Best still photo settings

[FormerMember07122019_2]

So they’re buying a $1500 drone to... fly around and watch the live view? Your comment doesn’t make much sense. There’s not a whole lot of in’s and out’s of photography by learning basics such as exposure and how to take a good photo. Sure, you can study photography for decades but this is not the point of the original thread. If I recall, we all took some sort of photography class in high school. This thread is about the basics, the best settings, the tricks.

The thread is asking for the BEST PHOTOGRAPHY settings for a beginner to understandably get better at taking photos. Therefore, others have suggested optimal settings as well as tips and tricks.

We buy these things to shoot videos, stills, create content. Spending an hour or two playing around with settings to take stunning photo that this bird is capable of only adds to the fun of an already great toy.

Last I checked, we’re not talking about grading D-Log M video here and converting into ProRes to deliver to Netflix based on spec. We’re all just trying to have fun, create great content and show it off

With that said, a basic understanding of photography is needed such as the case when buying a camera unless of course, you’re buying a point and shoot or Polaroid insta.

I understand your point of view and I am not trying to diminish it in any way or criticize the great suggestions in this thread. There are a lot of people that desire to take advantage of the camera capabilities and enjoy trying to get a better image. My point is quite simply that not all beginners, or experienced flyers, wants to or needs to do this to enjoy a $1500 drone. Many people do enjoy just flying FPV and maybe taking a video or still from time to time to show their friends and family. That is enough for a big majority of people. I read somewhere that 80% of all photos now are taken with a cell phone and 95% are taken in a point and shoot mode. I am only trying to offer another perspective and suggest not everyone needs to know Fstops and aperture to enjoy their drones. The point and shoot capabilities of my drone are quite amazing IMHO.

 

[Dakrisht]

I understand your point of view and I am not trying to diminish it in any way or criticize the great suggestions in this thread. There are a lot of people that desire to take advantage of the camera capabilities and enjoy trying to get a better image. My point is quite simply that not all beginners, or experienced flyers, wants to or needs to do this to enjoy a $1500 drone. Many people do enjoy just flying FPV and maybe taking a video or still from time to time to show their friends and family. That is enough for a big majority of people. I read somewhere that 80% of all photos now are taken with a cell phone and 95% are taken in a point and shoot mode. I am only trying to offer another perspective and suggest not everyone needs to know Fstops and aperture to enjoy their drones. The point and shoot capabilities of my drone are quite amazing IMHO.

Definitely no argument here. Point and shoot capabilities on drones, action cams and smartphones have come a long way and continue to be impressive. The portrait mode on iPhone is one of those modes that enables you to take close to DSLR style photos by tapping a button. For most, this not only serves a purpose but adds a creative ability they weren’t even aware they had.

And again, OP asked for best photography settings so everyone has had their share of input.

At the same time, when it comes to picture taking, whether for fun, professionally or for god knows what - a BASIC and fundamental understanding of photography including framing, positioning, basic camera knowledge and exposure will simply make the experience a touch better. Because like I said, you’ll open the pics and say “woah, that’s pretty neat” vs. “I wish I knew what I was doing because I’ll never capture this moment again.”

I remember following a blue whale off the coast of Newport Beach a few weeks ago. The first blue whale sighting in months, a rare sight, a mythical beast, a creature that surfaces for 1 minute and dives for 30. And because I was ready with basic camera settings and dialed in exposure, I captured some of the best and most epic content I’ve ever captured.

So all in all, fun is subjective, but a touch of knowledge on the camera, the aircraft, the various smart modes, the rest of the tech DJI has packed into these things will ultimately result in an addicting and incredible experiences that we’re all rather lucky to have available to us!


Edited for late-night typos.

 

[kilomikebravo]

At a size 15 I have a lot of exposure when it come to my shoe!?

OTB: OMG that was FUNNY!

 

[offtheback]

Definitely no argument here. Point and shoot capabilities on drones, action cams and smartphones have come a long way and continue to be impressive. The portrait mode on iPhone is one of those modes that enables you to take close to DSLR style photos by tapping a button. For most, this not only serves a purpose but adds a creative ability they weren’t even aware they had.

And again, OP asked for best photography settings so everything has had their share of input.

