Adjusting EV

[black_magic100]

I'll try and explain it so you understand.
ISO: low ISO (100) will give you a cleaner image but needs plenty of light. High ISO (1600) will work in lower light but will give you a noisier (mushy) image.
Shutter: Low shutter (25/30) will let more light into the sensor but will introduce motion blur. High shutter (2000+) will capture each frame but needs lots more light to hit the sensor.

Finding the balance of shutter and ISO to get good exposure is fairly simple. Start at the lowest ISO (100) and shutter as low as possible and as long as the image isn't under-exposed (too dark) you are good to go.
If its over-exposed (too bright), just keep raising the shutter till you get a good exposure. If it is too dark with the lowest shutter, you now need to bring the ISO up to make the sensor more sensitive to light at the expense of noise in the image.

Now, applying this to video is where it becomes a little trickier because in the example above I was discussing a single frame. In video there are many frames per second. This is how we deal with this.

In this example I want to capture at 2.7k@24fps for the cinematic look. To achieve this I know I will need a shutter speed of 50 (180 degree shutter rule). So I will lock this off first. Next I need to evaluate the scene I'm shooting. Its a bright sunny day and there is plenty of light. So I'll need to start at the lowest ISO (100) and have a look at the live feed. It still looks way over-exposed. I cant lower the ISO any more and I don't want to raise the shutter. My only option here is to use a Neutral Density filter to block some of the light coming in. Imagine sunglasses for your Mavic. In this case an ND32 will bring my exposure nearly to 0 (+- 0.3ev)

In this example. I want to capture some action shots of my friend on his dirt bike. He wants to be able to slow some parts down to show off his moves so now I know I want to be capturing the footage at least at 60fps. We head out to the track. Now, as I'm capturing some action shots and I want to be able to slow them down but at the same time I want each frame to have as little motion blur as possible I will need to set my shutter (using the 180 rule). I will set it at multiples of 60, so starting at 120, next available is 240, then 480 and so on. I set up my Mavic. I will lock my camera off at 1080p@60fps and set the shutter to 120 and the ISO at 100, as long as the image isn't under-exposed I will start to adjust the shutter speed, starting at 120 and going up till I get the correct exposure. Ideally I want a shutter of no more than 480 so if it goes above this Ill need to use an ND filter, probably a ND4 or ND8 will be enough. If the image is under-exposed at ISO100@120 I will need to bring my ISO up, not more than 400 though as at 400 its manageable but not the best.

In this example I want to capture a 4k evening shot of the town. I know it will be dark but with the street lights and buildings to give illumination to the scene. I set my Mavic to 4kc@24fps. I know I need as much light as possible to hit the sensor so need to use as slow a shutter speed as possible so I'll lock this at 24. Ill send my Mavic up to have a look at how the shot looks from the air because I now need to adjust my ISO to expose the image correctly. Starting at ISO200, it appears too dark, ev value shows -0.7 so I know I need even more light to get through. Ill push the ISO to 400. I have to remember, I'm shooting a fairly dark shot and want the lights to stand out so I don't worry too much about slight under-exposure.

Hopefully these examples will help you.

This makes a lot of sense actually. Just to confirm a few things...

Can I go below 1/60 shutter if I am shooting 30 fps?
What is the max shutter I should go on the mavic @ 30fps?
400 is the max ISO I should go in daytime hours on the mavic before it looks bad/fuzzy?
If I am shooting at 30 fps I would increase shutter by multiples of 30? Assuming this is true, why is this?

 

[black_magic100]

It's like taking stills with a camera: Hold the Mavic towards your preferred shooting direction *before* taking off, then look at the histogram and adjust the shutter speed (at ISO 100 of course!). With these settings use the Polar Pro app, enter the current values and the app will tell you what ND filter to use for the preferred shutter speed (1/50).

That app doesn't make sense to me. I input all the values and it just tells me to use the filter I selected. If I select no nd filter installed it just says no filter. Please help me understand how you use this tool properly. I understand it probably is very simple so ELI5.

 

[black_magic100]

It's like taking stills with a camera: Hold the Mavic towards your preferred shooting direction *before* taking off, then look at the histogram and adjust the shutter speed (at ISO 100 of course!). With these settings use the Polar Pro app, enter the current values and the app will tell you what ND filter to use for the preferred shutter speed (1/50).

Wait. I think I understand the app. Is the idea to turn your mavic on, adjust ISO and shutter speed to get your histogram correct, then input the values, turn the mavic off, and then install the correct filter, fly it back up and adjust accordingly?

 

[Malakai_UK]

Yes, set your Mavic to auto mode at the correct Resolution and FPS you are shooting in eg 2.7k@24fps.
Without a filter installed, point the camera or fly the drone to the place you want to get the shot and make a note of what the automatic mode set the shutter speed to and dial that into the app.
You will now need to go into the polarpro app and in the settings and add your aircraft and which filters you own so the app knows which you have available to recommend you use. In the app, punch in the FPS you are using and the shutter that the camera gave you and the top will show which ND filter to use to get the cinematic shutter/180 degree rule or double your fps.

Now as an example, set the app to show. 24fps, current shutter 1/400, No filters installed. At the top it will now show you what density filter you need to put on your camera, which in this case will be ND8.

Hope this helps

 

[black_magic100]

Yes, set your Mavic to auto mode at the correct Resolution and FPS you are shooting in eg 2.7k@24fps.
Without a filter installed, point the camera or fly the drone to the place you want to get the shot and make a note of what the automatic mode set the shutter speed to and dial that into the app.
You will now need to go into the polarpro app and in the settings and add your aircraft and which filters you own so the app knows which you have available to recommend you use. In the app, punch in the FPS you are using and the shutter that the camera gave you and the top will show which ND filter to use to get the cinematic shutter/180 degree rule or double your fps.

