It must just be me, Video argh.

[THE CYBORG]

I simply can’t get decent video with the Mavic.

No matter what settings I try ( for want of a better description ) I get flickering every time especially with tree branches.

If I take a still photo of the subject everything is great but go back to video and the flickering is back.

Focusing is a pain as I don't see why its necessary with a wide angle lens.

I have an inexpensive Xiaomi MI 4k drone and get fantastic video all be it that its not the best thing to get in the air as it almost always gives magnetic interference please move to a different place so I move two feet and its fine but then fly film great footage every time.

I don't have any ND filters at the moment but surely I should be able to get some half decent footage without them before spending more cash.

OK rant over can anyone give some simple advice for video.

 

[THE CYBORG]

OK thanks, first question posted

It must just be me, Video argh.
Auto hyperlink that's cool

 

[brett8883]

I simply can’t get decent video with the Mavic.

No matter what settings I try ( for want of a better description ) I get flickering every time especially with tree branches.

If I take a still photo of the subject everything is great but go back to video and the flickering is back.

Focusing is a pain as I don't see why its necessary with a wide angle lens.

I have an inexpensive Xiaomi MI 4k drone and get fantastic video all be it that its not the best thing to get in the air as it almost always gives magnetic interference please move to a different place so I move two feet and its fine but then fly film great footage every time.

I don't have any ND filters at the moment but surely I should be able to get some half decent footage without them before spending more cash.

OK rant over can anyone give some simple advice for video.

Does the flickering happen in the high quality video you pull off the SD card when you hook it up to a computer? What resolution are you filming in?

If you auto focus on something that is at least 50 meters away and then switch to manual focus it will lock in infinity focus. Alternatively there’s a setting in the camera settings page in the submenu that has the gear symbol called “enable AFC.” AFC is the DSLR equivalent of “AI continuous servo focus.”

 

[THE CYBORG]

Yes its off the SD card, every resolution I try.

Today was ISO 100, Shutter 1/500, 4k, 25 FPS, D-Cinelike, mpeg 4, Using a Sandisk Ultra SD Card.

Looked good on my phone while flying but pathetic on the PC.



Will try the focus lock to infinity next time I get to fly.

 

[brett8883]

Yes its off the SD card, every resolution I try.

Today was ISO 100, Shutter 1/500, 4k, 25 FPS, D-Cinelike, mpeg 4, Using a Sandisk Ultra SD Card.

Looked good on my phone while flying but pathetic on the PC.



Will try the focus lock to infinity next time I get to fly.

There’s two issues right there.

1) The bigger problem is the Sandisk ultra doesn’t cut it. You need at least a V30 card. Sabdisk Ultra is only V10. You need the Sandisk Extreme or Extreme Pro.

I’m surprised it recorded at all but what’s happening is when you start recording a high bit-rate scene like tree branches the card can’t write the information fast enough so it will have to skip over some of the information to keep up.

2) You really need to use ND filters with the Mavic Pro when using it for video. If you have your frame rate at 25 frames per second and your shutter at 1/500 sec that means you are repressing the shutter 20 times per frame. Good video will be only 2 per frame! This is going to make your footage look choppy especially in a high bit rate scene like trees and if you already having a card writing issue no wonder it looks terrible!

Using an ND filter slows your shutter speed because it allows less light to the sensor. This will give you the correct looking amount of motion blur when your shutter speed is twice your frame rate. At 25 FPS you would have needed a shutter speed of 1/50. You are 10x that!

 

[THE CYBORG]

Thanks Brett, an Extreme card will be loaded for the next flight.
I am so used to simply turning the wheel to alter brightness on my MI drone that it makes the Mavic look over complicated at the moment, I now realise I was upping the shutter speed to adjust the brightness on the Mavic when turning the controller wheel so will look out for this, next on the shopping list are ND filters.

 

[brett8883]

Thanks Brett, an Extreme card will be loaded for the next flight.
I am so used to simply turning the wheel to alter brightness on my MI drone that it makes the Mavic look over complicated at the moment, I now realise I was upping the shutter speed to adjust the brightness on the Mavic when turning the controller wheel so will look out for this, next on the shopping list are ND filters.

As someone who has their technical training in Photograpy and not videography it did seem a bit overwhelming at first because there’s SO much more that goes into video and SO much more to know. I really thought that my photography knowledge would translate more than than it does with video. It sounds like you have some photography knowledge too and so it’s worth pointing out that part of what makes it more complicated with the Mavic Pro is that the Mavic Pro doesn’t have an adjustable aperture. If it did then without ND filters you could slow down the shutter speed by closing the aperture. Now that’s not ideal, ND filters are better but it does mean you have to plan ahead a little bit more.

I have a ND32, ND16, ND8, and ND4 filter. I use the ND32 almost exclusively during the day even on partly cloudy days. When my light is low enough that it forces the ISO up to 400 to get my shutter speed to be 1/50, that’s when I trade it for the ND16. Most days the ND16 will take me almost all the way to the very end of sunset. The best light requires an ND16. The ND4 and the ND8 I really only use on mostly cloudy days.

Also when I say your shutter speed should be double your frame rate, that’s just the IDEAL scenario. It’s not a big deal to go lower than 1/50 but getting above 1/100 or 1/150 is when you notice the quality of the look starts to degrade. As all “rules of thumb” with photography and video they can be broken but you are gonna have consistently better results the closer you are to those rules of thumb.

