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100MP and 25MP DNG please

Lens variability has always been bad, I tested over 20 M2P to find 2 that were excellent, the rest all had decentering and other problems making them terrible for my photography. I chose not to buy a M3P because of all that effort and seeing it also had issues.

I just bought a Mavic 4 and I am lucky that the lens is perfectly centered and sharpness is excellent down to f2.5. I was expecting to have to return it and so it was a pleasant surprise.
The lens variability is a massive issue with these tiny cameras. IMHO it is bigger than DJI and users are willing to admit. I get it that vast majority of users are happy with the photos and videos they see on their smarphones because they do not subject them to the same level of scrutiny the small minority of people here do. These are consumer or at best prosumer drones after all. The very few people on this forum who use these drones for work have higher treshold level for what's acceptable and what's not and that has been sorce of a few misunderstandings here in the past...
As for my workflow and processing there is more parameters in Lr which need to be set right for the best possible outcome to be achieved. I have created user presets for each of the 3 cameras including custom camera color profiles using X-rite colorchecker passport and my results are very consistent from all 3 cameras. The variability in sharpness, especially where there is not a dominant subject AF can lock on, is from my experience caused by AF misfocussing marginally. Therefore I use MF where it is safe to do. My particular M3P needs different setting for each camera. The 7x needs the cursor on the focusing scale to be 4 bars below infinty. At infinity the photos are soft and blurred. That is just one example of a small detail which when overlooked will degrade significantly IQ, and can easily sway people to reach a wrong conclusion.
 
Lens variability has always been bad, I tested over 20 M2P to find 2 that were excellent, the rest all had decentering and other problems making them terrible for my photography. I chose not to buy a M3P because of all that effort and seeing it also had issues.

I just bought a Mavic 4 and I am lucky that the lens is perfectly centered and sharpness is excellent down to f2.5. I was expecting to have to return it and so it was a pleasant surprise.
That's a huge issue, but when you consider the probable cost of these cameras, it's understandable. A decent camera and lens alone should cost more than these complete drones sell for. This goes on in the full-size camera world too, with mass-produced lenses from all the major brands, there are inconsistencies. I just don't have the patience to buy and return over and over again, unless there is a drastic problem. I wish they would just charge a bit more for this gear and make sure the optics are well centered.

Meanwhile.... I'm still waiting to hear about the status of the M4 here in the states....
 
The 100mp settings looks worse than shooting 25mp and upprezzing in Lightroom 😂
Do not know why dJI continues to use Quad Bayer garbage,Quality for just the still photographer seems to be going backwards in the last few new DJI releases.Think I will continue to use my Autel lite+ with an honest 1" 20 mp sensor that takes great photos.
 
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Do not know why dJI continues to use Quad Bayer garbage,Quality for just the still photographer seems to be going backwards in the last few new DJI releases.Think I will continue to use my Autel lite+ with an honest 1" 20 mp sensor that takes great photos.
Did you look at the comparison images I posted above?
 
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Did you look at the comparison images I posted above?
Thanks.

It's incredibly obvious how enormously much more detail the 100MP images have. I can't imagine taking once-in-a-lifetime images and NOT capturing the full detail this drone is capable of. I'm sure with RAW the difference will be even more dramatic.

One example (400% / 200% magnification)

Example:Screenshot 2025-06-15 at 4.28.17 PM.png
 
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Still not sold on the 100mp SETTING,as in normal not blown up still photos there would be no difference.
I would argue that it would depend on how big you would want to print as that would be likely the only time when you might see the extra resolution. Under good light and in optimal conditions it might be worth shooting stills at 100MP. The same principle applies to the other 2 cameras. I have M3P and the 70mm is basically the same as on M4P. I tested the resolution in 12 and 48MP mode and while there was a bit of extra detail in 48MP photos there were also the artifacts consistent with the QB sensor known issues i.e. color bleeding over edges reminiscent of bad CA across the entire frame, to mention just one. To conclude, if anyone sees benefit in shooting at 100MP, go for it!
 
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I would argue that it would depend on how big you would want to print as that would be likely the only time when you might see the extra resolution. Under good light and in optimal conditions it might be worth shooting stills at 100MP. The same principle applies to the other 2 cameras. I have M3P and the 70mm is basically the same as on M4P. I tested the resolution in 12 and 48MP mode and while there was a bit of extra detail in 48MP photos there were also uggly artefacts consistent with the QB sensor known issues. Color bleeding over edges reminiscent of bad CA across the entire frame, to mention just one. To conclude, if anyone sees benefit in shooting at 100MP, go for it!
Thank you for the reply,in bright sunlight maybe still photos at 100mp,but those massive file sizes on that mode.
 
I would argue that it would depend on how big you would want to print as that would be likely the only time when you might see the extra resolution. Under good light and in optimal conditions it might be worth shooting stills at 100MP. The same principle applies to the other 2 cameras. I have M3P and the 70mm is basically the same as on M4P. I tested the resolution in 12 and 48MP mode and while there was a bit of extra detail in 48MP photos there were also uggly artefacts consistent with the QB sensor known issues. Color bleeding over edges reminiscent of bad CA across the entire frame, to mention just one. To conclude, if anyone sees benefit in shooting at 100MP, go for it!
If you look at the screenshots of the JPEGs I uploaded, the 100MP image has far fewer visible artifacts than the 25MP version. And of course tons more detail, proven by making it possible to read text where the 25MP image is too blurry.
 
If you look at the screenshots of the JPEGs I uploaded, the 100MP image has far fewer visible artifacts than the 25MP version. And of course tons more detail, proven by making it possible to read text where the 25MP image is too blurry.
I do not know what these photos are of but I would suggest to go out there and start shooting real things, landscapes, cityscapes or whatever. In good light and bad light, day and dusk just the normal things you bought the drone for. If you will be happy with the photos at 100MP that is all what's going to matter😀 And if you find that under certain conditions the 25MP mode gives you better results, changing the settings is the easiest thing to do😉 Happy shooting!!
 
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It's no mystery .. he had a look at the comparison pix I posted a link for back in post #146

I have been and getting great results.
I see, I did not know that. It was kind of hard to work out what it was from the tight crops and 200% magnification. Good to hear that M4P is doing a good job for you😀
 
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