Sony a7r III IBIS Causing P4P Compass error?

[eastonp]

Hey everyone,

For the longest time, I thought that my phantom 4 pro was ready to go in for service due to the compass intermittently failing on me before flight. A compass redundancy switch error would pop up and would prompt me to calibrate, which would oftentimes lead to calibration failure. Well, after a bit of testing, I found that the large magnets found in the Sony Alpha cameras which control In Body Image Stabilization are the culprit. When I simply sling my Sony A7R III over my shoulder, the interference skyrocketed. I went as far as moving the camera within a foot of the drone ( I don't recommend doing it), and the interference spike was enormous. I figured this was common sense, but I still think its a good FYI. Check it out:

 

[ravedog]

The A7Riii and a lens is also a lot of metal. That’s more likely the issue.

 

[Meta4]

I thought that my phantom 4 pro was ready to go in for service due to the compass intermittently failing on me before flight. A compass redundancy switch error would pop up and would prompt me to calibrate, which would oftentimes lead to calibration failure.

There's a common assumption that a compass error means there is something wrong with the compass that needs to be fixed.
Almost always, there is nothing wrong with the compass at all, it's just warning that it's detected magnetic interference.
In that situation, re-calibrating won't do anything to solve the problem.

The A7Riii and a lens is also a lot of metal. That’s more likely the issue.

It' might be metal, but it's only going to have an effect on the compass if it's steel (or contains magnets or active electric current).
There's usually not much steel in a camera body.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

More likely some type of alloy for strength and weight reduction, possibly magnesium.

 

[Immanuel Graham]

My Sony A7 III works fine and no complaint about the camera I also have a DJI gimbal for Sony A7 III and that works well for me.