Camera Trouble - artifacts/grainy colors

[HeathAU25]

Hello,

So I took a shot with a broken *as is* Phantom 3 Pro on eBay about a month ago. It did not fly at first and I've been able to make a few fixes with some new parts and now it is up and running great. The gimbal was in a couple of different pieces with the ribbon cable obviously trashed. Swapped out the GPS sensor and got the bird flying which was step one. I bought a new yaw arm through F-Stop Labs on Amazon and figured I'd take a gamble on their ribbon cable - I've read a few positive experiences with this cable on this forum. Swapped out the yaw arm and installed the new ribbon cable, mounted the camera on the drone and tested. Gimbal works perfectly; as you can see from the images I still need to level the tilt.

Here's my issue - and it's my only remaining issue as I've almost got a perfectly flying P3P for around $400.
The pictures and video taken always have spots/vertical lines, especially along dark parts of the image. Vertical lines can be seen in the whiteness of the clouds also.

It's even worse with video:

The live image on my phone looks pretty clear of these artifacts, but I'm not sure if the screen just isn't big enough to see them. So I tried a different SD card to see if that was the problem, nope. Using 2 class 10 sandisk extreme micro sd - one 32gb one 64gb. Tried adjusting some settings in the app, still the same result. Formatted both in the app with no luck.

Anyone with any input??? I'm trying to think of things to do before I drop $45 on an OEM ribbon cable (which potentially isn't my problem)

 

[HeathAU25]

So I think I'm going to try the ribbon cable first. I know how to replace it (did it already).

Only other thing I can think would be the camera sensor.

Let me know what you guys think.

I will update once I get a new ribbon cable

 

[djewson]

I have exactly the same issue
Just bought my P3A yesterday second hand after having a P3S for less than a month (which works flawlessly as far as video is concerned, just wanted more range)
First flight this morning and gutted to find that my footage has artifacts all over it

Pic is taken from phone so quality not great, but it's the same from the sdcard when downloaded to the pc or tv (although at a higher resolution)
It seems to be a pretty common fault with the P3A and Pro but no real fixes or advice out there
Hope you can help me out too with a fix.
Dean

 

[djewson]

Tried cleaning and reseating my ribbon today
But makes no difference
Looking forward to your findings

 

[HeathAU25]

I will definitely be trying the OEM ribbon cable. People had similar issues on this forum: Phantom 3 Video issues - Zebra lines and Purple distortion

 

[HeathAU25]

Tried cleaning and reseating my ribbon today
But makes no difference
Looking forward to your findings

Thanks for the update!

 

[peter west nz]

This is the sort of Quality you should expect, and this isn't even anything special, just a pic I took the other day in challenging light conditions - white sand & bright sunlight.

 

[Just Mark]

I have exactly the same issue
Just bought my P3A yesterday second hand after having a P3S for less than a month (which works flawlessly as far as video is concerned, just wanted more range)
First flight this morning and gutted to find that my footage has artifacts all over it

Pic is taken from phone so quality not great, but it's the same from the sdcard when downloaded to the pc or tv (although at a higher resolution)
It seems to be a pretty common fault with the P3A and Pro but no real fixes or advice out there
Hope you can help me out too with a fix.
Dean

I would contact the seller and find out with them what happened and why the camera is so messed up. I would return it for a refund, and if they refuse to accept it back, then I would contact ebay. That is NOT acceptable image quality.

 

[With The Birds]

This is the sort of Quality you should expect, and this isn't even anything special, just a pic I took the other day in challenging light conditions - white sand & bright sunlight.

Looking at this shot it might be the original exposure was a good two stops over- the histogram is your friend in these circumstances.

 

[djewson]

I would contact the seller and find out with them what happened and why the camera is so messed up. I would return it for a refund, and if they refuse to accept it back, then I would contact ebay. That is NOT acceptable image quality.

It was a private sale unfortunately and paid cash
I have contacted him but he claims that it was fine when he had it !
He showed me some of his footage when I bought it which looked spot on
But in hind sight it could have been prior to any faults.
Part of me wants to go tear him a new one, but I'm trying to remain calm in adversity.
I've got a ribbon coming today so will see if that fixes it.
Failing that I'm going to get the pro camera and flash the firmware
So at least for the extra expense I get the next model up.
Will report back today on whether the ribbon fixes it or not

 

[djewson]

oh hell yes !!!!
New ribbon fitted and all is good again
awesome
Not a line or artefact in sight
To say I'm happy is an understatement
Back in the game

 

[djewson]

Cloudy and a slight fog but it's all good

Real darks and lights on the last one and it's totally clean

 

[Just Mark]

oh hell yes !!!!
New ribbon fitted and all is good again
awesome
Not a line or artefact in sight
To say I'm happy is an understatement
Back in the game

Glad to hear it is working out.

Thanks so much for posting the update, too. How many times on forums have we heard of people having problems, saying they are going to try a solution, and then we never hear back from them...

 

[HeathAU25]

oh hell yes !!!!
New ribbon fitted and all is good again
awesome
Not a line or artefact in sight
To say I'm happy is an understatement
Back in the game

Excellent!! Where did you buy your ribbon cable? I'm trying to find a reputable seller for an OEM cable out there. So far the Camrise seller on Amazon sounds like the best option as a couple of reviewers have confirmed it's a genuine OEM cable.

 

[djewson]

Excellent!! Where did you buy your ribbon cable? I'm trying to find a reputable seller for an OEM cable out there. So far the Camrise seller on Amazon sounds like the best option as a couple of reviewers have confirmed it's a genuine OEM cable.

I hate that too when someone says they're trying a fix and don't come back to let the group know how it went
Good or bad..
So I had to post again to try help you guys out.

I'm in the UK so used Amazon UK for mine
It's not genuine DJI but works never the less
At least I know now that my sensor isn't screwed
Flexible Gimbal Flat Ribbon Flex Cable Part 49 for DJI Phantom 3 Pro & Advance/4K https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WWCS3R1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_voecmeLMtlbMy

 

[HeathAU25]

Update: I decided to reseat the ribbon cable at each connection point and I get a BEAUTIFUL picture now. Thanks everybody for the help. This is just a screenshot from my phone of a video, but everything is now great.

Thanks again people!

 

[djewson]

Good to see you got it sorted
The reseating didn't work for me unfortunately, but looks like we're all sorted now
Cheers for your update and happy flying

 

[HeathAU25]

Good to see you got it sorted
The reseating didn't work for me unfortunately, but looks like we're all sorted now
Cheers for your update and happy flying

Most of all I appreciate your reseating idea. It may not have worked for you (sorry), but you did help me! Thank you.