Parallel Flight

[svenmarbles]

I know about locking the subject. Flying back and forward is fine. If i go left or right while locked on a subject in front of the drone, the drone will arc (complete a circle) around the locked subject, maintaining the same distance. I don’t want that....I want to fly sideways in a straight line but still keeping the camera locked on the subject, so the locked subject gets further away. My attached diagram at the top of this post explains

I’ll have to look into this when I get home. Not sure why it would fly in any direction other than you’re directing it to.

So you’re saying that with a target locked in spotlight mode, as you manually fly around, it will force you into an arc’d path?

 

[Jeremy Clark]

I’ll have to look into this when I get home. Not sure why it would fly in any direction other than you’re directing it to.

So you’re saying that with a target locked in spotlight mode, as you manually fly around, it will force you into an arc’d path?

Yes, exactly the same as a circle in quickshot mode, although i can alter height or distance manually from the locked subject while in spotlight mode, but it’s still flying in an arc / circle around the subject. I just assumed this was normal

 

[InvisibleName]

I know about locking the subject. Flying back and forward is fine. If i go left or right while locked on a subject in front of the drone, the drone will arc (complete a circle) around the locked subject, maintaining the same distance. I don’t want that....I want to fly sideways in a straight line but still keeping the camera locked on the subject, so the locked subject gets further away. My attached diagram at the top of this post explains

Are you sure that’s the case in Spotlight mode? I know it will do that in POI, but I thought (and I’m happy to admit I’m wrong, but I can’t check due to the high winds here) that if you chose Spotlight, the drone‘s camera would stay locked on the target, but you can fly it in any direct you like.

 

[svenmarbles]

Well I just confirmed what you said. It does in fact circle around the subject.

With that said, I attempted to perform the shot manually and I realized that I was also causing the drone to circle.

I think in order to achieve this you would have to have the camera gimbal follow the drone independently of the drone’s movement.

Just to be clear, we’re trying to have the camera stay fixated on a subject as the drone does a lateral movement. Ultimately the subject will transition to not being centered and then eventually leave frame right? I think that regardless of how this is achieved, the moment that the subject begins to move from its center screen focal point and begins to move off frame it’s going to look abrupt and isn’t going to really serve any purpose of a quality shot..

And other than that your best bet is probably just going to be a slow steady “enter frame right and exit frame left”..

 

[Jeremy Clark]

Well I just confirmed what you said. It does in fact circle around the subject.

With that said, I attempted to perform the shot manually and I realized that I was also causing the drone to circle.

I think in order to achieve this you would have to have the camera gimbal follow the drone independently of the drone’s movement.

Just to be clear, we’re trying to have the camera stay fixated on a subject as the drone does a lateral movement. Ultimately the subject will transition to not being centered and then eventually leave frame right? I think that regardless of how this is achieved, the moment that the subject begins to move from its center screen focal point and begins to move off frame it’s going to look abrupt and isn’t going to really serve any purpose of a quality shot..

And other than that your best bet is probably just going to be a slow steady “enter frame right and exit frame left”..

You've got it!!

 

[okw]

One thing that someone mentioned that will make flying at least semi-manually easier is Course Lock. I don't have an MA2, but I did a quick search and saw that the MA didn't have course lock. If the MA2 also doesn't have it, then using Tap Fly in Free mode should work very similarly.

In either Course Lock or Tap Fly - Free, you set the direction you want the quad to fly and once you start moving, it will always fly in that direction when pushing the pitch control forward. Even if you yaw to the side, it will still fly along the same straight line when pushing the right stick forward.

You can then yaw and tilt the camera manually to keep the subject in the frame.

EDIT: I don't use Tap Fly on my Mavic, but I believe that once you start it moving, you don't have to hold the pitch control forward to keep it moving. You set the speed you want it to fly and it goes. Then you can control the yaw and camera tilt.

 

[InvisibleName]

One thing that someone mentioned that will make flying at least semi-manually easier is Course Lock. I don't have an MA2, but I did a quick search and saw that the MA didn't have course lock. If the MA2 also doesn't have it, then using Tap Fly in Free mode should work very similarly.

In either Course Lock or Tap Fly - Free, you set the direction you want the quad to fly and once you start moving, it will always fly in that direction when pushing the pitch control forward. Even if you yaw to the side, it will still fly along the same straight line when pushing the right stick forward.

You can then yaw and tilt the camera manually to keep the subject in the frame.

EDIT: I don't use Tap Fly on my Mavic, but I believe that once you start it moving, you don't have to hold the pitch control forward to keep it moving. You set the speed you want it to fly and it goes. Then you can control the yaw and camera tilt.

There is no course lock or tapfly on the MA2..... oh how we wish there were!

 

[okw]

There is no course lock or tapfly on the MA2..... oh how we wish there were!

Well, that sucks. I could have sworn that the MA had tap fly. They pulled it from the MA2?

 

[InvisibleName]

Well, that sucks. I could have sworn that the MA had tap fly. They pulled it from the MA2?

Yep

 

[GadgetGuy]

You can't manually control the gimbal left & right on the Mavic Air 2, only up & down

You simply yaw the aircraft while it is locked on a straight course, or engaged in RTH, or use your finger on the screen to hold and drag the camera left or right.