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Very disappointed with lens quality

Lisi

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Hello. After 7 weeks of waiting for Mavic 2 Pro I did first flight and I am very disappointed with lens quality... Pictures are even worse than from Mavic 1 Pro. I noticed very soft top-left corner (bottom-left and bottom-right are much sharper). The second problem is a blurry part to the right of the center of the image - what is it? It is visible on every photo! (I didn't take pictures with a plastic cover). So... I consider turning it back for warranty repair (and I'am afraid it'll take 2-3 months to get it back without a guarantee to receive lens with a different problem...). Don't DJI or Hassebald have quality control...?

Here are sample pictures: Mavic 2 pro
 
Have you tried taking a few pics of the same position to compare? Have you tried taking the same pic from the MP1 and compare? Is that jpg or dng?
 
Try taking some photos or video from the MP2 on the ground facing a wall or some patterned flat surface from edge to edge. That way you can clearly see any distortion or blur without the added issue of drone vibration. If it still is there its the focus, if not, there may be a gimbal or vibration issue in the drone.
 
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I think the first thing you need to do is a controlled test to verify the issue.

Set the drone on a table or something, and shoot something relatively flat with detail in it - a brick wall or garage door works well, or a resolution chart. Control as many variables as you can and make sure focus is set properly, with your drone perfectly perpendicular to the surface (if the focal plane is not perpendicular to your target, you won't get accurate results). If there is a problem, this will also give DJI what they need to verify the claim.

If certain areas of the frame differ dramatically in sharpness, you most likely have a decentered lens element (this can happen during shipping, manufacturing, or after an impact). A tiny amount of lens decentering is normal (even on lenses costing thousands of dollars this is measurable), but it should not be immediately noticeable outside of a controlled scenario. If you have verified this is the issue, you would want to initiate a warranty claim or just exchange it if you're able to.

If the above test does not reproduce the issue, then it is most likely a settings/focus issue.

Regarding quality control, no mass produced product has perfect QC - there will always be some unlucky individuals who get defective product and it sucks but that is the reality of it.

Where was your focus set for those photos? Were you trying to set it manually or were you locked at infinity?
 
Last edited:
Just a couple of questions,

What aperture did you use, and did you use AF or try to manually focus?

I have found that the AF on my MP2 is the only way to try and focus and such a shot as you have shown. I also believe that the AF can vary on sharpness, so for a critical shot, I will hit around the frame. Turn off AFC if it's on.

I try to stay in the F 2.8 to F 4.5 range, max 5. Anything past and diffraction will show.

I have also found that the LR adobe lens correction which is reading the lens correction data from the file (this takes out the curved horizons) is very extreme and tends to soften the edges do the amount correction needed. There is no way to turn this off in LR. You can see the amount of actual curvature by looking at the raw files in Phase One's Capture One software. Unless the lens is dead center on a horizon you will have distortion.

Not sure from your post if you shot raw DNG or jpg. For sure I would try both DNG and jpg as you have much more control over output sharpening with a raw file and can over write the built in lens correction with a raw file and can't do that with a jpg.

Paul C
 
Thank you for the replies and ideas. I take pictures in DNG witout a plastic cover.

I did a test from a balcony to exclude gimbal issue - blurry part of the image is still visible: DJI_0054 1 E.jpg

I have noticed lens decentering problem after setting focus on the left side - left side is sharp, center and right - out of focus: DJI_0053 1 E.jpg - if I set focus on center then "blurry spot" is still visible but right and center part of the image are sharp... Sharpness inconsistency is visible on each photo. I have created comparison - DJI_0057 1 E.jpg

"Blurry spot" became less visible when I changed aperture from f2.8 to 6.3. First picture - f2.8 - DJI_0055 1 E.jpg and the second one - f6.3 - DJI_0056 1 E.jpg

I took pictures on autofocus - idea with shooting with manual focus is interesting but now it is dark so I have to do it tomorrow. Setting manual focus to infinity makes pictures blurry.

I think I will turn it back for repair (hoping it will not take more than two months...)
 
Hi Lisi-I had a similar problem not as extreme but noticeable.I used a lens test chart and some photos of building tests while not in the air to determine it was softer on the right side.I was within my 30 days to return to a USA dealer and did.They allowed me to keep the first drone until I received +tested the 2nd.The 2nd lens was centered correctly.Can you do the same return?As I understand it lens manufacturers especially at this level do not test every lens but rely on computer guided manufacturing and test a small portion of lenses.Hope you get it resolved.Very disappointing after waiting so long.
 
I am waiting for my M2P to arrive and now I'm worried! Interestingly, I have a Sony RX10 IV and when it arrived, I tested the lens. It was incredibly soft and blurry at wide open apertures, but stopped down was sharper, but still not perfect. I initiated a warranty return and the replacement was amazingly tack sharp. And that's from Sony! Agree, it seems to be a bit of a lottery as to what you get. I will certainly be doing a test when my M2P does eventually arrive. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Thank you for the replies and ideas. I take pictures in DNG witout a plastic cover.

I did a test from a balcony to exclude gimbal issue - blurry part of the image is still visible: DJI_0054 1 E.jpg

I have noticed lens decentering problem after setting focus on the left side - left side is sharp, center and right - out of focus: DJI_0053 1 E.jpg - if I set focus on center then "blurry spot" is still visible but right and center part of the image are sharp... Sharpness inconsistency is visible on each photo. I have created comparison - DJI_0057 1 E.jpg

"Blurry spot" became less visible when I changed aperture from f2.8 to 6.3. First picture - f2.8 - DJI_0055 1 E.jpg and the second one - f6.3 - DJI_0056 1 E.jpg

I took pictures on autofocus - idea with shooting with manual focus is interesting but now it is dark so I have to do it tomorrow. Setting manual focus to infinity makes pictures blurry.

I think I will turn it back for repair (hoping it will not take more than two months...)
Who was the dealer+how long have you had it?
 
Don't know what you use to view your pics but the ones you posted are perfect.
 
Theses are two of yours and can't see the problemView attachment 51667View attachment 51668

That was really my observation too. At 100% the images looked pretty good. At higher magnification the lens softness looked fairly constant across the field of view, increasing moderately towards the edges as expected. I didn't see a problem and I would be very surprised if the images from a Mavic Pro were better.
 
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No way guys you download the full images and look at them with something like ACDsee and even full frame the blurriness is very evident. This has been an issue on this and the DJI forum and it seems there are just some bad MP2's out there and it comes down to luck. I haven't had to return a camera lens in years but the number of MP's that seem to have gone back due to this fault alone is worrying...
 
The blurry areas were extremely obvious to my eyes, I could easily see them even without going to 100%. That would not be acceptable to me at all and its looking more and more like a lens decentering issue which is not something the user can fix.
 
I'm no pixel peeper, but I can see what you're saying in your images. It'd be already on its way back if it were me...
 
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