Tripod mount?

[GadgetGuy]

I had wondered what the practicalities would be of using the MA2 as a simple gimbal-stabilised hand-held camera. I wonder what the battery life is like without the motors running.

Give it a try on your workbench, while blowing a cooling fan onto it, just in case, and let us know! This has capabilities as a surveillance drone that you could park on top of a telephone pole, and then relaunch, after catching the "meet" silently on video! How long can we safely passively record, before we need to rearm the motors and fly back?

 

[Mel 08]

If I remember correctly my XSP would last at least an hour and a half. You just don't run the motors and sit it there or carry it. Whatever you feel like doing. Another time I set it on top of my truck to film me fishing.

Kind of defeats the purpose of buying a drone.
Doesn't it

 

[tiwag]

Give it a try on your workbench, while blowing a cooling fan onto it, just in case, and let us know! This has capabilities as a surveillance drone that you could park on top of a telephone pole, and then relaunch, after catching the "meet" silently on video! How long can we safely passively record, before we need to rearm the motors and fly back?

I had my MA2 running on the desk for about 2h. The battery discharged about 1/2 capacity and the temperature of the cooler on the bottom, which got the hottest part of the drone, was still not too hot, ie. I could hold it with my fingers without feeling getting burned. That's really fine for the electronics inside.

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

I was looking at the bottom of my MA2 at the sensors and light. Kind of looked like where you would attach it to a tripod. I thought that would have been nice because I used to take my Autel XSP and just sit it on the porch and record video for very long periods and turn them into a time lapse. Is there any kind of accessory that would allow to mount it on a tripod?
Here is one I did with a crappy garmin camof fog rolling over the Salmon River in Idaho. I wish I could have taken the telephone wires out of the pic but it was literally the only place I could put the garmin and I had nothing else to film with at the time.

Your enquiry is a good one. When the aircraft connects to my RC/iphone 11 Pro, with no rotors started, it just appears to operate a static use of the drone battery, at the gimbal/camera. No great issue expected with heat, certainly nothing that cannot be checked easily by touch. I may look at your idea myself, by getting a hex nut from a hardware store that will fit my normal camera tripod thread and a small piece of thin plywood (at least as thick as the nut), in which to drill a hole to take the nut and to glue it in there (using epoxy). Then staple a velcro strap around the plywood base to fit around the drone, front and rear. Job done. Make the plywood the same shape as the underside of the drone; add a glued strip of soft sheet rubber on the ply, to make it even better. I have taken ground video and stills of people with my Air 2, before launching it and after landing. It just adds something extra in the same place as the flight footage, without having to pull out one of my other cameras. Once made, you could probably fit this plate into a DJI Ronin mount, also, for steady shot. Great, too, if you have no other 4K or 12/48MB cameras. Good luck. I think the above is certainly worth trying, since you are interested. Me too! I also use a gorilla segmented leg tripod to anchor my small DSLR cameras around poles, branches, etc. This would work with a drone base plate, too. But I may also remove the rotors, to avoid damaging them. It is nice to see somebody pushing the use of their investment. Nice job! Cheers - ??

 

[freddy5]

I was looking at the bottom my MA2 at the sensors and light. Kind of looked like where you would attach it to a tripod. I thought that would have been nice because I used to take my Autel XSP and just sit it on the porch and record video for very long periods and turn them into a time lapse. Is there any kind of accessory that would allow to mount it on a tripod?
Here is one I did with a crappy garmin camof fog rolling over the Salmon River in Idaho. I wish I could have taken the telephone wires out of the pic but it was literally the only place I could put the garmin and I had nothing else to film with at the time.

Nice job. As they say, use the right tool for the job...you’d be better off with a good DSLR on a tripod to record shots like that in your country. You have so many shots to take from above. Lawyers Canyon, Dumoc, the Hump, down to Slate Creek are some of best topo anywhere.

