Camera and Gimbal Controls

Map Pilot Pro represents a large restructuring of where a lot of the various controls are in an effort to clean up the data collection workflow and add space for new features. 

A lot of people who are used to Map Pilot's operation are looking for these controls in the Options Menu. Since these controls only make sense to be used when the camera is connected they now show as an accessory panel to the Camera Preview panel.

The Camera Controls and Gimbal Angle Control that used to be up in the top Options Menu are now attached to the Camera Preview panel. The gimbal angle, exposure, shutter mode, focus and white balance can all be controlled from here.

To access the camera controls the controls icon button in the top right corner of the Camera Preview panel must be pressed. In the image below it is highlighted as orange since the controls are open. The button is white when the accessory panel is hidden. Tapping the icon when it is orange will hide the controls. 

Camera Mode and Exposure Control - Select the camera mode as well as Exposure value, ISO value and Aperture. 

Camera Focus - As of version 5.0.7 the focus mode and ring value are displayed in the exposure text at the bottom of the camera preview panel.  There are 3 ways to handle Camera Focus:

1. Auto Focus - At the top of the climb to the flight height an autofocus solution is pulled after the aircraft settles using the standard on-camera DJI autofocus using the center of the camera preview area. This process is done for every flight. This is the default setting. If there is motion occurring in the area the autofocus solution is pulled from it can cause out of focus images. If you are ever questioning your focal quality you can stop the flight and double tap on a contrasty spot in the camera preview screen to force the auto focus to pull another solution. 
2. Manual Focus - The mode can be selected by toggling the AF/MF setting. It will show the current focus ring value. If you frequently fly at a certain height it may be worth doing a focus study to determine what focus value gives the sharpest images at that given height. You can also slide this value to one end to achieve focus on infinity. 
3. Inherited Settings (5.0.7 and later, Base and up only) - If the "Inherit Camera Settings" switch is enabled in the Map Pilot Pro settings the app will not touch any settings on the camera other than those that are absolutely required to take images. 

Gimbal Control - Control the angle of the gimbal in 5 degree increments. Up to 40 degrees up from nadir (0 degrees).

White Balance Control - We generally recommend leaving it on Auto but if you really don't want it bouncing around and if there are a few clouds in the area it is best to lock it to either Cloudy or Sunny.