At the risk of upsetting some people......

[Peregrine]

..... is the Mavic 2 range trying to punch above it’s weight? Let me explain: I recently posted a thread concerning jerky footage. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong, and what I could do to improve things. I had a few very helpful suggestions. But nothing really made any difference to the results I was getting.

So, I turned to YouTube, as one does. I have watched a myriad of videos, many from established drone specialists. And most offering many handy hints and tips. But I have to say that I came away extremely disappointed. Whilst there are some wonderful compositions, and subject matter, and pin-sharp images, often well colour-graded. Some superb talent out there, offering some incredible creativity. But virtually every film I watched was less than smooth.

Yes,, even amongst the “Pros” I am still looking at jerky footage for the vast majority of footage out there. I’m not talking about clumsy finger-work, I’m talking about the hardware struggling to keep up with what’s being asked of it. I never had the problem with the original MP.

And no-one seems to consider it an issue. Is everyone so used to it that they no longer see it? I could link a multitude of videos to look at, but I don’t want to appear disrespectful of people’s work. As I said, most of it is beautifully composed, and shot with great technique. But the underlying problems are ruining things.

I cannot post anything of mine at present, because I can capture very little due to the lockdown currently in place. It’s just little hops above the house, a bit of a pan round and back again.

I am going to try recording at 2.7k and see if this brings about the smoothness that is so badly lacking. But that is not really the solution I was hoping for, having shelled out a pretty heavy sum for the benefits of 4k.

If I have come across as being unappreciative of people’s talent that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m not having a pop at anyone at all. I am in awe of what folk are capable of. But I’m certainly not in awe of the M2 range at present. Sure, it has many tricks up it’s sleeve, but smoothness of footage has to be the cornerstone of everything else, surely?

 

[old man mavic]

when you think of what that tiny camera on a three axis gimbal has to do, it is a marvel that one can get such amazing footage at all ,it is constantly being thrown around by wind and the drone being flown all over the place,i think we forget sometimes just what it has to put up with ,most drone camera have a round profile like the original MP but the M2P has a almost square profile which could make it more sucseptable to wind as it moves through the air who knows

 

[Hegemone]

For me, I find that the start and finish of pan movements are where I find most of the jitter when flying in P mode. The rest of the time its mostly trying to pan to quickly that leads to some stuttering. Usually, I plan for this by overshooting the pan at the beginning and end moving past my start and stop points. Then in post, I use speed ramps to start and stop my movements rather than using the drone to start and stop the movement. I need to spend some quality time with T mode at some point to get a better feel for how that affects things.

Considering the price range of these UAVs, I don't really have a complaint but that's just my opinion (not trying to start arguments).

 

[Peregrine]

when you think of what that tiny camera on a three axis gimbal has to do, it is a marvel that one can get such amazing footage at all ,it is constantly being thrown around by wind and the drone being flown all over the place,i think we forget sometimes just what it has to put up with ,most drone camera have a round profile like the original MP but the M2P has a almost square profile which could make it more sucseptable to wind as it moves through the air who knows

The problems I’m seeing are not gimbal related. They are not created by the turbulent air, or anything like that. They are produced by the hardware being unable to render what it is capturing. The faster the craft goes, the more evident the problem seems to become. But it is evident with any amount of motion.

I watched this video earlier,

and it gives an extreme example of the problem I’m referring to at 1:59, a low level skim-over of some plants. But, if you watch the video in it’s entirety, the problem manifests itself, to a lesser degree, through nearly every shot. And the video has everything else going for it - stunning locations, incredible subject matter, very well crafted shots, wonderful colour, pin-sharp focus. In fact, the person did an incredible job, but was let down by the equipment. And, as I said before, my old MP didn’t do this.

 

[Peregrine]

For a point of reference, this is an old video of mine, shot on the old, Mavic Pro. It’s not great, by a long shot, but it exhibits the degree of smoothness that I cannot come close to with the M2.

The only videos I’ve seen that seem glassy-smooth shot on an M2 have been low-light affairs, strangely enough.

 

[Peregrine]

For me, I find that the start and finish of pan movements are where I find most of the jitter when flying in P mode. The rest of the time its mostly trying to pan to quickly that leads to some stuttering. Usually, I plan for this by overshooting the pan at the beginning and end moving past my start and stop points. Then in post, I use speed ramps to start and stop my movements rather than using the drone to start and stop the movement. I need to spend some quality time with T mode at some point to get a better feel for how that affects things.

Considering the price range of these UAVs, I don't really have a complaint but that's just my opinion (not trying to start arguments).