 

[Dale D]

I was looking at the bottom my MA2 at the sensors and light. Kind of looked like where you would attach it to a tripod. I thought that would have been nice because I used to take my Autel XSP and just sit it on the porch and record video for very long periods and turn them into a time lapse. Is there any kind of accessory that would allow to mount it on a tripod?
Here is one I did with a crappy garmin camof fog rolling over the Salmon River in Idaho. I wish I could have taken the telephone wires out of the pic but it was literally the only place I could put the garmin and I had nothing else to film with at the time.

I'm sorry but I fail to see why you would want to do a time lapse of such a stunning view with the wrong tool. I'm not saying you should go out and buy the correct camera, but using a DSLR such as the Nikon D750 or 800 or 850 would provide you with a spectacular set of RAW images to process into a really great timelapse. Such cameras have a built in INTERVALOMETER which trigger the shutter at your selected interval. For this scene I'd guess about 3-5 seconds. I'd shoot about 350-400 shots. By the way, the iPhone has a great timelapse video feature, as does the Osmo Action camera and the Osmo Pocket video.

 

[Ronnoco]

You’re not the first to think about it and some people have explored the options already, Polar pro do or did an accessory called a katana which is effectively a cradle to hand hold the mavic series and use as a gimbal . It included a phone holder for viewing and also a tripod mount at the bottom. Worth checking out ? I have just checked and it is available on Amazon in the uk for £49 so I’m guessing would be similar in usd on Amazon in the US

 

[Ronnoco]

 

[Dave Maine]

There was a grip made especially for the P3 series. I had one, and it worked fine. Eventually replaced it with an Oslo and iPhone, which had an easier to use physical interface, and the phone camera has at least as good images if not better.

 

[Tufargon]

Kind of defeats the purpose of buying a drone.
Doesn't it

Gives it another purpose and I don't need to control it to take video.

 

[Tufargon]

I'm sorry but I fail to see why you would want to do a time lapse of such a stunning view with the wrong tool. I'm not saying you should go out and buy the correct camera, but using a DSLR such as the Nikon D750 or 800 or 850 would provide you with a spectacular set of RAW images to process into a really great timelapse. Such cameras have a built in INTERVALOMETER which trigger the shutter at your selected interval. For this scene I'd guess about 3-5 seconds. I'd shoot about 350-400 shots. By the way, the iPhone has a great timelapse video feature, as does the Osmo Action camera and the Osmo Pocket video.

Because it was all I had at the moment of filming that. I just spent $1000 on a very nice drone. I don't want to go out and spend more on a DSLR (I can't afford it). I also now have a GoPro hero 5 black with a gimbal so no need for an Osmo. I'm far from a professional and don't need perfect results. Going out fishing or just hanging out with friends and family and being able to put it on a tripod would just be cool.

 

[Tufargon]

You’re not the first to think about it and some people have explored the options already, Polar pro do or did an accessory called a katana which is effectively a cradle to hand hold the mavic series and use as a gimbal . It included a phone holder for viewing and also a tripod mount at the bottom. Worth checking out ? I have just checked and it is available on Amazon in the uk for £49 so I’m guessing would be similar in usd on Amazon in the US

I like that idea very much but it mounts from the top.

 

[mschaffer66]

I like to take videos of the trains that go past our house and sometimes they kinda sneak up on you. I know that's hard to believe...but more often than not you feel the rumble or hear the crossing signals going off right as it's approaching. I usually don't have enough time to get out, power up, and get airborne to capture the full thing. One day I thought I'd just let the drone sit out there armed and ready to fly. The next time a train came by the batter was down to the low 20% range. It hadn't been sitting there that long either. So I'd say a long term time lapse would probably be pretty tough.

 

[Citizen Flier]

Lumix higher end pocket cams (and many other brands) have 1" sensors -probably the same as the M2P. They match up well with my M2P. I don't recall the MA2 sensor, but shouldn't be hard to match with a pocket cam. You can also get inexpensive rotating tripod head to add (panning) motion to TL. Always add movement when possible! Better a panning view from a land cam than a static view from a stationary drone. The better drone vids mix land cam clips with aerials -adds contrast/interest.

