Smooth pan (yaw) shots

[Scobo]

One thing I find really tricky with the spark is smooth panning or yaw when filming.
Tripod mode helps slow things down but I still find it a bit hit or miss whether or not you get the right speed and avoid gittery rotation.
I'd really like to see an auto rotation quichshot mode where you could set rotation angle and speed.
Anyone got any tips other than tripod mode ?

 

[The Editor]

One thing I find really tricky with the spark is smooth panning or yaw when filming.
Tripod mode helps slow things down but I still find it a bit hit or miss whether or not you get the right speed and avoid gittery rotation.
I'd really like to see an auto rotation quichshot mode where you could set rotation angle and speed.
Anyone got any tips other than tripod mode ?

Practice, practice and some more practice.
I am afraid there is no substitute fro stick hours to gain finer control.
The short stubby sticks on the Spark RC do not help but practice will reap rewards.
You will also find pinching the sticks will give better control than thumbs.

 

[Kilrah]

The Spark's software-only yaw stabilization definitely has its shortcomings. Not much can be done about it unfortunately.

 

[Scobo]

Thanks guys.
Kilrah, I didn't realise the gimbal doesn't stabalize yaw. That certainly explains why the other directional movements are silky smooth !
Maybe a future firmware update will improve it ??
I see Litchi has some extra functionality which may help with this. Might look into that.

 

[sdharris]

I'm really missing the EXPO settings from a Mavic Pro or Phantom which would help smooth out the start and finish but I find most pan or yaw movements to be a bit heavy on the stomach when viewing anyway do tend not to use them.

Autoflight Logic has a cruise mode that records stick inputs which might help, never tried it though Flight School - Hangar

 

[DesertWindAero]

I think what this boils down to so far is that Spark was never intended by DJI to be a platform designed to have a true "professional" capability. For a "selfie" drone or other casual user uses, it's great. But, it's far from what is available on the Mavic Pro or other DJI platforms.

 

[Scobo]

Autoflight Logic has a cruise mode that records stick inputs which might help, never tried it though Flight School - Hangar

Thanks for that, looks interesting.
Bit pricey but certainly has more control options than Dji Go.
The "yaw strategy" options could be what the Spark is missing.

 

[sdharris]

I think what this boils down to so far is that Spark was never intended by DJI to be a platform designed to have a true "professional" capability. For a "selfie" drone or other casual user uses, it's great. But, it's far from what is available on the Mavic Pro or other DJI platforms.

A case of marketing vs engineering, I am sure the hardware and software is more than capable, but you won't get people upgrading to a Mavic Pro if its too good.

 

[sdharris]

Thanks for that, looks interesting.
Bit pricey but certainly has more control options than Dji Go.
The "yaw strategy" options could be what the Spark is missing.

Its a good product, I have not used it with the Spark as yet but have used it for years with the Phantom 3 and Mavic Pro. Most people will say it comes with a steep learning curve though so don't expect to be flying within 5 minutes of installing.

 

[Adam]

I've found I've just had to avoid using yaw panning when recording video. Although small movements has been fixed in post somewhat but using the stabilise video feature in iMovie or something similar.

 

[DesertWindAero]

I've found I've just had to avoid using yaw panning when recording video. Although small movements has been fixed in post somewhat but using the stabilise video feature in iMovie or something similar.

Try this -- use Tripod Mode while recording, then pan further than you intend on a specific shot. In post production, do a cross fade before the actual end of the shot just in case, even in Tripod, there was a boggle or a jerk.

It will look smooth as glass.

 

[Adam]

Try this -- use Tripod Mode while recording, then pan further than you intend on a specific shot. In post production, do a cross fade before the actual end of the shot just in case, even in Tripod, there was a boggle or a jerk.

It will look smooth as glass.

Good idea!

Shame you can't just output the full 4k video and select the gyro path on image. Then I would just upgrade to the mavic.

 

[Blue Baron]

Additionally, stick sensitivity can be reduced.
Unfortunately, it makes the craft slow as it does affect throttle too. What's missing is a yaw sensitivity setting, like gimbal sensitivity. Actually, with video recording, gimbal and yaw sensitivity should be linked ...

 

[xaved]

I’ve found that small deliberate yaw adjustments in flight plus software stabilization in post processing with Premiere Pro takes care of most of my complaints.

 

[PascalG]

It s all about practice, paying close attention to the screen and getting a feel for the amount of pressure on the sticks.

I took this clip a couple of weeks after getting my first spark in july, the motion is ok but still had a few jerky moments.

Instagram post by Pascal • Oct 4, 2017 at 1:05pm UTC

 

[V'lar]

I think a significant part of the problem is
expo settings are missing,
the sticks are too short,
the springs are too hard.
When rudder input stops, it tends to overshoot and go a little back.

 

[Scobo]

When rudder input stops, it tends to overshoot and go a little back.

Yeah, I've noticed that.
I get round it by filming beyond the point I need to and dealing with it in editing.

 

[RBSileighty]

Depending on the shot, you can also reverse the footage to smooth things out.

“Rolling in” to the sticks and accounting for the first few seconds in a shot, like others have said, is really the best way to make these shots look nice.