drones that can read license plates and fly in rain.

The most common reason to fly other drones is to carry more payload, but the advantages have diminished substantially. I have several large "professional" drones at work for various projects, including carrying some "high-end" FLIR cameras, for the sole reason that we are prohibited from using anything made outside the USA. My M2EA runs rings around them in terms of flight characteristics and photo/video/IR quality, as would the equivalent Autel units.

 

[Lasidora]

I watched a recent Mavic 3 video where they tried this, the max limit to read a US style REG plate on a car was 175ft, at 200ft it was gone.
Here is a quick test I did 1 hour or so ago, as follows using the Mavic 3 in it's first ever hover test , X1, X7, X14, X28

View attachment x1.jpg

View attachment 139857

 

[cgmaxed]

Thanks for the zoom shots. Many reviewers give the Tele Lens a bad rap, but I welcome it's addition to the main camera system.

I think the Tele lens is a great part of the new Mavic 3's camera system as a whole. I tend to do a poor job when it comes to VLOS. But, with the Tele Lens, I don't need to fly nearly as far to see the same detail as I would by just digital zoom alone. Even if an 8K camera was used with digital zoom in the Mav 3, I don't believe the image quality at 7x and or 28x would be as nearly as good. For me, I just look at the cameras, as one camera. I get the benefit of a better quality zoomed in shot.

I was practicing filming a radio tower the other day and was able to stay far enough away from the tower, but still see the tiny smaller cables that make up the large cables that hold up the radio tower. I checked the large cables' attachment points to the radio tower, it was amazing that I could see every smaller wire wrapped inside the attachment point to the tower, while keeping a safe distance. If there was any corrosion or cable fraying, it could have easily been seen by the Mav 3's camera system without the risk of the drone getting to close to the tower and it's numerous cables.

 

[Lasidora]

I agree, after using the M2P for so long I have just got used to the far off view, then purchased the DJI FPV & the goggles gave a closer perspective, but the new M3 having the option to zoom in on places before deciding to explore gives me a whole dimension, ok the quality on zoom is not high spec, but I'm fine with it, after not having any zoom option at all on my previous drones this makes a huge difference to me, also finding the video a notch up from my M2P as well, so looking forward to the firmware upgrades making the drone better again, one thing I did notice is that the OA makes manual landing a lot more fiddly for me in my usual spot in the garden compared to my M2P, had to switch it off completely before I could land it, haven't used the RTH yet as this is asking for trouble after recent postings from other Mavic 3 owners, until this can be manually switched to old style RTH, it is better not used at all.

 

[cgmaxed]

haven't used the RTH yet as this is asking for trouble after recent postings from other Mavic 3 owners, until this can be manually switched to old style RTH, it is better not used at all.

I just posted a RTH of my M3 as it decided to descend directly over some powerlines that were next to my launch point. If the old style RTH was an option this precarious "nail biting" event would not have occurred.

Here is the thread link: Video: Mavic 3 Auto Returns to home point directly over Powerlines. Nail Biting.

 

[Lasidora]

Saw that video earlier today, I wonder if the descent would have started 50-100ft further back - would it have hit those wires/poles, I DO NOT trust this ARTH at all, the sooner DJI make this selectable from inside settings ONLY the better, who came out with this idea in the DJI planning team, did they think everyone flys from in the middle of a beach with nothing around for miles. The sooner this is buried away inside the menus never to be switched on again, the safer all flights will be.

 

[BlairAir]

Isn't there also a a "deployment time" issue with Matrice vs Mavic drones? I saw a test where getting it in the air and on location was the preeminent requirement vs image quality, ruggedness, waterproofing and everything else. The tested a M2PE against a Matrice (don't recall series) The Mavic 2 Pro Enterprise was ready to fly in about 1/3rd the time. I have no idea what scenarios this is advantageous for. Bank robbery underway?

 

[wco81]

Can you do the special modes with the tele camera?

Like the hyper lapses and the Mastershots?

Or whenever it's available, the panos?

 

[cgmaxed]

Can you do the special modes with the tele camera?

Like the hyper lapses and the Mastershots?

Or whenever it's available, the panos?

I guess we will have to wait and see what future firmware brings to the table.

 

[Heavydpj]

The Tele lens may be great to scope out areas where you may want to shoot, but I also think It's a great boon for daytime surveillance operations.

Yes, it can be.

