Mini3 APAS limitation shocker

[akdrone]

The folks that don't read the not-so-fine print are going to get a big surprise when they setup their Mini3 to film 4K 60fps and start filming to test their APAS. Drone, meet tree. Whoops! Let me try that again. Drone, meet concrete. Whaaaat? I don't have the numbers in front of me but by memory I think that APAS is not available in any fps over 30. Correct me on that point but there certainly are some significant limitations that I'm confident will be a sad shock to more than one person (and sentient drone) on the planet.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

That would make sense as the Power that is needed to do such is limited. 4K 60 was a good choice for conserving the Battery Power and maybe even the Chip by Suspending it ability.

It sure is good to know !

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[vindibona1]

While I have a M2P which has an early rendition of APAS, in truth APAS has limited functions and capability. I would guess, much like Skydio the newer DJI APAS would be more advanced in obstacle avoidance and going around stuff. But because of how it behaves, a lot of folks are going to turn it off in many situations.

 

[microlinux]

I don't see it as a big deal, APAS should be considered a last resort safely valve. You'll should almost never need it if you're flying within your abilities.

 

[Eagle Eye 62]

I don't see it as a big deal, APAS should be considered a last resort safely valve. You'll should almost never need it if you're flying within your abilities.

Not to mention the obstacle avoidance braking feature still works.

 

[boldblue737]

Just to let you know these exact same limitations exist on the DJI Air 2S. Only the $2000+ Mavic 3 seems to be able to do these things at higher than 4k/30 likely because it uses more expensive and heavier CPU components that can keep up with the processing demands of both high frame rate AND computational calculation of the image as it comes in to determine APAS, focus track etc.

 

[Don Testme]

Depending on APAS is simply a beginners mistake. Anyone that has flown any drones with obstacle avoidance FOR A MINIMUM OF A YEAR, should know APAS is a joke. It may save your drone in 50% of cases, but the other 50% your drone will be toast. I WISH THEY WOULD MAKE 2 VERSIONS OF ALL DRONES. No obstacle avaoidance, which would reduce power consumption and increase flight time , and another obstacle avoidance version for those people who just feel safer with it.

 

[test2000Anafi]

Depending on APAS is simply a beginners mistake. Anyone that has flown any drones with obstacle avoidance FOR A MINIMUM OF A YEAR, should know APAS is a joke. It may save your drone in 50% of cases, but the other 50% your drone will be toast. I WISH THEY WOULD MAKE 2 VERSIONS OF ALL DRONES. No obstacle avaoidance, which would reduce power consumption and increase flight time , and another obstacle avoidance version for those people who just feel safer with it.

Mini 3SE it is for you then! For me i would also rather disable it but I see why people want it

 

[Yaros]

Correct me on that point but there certainly are some significant limitations that I'm confident will be a sad shock to more than one person (and sentient drone) on the planet.

APAS is basically Bypass Mode. In 4K 60FPS the drone will still brake and stop in front of the obstacle, but it will not fly around it. So that doesn't mean that it will crash into it if you're in 4K 60FPS. That's the case with all DJI drones as far as I'm aware.

So if you're using 4K 60FPS and it is set to Bypass, it will Brake before the obstacle, basically behaving as it is in Brake mode. If you're in 4K 30FPS and set to Bypass, APAS will be activated and will work fine.

 

[Don Testme]

Mini 3SE it is for you then! For me i would also rather disable it but I see why people want it

Well, it's not about disablinging it. I wish they would remove the whole senor system totally, except the landing system sensors. This would reduce much of the weight and power consumption.

 

[boldblue737]

Depending on APAS is simply a beginners mistake. Anyone that has flown any drones with obstacle avoidance FOR A MINIMUM OF A YEAR, should know APAS is a joke. It may save your drone in 50% of cases, but the other 50% your drone will be toast. I WISH THEY WOULD MAKE 2 VERSIONS OF ALL DRONES. No obstacle avaoidance, which would reduce power consumption and increase flight time , and another obstacle avoidance version for those people who just feel safer with it.

