Shaky and wavey video

[jonnybravotv]

FYI I had this issue since it first was shipped to me a month ago.. Was about to ship it to DJI today but saw there was a firmware update.. Did 3 Full flights without one shake at all! The latest firmware fixed the issue for me.. for now.

 

[Dronebow]

Hmmm. I am getting gimbal micro shakes once in a while but this looks likes processing


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

I think I have narrowed down the cause. First, I was set for 2.7k @ 24fps. Not 30. Second, the Sandisk Ultra 32gb MicroSD card I was using apparently is significantly slower than the 64gb Sandisk Extreme I had been using previously. I think at 14mbps write speed it's just too slow to keep up with that resolution. It worked fine on my P3A but I don't think it does well higher than 1080p. I may do more testing.

A couple of days later I shot in 2.7k @ 30fps with the 64gb SD card and didn't see any issues. It was a bit warmer but still..

 

[AAPhoto]

I've been getting the jello in colder temps (below 30°F) but no jello if it's warmer. I had contacted DJI and they had me do the IMU calibration, gimbal calibration, and camera reset, and that seemed to fix it for a couple of flights in the same low temps. Sadly, the jello is back, even after the latest firmware update. I've seen reports that there was no jello if flying with the plastic bubble installed so I will try that next, despite the inevitable glare it will cause. I'm thinking it has something to do with freezing cold air being blown into the unit via the intake fan, or as others have mentioned, the rubber bands that hold the gimbal could be stiffening in the cold and transferring micro vibrations. It's too bad the intake fan didn't blow in the other direction to warm up the gimbal when necessary. [emoji39]

 

[Southern Phantom]

I've been getting the jello in colder temps (below 30°F) but no jello if it's warmer. I had contacted DJI and they had me do the IMU calibration, gimbal calibration, and camera reset, and that seemed to fix it for a couple of flights in the same low temps. Sadly, the jello is back, even after the latest firmware update. I've seen reports that there was no jello if flying with the plastic bubble installed so I will try that next, despite the inevitable glare it will cause. I'm thinking it has something to do with freezing cold air being blown into the unit via the intake fan, or as others have mentioned, the rubber bands that hold the gimbal could be stiffening in the cold and transferring micro vibrations. It's too bad the intake fan didn't blow in the other direction to warm up the gimbal when necessary. [emoji39]

My jello effect can be severe at times, and it occurs at well-above freezing temperatures. The new firmware, followed by recalibrating everything, didn't help much.
What's odd that it's so intermittent. Yesterday, I got some beautiful normal shots, intermixed with a few wavy ones. So we'll see ...

 

[Andrew F]

mine did this exact same thing when filming in 2.7K 30fps so the next flight out I used 4K 24fps and it did not occur....both times the ambient air temp was 20'F

Well that shoots down the video write speed in your case.

 

[mimoid]

I am not sure about this... I have been flying my Phantom in temperatures down to minus 20 C (-4 F) and never encountered any jello effects whatsoever. The body of the drone was too cold to touch with bare hands, but it still worked just beautifully.

To my eyes this looks like data write error effects. Either the data card is defective or too slow. I would recommend using at least class 10 cards, but preferably class 1 (UHS) cards. Anything else is just too slow for ultra HD.

 

[etx]

Mine is on its way back from Carson for the mag interference defect - so I can't test. But, has anyone had the jello effect happen at temperatures above freezing? Perhaps the cold temperature limit DJI has specified is due to the gimbal mechanics more so than then batteries? Living in central Florida, I don't think I'll be able to test - my freezer is a touch too small for a hover.

Mine does it as high as 45F. Still waiting on DJI to approve my warranty return, they are taking their time...

 

[Heavysledz]

someone either on this forum or over on the DJI forum mentioned that it has to do with shutter speed vs frame rate and that an ND filter would correct this.....

 

[mimoid]

someone either on this forum or over on the DJI forum mentioned that it has to do with shutter speed vs frame rate and that an ND filter would correct this.....

No, it doesn't look like frame rate errors, that would be more of a judder (skipped frames). This looks more like serious write errors.

 

[CyberNate]

I just got my mavic back from the repair center and also saw video distortions. In my case I found that the gimbal arm was touching that black metal tab/hook when the camera was pointed fully up. This was transferring the Mavic vibrations straight into the gimbal. Moving with my finger, I could hear the arm hitting the metal tab as I rotated the camera upward. I simply pulled the camera down to stretch the rubber mounts slightly. Now the upper part of the arm clears that black tab/hook that's part of the mavic gimbal mount and no more distortion. Something for you to check. One way to know if it's the same issue as mine is to aim camera downward. In my case the distortion went away. Pointing camera fully up, the vibrations come back.

 

[Jenee]

I can assure you all that it has nothing to do with cold temperatures. I consistently have similar wavy patches in my video and that has been flown at 25 to 34 degrees Celsius. Have had no help from DJI other than to recalibrate the IMU and gimbal. Nothing has made any difference. When I look at my video frame by frame, the picture looks like it is compressing and decompressing, hence the wavy look. From my experience, it seems to happen with a change in motion, either forward or sideways. I have tried ascending and descending rapidly and don't get the problem.

 

[Southern Phantom]

Since I posted above, I've been keeping the plastic bubble/dome on while flying.

Contrary to the warnings of some people, there has been no degradation of the image -- other than an occasional flare when the sun is low in the sky, and then only at certain angles.

This completely resolved my wavy pictures. I shoot mostly still photos, not video, and used to have horrible wavy verticals on occasional shots. Now everything's fine.

I suspect that the gimbal/camera assembly isn't quite stable enough to handle certain combinations of temperature and wind.

Given that it's not a military- or industrial-grade piece of machinery -- and that its many attributes for the price are amazing -- I love the Mavic!

 

[KRH]

I had the same issue on the second flight with my Mavic. Temperature at 41 degrees. Shooting 4k 30fps. Using SD card which came with Mavic, Lexar 16GB with 10 rating. Here is a clip of the video.

 

[markun]

Had the same issue few times. Today I realised that wavy video was caused by leg extensions I was using. Removed them and problem disappeared. I guess extensions can cause some aerodynamics distortion with airflow from propellers.

 

[Kilrah]

It is camera vibration. Tends to happen in cold temps due to cable and rubber becoming more rigid and throwing the tuning off.

Gimbal cal in the cold may help.