Can somebody that has connections please get them to fix the broken Auto ISO

[WildcatDave]

The auto mode picking higher ISOs than base ISO is absolutely ridiculous. Look at this image where this shutter speed is 1/8,000 and the ISO is 200. This tiny little sensor really gets noisy even as you get just a little bit past base ISO and since I'm using this for real estate with nice blue skies, getting that grain because of a bad meter choice is ridiculous.

There's no reason it should be picking this especially since the photo after this was at ISO 110 and 1/4000. It's like the auto just randomly picks settings. I know I could shoot manual, but there is constant changing light in Arizona with cloud cover and the bright sun, and I need to shoot on auto so that I can rapidly shoot the photos and move to my next job. If I have to manually shoot every photo that will change the work time and limit me. There's no reason the auto metering should not work accurately and it should stay at base ISO at least until the shutter speed gets to 1/1,000 or even 1/500.



I'm sure someone will pipe in and say hey you should contact DJI. But from reading on these forums as well as the official DJI forum, unless I have something broken that I need to send back the chance of them listening or updating something is pretty much nil, unless somebody with a shoe in at DJI knows somebody. This needs to get fixed, it's basically a broken metering system and I've never had this problem with their previous drones or any other manufacturer's drones.

 

[MS Coast]

The auto mode picking higher ISOs than base ISO is absolutely ridiculous. Look at this image where this shutter speed is 1/8,000 and the ISO is 200. This tiny little sensor really gets noisy even as you get just a little bit past base ISO and since I'm using this for real estate with nice blue skies, getting that grain because of a bad meter choice is ridiculous.

There's no reason it should be picking this especially since the photo after this was at ISO 110 and 1/4000. It's like the auto just randomly picks settings. I know I could shoot manual, but there is constant changing light in Arizona with cloud cover and the bright sun, and I need to shoot on auto so that I can rapidly shoot the photos and move to my next job. If I have to manually shoot every photo that will change the work time and limit me. There's no reason the auto metering should not work accurately and it should stay at base ISO at least until the shutter speed gets to 1/1,000 or even 1/500.

I'm sure someone will pipe in and say hey you should contact DJI. But from reading on these forums as well as the official DJI forum, unless I have something broken that I need to send back the chance of them listening or updating something is pretty much nil, unless somebody with a shoe in at DJI knows somebody. This needs to get fixed, it's basically a broken metering system and I've never had this problem with their previous drones or any other manufacturer's drones.

With bright skies in broad daylight, the simple solution is to use Pro mode and set the ISO to 100 and shutter speed to auto.

What sort of publication media are you using that will reflect the difference between ISO 100/400 and ISO 200/8000? Homebuyers in Arizona must be using very high quality monitors when browsing through real estate listings.

>"Can somebody that has connections please get them to fix the broken Auto ISO"

I don't think you're going to find anyone here who has the head of the software division of DJI on speed dial.

 

[Frank Dracman]

Yeah, they'll get right on that. It only took 2 months and thousands of complaints to get their crappy app to work on Android 12 and 13.

 

[4wd]

What's going on in your example there seems to be some sort of fine grid on the sky.
I wouldn't expect ISO 200 to cause any problems really, but in any case you can set it manually easy enough, this is what photography is all about.
Compared to driving to your location and setting up/getting in position I don't quite understand how it is too rigorous to set the ISO on 100 manually.

 

[WildcatDave]

Thanks for the replies guys. The Mini 3 Pro, if I'm understanding correctly, only has two options: full manual and full auto. I can't go into manual and set the iso and then let the shutter speed be Auto. You have to have one of the more advanced drones for that. If you switch to manual you have to control the shutter speed and the ISO there is no auto option for one or the other.

The lighting changes depending on the angle of the drone, the angle of the shot, the Sun, the clouds. I'm shooting 25 to 30 images per property, so shooting full manual and adjusting based on the histogram for every one of these is just a pain in the butt and something I shouldn't have to hassle with.

I noticed that nobody really commented on the fact that this is ridiculous and the built-in metering should be at ISO 100. The person that commented about why are real estate people really worried about a little grain in the sky. That has nothing to do with it, I want to deliver the absolute best images to my clients at all times and if the sky has noise in it, I have to edit that out which takes more time and therefore adds cost to the client.

Also that shot is not representative but I am commonly shooting houses that are over a million dollars and those images need to be as close to perfect as possible which is part of the reason I may end up just getting a Mavic 3. And keeping the Mini 3 as a backup. I didn't expect perfect full frame image quality. But I also didn't expect the meter to not be able to figure out the lighting conditions and degrade the images.

 

[scro]

What's going on in your example there seems to be some sort of fine grid on the sky.
I wouldn't expect ISO 200 to cause any problems really, but in any case you can set it manually easy enough, this is what photography is all about.
Compared to driving to your location and setting up/getting in position I don't quite understand how it is too rigorous to set the ISO on 100 manually.

That "fine grid in the sky" is the pixels on the monitor that the OP took a photo of. It's not related to the drone selecting a potentially higher than necessary ISO.

 

[Deleted member 165681]

Thanks for the replies guys. The Mini 3 Pro, if I'm understanding correctly, only has two options: full manual and full auto. I can't go into manual and set the iso and then let the shutter speed be Auto. You have to have one of the more advanced drones for that. If you switch to manual you have to control the shutter speed and the ISO there is no auto option for one or the other.

The lighting changes depending on the angle of the drone, the angle of the shot, the Sun, the clouds. I'm shooting 25 to 30 images per property, so shooting full manual and adjusting based on the histogram for every one of these is just a pain in the butt and something I shouldn't have to hassle with.

I noticed that nobody really commented on the fact that this is ridiculous and the built-in metering should be at ISO 100. The person that commented about why are real estate people really worried about a little grain in the sky. That has nothing to do with it, I want to deliver the absolute best images to my clients at all times and if the sky has noise in it, I have to edit that out which takes more time and therefore adds cost to the client.

Also that shot is not representative but I am commonly shooting houses that are over a million dollars and those images need to be as close to perfect as possible which is part of the reason I may end up just getting a Mavic 3. And keeping the Mini 3 as a backup. I didn't expect perfect full frame image quality. But I also didn't expect the meter to not be able to figure out the lighting conditions and degrade the images.

As a test, I went out and took a few shots in auto; some with only sky, some with sky and ground and some ground only. Exposure compensation was zero on some and–0.3 on others. The Mini 3 chose ISO 100 on most. The highest ISO was either 120 or 140 (I already forgot). I think the fastest shutter speed was 1/350.

I have an ND 16 filter attached.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Knowing how to take pictures is far more valuable than good AUTO settings. There are hundreds of websites and videos on setting ISO, shutter speed, etc. If I need to go to 1/8000 ISO 100, then I need to slap on a ND filter and adjust.

 

[Cymru]

If I need to go to 1/8000 ISO 100, then I need to slap on a ND filter and adjust.

And possibly move away from the nuclear blast that caused those lighting conditions.

 

[Cymru]

I have an ND 16 filter attached.

Take the ND off (we're talking stills here so it isnt needed).

Even the most conservative algorithm should accept anything faster than 1/1000th is going to be sharp so ISO should never think about rising until that threshold is passed.

I have no idea what its calculating but im seeing 1/4000th at ISO 120 and other randoms.

(While on that subject, when will they allow standard 1/3 stop manual iso settings!)