At the same time, when it comes to picture taking, whether for fun, professionally or for god knows what - a BASIC and fundamental understanding of photography including framing, positioning, basic camera knowledge in exposure will simply make the experience a touch better. Because like I said, you’ll open the pics and say “woah, that’s pretty neat” vs. “I wish I knew what I was going because I’ll never capture this moment again.”

I remember following a blue whale off the coast of Newport Beach a few weeks ago. The first blue whale sighting in months, a rare sight, a mythical beast, a creature that surfaces for 1 minute and dives for 30. And because I was ready with basic camera settings, I captured some of the best and most epic content I’ve ever captured.

So all in all, fun is subjective, but a touch of knowledge on the camera, the aircraft, the various smart modes, the rest of the tech DJI has packed into these things will ultimately result in an addicting and incredible experiences that we’re all rather lucky to have available to us!

You're right.Different strokes.

 

[offtheback]

For a example of how/why polatisation shouldnt be used on wide angle scenes i posted an example here:-

Always Use PL Filters?

Hey all, I was shopping for ND and PL filters for my Mavic and came across the Polar Pro line. Looks like they have a few options for filters, with different stops and with or without polarization. However, I'm wondering why one wouldn't just get all polarized filters and use them any time you...

mavicpilots.com

Its easy to do yourself as a test, set the polariser up correctly (NOT using the pointless arrow). Go up, take a 180 or 360 image. For added bonus do it in the morning or early evening where the sun angle is more acute.
You see clear dark/light banding across the blue sky as the polarisation effect kicks in and out due to the angle between that direction and the sun. Its a fairly hideous effect.
If you aren't seeing them on your panos and wide shots (where there is direct sun) its either because the sun is near directly overhead and/or you arent actually setting the polariser up pre-takeoff with the correct rotation angle so its doing very little/nothing.

Your posts are spot on.Part of the objection to them is that some people don't want to bother with much editing and are satisfied with what they get from jpg.Once you learn editing in raw it's addictive(to me anyway)and you can't go back.For some,the fascinating view from the drone makes up for the sometimes less than optimum outcome.If you're familiar with DPreview forums you know that your posts would have lead to death threats?

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

Definitely no argument here. Point and shoot capabilities on drones, action cams and smartphones have come a long way and continue to be impressive. The portrait mode on iPhone is one of those modes that enables you to take close to DSLR style photos by tapping a button. For most, this not only serves a purpose but adds a creative ability they weren’t even aware they had.

And again, OP asked for best photography settings so everything has had their share of input.

At the same time, when it comes to picture taking, whether for fun, professionally or for god knows what - a BASIC and fundamental understanding of photography including framing, positioning, basic camera knowledge in exposure will simply make the experience a touch better. Because like I said, you’ll open the pics and say “woah, that’s pretty neat” vs. “I wish I knew what I was going because I’ll never capture this moment again.”

I remember following a blue whale off the coast of Newport Beach a few weeks ago. The first blue whale sighting in months, a rare sight, a mythical beast, a creature that surfaces for 1 minute and dives for 30. And because I was ready with basic camera settings, I captured some of the best and most epic content I’ve ever captured.

So all in all, fun is subjective, but a touch of knowledge on the camera, the aircraft, the various smart modes, the rest of the tech DJI has packed into these things will ultimately result in an addicting and incredible experiences that we’re all rather lucky to have available to us!

I agree.

 

[brettbrandon]

The OP asked for suggestions and got arguments....
Notice the OP has not been back after a few posts.
Lets maybe try giving what they ask for and move our discussions (arguments) elsewhere.....

 

[Kgitti]

2019 and there is a question as to whether JPEG or Raw is a better file for editing? Hard to believe.

 

[Brockrock]

The OP asked for suggestions and got arguments....
Notice the OP has not been back after a few posts.
Lets maybe try giving what they ask for and move our discussions (arguments) elsewhere.....

The OP - me - has been nibbling on popcorn...?... But really, no harm done, and I think in a lot of respects, photography is a subjective art, so to each their own. I have enjoyed the variety of opinions, and I appreciate everyone’s input.

 

[brettbrandon]

The OP - me - has been nibbling on popcorn...?... But really, no harm done, and I think in a lot of respects, photography is a subjective art, so to each their own. I have enjoyed the variety of opinions, and I appreciate everyone’s input.

Thats great to hear.

Fly Safe

 

[Meta4]

2019 and there is a question as to whether JPEG or Raw is a better file for editing? Hard to believe.

