Mavic and a solar eclipse

NevadaWolf · Jul 26, 2017

I'll be in Idaho and was planning on taking my Mavic to film the shadow. Was thinking on just finding a spot 400' up and just let it fly and film the entire life of the battery so I can focus on seeing a total eclipse for the first time. Still trying to decide if I want to point towards the sun and catch the shadow coming towards me or point away from the sun and watch the shadow move away. Hurm...

keva1 · Jul 26, 2017

I'm also going to "film" the eclipse in NC - given the weather cooperates! I am NOT going to point my Mavic Pro toward the sun...there are SO MANY other fascinating occurrences that take place during the eclipse that I want to capture...I plan to shoot the "totality" with my DSLR. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is the adventure of a lifetime! Good luck to you!!

keva1 · Jul 28, 2017

Will.i.am said:
I will be in the NW corner of South Carolina.

Good Luck...keepin fingers crossed that we all have good weather!

Will.i.am · Jul 28, 2017

Here is a great app for android to track the eclipse - EclipseDroid USB - Android Apps on Google Play

It shows exact start/stop times for your location, audio alerts (since you'll be looking at the sun and not your screen), has a simulator mode, can trigger usb cameras, has an augmented reality mode, etc. etc.

Highly recommended.

VintageSlots · Aug 6, 2017

ckl said:
Filming the sun would be of little value as it is just too small with the wide angle camera.
Your idea of the moving shadow is excellent. I remember the total eclipse I saw in northern France in '99 and one of the most striking thing was the move of the shadow over the fields.
I'm impatient to see your shots

Was there a distinct shadow over the fields? If so, when did it occur? Was it just before totality?

We are going to Nebraska and will be right on the line of totality. The eclipse is at noon so the sun will be directly overhead. I don't see much value in trying to shoot the sun but thought about trying to get the shadow if there is such a thing.

Thanks

VintageSlots · Aug 6, 2017

I an going to be flying in Nebraska. Totality is at noon. Sun will be straight up.

Which way should the Mavic be pointed to get the best shot of the shadow? If I point it west the shadow will be headed directly at the Mavic. If I point it south the shadow will approach from the right, cross in front of the Mavic, and then proceed to the left.

At first I was thinking about pointing west but the more I think about it I think south might be better.

jljbtm · Aug 6, 2017

What kind of pictures do you expect to get that you can't get with a DSLR the Drone is still going to be under or in the eclipse, no?

Will.i.am · Aug 6, 2017

VintageSlots said:
I an going to be flying in Nebraska. Totality is at noon. Sun will be straight up.

Which way should the Mavic be pointed to get the best shot of the shadow? If I point it west the shadow will be headed directly at the Mavic. If I point it south the shadow will approach from the right, cross in front of the Mavic, and then proceed to the left.

At first I was thinking about pointing west but the more I think about it I think south might be better.

Here is a good simulation of the path of the moon's shadow. If you are on the totality centerline, you probably want to point your mavic west to capture the shadow approach, and then rotate around to the east to see the shadow departure. Remember that the sky will darken during the partial phase leading up to and following totality.

VintageSlots · Aug 6, 2017

jljbtm said:
What kind of pictures do you expect to get that you can't get with a DSLR the Drone is still going to be under or in the eclipse, no?

I want to get a shot of the shadow as it move across the prairie. I can see a lot more of the prairie at 400 feet than I can at 6 feet.

VintageSlots · Aug 6, 2017

Will.i.am said:
Here is a good simulation of the path of the moon's shadow. If you are on the totality centerline, you probably want to point your mavic west to capture the shadow approach, and then rotate around to the east to see the shadow departure. Remember that the sky will darken during the partial phase leading up to and following totality.

Thanks. I took a look at it. Very interesting.

When surfing last night I saw a video with the camera pointed south so the darkness appeared on the right side of the screen and then moved left. It was an interesting effect.

I have two Mavics so I might send both of them up. One facing west and the other one facing south.

Or, I might not to anything and just enjoy the moment

.

dewster · Aug 6, 2017

Hmmm... live stream it. How many drones will be in the air that day. You can say that you flew during the eclipse.

VintageSlots · Aug 6, 2017

dewster said:
Hmmm... live stream it. How many drones will be in the air that day. You can say that you flew during the eclipse.

That could be a problem. Tons of people will be in the area. This will put a strain on the cellular infrastructure.

Plus, I am not really into live streaming and want to be able to enjoy the eclipse and not dealing with the technical issues that might come up during the attempt.

RWolf · Aug 6, 2017

Been thinking about this also Will we need to worry at all about GPS drop outs?

VintageSlots · Aug 7, 2017

RWolf said:
Been thinking about this also Will we need to worry at all about GPS drop outs?

I don't think so. Nothing is coming between the sats and the drone.

Last I checked GPS works when it is dark

.

NevadaWolf · Aug 24, 2017

I spent the day at Smith's Ferry, ID right on the line of totality. Arrived at our spot about two hours before the eclipse started and kept an eye out for other drone pilots. In all, I saw a Phantom 4, another Mavic, a Spark, and a drone that was from a company in Washington. I've also seen video from another Mavic taken across the river from where I was.

Here's the video of the shadow that I got:

VintageSlots · Aug 24, 2017

VintageSlots said:
That could be a problem. Tons of people will be in the area. This will put a strain on the cellular infrastructure.

Plus, I am not really into live streaming and want to be able to enjoy the eclipse and not dealing with the technical issues that might come up during the attempt.

Here is the video I got from having multiple drones in the air.

Big Fil · Aug 24, 2017

I realized I made the mistake of not switching to auto exposure so during totality I missed all the subtleties in color on the horizon. I didn't make any adjustments during the flight because I wanted to witness all of totality with my own eyes and not fiddling with stuff on a screen. If I get another chance to do it again in 2024 I now have a much better idea of how to set things up.

VintageSlots · Aug 24, 2017

Big Fil said:
I realized I made the mistake of not switching to auto exposure so during totality I missed all the subtleties in color on the horizon. I didn't make any adjustments during the flight because I wanted to witness all of totality with my own eyes and not fiddling with stuff on a screen. If I get another chance to do it again in 2024 I now have a much better idea of how to set things up.

Yeah, I hear ya, I would have done a couple of things different myself. No way to really do everything I wanted to do and still enjoy the eclipse though. Looking forward to 2024 and especially the technology that will be available then.