Now as an example, set the app to show. 24fps, current shutter 1/400, No filters installed. At the top it will now show you what density filter you need to put on your camera, which in this case will be ND8.

Hope this helps

Hmmmm... that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe I am better off just keeping ISO to 100 (I hardly ever shoot in low light/night) and holding my mavic in my hands the directions I am facing and then putting on the appropriate filter.

I'm just wondering. Let's say I am flying one direction and I change direction to face the sun. I raise my shutter from 1/60 to 1/120, then 1/240 if that's not enough and then 1/480 you said was max? At what shutter speed does the footage not look blurry aka cinematic?

 

[LivinLarge]

Hmmmm... that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe I am better off just keeping ISO to 100 (I hardly ever shoot in low light/night) and holding my mavic in my hands the directions I am facing and then putting on the appropriate filter.

I'm just wondering. Let's say I am flying one direction and I change direction to face the sun. I raise my shutter from 1/60 to 1/120, then 1/240 if that's not enough and then 1/480 you said was max? At what shutter speed does the footage not look blurry aka cinematic?

You should not change your exposure unless the lighting changes (for example, cloud covers the sun.) If you increase the shutter speed because the sun is in the frame, the rest of your scene will be too dark. This is a problem with most all automatic exposure systems and why most pros use manual exposure.

 

[Malakai_UK]

Hmmmm... that sounds like a lot of work. Maybe I am better off just keeping ISO to 100 (I hardly ever shoot in low light/night) and holding my mavic in my hands the directions I am facing and then putting on the appropriate filter.

I'm just wondering. Let's say I am flying one direction and I change direction to face the sun. I raise my shutter from 1/60 to 1/120, then 1/240 if that's not enough and then 1/480 you said was max? At what shutter speed does the footage not look blurry aka cinematic?

Cinematic blur is achieved only at double frame rate. Eg. 24fps = shutter of 50, 30fps = shutter of 60.
If you think you might be filming in an area that could get brighter or darker start with ISO200 and calibrate from there. This will give you to compensate overexposed areas without having to change shutter speed because when you point toward the sun you can drop down to ISO100. You will probably need a higher ND filter though. Like where you might have used an ND4 you might need ND8.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

I'll try and explain it so you understand.
ISO: low ISO (100) will give you a cleaner image but needs plenty of light. High ISO (1600) will work in lower light but will give you a noisier (mushy) image.
Shutter: Low shutter (25/30) will let more light into the sensor but will introduce motion blur. High shutter (2000+) will capture each frame but needs lots more light to hit the sensor.

Finding the balance of shutter and ISO to get good exposure is fairly simple. Start at the lowest ISO (100) and shutter as low as possible and as long as the image isn't under-exposed (too dark) you are good to go.
If its over-exposed (too bright), just keep raising the shutter till you get a good exposure. If it is too dark with the lowest shutter, you now need to bring the ISO up to make the sensor more sensitive to light at the expense of noise in the image.

Now, applying this to video is where it becomes a little trickier because in the example above I was discussing a single frame. In video there are many frames per second. This is how we deal with this.

In this example I want to capture at 2.7k@24fps for the cinematic look. To achieve this I know I will need a shutter speed of 50 (180 degree shutter rule). So I will lock this off first. Next I need to evaluate the scene I'm shooting. Its a bright sunny day and there is plenty of light. So I'll need to start at the lowest ISO (100) and have a look at the live feed. It still looks way over-exposed. I cant lower the ISO any more and I don't want to raise the shutter. My only option here is to use a Neutral Density filter to block some of the light coming in. Imagine sunglasses for your Mavic. In this case an ND32 will bring my exposure nearly to 0 (+- 0.3ev)

In this example. I want to capture some action shots of my friend on his dirt bike. He wants to be able to slow some parts down to show off his moves so now I know I want to be capturing the footage at least at 60fps. We head out to the track. Now, as I'm capturing some action shots and I want to be able to slow them down but at the same time I want each frame to have as little motion blur as possible I will need to set my shutter (using the 180 rule). I will set it at multiples of 60, so starting at 120, next available is 240, then 480 and so on. I set up my Mavic. I will lock my camera off at 1080p@60fps and set the shutter to 120 and the ISO at 100, as long as the image isn't under-exposed I will start to adjust the shutter speed, starting at 120 and going up till I get the correct exposure. Ideally I want a shutter of no more than 480 so if it goes above this Ill need to use an ND filter, probably a ND4 or ND8 will be enough. If the image is under-exposed at ISO100@120 I will need to bring my ISO up, not more than 400 though as at 400 its manageable but not the best.

In this example I want to capture a 4k evening shot of the town. I know it will be dark but with the street lights and buildings to give illumination to the scene. I set my Mavic to 4kc@24fps. I know I need as much light as possible to hit the sensor so need to use as slow a shutter speed as possible so I'll lock this at 24. Ill send my Mavic up to have a look at how the shot looks from the air because I now need to adjust my ISO to expose the image correctly. Starting at ISO200, it appears too dark, ev value shows -0.7 so I know I need even more light to get through. Ill push the ISO to 400. I have to remember, I'm shooting a fairly dark shot and want the lights to stand out so I don't worry too much about slight under-exposure.

Hopefully these examples will help you.

Thank you for whoever wrote this! This forum is a treasure trove!