Interference and lines on images and in video? Possible to fix or buy new drone?

KSR

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Have had my phantom 4 for nearly 3 years and its had heaps of use by using it for aerial photos and videos in my real estate agency. Our P4 would have taken thousands of images as well as probably many, many hundreds of videos and we use the drone whenever its good flying weather (every other day). Most recently we have been experiencing lines on images (mainly light roofs) and clouds, as well as lines and static inteference in videos. I feel it might be the cmos sensor failing but does anyone have any thoughts on how to rectify or who can repair or if it is worth repairing. The inteference is on approx 60% of images/ videos (so not every time we use the drone). I also attach screenshots of images and video and highlighted errors that appear. We have never crashed the drone and its been looked after; its just had lots and lots of use.
 

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These look like overexposure warnings. Try turning the warnings off...

Capture.PNG
 
Those appear to be zebra lines? This is a screen shot of what screen? If you are in any kind of photo or editing program when the screen shot was taken, it could be the software pointing out the over-exposed areas.
 
I had exactly this on P4Pro and it was fixed by gimbal ribbon cable replacement. Like yours, it wasn't every flight and I could sometimes shoot entire flights of video without issues.
 
Sorry for non reply as its very late at night here/ early morning. I have an earlier p4 so that was the footage taken from the camera, that is not in an photo or editing program. Just the mp4 files and jpeg files taken straight off the camera (and then I used snagit to capture the screenshot of the mp4 file). So not the software. I will try Fly Dawgs reply about turning off exposure warning. Cant try for the next few days as we have 5 days of cloud and rain so I will try after that! However the interference appears on all images, mp4 files that are affected whether over or underexposed.
 
Where in the world is that area at........It's Beautiful !....if members would post where they live it should be easier to answer posts / threads according to local laws ect....and "KSR"..hope that you got the setting corrected !
 
Where in the world is that area at........It's Beautiful !....if members would post where they live it should be easier to answer posts / threads according to local laws ect....and "KSR"..hope that you got the setting corrected !
 
Yes undoubtedly a pretty place where I live and make a living. No smog, no traffic (ro not even any traffic lights for that matter) or fog, or snow to contend with. I am in Kingscliff, on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia; just below the New South Wales/Queensland border. You may have heard of the Gold Coast, Queensland (thats 40Km North). Unlike Gold Coast there are no highrise buildings here, and most properties you are able to show the shoreline as the coastal strip is under 1km wide.

In relation to drone flying here in Australia you have to abide by certain conditions (fly line of sight, fly under 110m, not at night, not during events and a drone with max weight under 2kg (hence the P4), not within 5km of an airport (nearest international one is 15km) amongst other conditions easy to live with etc) and here in Australia its easy to get registered to fly the drone commercially . Insurance for the drone costs more than to insure a $100K vehicle but as there are 2 of us in the office using the drone its peace of mind. KSR is abbreviated for my office Kingscliff Sales and Rentals where have incorporated drone footage (when it became legal to do so back in 2016) for both images and video into every listing.
 
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KSR.........Thank you so much for the post about where you are living...its a Very beautiful area and i sure do envy you very much....Thank you again for the reply and i even have read it twice now....Have a great week....Im now going to Google Earth your area and look around some more.
 
Have had my phantom 4 for nearly 3 years and its had heaps of use by using it for aerial photos and videos in my real estate agency. Our P4 would have taken thousands of images as well as probably many, many hundreds of videos and we use the drone whenever its good flying weather (every other day). Most recently we have been experiencing lines on images (mainly light roofs) and clouds, as well as lines and static inteference in videos. I feel it might be the cmos sensor failing but does anyone have any thoughts on how to rectify or who can repair or if it is worth repairing. The inteference is on approx 60% of images/ videos (so not every time we use the drone). I also attach screenshots of images and video and highlighted errors that appear. We have never crashed the drone and its been looked after; its just had lots and lots of use.
I have been a professional broadcast cameraman for 25 years, and have flown a P4P for 2 years , and have had this problem for the past few months. I can assure viewers, correspondents, that these are not Zebra indicators, and is a definite fault with the camera/Sensors. Zebras show exposure levels and highlighted areas, but they are, depending on the system, either horizontal, diagonal, or a combination of both. These are vertical lines, also on areas of high light concentration, but mine are recorded on the SD card, and cannot be removed. I have spoken to DJI about this, but as I am out of UK warranty, they have not been particularly interested or helpful.
 