I haven't seen anyone suggesting what is a better file for editing.
But I made the heretical suggestion that for most photographers, most of the time, jpg files are all they need.
I see the blanket recommendation that raw is the only format that anyone serious should consider all the time and I see forum members who aren't heavily into photography struggling unnecessarily with raw images because of what they read here.
And I've backed up my thoughts with a bunch of great images to show that you can get very good results without using raw files.

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

I haven't seen anyone suggesting what is a better file for editing.
But I made the heretical suggestion that for most photographers, most of the time, jpg files are all they need.
I see the blanket recommendation that raw is the only format that anyone serious should consider al the time and I see forum members who aren't heavily into photography struggling unnecessarily with raw images because of what they read here.
And I've backed up my thoughts with a bunch of great images to show that you can get very good results without using raw files.

Here is my somewhat simplistic view on Raw vs JPEG.

If you are trying to get the absolute best possible technically optimized image and assuming you have already mastered the art of composition and lighting and are familiar (or willing to learn) image processing software - USE RAW

Everyone else - USE JPEG

 

[offtheback]

I haven't seen anyone suggesting what is a better file for editing.
But I made the heretical suggestion that for most photographers, most of the time, jpg files are all they need.
I see the blanket recommendation that raw is the only format that anyone serious should consider all the time and I see forum members who aren't heavily into photography struggling unnecessarily with raw images because of what they read here.
And I've backed up my thoughts with a bunch of great images to show that you can get very good results without using raw files.

Raw can save a well composed photo that has extremes of lighting(wide dynamic range) or needs a lot of color balance correction.Many times JPEGS are satisfactory.This link simplifies the advantages of raw.https://photographyconcentrate.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-be-shooting-raw/

 

[Dakrisht]

The OP asked for suggestions and got arguments....
Notice the OP has not been back after a few posts.
Lets maybe try giving what they ask for and move our discussions (arguments) elsewhere.....

I feel like without a few of us arguing in these threads, the forum wouldn’t be what it is. Haha. But yes - OP come back. We’ve got photo settings for you ?

 

[Northern_Bob]

I've shot mostly raw for years and heard this Mac vs PC argument often.
My position is to start with Jpeg and get comfortable with shooting/editing it. Only after that should you consider raw.

A lot depends on the Jpeg engine (software) of the camera. My Fuji X100F cam has one of the best tho I still shoot mostly raw.

Ultimately I don't care what someone uses to get their result, only the result. There have been many Jpegs shots that I'm jealous of.
NB

 

[brettbrandon]

I feel like without a few of us arguing in these threads, the forum wouldn’t be what it is. Haha. But yes - OP come back. We’ve got photo settings for you ?

The OP returned, check post #69.

 

[go fast]

Like some said earlier lighting & conditions are almost more important than settings , I mostly shoot JPEG with manual focus here's a sample with no editing ...

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Light and composition ... and patience and endurance with a lot of trying.
Drone photography follows the same rules concerning this. Light and the idea are essential, easy to remember but hard to master. ?

The technical side of things is by no means not important but that's the easy part nowadays with digital cameras.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Nice idea but it doesnt work. There is no way of knowing the exact polarisation angle without actually testing it as you have no way of knowing exactly which polarisation angles are causing the glare. Thats why most polarisers including those on real land based cameras dont have that mark - because it simply doesnt work.

Or rather, it works, but only in one fixed orientation (compass direction), being invalid as soon as you move from that orientation (which you're going to do using a drone).

Chris

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

If jpg is fine for all of those, then it's pretty good for most photography.

No, it's really only good for non-challenging conditions. In places where you need raw is where you need to recover dynamic range in post that is impossible to be captured in JPG.

You can use the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop for any image, whether is was shot on JPG or RAW, but you won't be able to recover information that is lost such as in the JPG. Take a shot in a high contrast scene with both and try to recover hightlight / shadow detail (not blowouts) to expand the dynamic range, and you'll find that not as much information is there in the JPG (already thrown out in compression, even 1st generation), so you can only go so far.

Another area where JPGs are useful: if you are eventing (such as an equestrian event). The kids and parents might want a print straight away -- JPG. Or you might want to create a quick gallery that they can browse on a laptop to order higher-quality prints from -- JPG (but the prints are likely / best created from the RAW images).

But JPGs are not necessarily good for most photography.

Chris