Glad you’re not spoiling for a fight, lol. Neither am I, I’m just confused as to why everyone seems happy with what appears to me to be a backward step. And yes, it’s the stuttering that you eluded to that is the problem. Maybe my “jerky footage” description was a bit deceiving.

 

[Thomas B]

Fly and video slowly. Then you can speed up in post to minimize your problem.

 

[old man mavic]

a lot of that could be motion blur using the wrong frame rate and lack of ND filter

 

[old man mavic]

another thing that has not been considered is the actual playback in a lower image quality than it was originally shot in

 

[Peregrine]

Fly and video slowly. Then you can speed up in post to minimize you problem.

But that’s kind of my point..... It’s not just my problem. I’m seeing it everywhere. And yes, I could find ways of minimising the effect in post, but if any animals or people are in shot then it’s Charlie Chaplin time.

The old video I posted was just shot, and edited, in real-time. A workaround wasn’t needed.

 

[Peregrine]

a lot of that could be motion blur using the wrong frame rate and lack of ND filter

I’m flying with a Freewell Variable ND filter, with a frame rate of 25fps, and a shutter speed of 50. Motion blur is my friend, but I cannot get it. I’m getting stuttering instead. And so are most folk.

Honestly, go on YouTube and look at most of the footage out there with a critical eye. Particularly in shots travelling across the landscape, watch what falls off the bottom of the screen, and how it does it most of the time.

 

[sar104]

But that’s kind of my point..... It’s not just my problem. I’m seeing it everywhere. And yes, I could find ways of minimising the effect in post, but if any animals or people are in shot then it’s Charlie Chaplin time.

The old video I posted was just shot, and edited, in real-time. A workaround wasn’t needed.

Were you using ND filters for the segment with the plants?

 

[old man mavic]

what are you filming in 1080p 2.7k 4k i only ask because you will get stuttering if you equipment cant handle the higher resolution

 

[Peregrine]

That wasn’t my video. It was posted on these forums earlier. I just used it as an example. But I have seen similar things on actual ND filter tutorials on YouTube. Where the virtues of the filters are being extolled, and the stuttering is still evident. I’m pretty sure that the hardware doesn’t possess the raw processing power needed.

 

[Thomas B]

I’m flying with a Freewell Variable ND filter, with a frame rate of 25fps, and a shutter speed of 50. Motion blur is my friend, but I cannot get it. I’m getting stuttering instead. And so are most folk.

Honestly, go on YouTube and look at most of the footage out there with a critical eye. Particularly in shots travelling across the landscape, watch what falls off the bottom of the screen, and how it does it most of the time.

I suspect it may be in limitations of things other than the drone causing your problem. Here’s a video of mine containing mOST of the element you mention... other than the grass at landing, do you notice the problems? Just trying to narrow things down.

 

[Peregrine]

what are you filming in 1080p 2.7k 4k i only ask because you will get stuttering if you equipment cant handle the higher resolution

The stuttering is evident before the image reaches my computer. Even on 1080p playback on the Smart Controller, I can see all of the stuttering taking place. I just get to see it bigger and sharper on my Mac when I review the footage proper.

But, as I keep saying, it’s not a problem unique to me and my equipment. It’s everywhere. As I said, I watched several of the “experts” earlier, going through optimum settings etc, and the problem existed in their footage too. It’s like the Emperor’s New Clothes, nobody wants to see it the problem.

 

[sar104]

That wasn’t my video. It was posted on these forums earlier. I just used it as an example. But I have seen similar things on actual ND filter tutorials on YouTube. Where the virtues of the filters are being extolled, and the stuttering is still evident. I’m pretty sure that the hardware doesn’t possess the raw processing power needed.

I've no idea what is causing those effects, and if they are not your videos then we are unlikely to figure it out. The video from my MP2 looks very smooth except in panning when I'm not using ND filters, which I don't for search and rescue work.

 

[sar104]

The stuttering is evident before the image reaches my computer. Even on 1080p playback on the Smart Controller, I can see all of the stuttering taking place. I just get to see it bigger and sharper on my Mac when I review the footage proper.

But, as I keep saying, it’s not a problem unique to me and my equipment. It’s everywhere. As I said, I watched several of the “experts” earlier, going through optimum settings etc, and the problem existed in their footage too. It’s like the Emperor’s New Clothes, nobody wants to see it the problem.

Are you recording in H264 or H265?

 

[Thomas B]

Have you tried other equipment to see if your problem continues?

 

[Peregrine]

I suspect it may be in limitations of things other than the drone causing your problem. Here’s a video of mine containing mOST of the element you mention... other than the grass at landing, do you notice the problems? Just trying to narrow things down.

That footage actually looked smooth. I’m not getting anywhere near that irrespective of ground or panning speed.