Drone Issue

Carrie Cannaday · July 12th, 2017, 04:15 PM

I'm a long-time DP, but new to the drone world. Occasionally I am getting what I called "warbled" video out of my drone - a Phantom 3 Standard that I purchased used from B&H.

You can see what I mean in this clip here - particularly if you pay attention to the tree on the left side of the clip, around 2-3 seconds into the video...

Any ideas what would be causing this? I'm clueless and not sure if it's something I can fix or have fixed with the equipment - gimbal/propellors out of balance, etc.? or something that's going on internally inside the camera... It seems to be an intermittent problem.

Nate Haustein · July 12th, 2017, 04:25 PM

This is rolling shutter and caused by a vibration problem. While you could drive yourself crazy trying to fix this minuscule bit of vibration during flight, the best way to fix the resulting issue is to use an ND filter to lower your shutter speed and introduce more (good) motion blur to the footage. There are many ND filters available. Try a ND4 or ND8 for general outdoor work, or ND16 for extremely bright days.

Carrie Cannaday · July 12th, 2017, 05:26 PM

Nate, thanks so much for the info. I purchased a set of ND filters for my Phantom recently so it's great to know I can put them to use for a work around. Thanks again!

July 12th, 2017, 04:15 PM	#1
Carrie Cannaday New Boot Join Date: May 2007 Location: United States Posts: 20	Drone Issue - Diagnostic Help Requested I'm a long-time DP, but new to the drone world. Occasionally I am getting what I called "warbled" video out of my drone - a Phantom 3 Standard that I purchased used from B&H. You can see what I mean in this clip here - particularly if you pay attention to the tree on the left side of the clip, around 2-3 seconds into the video... Phantom3WarbleEx on Vimeo Any ideas what would be causing this? I'm clueless and not sure if it's something I can fix or have fixed with the equipment - gimbal/propellors out of balance, etc.? or something that's going on internally inside the camera... It seems to be an intermittent problem.

July 12th, 2017, 04:25 PM	#2
Nate Haustein Trustee Join Date: May 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 1,313	Re: Drone Issue - Diagnostic Help Requested This is rolling shutter and caused by a vibration problem. While you could drive yourself crazy trying to fix this minuscule bit of vibration during flight, the best way to fix the resulting issue is to use an ND filter to lower your shutter speed and introduce more (good) motion blur to the footage. There are many ND filters available. Try a ND4 or ND8 for general outdoor work, or ND16 for extremely bright days. __________________ Nate Haustein PXW-FX9 / FCPX www.flightcreativemedia.com

July 12th, 2017, 05:26 PM	#3
Carrie Cannaday New Boot Join Date: May 2007 Location: United States Posts: 20	Re: Drone Issue - Diagnostic Help Requested Nate, thanks so much for the info. I purchased a set of ND filters for my Phantom recently so it's great to know I can put them to use for a work around. Thanks again!