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Dual control of an Anafi

Speleo

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(My first post here, so apologies if I'm missing something.)

I currently mostly fly an aged (4 years) Mavic Pro, as as it is no longer supported I am thinking of switching to an Anafi. One feature of the Mavic that I use constantly with my co-flyer is dual control: we use two remote controllers, and one of us does the flying and spotting and the other worries about the photography.

Is this possible with the Anafi? Ideally with two independent controllers, but other solutions maybe?

Many thanks -- Mike
 
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(My first post here, so apologies if I'm missing something.)

I currently mostly fly an aged (4 years) Mavic Pro, as as it is no longer supported I am thinking of switching to an Anafi. One feature of the Mavic that I use constantly with my co-flyer is dual control: we use two remote controllers, and one of us does the flying and spotting and the other worries about the photography.

Is this possible with the Anafi? Ideally with two independent controllers, but other solutions maybe?

Many thanks -- Mike
Not possible. Not even most DJI drones know that.
You have to learn to fly alone. With Anafi's smart modes, this will work (cameraman, GPS POI, etc.)
 
Not possible. Not even most DJI drones know that.
You have to learn to fly alone. With Anafi's smart modes, this will work (cameraman, GPS POI, etc.)

That's bad news. Yes of course I flew (and fly) my Mavic alone -- but it is so much simpler with two people.

So .. the Anafi cannot bind to more than one controller? And if that is really true .. why not? This is just a software issue.
 
That's bad news. Yes of course I flew (and fly) my Mavic alone -- but it is so much simpler with two people.

So .. the Anafi cannot bind to more than one controller? And if that is really true .. why not? This is just a software issue.
I don't think that's really a problem. Also on DJI machines this was only available on the PRO machine, factory function (Mavic pro, Inspire 1-2)
It takes a lot of practice and working hours for 2 people to do their job better. I witnessed an Inspire being handled by 2 people and the pilot didn’t do what the camera operator wanted. I would have solved it much easier on my own.
The Anafi is not a professionally developed drone, so there is no need to operate the two remote controls.
If you need one, you have to reach deep into your pocket because it only knows a category above a certain price.
 
I don't think that's really a problem. Also on DJI machines this was only available on the PRO machine, factory function (Mavic pro, Inspire 1-2)
It takes a lot of practice and working hours for 2 people to do their job better. I witnessed an Inspire being handled by 2 people and the pilot didn’t do what the camera operator wanted. I would have solved it much easier on my own.
The Anafi is not a professionally developed drone, so there is no need to operate the two remote controls.
If you need one, you have to reach deep into your pocket because it only knows a category above a certain price.
I've been using dual control for several trips now along with my friend (a relatively novice pilot, but adept), while I concentrate on getting the exposure right for spherical panoramas. The latter takes a lot of concentration to determine the best exposure for the scene, and it's a huge bonus to not have to be spotting the drone and flying it at the same time.

There's very little practice needed .. he flies it to the right place (decided in advance, usually); I set up and start the panorama sequence. There's almost no communication required other than to say when the sequence is starting and when it is complete.

So for me, not being able to do that really will be a backwards step. I was hoping the Anafi would allow two controllers to bind, which is all that's needed?
 
I've been using dual control for several trips now along with my friend (a relatively novice pilot, but adept), while I concentrate on getting the exposure right for spherical panoramas. The latter takes a lot of concentration to determine the best exposure for the scene, and it's a huge bonus to not have to be spotting the drone and flying it at the same time.

There's very little practice needed .. he flies it to the right place (decided in advance, usually); I set up and start the panorama sequence. There's almost no communication required other than to say when the sequence is starting and when it is complete.

So for me, not being able to do that really will be a backwards step. I was hoping the Anafi would allow two controllers to bind, which is all that's needed?
It’s really weird ... I’ll fly the plow to the right height on my own, then release the joysticks there and while hovering in one place, I select the spherical panorama mode and do it completely automatically.
Why do we need 2 people for this?
I made this 1 month ago (with DJI Spark) alone! Thassos sziget 2021. 09. 17.
 
It’s really weird ... I’ll fly the plow to the right height on my own, then release the joysticks there and while hovering in one place, I select the spherical panorama mode and do it completely automatically.
Why do we need 2 people for this?
I made this 1 month ago (with DJI Spark) alone! Thassos sziget 2021. 09. 17.

Yes, I have made quite a few sphericals on my own without problems .. especially in open terrain such as you show.

The problems increase when using the Mavic Pro (for which the auto-exposure over-exposes), or when the light is tricky (needing testing of the exposure in four or more directions before deciding which to use), But where having a separate pilot is really useful is in 'real' terrain, where the background of the drone is woods or mountains, not sky. Even with a strobe on the drone it is hard to see if you don't keep an eye on it constantly, even at only a few hundred metres.

For a few of the sphericals I've taken (about half with dual-control) see: Speleogroup - sgpanos (or the PanGazer starter image at PanGazer - introduction).

And there's another advantage of dual control: you can get twice as many sphericals into a 20-minute flight because one person is gauging the light, exposures, etc. while the other is flying to the next photo spot and then both converge ready for the next shot. This matters a lot when over rough terrain or in a mountain gorge, etc., where there is not much room.
 

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