In two years of careful flying perhaps I have ONE event that would result in a crash against an object. If APAS is on even given your own statistic, I would have a 50% chance of not crashing. Without APAS it would be 100% that I would crash. (And I also believe APAS would protect you for far more than 50% of front, rear, and downward crashes)

 

[rwilliam99]

I was watching a video yesterday and I saw a reference saying that APAS was disabled if you were recording in 4k (any fps). I was going to post a question here to ask if anyone knew if that was true and saw this thread. I went back to the latest manual and looked to see if it would show the limitation and it does - this is from the manual (emphasis mine):

APAS is disabled when using Intelligent Flight Modes. It will be enabled automatically once the aircraft
exits Intelligent Flight Modes. APAS is disabled when recording at a high resolution such as 1080p
120 fps, 2.7K 48/50/60 fps, or 4K 48/50/60 fps

So it isn't ALL 4k recording, just anything above 30 fps.

Personally, I find APAS to be a valuable feature - I just don't plan to count on it. It is just another thing that might help prevent a crash, but it certainly does not absolve the pilot from flying responsibly/intelligently.

 

[akdrone]

does that apply to the Mini 3 Pro too?

 

[rwilliam99]

does that apply to the Mini 3 Pro too?

That quote was from the Mini 3 Pro manual, so yes. As long as you are at 30 fps or lower in 4k, it still has OA active.

Page 28 of this manual:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Mini_3_Pro/UM/DJI_Mini_3_Pro_user_manual_v1.0_en.pdf

 

[scro]

Revision 1.6 of the manual has been released. Probably better reading that as it is more up to date

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Mini_3_Pro/UM/20230328/DJI_Mini_3_Pro_User_Manual_v1.6_EN.pdf

 

[rwilliam99]

Revision 1.6 of the manual has been released. Probably better reading that as it is more up to date

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Mini_3_Pro/UM/20230328/DJI_Mini_3_Pro_User_Manual_v1.6_EN.pdf

Thanks - I must have had both up on my computer - I thought I had posted the 1.6 version....

 

[akdrone]

Correction on some comments. The APAS limitation the manual refers to "
APAS is disabled when using Intelligent Flight Modes. It will be enabled automatically once the aircraft
exits Intelligent Flight Modes. APAS is disabled when recording at a high resolution such as 1080p
120 fps, 2.7K 48/50/60 fps, or 4K 48/50/60 fps." is referring only to Intelligent Flight modes like Active track and such. Obstacle avoidance still works at 4k 60fps when flying normally. This thread had me confused on that point earlier. My apologies. Correct me further if needed...

 

[rwilliam99]

Correction on some comments. The APAS limitation the manual refers to "
APAS is disabled when using Intelligent Flight Modes. It will be enabled automatically once the aircraft
exits Intelligent Flight Modes. APAS is disabled when recording at a high resolution such as 1080p
120 fps, 2.7K 48/50/60 fps, or 4K 48/50/60 fps." is referring only to Intelligent Flight modes like Active track and such. Obstacle avoidance still works at 4k 60fps when flying normally. This thread had me confused on that point earlier. My apologies. Correct me further if needed...

Maybe my understanding is wrong - I thought APAS = Obstacle Avoidance. Is that not true? Is APAS something else?

I thought intelligent flight modes were things like Dronies, Active Track, Spotlight, etc.

The way I read it is that OA (APAS) is disabled BOTH when Intelligent flight modes are used OR when recording at higher fps rates.

 

[Flashheart]

The M3P has APAS 4.0. APAS = Advanced Pilot Assistance System, which is its obstacle avoidance technology.

Whilst we are here, here are all the scenarios in which APAS on the DJI Mini 3 Pro may become disabled:

1. When the drone is flying at high speeds
2. When the lighting conditions are poor
3. When the obstacle is too large
4. When the drone is flying in a narrow or confined space
5. When the drone is flying in areas with low visibility, such as fog, haze, or dust
6. When the drone is flying close to water or other reflective surfaces that may interfere with its sensors
7. When the drone is flying in areas with a high density of obstacles, such as in urban environments with many buildings and structures
8. When the drone's battery level is low and it needs to conserve power to maintain flight
9. When the drone is in Sport mode, which is designed for high-speed flying and maneuvering
10. When the pilot manually turns off the APAS feature in the DJI Fly app or on the drone's remote controller.

 

[rwilliam99]

The M3P has APAS 4.0. APAS = Advanced Pilot Assistance System, which is its obstacle avoidance technology.

That is what I thought. Thanks for the confirmation.

So I think my understanding that OA (APAS) is disabled either when Intelligent flight modes are used OR when recording at higher fps rates is correct.