I took it out to a field just to check it out. I was able to adequately visualize myself without revealing the M3, either by sound or visually. At one point, the dead trees in the background completely obscured the craft, even with the position lights on. If one taped them up, and there was any sort of background noise, it would be largely undetected.

 

[cgmaxed]

Yes, it can be.

I took it out to a field just to check it out. I was able to adequately visualize myself without revealing the M3, either by sound or visually. At one point, the dead trees in the background completely obscured the craft, even with the position lights on. If one taped them up, and there was any sort of background noise, it would be largely undetected.

I have noticed , when the Mav 3 is flown very slowly , say less than 10mph, it is barely audible. If I do hear it, it doesn't sound like a drone either.

 

[Heavydpj]

In another instance, I observed a traffic circle near my daughter's house (waiting for the UPS truck). I kept it in GPS mode about 50m away, hovering just above the grass. Good 30 min observation time with enough juice to get it back home. The only drawback is that while the craft has eyes on the target location, it is vulnerable to someone/something coming up and bringing it down.

 

[cgmaxed]

In another instance, I observed a traffic circle near my daughter's house (waiting for the UPS truck). I kept it in GPS mode about 50m away, hovering just above the grass. Good 30 min observation time with enough juice to get it back home. The only drawback is that while the craft has eyes on the target location, it is vulnerable to someone/something coming up and bringing it down.

I usually look for places the drone won't be very noticeable relative to the subject. If I want to hover low, I look for edges of rooftops, tree lines, a large tall tree and hover just about 3 feet above it. Hovering really close to objects like that make the drone a lot harder to locate. The only problem with that is, people walking nearby the hovering drone may hear it at the very least and then be able to locate the source of the noise. So, most of the time, I usually just hover the M3 at 400ft, at about a 45 degree angle from the subject over an area where no people can pass under it, preventing someone from accidentally seeing or hearing it.

The Vesper Drone by Vantage Robotics, a former military drone being sold to the public. is my Dream drone. It's so light it produces very little sound. It's totally rain proof too. It's camera system makes it too expensive for me to buy. It was built for stealth and recon. -- Vantage Robotics - Military Grade ISR

EDIT: I'm surprised you hovered above the grass. How low was it?

Once, a trespasser walked into my neighbor's yard, so I flew my drone over to the area to get a pic of the trespasser, and stupid me, I flew too low. It was a M2P. The trespasser snuck up behind the drone and smacked it with a stick. I wasn't able to see the drone at the time. My only visual was from it's main camera. Anyway, after being hit, the drone just went flying across the yard about 30 feet and then stabilized itself. By the time the drone recovered and I flew it to a safer position the trespasser had disappeared. I couldn't believe how dumb I was , flying so low, that someone could hit it with a stick. Oops.

 

[Heavydpj]

I usually look for places the drone won't be very noticeable relative to the subject. If I want to hover low, I look for edges of rooftops, tree lines, a large tall tree and hover just about 3 feet above it. Hovering really close to objects like that make the drone a lot harder to locate. The only problem with that is, people walking nearby the hovering drone may hear it at the very least and then be able to locate the source of the noise. So, most of the time, I usually just hover the M3 at 400ft, at about a 45 degree angle from the subject over an area where no people can pass under it, preventing someone from accidentally seeing or hearing it.

The Vesper Drone by Vantage Robotics, a former military drone being sold to the public. is my Dream drone. It's so light it produces very little sound. It's totally rain proof too. It's camera system makes it too expensive for me to buy. It was built for stealth and recon. -- Vantage Robotics - Military Grade ISR

EDIT: I'm surprised you hovered above the grass. How low was it?

Once, a trespasser walked into my neighbor's yard, so I flew my drone over to the area to get a pic of the trespasser, and stupid me, I flew too low. It was a M2P. The trespasser snuck up behind the drone and smacked it with a stick. I wasn't able to see the drone at the time. My only visual was from it's main camera. Anyway, after being hit, the drone just went flying across the yard about 30 feet and then stabilized itself. By the time the drone recovered and I flew it to a safer position the trespasser had disappeared. I couldn't believe how dumb I was , flying so low, that someone could hit it with a stick. Oops.

Just watched the video; that is one sexy beast. Probably run into problems with the FAA VLOS rules though, lol.

"Vesper’s payload includes two night vision 4K color cameras and an industrial grade thermal camera for superior performance."

I see the controller is about the same size as my Smart Controller for the M3

The grass was pretty long, so it was about 1m AGL or therabouts.