? for anyone with both M2 Pro and Zoom

[bkushner]

Anyone making use of both drones? Wondering where you would pick zoom over pro etc. Sure wish the pro zoomed and made it easy.

 

[Fruxen]

I don't think the Zoom has gotten the attention it deserves really imo. People got hung up on "same sensor as the old Mavic" but fact is that image quality is much improved, at least on video.

The internal image processing was subpar on the MP1 video but now it is more refined and uses the sensor to its higher potential. Higher bitrate and better codec fix the issue with GOP flickering and details doesn't pixelate when there is a lot of stuff moving.

I do a fair amount of cropping and zooming in editing to get subjects closer and better framed, which helps to create a sense of story and diversity in the shots. Optical zoom to work with from the beginning would give me more creative flexibility since digital zoom is pretty limited if you don't want to degrade image quality too much.

If I take a step back and look at the overall reception of drone footage in general...
The usual 120m/300ft footage of a distant landscape and some tiny houses is more and more losing it's wow factor I think, people have seen it so many times. People will eventually want to see more variation and closer shots too to get a feeling for the location. A video with 100% landscape shots is like a video with 100% close ups, it gets repetitive.

The larger dynamic range and 10 bit color on the 2 Pro is a very good thing and extremely useful. But in the following years I think more and more people will realize the benefits of being able to zoom (Phantom 5?) to make more interesting videos. Just flying closer can be both dangerous and disturbing or just impractical, and it may still not be close enough. There's a big difference between interesting subjects (family, animals, cars, etc) filling the frame and clearly visible, vs just less tiny in yet another distant shot.

Sorry for some rambling post, maybe someone can make something useful out of it.

 

[ryanolivas]

I don't any but I've flown both of them. I would prefer pro over zoom.

 

[jtarkington]

Have both and really like the images off both. In order to get good images off Pro you have to use manual settings. Can get good images off of Zoom in auto mode, just need to lock the exposure so it doesn’t try to auto adjust during flight. The main advantage to pro is exposure control and low light.

 

[Kilrah]

I really use the zoom a lot, as mentioned it completely changes the perspective, I find myself shooting a lot at 48mm. And you can do cool things like simulating much higher flight speeds when you zoom while moving. POI while zooming comes out great as well.

To think so many people were upset at the launch of the MP at its lens being a little longer than most other drones, for me it was a benefit.

Just wish the lens was constant aperture, if you use the zoom in a shot you actually have to keep it on auto or the exposure will change.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Have both and really like the images off both. In order to get good images off Pro you have to use manual settings. Can get good images off of Zoom in auto mode, just need to lock the exposure so it doesn’t try to auto adjust during flight. The main advantage to pro is exposure control and low light.

This statement does not make sense from a photography perspective - something else is very likely going on there that is influencing the photos in a way you do not like. The correct exposure is the correct exposure, regardless of the camera.

 

[mavicn00b]

I have both, Pro is great for manual tinkering, more latitude in post and better in low light. Zoom is fun with its key feature. I probably use the zoom a little more than the pro though.