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1080 60fps vs. 2.7k 30fps?? Mavic Pro

Flyhigh1

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Trying to figure out if i would be sacrificing alot of picture quality shooting in 1080 60fps so I can slow footage down and it seems to smooth out shots. Looking for a discussion on the subject. Thanks
 
Trying to figure out if i would be sacrificing alot of picture quality shooting in 1080 60fps so I can slow footage down and it seems to smooth out shots. Looking for a discussion on the subject. Thanks
That’s the great dilemma. I face that with my big boy cameras. 60fps offers a lot of flexibility for speed ramping (slo mo to fast). Wouldn’t worry about stability because the 3axis gumble is a dream. Overall resolution comes into play if you plan post manipulation ie, zooming. If that’s your goal, I’ll go full boogie 4K. Too bad the cameras won’t do 4K 60.
That said, I’ve shot many a movie and TV project using Tyler and Continental mounts in a Jet Ranger, shooting 35mm film. We always shoot 24fps because that’s normal. Anything lower is “undercranked” or Keystone cop sped up, anything over 24fps is “over cranked” or slo mo. I typically would shoot 48fps to help smooth out the moves as often I was involved in chase sequences. Normal skyline, scenics and scene setters, I’d drop back to 24, unless rough air. The camera mounts were only for eliminating the G’s. For real time stabilization we had to mount electronic gyros. They worked great but you couldn’t whip/pan because you would be fighting the gyros.
Now with Wescams, the aerial cameras are remotely operated from in the aircraft and have sophisticated gimbles, like on our drones. And big drones are pretty much the norm, though long dramatic running shots are still done from helicopters.
But I digress, as I oft do.
The sacrifice between 1080 60 and 2.7 30 is minimal, unless post manipulation is in the mix. Otherwise 60fps will offer a sharper and more defined image. Remember, in post you can always drop from 60 to 30 but bumping from 30 to 60 looks like crap.
 
Super interesting Allen! It’s amazing how many short drone shots are in films these days.
I really appreciated your comments on FPS
 
If 2.7K is sufficient resolution, why not use 2.7K@60fps if using 60fps is for slow motion?

Only 4x zoom in M2Z is limited to 1080@30fps. That has to do with utilizing 4K at the camera, which is limited to 30fps, and cropping down to 1080p for 2x electronic lossless zoom.
 
If 2.7K is sufficient resolution, why not use 2.7K@60fps if using 60fps is for slow motion?

Only 4x zoom in M2Z is limited to 1080@30fps. That has to do with utilizing 4K at the camera, which is limited to 30fps, and cropping down to 1080p for 2x electronic lossless zoom.
Pretty much nailed it. Lots of moving parts here. 2.7k or 4K at 60 would be ideal. Then you could do what ever you want. But that would mean a bigger camera, power, etc. Arial slo mo is really not necessary on small UAV’s. If you are getting buffed that much you can‘t keep a steady shot without slo mo, you shouldn’t be flying. Still studying for my test but I believe 20kts is the limit and 20knts on these little toys is a lot. BTW...I typically shoot for TV and I always shoot 30fps because it doesn’t look so videish. 60 looks like video but in an aerial environment its fine. 24 is just a little less sharp than I’d like because the math is going against you. All American TV is NTSC and 60f is what gets broadcast. 30f offers easy division but 24, there has to be a pulldown frame equation because you are having to add a frame every 3rd frame in order for the match to work and that offers a slight smear. For narrative, it’s pleasing and film like. I pretty much only do docs and TV these days so 30 is my frame rate...except for my Mavic. 60f is my rate there for reasons previously mentioned.
 
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I'm new to all this but have been experimenting. So far my best "simple" solution has been to shoot at 3840 (4k) 30 fps and do a simple batch post process through HandBrake to 1080p SHQ using only default settings. ND filter to slow shutter speed helps as does slowing down Yaw rate or shooting in cinematic. The 1080p output is quite detailed and much better than the MPP in 1080P collection. It plays nicely on my older computer while 2.7 is still a little jerky. It can be further processed as needed without the horsepower required for 4K. As a bonus you still have native 4k for future use.
 
Trying to figure out if i would be sacrificing alot of picture quality shooting in 1080 60fps so I can slow footage down and it seems to smooth out shots. Looking for a discussion on the subject. Thanks
Your editing software may have a larger impact.
 

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