Best method for shooting stills and video on the same flight?

[OnTheRopes]

When shooting video and using a ND to get 180d but you want to get some good quality stills on the same flight what do you do?
A fast shutter speed would be required for the stills, but increasing ISO will increase noise probably beyond an acceptable level and shooting the video with a small aperture to allow for opening up for the stills will probably mean soft footage? Landing and removing ND is obviously the best method but wastes battery and time.

 

[WithTheBirds]

When shooting video and using a ND to get 180d but you want to get some good quality stills on the same flight what do you do?
A fast shutter speed would be required for the stills, but increasing ISO will increase noise probably beyond an acceptable level and shooting the video with a small aperture to allow for opening up for the stills will probably mean soft footage? Landing and removing ND is obviously the best method but wastes battery and time.

You either have a fast enough shutter for your stills with the filter or you don’t. If your in a hover it’s likely you will have. If not landing and removing is your only option.

 

[OnTheRopes]

You either have a fast enough shutter for your stills with the filter or you don’t. If your in a hover it’s likely you will have. If not landing and removing is your only option.

Is hover on the M2 stable enough for a slow shutter?

 

[WithTheBirds]

Is hover on the M2 stable enough for a slow shutter?

Sure is. Assuming you don’t have a strong wind to contend with.

 

[OnTheRopes]

Sure is. Assuming you don’t have a strong wind to contend with.

Cheers, I will do some tests.

 

[dannybgoode]

Is hover on the M2 stable enough for a slow shutter?

I’ve got clean exposures at 8” so assuming daylight shutter speeds of 1” or faster are very easily achievable.

Of more concern is whether the scene stays still. A breeze will mean grass and trees move and any water surface too. Animals, cars and people too have a habit of shifting about.

Sometimes this movement can be used to good effect, other times it just looks like you’ve not kept steady and the shoots look quite horrid!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Try taking a still from a video, they come out pretty good.
Otherwise, just take the shot and start a new video segment.
Unless your using a very dark ND, it won’t make a lot of difference in most conditions.

 

[dannybgoode]

Try taking a still from a video, they come out pretty good.
Otherwise, just take the shot and start a new video segment.
Unless your using a very dark ND, it won’t make a lot of difference in most conditions.

You’re giving up a huge amount of data doing this. The resolution of a stills image is much higher than that of a ‘screen grab’.

Yes if can be used and 9/10 would be fine for social media sharing etc but if you’re taking a photo it should ideally be shot in stills mode.

As if happens I often face the opposite as I take stills with an ND10000 big stopper which is useless for videos. I have no choice but to do the stills shooting then come back and take it off

 

[WithTheBirds]

You’re giving up a huge amount of data doing this. The resolution of a stills image is much higher than that of a ‘screen grab’.

Yes if can be used and 9/10 would be fine for social media sharing etc but if you’re taking a photo it should ideally be shot in stills mode.

As if happens I often face the opposite as I take stills with an ND10000 big stopper which is useless for videos. I have no choice but to do the stills shooting then come back and take it off

We can get by without the black glass these days. Stacking and blending multiple frames gives, in most instances, an indistinguishable result. Actually the resultant image is often superior. Average out the noise and take advantage of the fact most digital sensors produce increasing noise with longer exposures.

 

[OnTheRopes]

We can get by without the black glass these days. Stacking and blending multiple frames gives, in most instances, an indistinguishable result. Actually the resultant image is often superior. Average out the noise and take advantage of the fact most digital sensors produce increasing noise with longer exposures.

Blending exposures doesn't give the same result as long exposures though if you are looking for smoothing out water or creating blur in clouds etc.

 

[dannybgoode]

Blending exposures doesn't give the same result as long exposures though if you are looking for smoothing out water or creating blur in clouds etc.

Which is exactly what I use them for. Was taking 1” exposures of a shipwreck in the midday Cyprus sun to get some movement in the waves.

Will post the results when I’ve processed them

 

[OnTheRopes]

Which is exactly what I use them for. Was taking 1” exposures of a shipwreck in the midday Cyprus sun to get some movement in the waves.

Will post the results when I’ve processed them

Good to hear it is stable enough to do that, I shall have to try it out.

 

[GFields]

I may not completely understand the OP's question but when I have a project that requires both still images and video I use the Litchi app and use a waypoint mission. I am then able to instruct actions along the flight path, i.e. "start video" at waypoint #1, then at waypoint #2 "stop video" "wait 5 sec", take photo" wait 5 sec," "start video". If the exposure becomes a problem, I adjust in post. Don't stomp on me if I missed the OP's question.

 

[OnTheRopes]

I may not completely understand the OP's question but when I have a project that requires both still images and video I use the Litchi app and use a waypoint mission. I am then able to instruct actions along the flight path, i.e. "start video" at waypoint #1, then at waypoint #2 "stop video" "wait 5 sec", take photo" wait 5 sec," "start video". If the exposure becomes a problem, I adjust in post. Don't stomp on me if I missed the OP's question.

As the OP my question relates to the narrow Aperture and ISO that is usable on the M2P without image degradation and how to take a full resolution image whilst using ND filters for Video. As primarily a photographer my instinct is to avoid vibration induced issues by shooting at a faster shutter speed than needed for video.
However as people seem to indicate that this is not a problem, then maybe my OP is already answered.
Thanks for your input though, I have been considering Litchi but it seems to have mixed reviews

 

[parkgt]

input though, I have been considering Litchi but it seems to have mixed reviews

Litchi will neither help or hurt since it doesn't change the dynamics of the camera.

 

[OnTheRopes]

Litchi will neither help or hurt since it doesn't change the dynamics of the camera.

Thanks but that was not what I meant and was not a consideration of using Litchi

 

[WithTheBirds]

Blending exposures doesn't give the same result as long exposures though if you are looking for smoothing out water or creating blur in clouds etc.

Yes it does. You haven’t thought about this. 10 2s exposures stacked is indistinguishable from a 20sec single frame. Very handy technique to add to your repertoire.

 

[OnTheRopes]

Yes it does. You haven’t thought about this. 10 2s exposures stacked is indistinguishable from a 20sec single frame. Very handy technique to add to your repertoire.

Thinking about it yes I guess it must, not something I have tried and my comment was based on luminescence blending to which I have done a fair bit of.

 

[WithTheBirds]

Thinking about it yes I guess it must, not something I have tried and my comment was based on luminescence blending to which I have done a fair bit of.

I presume you mean luminosity (rather than.luminesence) masking- another very handy editing technique.

One of the real benefits of aligning and stacking multiple frames to create a long exposure with a drone is increased sharpness. Limitations if the gimbal stabilisation aren’t an issue. Another benefit- with relatively short exposures to, for example, add a silly rendering to moving water, can be obtained with no ND filter required.

 

[OnTheRopes]

I presume you mean luminosity (rather than.luminesence) masking- another very handy editing technique.

Indeed I did (as championed by Tony Kyper), though I preferred to select luminosity manually, and its been a while, hence my poor terminology.