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Gimbal Stabilization in Sport Mode

srcrain

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May 30, 2017
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I have seen several video reviews of the Spark with the reviewer mentioning that the gimbal can't keep up in Sport mode and shows lots of horizon tilt, etc.

What they don't know and haven't read in the manual is that the Spark locks the gimbal to FPV view when its in Sport mode. For this reason it is like flying in fixed-wing mode every time Sport mode is on. Not saying that is good or bad, but that is what DJI has decided to do. It is probably related to the maximum tilt of the gimbal matching up with the angle (attitude) of Spark in Sport mode. If you notice, because of the weird oblong shape of the gimbal it can't tilt past a certain point without hitting the upper part of the drone.
 
While it's true the Spark manual states that, it doesn't seem to be switching to FPV mode. As a test, try comparing Follow to FPV -- and then enable Sport mode to see if the difference is the same. When I'm flying in Sport mode, it seems like the gimbal is reaching its end point instead of operating in FPV mode.
 
While it's true the Spark manual states that, it doesn't seem to be switching to FPV mode. As a test, try comparing Follow to FPV -- and then enable Sport mode to see if the difference is the same. When I'm flying in Sport mode, it seems like the gimbal is reaching its end point instead of operating in FPV mode.
Good point. I will try to test it later today. I just assumed that when I got bad tilt in Sport mode and then read the manual more closely that that was what was happening (locked gimbal). I didn't do the comparison.
 
I did some more testing with this today. When making slower left/right movements, it does really look like the camera is in FPV mode. It seems to be some kind of hybrid mode though because the camera does not seem like it's in FPV mode when in Sport mode and I'm tilting the Spark in my hand.
 
I did some more testing with this today. When making slower left/right movements, it does really look like the camera is in FPV mode. It seems to be some kind of hybrid mode though because the camera does not seem like it's in FPV mode when in Sport mode and I'm tilting the Spark in my hand.
Thanks for testing. I wasn't able to do much testing myself.

I will say though, that for me, Sport mode is way too responsive and close to unusable for flying for enjoyment. It is very good on a straight line when you need to get from point A to point B faster than 6 mph. Also, when fighting the wind, this makes a huge difference. But the jerky video when turning makes it hard to keep your orientation.

Question - Does the Mavic smooth the gimbal in fixed wing mode to provide a better FPV viewing experience, as opposed to just locking the gimbal? That is what the Spark needs to do if that is the case.
 
Thanks for testing. I wasn't able to do much testing myself.

I will say though, that for me, Sport mode with FPV turned on is way too responsive and close to unusable for flying for enjoyment. It is very good on a straight line when you need to get from point A to point B faster than 6 mph. Also, when fighting the wind, this makes a huge difference. But the jerky video when turning makes it hard to keep your orientation.

Question - Does the Mavic smooth the gimbal in fixed wing mode to provide a better FPV viewing experience, as opposed to just locking the gimbal? That is what the Spark needs to do if that is the case.
IMHO sport mode is DJI's attempt at giving beginners a "racing drone"
You could get a few mates with sparks down to your nearest drone track for a bit of fun racing around. Sport mode is not intended for recording amazing video its meant to give you a pilots eye view of exactly what the spark is doing. If the image was stabilized then you wouldn't have a true perception of the exact angle of the aircraft other than an electronic readout.
 
IMHO sport mode is DJI's attempt at giving beginners a "racing drone"
You could get a few mates with sparks down to your nearest drone track for a bit of fun racing around. Sport mode is not intended for recording amazing video its meant to give you a pilots eye view of exactly what the spark is doing. If the image was stabilized then you wouldn't have a true perception of the exact angle of the aircraft other than an electronic readout.
I wasn't talking about 100% stabilization I was talking about smoothing the jerky camera when turning right and left. I think the Mavic smooths the camera in fixed wing mode.
 
I wasn't talking about 100% stabilization I was talking about smoothing the jerky camera when turning right and left. I think the Mavic smooths the camera in fixed wing mode.
These are the limitations of the sparks two axis gimbal, the mavic will be able to compensate for rotational movement via the gimbal because of its 3 axis, the spark will only be able to do it in software.
 
Does the Mavic smooth the gimbal in fixed wing mode to provide a better FPV viewing experience, as opposed to just locking the gimbal?
I'm not sure what the difference is gimbal-wise. I know it's not possible to make quick movements like when flying in Sport mode, so that would certainly allow for better gimbal stabilization

I will say though, that for me, Sport mode is way too responsive and close to unusable for flying for enjoyment. It is very good on a straight line when you need to get from point A to point B faster than 6 mph. Also, when fighting the wind, this makes a huge difference. But the jerky video when turning makes it hard to keep your orientation.
I find it to be pretty enjoyable when flying VLOS. When watching the screen in DJI GO, I agree that it's tough to follow along when the gimbal starts hitting its end point. It's pretty disorienting.
 
I'm not sure what the difference is gimbal-wise. I know it's not possible to make quick movements like when flying in Sport mode, so that would certainly allow for better gimbal stabilization


I find it to be pretty enjoyable when flying VLOS. When watching the screen in DJI GO, I agree that it's tough to follow along when the gimbal starts hitting its end point. It's pretty disorienting.

I agree completely. I was flying yesterday exclusively VLOS in Sport mode and it was awesome. When I looked down at the screen it was way too jerky. I can't imagine using the goggles with the sport mode gimbal movement. It would probably make me lose my lunch. Let's hope that DJI fixes that, if it is even possible with the gimbal limitations. It seems that given the shape of the gimbal that it is limited in its roll because it hits the frame at a certain point.
 

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