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Prop Shadows

Where do you have your tilt mode setting at? Far left top switch? Does it do this facing away from the sun?
I've never had this issue with my H unless the tilt is in the wrong position.
 
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No, when facing away from the sun there is no "prop shadow", and it does only show when facing the sun at a certain angle of the sun, like nothing if sun is very high or very low in the sky, but in between. So the actual question was about a lens hood. I have seen a few for this camera on ebay, but not seen a review on here, so I am making a test hood to try next time the sun appears...... very cloudy today :confused:
 
There are folks who have made and used lens hoods. Make sure it's very, very light or your camera will be fighting to stay in position. Other issues I've read, when flying, the camera will start vibrating due to the aerodynamics/shape of the lens hood.
 
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No, when facing away from the sun there is no "prop shadow", and it does only show when facing the sun at a certain angle of the sun, like nothing if sun is very high or very low in the sky, but in between. So the actual question was about a lens hood. I have seen a few for this camera on ebay, but not seen a review on here, so I am making a test hood to try next time the sun appears...... very cloudy today :confused:


Tilting the camera down a bit is the best way.
 
Yes, I do tilt it down (if I remember when facing the sun) but sometimes I don't notice the flicker on the ST16 and only see it after I download the video to my PC. Anyway, thanks for the tips, and I will be testing out my featherweight hood soon.
 
Best way to eliminate prop shadows is to alter the position of the camera, or lens, or aircraft slightly. To completely eliminate the possibility of prop shadows would require a lens hood that extended past the props.
 
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Like said above, camera positioning is the best way to eliminate prop shadows. I did a lot of experimentation with sunshades on the CG03+ and in the end found that even with a very light hood the gains were minimal. Also the prop blast and flight loads on even the lightest sunshade I made (from a carbon Fiber veil) were to much for the gimbal motors to keep steady at anything more than a walking pace.
 
Just got back from a flight to test the thin cardboard lens hood I made and I can say that like Ty Pilot said, the prop blast had a severe effect on it. The tilt gimbal was struggling at times to keep it level. So, will file that plan under "non functional" and just need to be concious of avoiding filming into direct sunlight.
 
You will find the shadowing effect only occurs in a very narrow window when the sun angle is directly above, or above and behind the props and the lens tilt is just “so”. It requires very little change of position to eliminate it.
 
Yes, I do tilt it down (if I remember when facing the sun) but sometimes I don't notice the flicker on the ST16 and only see it after I download the video to my PC. Anyway, thanks for the tips, and I will be testing out my featherweight hood soon.


I must say it is not always good to shoot into the sun.
Keep us posted on your lens hood I am curious.
Keith
 
The suface area of the hood was catching way too much prop thrust and caused the tilt motor to struggle as seen in this vid.
I didn't touch the tilt slider at all - tilt movement is from prop thrust.
Here's a couple of pics of the thin cardboard prototype. I won't be spending any more time on this as aiming the camera down a bit is alot easier and no undue stress on the tilt motor.
 

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The suface area of the hood was catching way too much prop thrust and caused the tilt motor to struggle as seen in this vid.
I didn't touch the tilt slider at all - tilt movement is from prop thrust.
Here's a couple of pics of the thin cardboard prototype. I won't be spending any more time on this as aiming the camera down a bit is alot easier and no undue stress on the tilt motor.


I really think if you show less sky in your shot you can eliminate that orop shadow.
Your choice.
Just a suggestion.
Keith
 
Yes, I do tilt it down (if I remember when facing the sun) but sometimes I don't notice the flicker on the ST16 and only see it after I download the video to my PC. Anyway, thanks for the tips, and I will be testing out my featherweight hood soon.
It's nigh on impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of prop shadow when facing the sun and the trouble is that you seldom know you have got it until you watch the video after downloading it to your PC...by that time it's too late. A good way of minimizing the possibility of prop shadow, then, is to follow the rule of thirds: Have the camera tilted down so that there is noticeably more ground in your shot than sky. It doesn't have to be exactly a third sky and two thirds ground...but you get the idea.
 
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I bought one of those German lens hoods to control flare. When it's on, I have to limit forward speed to 10MPH.

One crazy option is to fly backwards and then produce the video in reverse.
I have done that with the tilt in speed mode to get an up angle for cloud scenes.

I prefer faster shutter speeds, so no ND filters. My CGO3+ has the 90 degree lens.
I was flying backwards during the pan in this example.
 
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As CowBirdBoy said, ND filter is good. It helps you get the correct shutter speed and ISO (1/60s at 30fps and ISO=100 in bright sun with ND16). As others have said, angle the camera down a bit so the sky is only about 1/3 of the image. I made a lightweight lens hood from a pop can and epoxied it to my ND16 filter. It works great, never causes any problem for the gimbal at any speed. The shape was determined experimentally by trimming away any portion of the hood that appeared in the 16x9 4K video.
DSC02025.JPG
 
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Thanks for the comments guys. Yes, I use various ND filters if required, and I know about the rule of "thirds" and normally point the camera down a bit. I am not going to pursue a lens hood for the CGO3+ as it is affected by the prop wash and air velocity too much.
 
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