 

[THE CYBORG]

As someone who has their technical training in Photograpy and not videography it did seem a bit overwhelming at first because there’s SO much more that goes into video and SO much more to know. I really thought that my photography knowledge would translate more than than it does with video. It sounds like you have some photography knowledge too and so it’s worth pointing out that part of what makes it more complicated with the Mavic Pro is that the Mavic Pro doesn’t have an adjustable aperture. If it did then without ND filters you could slow down the shutter speed by closing the aperture. Now that’s not ideal, ND filters are better but it does mean you have to plan ahead a little bit more.

I have a ND32, ND16, ND8, and ND4 filter. I use the ND32 almost exclusively during the day even on partly cloudy days. When my light is low enough that it forces the ISO up to 400 to get my shutter speed to be 1/50, that’s when I trade it for the ND16. Most days the ND16 will take me almost all the way to the very end of sunset. The best light requires an ND16. The ND4 and the ND8 I really only use on mostly cloudy days.

Also when I say your shutter speed should be double your frame rate, that’s just the IDEAL scenario. It’s not a big deal to go lower than 1/50 but getting above 1/100 or 1/150 is when you notice the quality of the look starts to degrade. As all “rules of thumb” with photography and video they can be broken but you are gonna have consistently better results the closer you are to those rules of thumb.

Old school 35mm monochrome was my thing never got into digital SLR’s.

Changing the shutter speed will take some getting used to as I change the aperture on my MI drone, makes it so easy to get things perfect.

Changed the SD for an extreme & Ordered some filters today.

 

[brett8883]

Old school 35mm monochrome was my thing never got into digital SLR’s.

Changing the shutter speed will take some getting used to as I change the aperture on my MI drone, makes it so easy to get things perfect.

Changed the SD for an extreme & Ordered some filters today.

You know, I looked at the MI drone and it also has a fixed aperture but it is a slightly smaller aperture so that’s probably the difference. The SD card issue I’m sure will make a world of difference. Did you fly today with the new SD card? Did the video look better?

 

[brett8883]

Old school 35mm monochrome was my thing

That’s what my photography professor made me start with, in fact it had a small battery just for the light sensor but had to crank it to advance the film and he made us develop our film and photos. I really feel like that is a lost art and that knowledge still helps me every time I shoot even with digital. There’s nothing more impressive then a great B&W photo shot with film and developed in a dark room

 

[THE CYBORG]

You know, I looked at the MI drone and it also has a fixed aperture but it is a slightly smaller aperture so that’s probably the difference. The SD card issue I’m sure will make a world of difference. Did you fly today with the new SD card? Did the video look better?

By comparison taking great video with the MI is so simple compared to the Mavic but the downside is it almost always gives compass interference so I have to wander round until it decides it likes the spot.

Yes the video was better, not brilliant but better.
Only had a short flight as it was rather windy so a comparison to the previous vids wasn't going to be that accurate.

One other question when shooting video – say I up the frame rate from 25 to 50 I am assuming I can take the shutter speed from 50 to 100 to get the same or at least similar effect.

 

[brett8883]

By comparison taking great video with the MI is so simple compared to the Mavic but the downside is it almost always gives compass interference so I have to wander round until it decides it likes the spot.

Yes the video was better, not brilliant but better.
Only had a short flight as it was rather windy so a comparison to the previous vids wasn't going to be that accurate.

One other question when shooting video – say I up the frame rate from 25 to 50 I am assuming I can take the shutter speed from 50 to 100 to get the same or at least similar effect.

Yep! You got it.?

 

[Kilrah]

Post a sample. Often what makes things look bad is the downsampling your playback sogrware does if your display is smaller than the video resolution.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Post a sample. Often what makes things look bad is the downsampling your playback sogrware does if your display is smaller than the video resolution.

Don't know how to post a sample without uploading to YouTube first (that's how I post on other forums) don't want to upload bad video to my YouTube.

I use VLC player on a 4k monitor, plays 4k footage of my other drone no problem.

 

[THE CYBORG]

You know, I looked at the MI drone and it also has a fixed aperture but it is a slightly smaller aperture so that’s probably the difference. The SD card issue I’m sure will make a world of difference. Did you fly today with the new SD card? Did the video look better?

Had a look at the MI’s manual, all it says is that The right roller is set to brightness by default.

No idea what it actually changes but it works, the aperture is f 2.8 so it look like I wrongly assumed I was altering the aperture.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Don't know how to post a sample without uploading to YouTube first (that's how I post on other forums) don't want to upload bad video to my YouTube.

You can upload a video and make it invite only, ie not public, people must have a link to view.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Thanks Mavic, didn't realise that, will post something or at least a lik when I get some spare time.

 

[Kilrah]

Upload to Dropbox or such so that the file isn't altered.

Had a look at the MI’s manual, all it says is that The right roller is set to brightness by default.

It's a generic "exposure compensation" so it works with what it has. Since there's no variable aperture that means shutter speed and ISO.

 

[THE CYBORG]

You can upload a video and make it invite only, ie not public, people must have a link to view.

It doesn't look that bad now its uploaded to You Tube but the walls on the original are terrible they look more like saws.

You can see the trees in the middle area look out of focus but foreground and background don't look to bad
The mountains did have mist round them.

 

[brett8883]

It doesn't look that bad now its uploaded to You Tube but the walls on the original are terrible they look more like saws.

You can see the trees in the middle area look out of focus but foreground and background don't look to bad
The mountains did have mist round them.

This link is not correct. The video doesn’t show anything