D-log not so good for night video ?

[Daggad]

I got my M2P a few weeks back and it is winter and what feels like ever lasting darkness here in Norway. But hey..the M2P is good at that !
Looking trough my footage I get the impression that Normal color mode looks better at night ? D-Log seem to produce noise trying to get the WDR. Is this consistent with what you guys are seeing ?
Also I have found that a 1:1 on framerate and shutter speed is better than the normal doubling of the shutter speed. Night shots (at least mine) have normally very calm movements.

Another question I have is the focus. How do you guys do this ?
I film/photo in manual mode but have considered using AF or AFC as I have seen some unsharp parts in videos as I have not noticed the blurriness on my phone while flying. Do you tap the screen all the time in manual focus ?

 

[CanadaDrone]

10bit D-Log should be getting you the highest quality footage, but it is RAW footage and needs to be edited - that includes noise reduction if desired. That mode is going to give you the most data to work with in the most flexible possible file format. "Normal" color mode might look better at first glance because the drone has already processed it for you, and that may include noise reduction among other things. Also keep an eye on your histogram and make sure you are exposing properly to begin with - any underexposure is going to exaggerate noise.

The shutter speed will not affect the quality of your video from an exposure standpoint because you can make exactly the same exposure with different shutter speeds. For example ISO 100, F2.8 and 1/60 shutter is exactly the same exposure as ISO 100, F4.0, and 1/30 shutter. If you are having to stop down past F4.0 or F5.6, or if you are having to raise ISO beyond 100, then yes that could be negatively affecting your footage. Personally I wouldn't be using a shutter as slow as 1/30, but if you are high enough you may not notice the blur.

For focus, best to just lock it at infinity focus unless you are going to be flying very close to your subject. You don't want to use continuous autofocus because the drone does not have phase detect AF capability, and also when it hunts for focus or changes focus, it will ruin your footage. At all 'normal' drone photography distances, infinity focus will be just fine.

 

[Daggad]

Thanks for the tips CanadaDrone. Will try 1/50 shutter speed the next time (it stops raining..).
Also I have been tweaking with noise reduction in After Effects. Do not use AE much longer, I used to play with it a lot 10-15years ago but it has actually changed less than Premiere I think. At least on the surface.

 

[DrPhilGood]

Also take note for max "sharpness" as is with all variable AP cameras, there's a "sweet spot;" usually not at either extremes of the AP zone. IDK what it is as I'm a Zoomie

 

[Daggad]

Yes most seem to agree that this sweet spot is around F4 on the pro, but that it is still ok between 2,8 and 6-ish.
It is also interesting that since I started going into details more and viewing A LOT of videos on YT my view on good video has changed. In the beginning it was all the razor sharp ones that caught my attention, or the ones with a very artistic movielike look. These days I am more back to basics liking the more natural look.
I see that it will be important to get a big external drive and keep all original files for later editing if my taste (and proficiency) changes. And it will..

 

[DrPhilGood]

Yes most seem to agree that this sweet spot is around F4 on the pro, but that it is still ok between 2,8 and 6-ish.
It is also interesting that since I started going into details more and viewing A LOT of videos on YT my view on good video has changed. In the beginning it was all the razor sharp ones that caught my attention, or the ones with a very artistic movielike look. These days I am more back to basics liking the more natural look.
I see that it will be important to get a big external drive and keep all original files for later editing if my taste (and proficiency) changes. And it will..

Don't forget number 1 rule... You can always fix in post provided you have number 2 rule. You need the information! So beware over and under exposures.

In film I was taught that in doubt, underexpose... And it's the opposite in digital. IDK as I've found recovering images very difficult at both ends. Under = noise hell over= no data.

Anymore experienced input welcome!

 

[Daggad]

Yes I have seen that. As you I have always thought that it is better to be slightly underexposed, but I see the opposite is often recommended. At least for D-Log.
I can see the point. It is amazing how much you can find in highlights while editing.

 

[DrPhilGood]

Yeah, but say you're looking at the data scale... if the sensor reads say 270 white and it's limit is 256... you've lost data. #teachme

 

[Daggad]

Sure. But as said, "slightly". Sometimes (most) a perfect exposure is impossible and you have to focus to get the best exposure for the most important areas in your shot I guess.

 

[Daggad]

Did some night flying yesterday and filmed in both D-log and Normal. Pretty dark area only some street and house lighting.
I still feel Normal mode seems best in these conditions. D-log is very noisy compared to Normal, and is there really any point in the 10bit color in these conditions ?
Removing all that noise in post is a big task. I did some noise removal on a clip shot in Normal and the 15-ish seconds took 3 hours to render from AE
fFortunately the result was great .