50MP 1" sensor a wise choice?

[bkushner]

Interesting to read how mixed have been the reactions to this Air3S. From very positive to very negative. It indicates that there is a section of the market by whom this drone is well received and section by whom it has been a disappointment. Where is the split is hard to tell. The sales numbers will tell DJI very soon if they have made the right choice in regards to the 1" 50MP sensor or not..

I don't know why everyone says 1" 50 MP. It's a 12 MP sensor. Just like the Air 3 was a 12 MP that did 48.

 

[Filmarik]

I don't know why everyone says 1" 50 MP. It's a 12 MP sensor. Just like the Air 3 was a 12 MP that did 48.

It is 50MP QB sensor. By binning 4 ( hence the word quad) pixels together you get 12MP photo. When not binning, each pixel is used separately and the photo has 50MP. That is my understanding anyway..

 

[bkushner]

It is 50MP QB sensor. By binning 4 ( hence the word quad) pixels together you get 12MP photo. When not binning, each pixel is used separately and the photo has 50MP. That is my understanding anyway..

Are you sure it isn't the other way around? It's 12 and when binned it's 50?

 

[Filmarik]

Are you sure it isn't the other way around? It's 12 and when binned it's 50?

That is my understanding of it. Binning means to put together. You can not make 50MP from 12MP by binning pixels. But I leave the explanation to those who know better

 

[bkushner]

That is my understanding of it. Binning means to put together. You can not make 50MP from 12MP by binning pixels. But I leave the explanation to those who know better

Yeah I respectfully think your wrong here..This is why 12 became 48 QUAD meaning 4...4X 12 = 48

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yeah I respectfully think your wrong here..This is why 12 became 48 QUAD meaning 4...4X 12 = 48

Support for your statement: "Pixel binning introduces a tradeoff: You lose resolution, but gain sensitivity. Binning an entire camera sensor's pixel grid into 2×2 groups will reduce the image resolution by a factor of two and the total number of effective pixels by a factor of four."

Explained: What pixel binning means for smartphone photography

Pixel binning may be the latest buzzword in consumer tech, but astroimagers know the technique has been around since the dawn of charge-coupled devices.

www.astronomy.com

 

[waynorth]

Are you sure it isn't the other way around? It's 12 and when binned it's 50?

The sensor has 48 (or 50) photosites (pixels), but the Quad Bayer filter in front of it turns it into a 12MP sensor, so to speak. The filter covers four pixels behind each color square instead of just one.

"So, really these 48MP Quad Bayer sensors can’t offer much more detail than a 12MP sensor. Sensor and phone makers alike will tell you that smarter demosaicing algorithms can capture more detail, but our experience is that the gain is small – if there’s a gain to be had at all."
Read here:

Quad Bayer sensors: what they are and what they are not

Marketing departments are trying to sell you on the wrong thing - resolution isn't why these sensors are good, it's the better image processing.

www.gsmarena.com

 

[Wreckhunter]

I saw a youtube video comparing Air 3s To Mini 4 night video and the mini 4 was as good if not better.

Are you sure it isn't the other way around? It's 12 and when binned it's 50?

Seems like people think it is a true 50mp sensor with a 12 mp setting,it is a true 12mp.I knew when I saw the specs on this 1" sensor that the fireworks would start once again with the I will call the Quad Bayer crap.It is the main reason why I am going to stay far away from the Air 3S.And wait and see what the Mavic 4 will have to offer.

 

[Filmarik]

The sensor has 48 (or 50) photosites (pixels), but the Quad Bayer filter in front of it turns it into a 12MP sensor, so to speak. The filter covers four pixels behind each color square instead of just one.

"So, really these 48MP Quad Bayer sensors can’t offer much more detail than a 12MP sensor. Sensor and phone makers alike will tell you that smarter demosaicing algorithms can capture more detail, but our experience is that the gain is small – if there’s a gain to be had at all."
Read here:

Quad Bayer sensors: what they are and what they are not

Marketing departments are trying to sell you on the wrong thing - resolution isn't why these sensors are good, it's the better image processing.

www.gsmarena.com

That is how I understand that. The sensor has 50 or 48MP and QB filter in front binns (combines) 4 pixels together to create 12 milion bigger pixel so to speak. The process effectively reduces the number of pixels from 48÷4 to12MP and that is the image resolution we get from that sensor. By some smart computational tricks you can also set the 48MP resolution in which case the QB sensor is sort of "ignored" and each "small" pixel of the 48 milion pixels is counted towards resolution. But it is not true resolution hence the real life resolution difference between 12MP and 48 MP setting is negligible and the computational tricks (unscrambling the eggs) also have many undesirable consequences i.e. color noise in shadows, color bleeding on hard edges etc. etc..

 

[waynorth]

That is how I understand that. The sensor has 50 or 48MP and QB filter in front binns (combines) 4 pixels together to create 12 milion bigger pixel so to speak. The process effectively reduces the number of pixels from 48÷4 to12MP and that is the image resolution we get from that sensor. By some smart computational tricks you can also set the 48MP resolution in which case the QB sensor is sort of "ignored" and each "small" pixel of the 48 milion pixels is counted towards resolution. But it is not true resolution hence the real life resolution difference between 12MP and 48 MP setting is negligible and the computational tricks (unscrambling the eggs) also have many undesirable consequences i.e. color noise in shadows, color bleeding on hard edges etc. etc..

Exactly. Well explained.

 

[Filmarik]

That is how I understand that. The sensor has 50 or 48MP and QB filter in front binns (combines) 4 pixels together to create 12 milion bigger pixel so to speak. The process effectively reduces the number of pixels from 48÷4 to12MP and that is the image resolution we get from that sensor. By some smart computational tricks you can also set the 48MP resolution in which case the QB sensor is sort of "ignored" and each "small" pixel of the 48 milion pixels is counted towards resolution. But it is not true resolution hence the real life resolution difference between 12MP and 48 MP setting is negligible and the computational tricks (unscrambling the eggs) also have many undesirable consequences i.e. color noise in shadows, color bleeding on hard edges etc. etc..

I'd like to add to the above that by combining (binning) 4 small pixels together creating one relatively big one also explains good low light performance (light gathering capability) of QB sensor. One of the sales pitches spruiked intensely by DJI about this drone. Nothing wrong with that

 

[Wreckhunter]

Lets's not get carried away. My thoughts are just that, my thoughts. They are mostly based on my experience with Mavic3Pro 48MP sensor behind the 70mm lens and on the very few sample photos I have seen showing some weird noise issues. The 12MP mode I expect to be ok and delivering clean images though at a bit less than expected resolution. IMHO 20MP 1" sensor would have been better option for the main 24mm camera. But I am not in the market for this drone anyway because my M3P does everything I need. All I do is watching the space and expressing my thoughts.

I am talking strictly about the benefits of the 4/3 sensor main camera only