48mp Photos with the DJI Mini 3 Pro

[deanbush]

I flew my drone yesterday for the first time. I was not especially happy with the 48mp photos. I expected them to be much sharper. They're not bad, but I expected more. Maybe I did something wrong? The 4K/30fps video was good but still not what I expected. I think I'll just stick to my Mavic 2 Pro. At least the Mini 3 Pro will be easy to travel with for those quick flights across or up the country. What is your opinion of the Mini 3 Pro's photos and videos?

 

[PeteGSW]

I flew my drone yesterday for the first time. I was not especially happy with the 48mp photos. I expected them to be much sharper. They're not bad, but I expected more. Maybe I did something wrong? The 4K/30fps video was good but still not what I expected. I think I'll just stick to my Mavic 2 Pro. At least the Mini 3 Pro will be easy to travel with for those quick flights across or up the country. What is your opinion of the Mini 3 Pro's photos and videos?

Hi. I am not convinced with the 48mp files at all. See my thread here (I am not bothering with the 48mp versions... am i missing something?) Initially I was also underwhelmed by the 12mp ones but I used to looking at 26 APSC files from a Fuji, so no wonder! This photographer on youtube does amazing photos with the M3P photos

(I think he uses 12mp files and not the 48mp ones)

 

[deanbush]

I agree with you.

 

[saltydrone]

I personally am pleased with the 48mp image. I find them much sharper than if I simply interpolate a 12mp version the same size. My biggest complaint is it has a darker exposure. Is anyone else experiencing this? Notice in the video below how when going from 4k to 48mp it gets darker (watch trees), and then lighter once switching to 12mp mode.

 

[SrMi]

It may be that 48MP DNG files need more sharpening in post. So far, I like Topaz Sharpen AI.

 

[Vic Moss]

The Mini 3 gets it's "48MP" file by using quad bayer filter system. It's basically a filter that "divides" the pixels on the 12MP sensor in 4 separate pixels. That's not technically how it works, but close enough.

If you look at this Mini 3 as a nice 12MP system that can give you decent 48MP images, you won't be disappointed. If you look at it as a 48MP system, you will. As you found out.

It's the same system that most cell phone cameras use, so expect similar results. Although the sensor on the Mini 3 is larger, so you'll get better images.

 

[Karlewski]

It's what she said. . . it not the # of pixels but the SIZE of the pixels that really matters, LOL
I think Apple nailed it and that is why their cameras are still running 12MP not more like other systems. . .

 

[SrMi]

The Mini 3 gets it's "48MP" file by using quad bayer filter system. It's basically a filter that "divides" the pixels on the 12MP sensor in 4 separate pixels. That's not technically how it works, but close enough.

If you look at this Mini 3 as a nice 12MP system that can give you decent 48MP images, you won't be disappointed. If you look at it as a 48MP system, you will. As you found out.

It's the same system that most cell phone cameras use, so expect similar results. Although the sensor on the Mini 3 is larger, so you'll get better images.

From my understanding, it is the other way around. The Quad Bayer sensor contains actual 48MP pixels but with a CFA of a 12 MP sensor (4 pixels grouped). The filter "bins" the pixels.

 

[Vic Moss]

Not quite. Look up how a quad bayer system works. How I described it is accurate.

 

[SrMi]

Not quite. Look up how a quad bayer system works. How I described it is accurate.

Please post a link describing your interpretation.

This describes what I wrote:
- DPR: Quad Bayer vs. Quad Pixel AF
- GSM Arena: Quad Bayer sensors: what they are and what they are not
- Omnivision (likely the sensor used in Mini 3 Pro).

 

[Vic Moss]

I’m shooting today. I’ll post later.

 

[Vic Moss]

Please post a link describing your interpretation.

This describes what I wrote:
- DPR: Quad Bayer vs. Quad Pixel AF
- GSM Arena: Quad Bayer sensors: what they are and what they are not
- Omnivision (likely the sensor used in Mini 3 Pro).

You're right in that it's actually binned instead of quad bayer. But it's basically the same result with different tech.

It's still a manipulated 12MP sensor. Which is why the images of the 48MP Mini3 do not compare to something like a Z9 with a full frame 46MP sensor.