Like I said above, my P4Pro had these 'faux zebra' lines in bright sections and clouds, it was fixed by replacing the gimble ribbon cable - no problem with the camera/sensor at all.
DJI_0004.JPG
 
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Thanks for your reply and image ! Yes, exactly as on the side of that cottage ! Will order cable straight away !
 
I have been a professional broadcast cameraman for 25 years, and have flown a P4P for 2 years , and have had this problem for the past few months. I can assure viewers, correspondents, that these are not Zebra indicators, and is a definite fault with the camera/Sensors. Zebras show exposure levels and highlighted areas, but they are, depending on the system, either horizontal, diagonal, or a combination of both. These are vertical lines, also on areas of high light concentration, but mine are recorded on the SD card, and cannot be removed. I have spoken to DJI about this, but as I am out of UK warranty, they have not been particularly interested or helpful.
I have been a professional broadcast cameraman for 25 years, and have flown a P4P for 2 years , and have had this problem for the past few months. I can assure viewers, correspondents, that these are not Zebra indicators, and is a definite fault with the camera/Sensors. Zebras show exposure levels and highlighted areas, but they are, depending on the system, either horizontal, diagonal, or a combination of both. These are vertical lines, also on areas of high light concentration, but mine are recorded on the SD card, and cannot be removed. I have spoken to DJI about this, but as I am out of UK warranty, they have not been particularly interested or helpful.

I would have thought as far. As I am well out of warranty and rather than repairing or a new ribbon it may be just time for a new drone as mine has been well used.
 
I have been a professional broadcast cameraman for 25 years, and have flown a P4P for 2 years , and have had this problem for the past few months. I can assure viewers, correspondents, that these are not Zebra indicators, and is a definite fault with the camera/Sensors. Zebras show exposure levels and highlighted areas, but they are, depending on the system, either horizontal, diagonal, or a combination of both. These are vertical lines, also on areas of high light concentration, but mine are recorded on the SD card, and cannot be removed. I have spoken to DJI about this, but as I am out of UK warranty, they have not been particularly interested or helpful.
Exactly why I asked where the shot was taken. Zebras would never show up on an actual photo whereas a screen shot would.

The last time I saw this issue elsewhere on this forum, it was the ribbon cable.
 
Exactly why I asked where the shot was taken. Zebras would never show up on an actual photo whereas a screen shot would.

The last time I saw this issue elsewhere on this forum, it was the ribbon cable.


Several of you have posted the precise solution to the image problems KSR has experienced. The ribbon cable is the culprit. I have been repairing the P4 cams ever since they came onto the market and this is a typical issue with about 1/4 of them. Apparently, the ribbon cable degrades over time. Sometimes it is obvious in both the image on your device or just on the SD card. The ribbon replacement takes care of both problems. Make sure you get a good quality ribbon, as there are low quality ones out there.
 
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Have had my phantom 4 for nearly 3 years and its had heaps of use by using it for aerial photos and videos in my real estate agency. Our P4 would have taken thousands of images as well as probably many, many hundreds of videos and we use the drone whenever its good flying weather (every other day). Most recently we have been experiencing lines on images (mainly light roofs) and clouds, as well as lines and static inteference in videos. I feel it might be the cmos sensor failing but does anyone have any thoughts on how to rectify or who can repair or if it is worth repairing. The inteference is on approx 60% of images/ videos (so not every time we use the drone). I also attach screenshots of images and video and highlighted errors that appear. We have never crashed the drone and its been looked after; its just had lots and lots of use.
Those lines are "Overexposure"...too much light hitting the camera sensor..search "correcting Overexposure" and you will see that there are many ways to eliminate those lines and also improve your recorded video quality..Abnormally high UV will also cause this effect..Happy flight..Semper Fi
 

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