Q&A and Feedback, 2 Jun 2025: A Mavic 4 Pro via Canada, the DJI FCC Scare, Care Refresh Rumours, Europe and Geofencing, Jamal's Boat Footage (Key the Blown Highlights), Goggles vs RC2 and the Drone Mask 2, and Freewell's Dual-Strength NDs

Dr Drone (Canada) shipped it; FedEx forms, two days to clear; duties unknown despite ChatGPT's research; South Korea via eBay works too; a rumoured US launch 'sometime in June'. The executive-order threat targets DJI's FCC licences - new models, not existing ones; no US alternative near; resellers ~$1,000 over MSRP. Care Refresh: an Air 3S in for a crash claim amid parts rumours; his previous claim replaced quickly. An Avata went into a waterfall pool too deep to recover.

Register per country; monuments like the Colosseum are no longer viable; he avoids illegal areas and launches away from people even where legal. DJI's US 'fly safe' update dropped airport geofencing so pilots follow Part 107 - close to untowered strips is fine outside controlled airspace (a member had been blocked 20 ft up in an Atlanta car park); Europe still enforces DJI-style zones - use the country's map app (a Swiss one cited).

First clips: 'nice smooth movements, nice dynamic movements' but muted - raise HSL luminance on the greens, or the white point if there's headroom; later, whites near clipping, push blacks darker; a clip with crisper shadows praised; he guessed his own LUT and would pull the green saturation (self-critique). Blown whites: don't darken the shot - key the brightest highlights on their own node (the keying lesson). Next assignment: sunrise/sunset. Boat flying is 'some of the hardest': update the home point, disable obstacle sensors before a hand catch or it pushes away into the water; a YouTube tip to use Sport mode 'actually makes it worse.'

He flies the Air 3 with the RC2, not goggles - no tele, no histogram, slow setup. Drone Mask 2: a small HDMI monitor fed from the RC2 via USB-C-to-HDMI, slotted into the mask - immersive with all RC2 features (or the feed to a 32-inch TV for bystanders, not 4K). Filters: Freewell now (they send them, and 'they just work well'); the Air 3 pack uses different ND strengths on wide and 3x so both share a shutter speed; no-name variable NDs are a risk; ND/PL combos avoided because the polariser's angle can't follow an orbit - reflections come and go; K&F's fixed ND/PL lacks the dual strengths but works; K&F on the Avata 'work great.' Upcoming: Mavic 4 Pro and Potensic Atom content; john@flyingfilmmakerpro.com for questions.