Anyone has focus problems with GitUp G3 90 camera?

[user777]

Hi all,

Recently and after dabbling with a 90 FOV lens for my Git2p with some focusing issues that were mostly resolved, I decided to go the whole hog and get a brand new G3 Duo with a 90 fov lens to put through its paces.

It came just a few days ago. The camera itself is lovely, however there is a significant blur and loss of contrast to the right side of the images and videos. Have a look at the sample. What do you think?
Any other owners of the 90 fov version want to chime in?

Cheers
Nick

 

[Nigel]

Can you post a photo of some trees with sky behind?...

Seems to be rather excessive chromatic aberration on the right, as though one of the lens elements is not seated properly.

 

[user777]

Believe me, the problem is very pronounced. The sample I uploaded lost a bit due to web compression compared to the original pic.
If you look carefully at the sample check the very fine gravel and how sharply it is rendered on the left and center part of the image and how abruptly it loses definition on the right side.

When I turned on the camera for the first time and took a couple of pics I immediately saw that the right side of the images was wonky. The same issue is very apparent on full resolution videos. Interestingly, when I took some 1080 videos, the issue was a lot less apparent.

I have both the G2p and the F1 in addition to the G3 and none of the others had any such issues. I must point out that the others have the 170 fov lens. Is the 90 fov lens such a PITA to get right?

Here is another sample with trees as requested.

 

[Nigel]

The very centre looks good!

There do seem to be more problems with the 90 degree than with the standard. They are more difficult to focus, but yours isn't a focus issue, it is actually very good focus in the centre, it shouldn't be separating the colours that much on either side.

 

[user777]

Be that as it may, I guess it's back to the factory for an exchange. Bummer.

 

[Nigel]

Be that as it may, I guess it's back to the factory for an exchange. Bummer.

Depends where you bought it, normally the seller is responsible first. If you bought it direct from Gitup then you might get them to send a replacement lens if you fancy changing it yourself, save on problems returning to China.

 

[user777]

I got it direct from GitUp. Seeing just how incredibly difficult it is to properly focus the 90 fov lens, I'd never ever ever go through the hassle of getting just the lens. I already struggled with this procedure once with my G2p and that was more than enough.

To be honest, I'm starting to consider whether I should just ask for the 170 fov version instead and call it a day.

Update: GitUp's awesome customer support replied just this morning even though they are away currently on holidays, accepting the return and initiating the relevant procedures. Kudos!

 

[user777]

Nigel mate, you have quite a bit of experience with action cams. In your opinion, do you think that a 170 degree cam is a better bet than a 90 one? I like the wide angle but not too keen on the fisheye effect. I used my wide angle g2p last summer extensively and found that I can straighten the photos quite nicely.
If it means a very sharp lens all around I may be tempted to go that way...

 

[Nigel]

Nigel mate, you have quite a bit of experience with action cams. In your opinion, do you think that a 170 degree cam is a better bet than a 90 one? I like the wide angle but not too keen on the fisheye effect. I used my wide angle g2p last summer extensively and found that I can straighten the photos quite nicely.
If it means a very sharp lens all around I may be tempted to go that way...

Depends what you are using it for, but the 90 is intended for model aeroplane/drone video use, to give a more human/realistic FOV when flying. Most action cameras are much wider for good reason, more suitable for general video use where you are not necessarily aiming the camera directly at the target.

The G3 has a digital zoom where in 1080 video mode you can zoom in to x2 without exceeding the sensor resolution, which means you are not stuck with very wide angle and thus aren't stuck with big fisheye, actually the fisheye isn't too bad anyway with the stabilisation turned on. I find I typically use mine at around x1.8, but zoom out for things where I am not aiming carefully.

For photos, the zoom is pointless, better to do it on your computer where you can crop to get the same effect, and with appropriate software also de-fisheye, so I guess it depends on what resolution photo you want to end up with after cropping. I find that with a full sensor size photo a bit of cropping or de-fisheye is necessary to reduce the fisheye, however I normally use 16:9 aspect ratio - either 4K or 1080 size which fits my monitor, and then the worst of the fisheye is automatically removed and I quite like the wide angle, it allows me to take photos that I could not do with a normal camera, especially useful for photographing buildings in tighter spaces where you can't step back far enough to get everything in view. It's not so good for people unless it is a large group of people.

Actually, most of my photos from the G3 are actually frame grabs from video:

And often, I find that the wide angle is actually not wide enough and I end up compositing multiple images:

And quite often, it is impossible to see fisheye or angle even if it exists:

Those images are all from my Gitup G3.

 

[user777]

My intended use for the camera is on my motorcycle, mainly for photos and the odd videos. Up until recently I have been using typical compact cameras, where I would have it handy and just point and shoot anytime I wanted to capture a landscape. It worked quite nicely but obviously a dedicated camera is a better bet.

Note, that all these compacts I was using had a fov of 90 or less, so I was thinking if the 170 is just an overkill. On the other hand the pics I got out of the G2p last summer with its 170 lens were unexpectedly awesome.

I'm just concerned that with the 90 FOV camera I might end up with lens troubles again but on the other hand I worry that the digital zoom of the 170 will degrade the sharpness of the videos significantly.