Camera Gimbal Tilt When Turning?

[nyjumpee]

Hi! I'm a new Spark owner. . .have had a Phantom 3 for a few years with quite a few hours flying. . .great, stable, level video. Just flew and recorded some video for the first time with the Spark today. . nice footage but noticed that unlike my Phantom, when I'm turning, the camera doesn't stay level with the horizon. . .is this normal? It may have been in Sport mode. . .does that make a difference? Is there any way to keep the video level while flying and turning? I hope so. . .certainly not what I expected. . .is there a setting or something? Thanks in advance.

 

[Spark 317]

It's probably due to the 2 axis gimbal limitations of the Spark and not the 3 axis gimbal that you may be accustomed to.

 

[Andre Levite]

Your aircraft is performing the best it can...
Spark only has a 2-axis gimbal compared to 3-axis of your Phantom.

When in Sport Mode the Spark's digital image stabilization cannot compensate and the image suffers accordingly. It even happens in P- mode with rapid yaw.

 

[dat1]

Look in the settings... Gimbal Mode.
You are probably set in FPV...

 

[nyjumpee]

Hmmmmm. . Okay, thanks! I'll take a look at those settings and see what I can do. . . I'm thinking sport mode was the issue. . I'll test some out of sport mode and post results. .thanks again

 

[Andre Levite]

Yes. And be aware that video feed can really lag in Sport Mode too. Best to keep it in LOS when you flip that switch -- at least until you get used to your Spark's "personality"

 

[nyjumpee]

Look in the settings... Gimbal Mode.
You are probably set in FPV...

Thanks. . .I'm hoping that's the case. . .I'm pretty sure my Phantom has that setting. . .e.g. bank camera when banking or keep it level. . .again, I'll check but I know it's not a 3 axis gimbal . . .

 

[pmshop]

Sport mode semi-locks the gimbal in place to prevent damage when accelerating/ braking and turning sharply.

 

[PhantomFandom]

Hi! I'm a new Spark owner. . .have had a Phantom 3 for a few years with quite a few hours flying. . .great, stable, level video. Just flew and recorded some video for the first time with the Spark today. . nice footage but noticed that unlike my Phantom, when I'm turning, the camera doesn't stay level with the horizon. . .is this normal? It may have been in Sport mode. . .does that make a difference? Is there any way to keep the video level while flying and turning? I hope so. . .certainly not what I expected. . .is there a setting or something? Thanks in advance.

Other than checking your gimbal mode (make sure it's not FPV), yes it is normal. Like you, I have flown Phantoms from when I started. I just picked up a Spark and flew it for the first time this past week. The Spark has a two-axis gimbal so it cannot compensate for yaw like the Phantom can. Also in Sport Mode you see how nimble the Spark is and how drastic the pitch changes can be in all 3 axes. This leads to the horizon issue you brought up. Totally normal with the Spark.