3x vs 9x Zoom... why?

[GadgetGuy]

Yes, they are separate files, one with s, w and z in the end of the file name that includes the date and file #.

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[JCapps]

Why can you use the 3x zoom in photo but to zoom in more you need to be in video mode?

I have wondered the same thing with my Air 2S. No zoom on photo but can with video. Took this video while visiting my Daughter in WA and took a screenshot while zoomed in. Not perfect by any means but turned out pretty good for what it is. This is the stock photo and I am sure I could make it look even better with a little editing.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have wondered the same thing with my Air 2S. No zoom on photo but can with video. Took this video while visiting my Daughter in WA and took a screenshot while zoomed in. Not perfect by any means but turned out pretty good for what it is. This is the stock photo and I am sure I could make it look even better with a little editing.

You should get a much higher quality image from extracting a still frame out of the 4K 30fps video in post. With 30 frames per second to choose from, it's also often the best way to make sure you capture the decisive moment when timing is critical. You won't be making wall sized prints from it, but certainly good enough to share on iPads and Smartphones!

 

[JCapps]

You should get a much higher quality image from extracting a still frame out of the 4K 30fps video in post. With 30 frames per second to choose from, it's also often the best way to make sure you capture the decisive moment when timing is critical. You won't be making wall sized prints from it, but certainly good enough to share on iPads and Smartphones!

Honestly I'm not sure what the current video setting is set on but I'll have to take a look. It was a slightly hazy day and I was limited to how close I could get a shot based on the fact I was near a National Park so the shot was a good distance away. I appreciate the advise.

 

[Droning on and on...]

You should get a much higher quality image from extracting a still frame out of the 4K 30fps video in post. With 30 frames per second to choose from, it's also often the best way to make sure you capture the decisive moment when timing is critical. You won't be making wall sized prints from it, but certainly good enough to share on iPads and Smartphones!

As quality has many variables, keep in mind the resolution of the video recorded. With no zoom, the highest resolution stills taken from a video capture will be when recorded at 5.4k/30, with the same resolution as a photo taken in 16:9 aspect on the 2S (5472×3078). This is the native sensor resolution, cropped vertically to 3078 pixels. There is no zoom in 5.4k/30 video.

The reason for this is actually a good thing: The system doesn't "zoom" by blowing up pixels, thereby losing resolution. Rather, when shooting a lower resolution than the sensor is capable of, it simply crops the sensor area being processed, and decimates the image data less than with the full sensor.

More simply put, when shooting 1080, the camera capture a 5472x3078 frame, and reduces the resolution to 1920x1080 through a mathematical process that combines pixels, usually an algorithm called bicubic interpolation.

This means you could capture just a 1920x1080 rectangle from the center of the sensor and leave it alone, voila, full-resolution 8x zoom.

This means that when shooting in lower resolution modes than 5.4k you will get worse quality results zooming in purely in post production. You will leave resolution and detail lost, that could have captured during filming. Also, framing decisions are easier to discern in situ most of the time.

Bottom line: If zoom is available on the 2S for your shooting mode, always use it. Zoom in more in post if you need it. Here are the shooting modes, and the amount of lossless zoom you can do in each:

4K 24/25/30fps – 4x
2.7K 24/25/30fps – 6x
1080p 24/25/30fps – 8x
2.7K 48/50/60fps – 4x
1080p 48/50/60fps – 6x

 

[GadgetGuy]

As quality has many variables, keep in mind the resolution of the video recorded. With no zoom, the highest resolution stills taken from a video capture will be when recorded at 5.4k/30, with the same resolution as a photo taken in 16:9 aspect on the 2S (5472×3078). This is the native sensor resolution, cropped vertically to 3078 pixels. There is no zoom in 5.4k/30 video.

The reason for this is actually a good thing: The system doesn't "zoom" by blowing up pixels, thereby losing resolution. Rather, when shooting a lower resolution than the sensor is capable of, it simply crops the sensor area being processed, and decimates the image data less than with the full sensor.

More simply put, when shooting 1080, the camera capture a 5472x3078 frame, and reduces the resolution to 1920x1080 through a mathematical process that combines pixels, usually an algorithm called bicubic interpolation.

This means you could capture just a 1920x1080 rectangle from the center of the sensor and leave it alone, voila, full-resolution 8x zoom.

This means that when shooting in lower resolution modes than 5.4k you will get worse quality results zooming in purely in post production. You will leave resolution and detail lost, that could have captured during filming. Also, framing decisions are easier to discern in situ most of the time.

Bottom line: If zoom is available on the 2S for your shooting mode, always use it. Zoom in more in post if you need it. Here are the shooting modes, and the amount of lossless zoom you can do in each:

4K 24/25/30fps – 4x
2.7K 24/25/30fps – 6x
1080p 24/25/30fps – 8x
2.7K 48/50/60fps – 4x
1080p 48/50/60fps – 6x

I believe our mutual point is that a screenshot of the live FPV being displayed in video mode is almost always going to be of lower quality than a frame grab from the recorded video later, especially if the FPV view is only at 720p on older drones. You definitely said it better than I did, and cleaned up all the details!