The AIr 2 has the QB system, so I assumed (you know what they say about that word) the Mini 3 did too. I was wrong.

Learned something this morning. Always a good way to start the day.

 

[RogerDH]

You're right in that it's actually binned instead of quad bayer. But it's basically the same result with different tech.

It's still a manipulated 12MP sensor. Which is why the images of the 48MP Mini3 do not compare to something like a Z9 with a full frame 46MP sensor.

The AIr 2 has the QB system, so I assumed (you know what they say about that word) the Mini 3 did too. I was wrong.

Learned something this morning. Always a good way to start the day.

The sensor really has 48 million photodiodes -- it's not a "manipulated 12MP sensor" -- and it is a Quad Bayer system. But photodiodes only measure brightness, and with color filters covering groups of 4 pixels, you only get the equivalent of 12MP of color information, which is why most scenes won't look sharper. You also get more noise from smaller sensors, which further diminishes the effective sharpness. I'd say that the real advantage of the system is that the 12MP "binned" photos look really good.

 

[Vic Moss]

The sensor really has 48 million photodiodes -- it's not a "manipulated 12MP sensor" -- and it is a Quad Bayer system. But photodiodes only measure brightness, and with color filters covering groups of 4 pixels, you only get the equivalent of 12MP of color information, which is why most scenes won't look sharper. You also get more noise from smaller sensors, which further diminishes the effective sharpness. I'd say that the real advantage of the system is that the 12MP "binned" photos look really good.

Binning is the process of combining nearby pixels into larger ones. So it actually is manipulating data. Just like QB.

It's not the same as QB, but it's not the same as actual pixel data either.

We're both right.

 

[RogerDH]

Binning is the process of combining nearby pixels into larger ones. So it actually is manipulating data. Just like QB.

It's not the same as QB, but it's not the same as actual pixel data either.

We're both right.

You need to reread the description of QB. Again, it's a 48MP sensor that uses standard Quad Bayer filtering to estimate colors for the 48 million pixels in 48MP mode, and it uses binning to reduce that to 12MP in a separate process.

 

[SrMi]

- The Quad Bayer sensor in Mini 3 Pro has 48MP photodiodes, each with its own microlens. The term 'Quad Bayer' refers to the CFA on top of the sensor: instead of one color patch over one photodiode, each color patch covers 2x2 photodiodes.

- Quad Bayer technology has three applications: OSPDAF (OM-1), real-time HDR (smartphones), and binning. Still, DJI uses it only for binning.

- The IQ of Quad Bayer 48MP sensor is not as good as a Bayer 48Mp sensor but should be better than 12MP binned.

- The 12MP and 48MP modes should have similar DR/noise (at output level).

I wish DJI would add real-time HDR to improve the DR of the 12MP.
Shall we use 12MP or 48MP? Is there a difference between 12MP with LrC Enhanced and 48MP?
Does JPG vs. RAW make a difference in the 12MP vs. 48MP choice?

 

[RogerDH]

...
I wish DJI would add real-time HDR to improve the DR of the 12MP.
Shall we use 12MP or 48MP? Is there a difference between 12MP with LrC Enhanced and 48MP?
Does JPG vs. RAW make a difference in the 12MP vs. 48MP choice?

That reminds me: Has anyone determined what camera system the Mini 3 uses? It's likely that real-time HDR is available (actually, anything that's available on QB phone systems), if DJI chooses to enable it.

 

[Johnmcl7]

That reminds me: Has anyone determined what camera system the Mini 3 uses? It's likely that real-time HDR is available (actually, anything that's available on QB phone systems), if DJI chooses to enable it.

If you mean the sensor, DPR think it's this one:

OV48C

OV48C | OMNIVISION

www.ovt.com

This is the sensor used in the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

 

[SrMi]

That reminds me: Has anyone determined what camera system the Mini 3 uses? It's likely that real-time HDR is available (actually, anything that's available on QB phone systems), if DJI chooses to enable it.

IMO, it is time for DJI to add more computational photography to their small sensor drones.

 

[Cymru]

IMO, it is time for DJI to add more computational photography to their small sensor drones.

Thats the last thing most actual photographers want. Nobody really wants files that are already edited that might or might not be real world accurate or just interpolated.