Mailing List AE-List@media-motion.tv ? Message #53061
From: Gary Reisman <garyreisman@mac.com>
Subject: Re: [AE] Motion tracking
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 14:56:05 -0800
To: After Effects Mail List <AE-List@media-motion.tv>
 Message Header

Undecoded Message
I got my Phantom a year ago, and got hooked!

It''s easy to find yourself spending more and more money in the quest for better aerial video.

- RollingShutter/Jello is always the first issue the users encounter, caused by vibrations , and vibrations are caused by not-so-well-balanced props and motors. -which can be remedied a bit with prop/motor balancing, but most gimbals come with vibration isolation mounts that can help absorb vibrations considerably.
AE's got great stabilization tools, but since drone footage contains fisheye/non-stable/rolling shutter , the results will still look meicocre
but with a brushless gimbal you can often get away with not having to do ANY post stabilization  (but AE can def help with Yaw-wobble)

- under certain conditions shooting at 60fps can appear to help (tho nobody can exactly explain how/why a faster shutter can reduce it).   It's hard to get your head around it since the GoPro has no shutter/aperture settings that can be changed.
- *A regular  GoPro Hero 3 will work with the Zenmuse gimbal,  if you already have that, there's no need to upgrade to the 3+.

If you're handy with soldering, tinkering and putting stuff together,   you can save a bit of money and build your own bundle
You can get into a Phantom 1, Tarot Gimbal and Fatshark FPV goggle system for about $1k.  (plus GoPro),  - tho you'll probably also wanna get into accessories such as extra batteries, case, charger,.etc.
-and of course if you want to spend more money, you can get into a Phantom 2 with H32d gimbal,  or really go all out and build a bigger quad or hex copter.

-gary

On Feb 26, 2014, at 7:44 AM, Mr. Eric D. Kirk <kirkproductions@gmail.com> wrote:

John,
 
Wow.  Tons of info there.  Appreciate all.  I'm not quite ready for that big investment but I do have the Hero3 so figured the one I sent DJI Phantom was a good option.  It seems very stable to me but appreciate the note on going to 60FPS to reduce further.  That shot along the beach looked pretty sharp.
 
Eric


On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 9:39 AM, John Morgan <John.Morgan@slcc.edu> wrote:

Eric,

7 months ago I got that same Phantom package from B&H. You’ll love the GPS mode of flying. An R/C hobbyist in my private life, I’ve flown mostly aircraft (sailplanes and electrics). As you’ll find from flying helicopters/quadcopter in simulators like RealFlight, they are a handful!! Orientation is critical and getting mixed up on the controls will put you on the ground in pieces super fast.  GPS mode adds a LOT of stability to your flying and makes it so you can’t get disoriented and slip the Phantom into the ground. Home Lock/Course Lock modes offer their advantages too.

 

OK, now for the disappointing stuff. You will not be happy with your videos (except in absolutely calm air flying) if you attach the GoPro directly to the Phantom. Every little course correction/attitude adjustment shows up in your footage. The “jello” that everyone talks about can be compensated for by shooting at 60fps rather than 24fps. It has a lot to do with automatic shutter speed in certain brightness levels in your shot. That said, I did get some good shots doing vertical lift-offs (resembling a camera boom lift.)

 

I highly recommend having the Zenmuse H3-2D gimbal package added to your Quadcopter!! The stability is a quantum leap better! I live in the Salt Lake City area and am lucky to have a vendor, TV Specialists, who has tooled up and gotten in to selling/supporting aerial videography.  I bought the original Phantom package (plus and extra battery and prop guards) from B&H for $572, then just recently had TV Specialist retrofit my Phantom to add the Zenmuse gimbal package with FPV. They have a solution that only cost me (my employer) just under $1300 for gimbal, taking the quad apart to add the additional circuit boards needed to run the gimbal, RC Logger FPV components (5.8GHZ video transmitter, receiver and monitor). The also add a rear slider switch that allows you to tilt the camera from pointing straight down, to level (90° movement.) So I’m telling you, you can upgrade to Zenmuse gimbal and FPV for $1300 or less! Right now, with DJI Phantom, GoPRo Hero 3+ (you need the Hero 3+ because the port that powers the removable viewfinder plugs into the gimbal and powers your FPV components), Zenmuse h3-2d gimbal and labor to install it, I’m into my quad only $2300! That’s a pretty cheap flying video camera! Well, obviously your footage is only as good as GoPro can provide, but it’s a bunch of more money to move up to  the next level of octocopter and DSLR cameras…..like $8000 and up.

 

The Zenmuse gimbal package include rubber mounts for the gimbal base. Balancing the props or changing to carbon fiber props is just not necessary.

 

One last caveat:  the Zenmuse gimbal corrects for pitch and roll (hence the “2D”), but not for yaw. You still have to fly the craft very carefully to compensate for yaw (left/right) movements.

 

There is a new Phantom 2 that’s hitting the markets now. Supposedly it’s all prewired for Zenmuse gimbal. TV Specialists have not tested it yet. Seems there’s a few challenges with it. My vendor felt that retrofitting the original Phantom is still the better way to go rather than getting the DJI Phantom 2.

 

Hope this offers you some encouragement as you get into aerial videography. Happy to answer any other questions, or connect you to my local vendor. There’s probably other vendors popping up all over the place that can do the same…..but maybe not for the same price. Send me your private email and I’ll embed a pic of my system with Zenmuse onboard.

 

http://www.tvspecialists.com/

Dan Austin (dana@tvspec.com)

 

John

 

 

 

From: After Effects Mail List [mailto:AE-List@media-motion.tv] On Behalf Of Mr. Eric D. Kirk
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 6:07 AM
To: After Effects Mail List
Subject: Re: [AE] Motion tracking

 

Anthony,

 

A pleasure.  Also, since I'm also in the market for a drone, this one seems a bit better than the Parrot one in the links from yesterday.  I also noticed there are techniques for balancing the propellers that may actually eliminate wobble atogether. 

 

Check out this drone below.  I think I am getting this one. There are a couple levels even higher (like $1100+).

And then for balancing - if you need to go that far, there is this:

 

 

Eric

 

 


This message, and any attachments, is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential or otherwise exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any unauthorized use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this message is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender by return e-mail and delete this e-mail and any attachments from your system.  ­­  



--
Eric D. Kirk | Kirk Productions
Hidden in the Woods | VFX
The Night Visitor | VFX
443.206.1347
 

 
Subscribe (FEED) Subscribe (DIGEST) Subscribe (INDEX) Unsubscribe Mail to ListMaster