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

Because it was all I had at the moment of filming that. I just spent $1000 on a very nice drone. I don't want to go out and spend more on a DSLR (I can't afford it). I also now have a GoPro hero 5 black with a gimbal so no need for an Osmo. I'm far from a professional and don't need perfect results. Going out fishing or just hanging out with friends and family and being able to put it on a tripod would just be cool.

That was how I read your original enquiry, too, hence the DIY idea of the plywood base, hex nut, velcro straps and maybe some soft rubber sheet padding. You could likely have your solution for under $10. And some satisfaction at doing it yourself, also! Cheers. Good luck.?? (If you make a million bucks selling these, we go partners, okay ......? ?)

 

[Tufargon]

That was how I read your original enquiry, too, hence the DIY idea of the plywood base, hex nut, velcro straps and maybe some soft rubber sheet padding. You could likely have your solution for under $10. And some satisfaction at doing it yourself, also! Cheers. Good luck.?? (If you make a million bucks selling these, we go partners, okay ......? ?)

If I had a 3d printer I'd figure out a better way but that would work too haha. It's been done before but just not with the MA2.
Partners it is, CHEERS!

 

[Tufargon]

Your enquiry is a good one. When the aircraft connects to my RC/iphone 11 Pro, with no rotors started, it just appears to operate a static use of the drone battery, at the gimbal/camera. No great issue expected with heat, certainly nothing that cannot be checked easily by touch. I may look at your idea myself, by getting a hex nut from a hardware store that will fit my normal camera tripod thread and a small piece of thin plywood (at least as thick as the nut), in which to drill a hole to take the nut and to glue it in there (using epoxy). Then staple a velcro strap around the plywood base to fit around the drone, front and rear. Job done. Make the plywood the same shape as the underside of the drone; add a glued strip of soft sheet rubber on the ply, to make it even better. I have taken ground video and stills of people with my Air 2, before launching it and after landing. It just adds something extra in the same place as the flight footage, without having to pull out one of my other cameras. Once made, you could probably fit this plate into a DJI Ronin mount, also, for steady shot. Great, too, if you have no other 4K or 12/48MB cameras. Good luck. I think the above is certainly worth trying, since you are interested. Me too! I also use a gorilla segmented leg tripod to anchor my small DSLR cameras around poles, branches, etc. This would work with a drone base plate, too. But I may also remove the rotors, to avoid damaging them. It is nice to see somebody pushing the use of their investment. Nice job! Cheers - ??

If you do do this please come back and post your results!

 

[aokusman]

You can buy Yi4k action camera with 3 axis gimbal included for $100 right now on Slickdeals. Why go through all this discomfort?

 

[Tufargon]

I already have a Gopro hero 5 black with a handheld gimbal. I was trying to find another use for the drone.
Looking at all my accessories for my Gopro I'd probably be able to rig something pretty slick to do what I want.

 

[Tufargon]

Ordered this. Probably really cheap but we'll see.

Extended Holder Clip Mount Camera Handheld Bracket Gimbal Stabilizer Mount 1/4 Port Tripod Connection Handheld Stand for Foldable DJI Mavic Air 2

Only US$12.99. Get the best extended holder clip mount camera handheld bracket gimbal stabilizer mount with 1/4 port tripod connection handheld stand for foldable DJI Mavic Air 2. Shop now at Banggood.

www.banggood.com

Edit: Now I see on the approved vendor list there is exactly what I was looking for but pretty costly.

DJi Mavic Air 2 & 2S ArmMount ... by jeanmariecannie on Shapeways

Check out DJi Mavic Air 2 & 2S ArmMount ... by jeanmariecannie on Shapeways and discover more 3D printed products in Drone Parts.

www.shapeways.com