Follow Me (Autopilot) tested on the Inspire 1 - Alkimos shipwreck, Western Australia

Lofty Visions · Oct 7, 2015

If anyone was wondering how well Follow Me works on the Inspire via Autopilot, let me say it works perfectly. I had a blast changing the radius distance and follow position (front/back side etc) on the fly. A fantastic tool indeed. I tested it on the way to flying the Inspire over the Alkimos shipwreck north of Perth.

I wish Vimeo would play catchup and support 60fps

Reece Robinson · Oct 7, 2015

Looks great. Do we expect DJI to release this for the inspire soon?

Aviator · Oct 7, 2015

Lofty Visions said:
If anyone was wondering how well Follow Me works on the Inspire via Autopilot, let me say it works perfectly. I had a blast changing the radius distance and follow position (front/back side etc) on the fly. A fantastic tool indeed. I tested it on the way to flying the Inspire over the Alkimos shipwreck north of Perth.

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I wish Vimeo would play catchup and support 60fps

Loved that!
Stunning part of the world I must say.
Good Job, Well Done

huppe · Oct 7, 2015

Reece Robinson said:
Looks great. Do we expect DJI to release this for the inspire soon?

Don't think so.
But I have to say I use follow me not that much.You need a good open space.

Lofty Visions · Oct 7, 2015

Thanks guys. Im still learning so the feedback is greatly appreciated. Next step is to get the hand of ND filters and all the photographic stuff as the light down here is huge on sunny days.

Yes you do need a lot of open space to use Follow Me, I certainly wouldn't advise using it in a built up area. I would also advise a second person driving the car if you want to get the best out if the app by making adjustments on the fly or take control if a crash is imminent.

As for DJI releasing it I wouldn't hold your breath. Autopilot is on iOS now for not too much money and it comes with other controls like POI, Focus, Target etc for in app purchases. I'm finding those mode a bit fiddly to use dropping points on a map with not much space to work with on the ipad mini which is why I've been using the DJI Go POI more often.

steelkite · Oct 8, 2015

Might I ask, what was the tablet-pad that you used while employing autopilot?

Lofty Visions · Oct 8, 2015

steelkite said:
Might I ask, what was the tablet-pad that you used while employing autopilot?

I use an iPad Mini 2 32gb cellular

kcobello · Oct 8, 2015

Awesome!!

Peter Syson · Oct 8, 2015

A good flight!

Danj503 · Oct 9, 2015

Lofty Visions said:
Thanks guys. Im still learning so the feedback is greatly appreciated. Next step is to get the hand of ND filters and all the photographic stuff as the light down here is huge on sunny days.

Yes you do need a lot of open space to use Follow Me, I certainly wouldn't advise using it in a built up area. I would also advise a second person driving the car if you want to get the best out if the app by making adjustments on the fly or take control if a crash is imminent.

As for DJI releasing it I wouldn't hold your breath. Autopilot is on iOS now for not too much money and it comes with other controls like POI, Focus, Target etc for in app purchases. I'm finding those mode a bit fiddly to use dropping points on a map with not much space to work with on the ipad mini which is why I've been using the DJI Go POI more often.

As a photographer first, and drone pilot second, I can't overstate the importance of shutter lock and manual exposure. I always fly with manual settings and only use auto exposure only for shots whose movement will travel through a heavy exposure change. (like from inside to outside for example). I always start with my shutter locked to 2 times my frame rate. so 24fps gets 1/48-1/50, 30fps gets 1/60, and 60fps gets 1/120 shutter. I don't go higher as this results in jello. Then I adjust my ISO to get my exposure correct never going over 800 if possible. 800+ is too noisy and shots are unusable. If you have to go higher to get correct exposure, you're no longer filming your just documenting. Also, I always expose for highlights first and if the shadows end up too dark, chances are there is still detail to work with in post, but if you have blown out highlights, you can't recover those in post so I give highlights priority. I check exposure, and using manual controls I lock it before each shot, as each shot requires minor adjustment. I use filters (ND and UV) when in harsh sun or hazy conditions to bring in the blue sky and reduce haze when it's bright out. I also recommend a low contrast, low saturation, minor sharpness color profile to record in. (I think it's called 'log'). This gives you the most detail in shadows, and the most latitude in post to add sharpness, contrast and color to your liking. TV's and monitors have their own added levels of contrast,sharpness, and saturation. You don't want those cranked before sending it to a TV that will crank it even more

Hope this helps anyone reading!

-Dan

Peter Syson · Oct 9, 2015

Thanks Dan, always helpful for the drone flyers (and not the photographers) like me.....but getting there!

Lofty Visions · Oct 9, 2015

Thanks Dan, great advice indeed. Much appreciated

Hangar · Oct 10, 2015

Lofty Visions said:
If anyone was wondering how well Follow Me works on the Inspire via Autopilot, let me say it works perfectly.

Glad you are enjoying the app, and great footage by the way! Would love to include some of this in our marketing material if you are open to it. Please email [email protected] to discuss.

Lofty Visions said:
I'm finding those mode a bit fiddly to use dropping points on a map with not much space to work with on the ipad mini which is why I've been using the DJI Go POI more often.

We are hoping that switching to Google Maps will improve the map pin issue. In the meantime, have you tried the "Set with Aircraft Position" button? For example, on the shipwreck, you can manually fly to right above the ship with camera pointed straight down, get the aircraft perfectly in the center, and then tap the button.

Lofty Visions · Oct 10, 2015

Autoflight Logic said:
Glad you are enjoying the app, and great footage by the way! Would love to include some of this in our marketing material if you are open to it. Please email [email protected] to discuss.

We are hoping that switching to Google Maps will improve the map pin issue. In the meantime, have you tried the "Set with Aircraft Position" button? For example, on the shipwreck, you can manually fly to right above the ship with camera pointed straight down, get the aircraft perfectly in the center, and then tap the button.

Wow, thank you for your kind words. Email sent!

Thank you, yes I intend to test the "set with aircraft position" function next time I get the opportunity. It's a great app, thank you