How to Recenter the Camera Gimbal on the DJI Neo 2
Peter Leslie
22 May 2026
If your DJI Neo 2 camera has drifted off-axis after a line of proximity flying — or you just want a one-tap shortcut back to a known angle — the control you are after is Recenter Gimbal inside DJI Fly.
The row lives a short scroll into the Control category and behaves as a two-position toggle: tap once to send the camera straight down for a top-down look, tap again to bring it back to level. Most drone pilots bind the action to a customizable button on the remote controller so the reset is a single press in flight rather than a menu dive.
Quick guide
To recenter the gimbal on the DJI Neo 2, go to DJI Fly → Settings → Control → Recenter Gimbal. Tap once to point the camera straight down for a nadir shot; tap a second time to raise it back to level for forward flying.
Step-by-step: How to Recenter the Camera Gimbal on the DJI Neo 2
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and you will know the path off by heart the second time.
Open the DJI Fly Settings menu from the camera view
With the DJI Neo 2 powered on and the remote controller connected, tap the Settings icon in the top right of the camera view. The settings panel slides in from the right with the category tabs down the left-hand side.
Tap the Control category at the top of the Settings panel
Control is the first tab at the top of the left-hand column, above Safety and Camera. Tap it and the right-hand pane loads with every control and gimbal-related option for the DJI Neo 2 — gain and expo settings, stick mode, gimbal mode, gimbal angle, and the Recenter Gimbal row further down.
Scroll down to the Recenter Gimbal row inside the Gimbal section
The top of the Control page is all drone-related rows. Scroll past Gain and Expo Settings, Stick Mode, and the Easy ACRO row until the Gimbal sub-heading appears. Recenter Gimbal sits as a standalone tappable row below Gimbal Mode and Gimbal Angle.
Tap Recenter Gimbal once to point the camera straight down
The first tap snaps the gimbal to the nadir position — the lens swings to ninety degrees down so the camera is looking directly underneath the drone. This is the angle to reach for when you want a top-down map pass, a survey grid, or a vertical reveal away from a feature.
Tap Recenter Gimbal a second time to bring the camera back to level
A second tap on the same row raises the gimbal back to zero degrees, so the camera is pointing dead ahead and level with the horizon. This is the default look for standard forward flying, line shots, and anything cinematic. The row behaves as a two-position toggle — every fresh tap flips between straight-down and straight-ahead.
Close the Settings panel to return to the camera view
The gimbal moves the instant the row is tapped, so there is no confirm step to hunt for. Close the Settings panel and the camera view returns with the DJI Neo 2 already on the new angle, ready for the next take-off or the next line.
Peter's tip
I never use the on-screen row in flight. I map Recenter Gimbal to one of the customizable buttons on the remote controller the day I unbox the drone, and from then on a single thumb press snaps the camera back to level after every proximity line or top-down pass. The only time I dive into the menu is at the bench between flights, when I am setting things up rather than flying.
Frequently asked questions
What does Recenter Gimbal actually do on the DJI Neo 2?
Recenter Gimbal snaps the camera to one of two preset angles. The first tap sends the gimbal to ninety degrees down so the camera points straight below the drone; the second tap raises it back up to zero degrees so the camera looks dead ahead and level. It is a two-position toggle, not a continuous slider — for any angle in between, use the gimbal dial on the remote controller or the press-and-hold gesture on the camera view instead.
What is the difference between recentering and calibrating the gimbal on the DJI Neo 2?
Recentering moves the gimbal to a preset angle and that is all it does — it is a flying-time convenience, not a fix. Gimbal calibration is the maintenance routine that corrects a tilted horizon, hunting motors, or a gimbal that will not hold its position. If the horizon looks crooked even after a recenter, the gimbal needs a calibration, not another recenter.
Can I recenter the DJI Neo 2 gimbal mid-flight?
Yes. Open Settings, tap Control, find Recenter Gimbal, and tap it — the camera moves immediately. Just keep a hand on the sticks while you reach for the screen, because the drone will keep flying its current line while you are in the menu. Recentering mid-line is also the quick way back to a known angle when the gimbal dial has been bumped during a shot.
Can I bind Recenter Gimbal to a button on the DJI Neo 2 remote controller?
Yes. Go to Settings, tap Control, scroll to Button Customization, and assign one of the customizable buttons to the recenter action. After that, a single press on the controller does the same job as the on-screen button — much faster than going into the menu mid-flight. The DJI Neo 2 documentation does note that pressing recenter during an RTH route will stop the drone from auto-tilting the gimbal to follow the route, so save the shortcut press for normal flight, not the return leg.
Why is my DJI Neo 2 horizon still tilted after I tap Recenter Gimbal?
Recenter Gimbal only sets the pitch angle — it does not fix a tilted horizon. A crooked picture after a recenter means the roll axis is off and the gimbal needs a calibration. Land the drone, open Settings, tap Control, scroll to the Gimbal section, and run Gimbal Auto Calibration. If the tilt comes back after a clean calibration, the gimbal has likely taken a knock and needs a proper inspection before flying again.
Does recentering the gimbal also reset the Gimbal Mode setting on the DJI Neo 2?
No. Recenter Gimbal only changes the angle the camera is pointing at — Follow Mode versus FPV Mode is a separate setting on the same Control page. A recenter while you are in FPV Mode still leaves the gimbal in FPV Mode, it just points the camera at the new angle. If the gimbal is rolling with the drone instead of staying level, it is the mode you want to change, not the centre point.
What if I cannot find the Recenter Gimbal row in DJI Fly on the DJI Neo 2?
Make sure you are on the Control category in the Settings panel, not Safety or Camera. The Recenter Gimbal row sits inside the Gimbal section on the Control page, which is below the drone-related rows — keep scrolling. If the row still is not there, update DJI Fly to the latest version and reconnect the drone; older app versions sometimes hide newer rows until the link to the drone refreshes.
Recenter Gimbal is one of those quiet DJI Fly controls that earns its keep the moment something goes sideways mid-shot. Bind it to a button, get into the habit of using it as the reset between takes, and the DJI Neo 2 will spend more of every flight on the angle you wanted and less of it on the angle the last input happened to leave it on.
If you would like a second opinion on which button to map it to, or whether the on-screen tap is enough for the kind of flying you do, drop the details to peter@hiredronepilot.uk and I will come back to you directly. The video version of this walkthrough is on YouTube and the comments are open.
References
Primary source material for this article is the official DJI Neo 2 documentation and DJI Fly. External links open in a new tab.
- DJI Neo 2 — Downloads (User Manual, Quick Start Guide, firmware notes) · Gimbal Angle and Customizable Button sections covering the recenter action and how to bind it to the remote controller.
- DJI Neo 2 — Product page (UK) · Drone hardware overview and the single-axis gimbal that Recenter Gimbal repositions.
- DJI Fly — App download and release notes · The app where the Control category and the Recenter Gimbal row live. Release notes record any menu reshuffles between versions.
Peter Leslie
Founder & GVC Drone Pilot
Peter is the founder of HireDronePilot. With thousands of logged commercial flight hours, he writes about drone technology, commercial surveying tactics, and UK aviation compliance.
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