Losing patience with mavic

[Cslucas34]

What app do you use on your iPad?

I think it’s called affinity photo

 

[Hotelone]

I think it’s called affinity photo

Thanks!

 

[Robert Mitchell]

That makes sense about us comparing our own footage to what we see on TV or YouTube with heavy or professional editing.

I'm not after professional results. I only want footage that is not water colour or mush at one setting and overly sharp at the next.

It also seems as if the right side of my video and images is not as sharp as the left when below +1.

Working within the cameras limitations has probably a lot to do with it and maybe I have more work to do with my lighting levels.

I also tend to only shoot landcapes.

My issue is I fly with people who use Phantom 3 & 4 and they don't have the same issues.


Do you shoot auto or manual for stills?

Pretty much manual color, but exposure I either bracket for photos, or lock for video scenes.

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

I've owned both the phantom 3 Advanced and the mavic pro platinum. I'll also say that I'm a tv snob. Meaning that I pride myself on having the best picture possible (best blacks, no light bleed, perfect gray uniformity, etc).

My mavic pro platinum footage in 4k on my Samsung KS8000 tv is absolutely stunning. Way better than my P3A.

Edit: I live in Philadelphia, United States. My latitude is that of southern Spain. So perhaps my light situation is much different than yours.

Then why don't you have an LG OLED tv then? Just messing with you man. Well it's an honest question though. I have a 65" ks8000 and it doesnt even come close to OLED TV's.

 

[dport177]

Then why don't you have an LG OLED tv then? Just messing with you man. Well it's an honest question though. I have a 65" ks8000 and it doesnt even come close to OLED TV's.

Ha! Point taken. Would love an LG OLED. As far as "snob" I mean that I had to return two KS8000s before I got a great panel. One had light bleed at the bottom, the other looked like crap when I put it through some gray uniformity tests.

Glad we went with the KS8000 last year as the new models aren't that impressive!

 

[harleymhs]

I was in the same boat as YOU... I actually hated my Mavic... So I sold it to a friend bought a NEW ONE from Apple.. ( in stock ) at the apple stores... And Left the firmware on the Mavic and the Controller that it CAME with ... and PERFECT pics EVERY TIME! Just got back from France and I was shocked how the pics cam out.. Totally look like I took them with a DSLR... My advise is roll your firmware all the back as far as you can go back too and try that.. do the controller too! I am loving my NEW Mavic now and taking it to Cancun on Friday..

 

[ArranEye]

Reading this thread it is apparent to me there are discrepancies between different MPs. I've worked in the broadcast TV and video industry since 1969 (admittedly the early days were in monochrome!). I've never tweaked my MP camera settings, yet have been delighted with both video and stills from day one. The video from my MP holds up well when intercut with 4k camcorders.

 

[Callum]

I was in the same boat as YOU... I actually hated my Mavic... So I sold it to a friend bought a NEW ONE from Apple.. ( in stock ) at the apple stores... And Left the firmware on the Mavic and the Controller that it CAME with ... and PERFECT pics EVERY TIME! Just got back from France and I was shocked how the pics cam out.. Totally look like I took them with a DSLR... My advise is roll your firmware all the back as far as you can go back too and try that.. do the controller too! I am loving my NEW Mavic now and taking it to Cancun on Friday.. View attachment 25539

Its frustrating that different aircraft can produce such varying image quality.

Retailer got back to me with an RMA but wants to send it to a RC repair company over here, quoted 3 week turnaround.
Bit worried the fact it fly's great and at first glance video works they won't find a fault.

Other option is to send back to DJI which may be more sensible.

I want to be 100% sure it's not something I'm doing or a firmware issue first.

I've refreshed firmware and calibrated IMU and gimbal. Been grounded due to bad weather but testing camera indoors gives decent video and sharp images.

I'll wait to see how it performs outside before making my decision.

 

[jpbluzharp]

This is not a Mavic bashing post, I love it for what it is but I'm starting to lose patience with the image quality.

I don't use it commercially, I just like going out filming great locations and adding a shine with minimal post editing.

Im not new to video or editing but this is my first quad. It's an absolute joy to fly but unfortunately it stops there for me.

I bought the Mavic after watching YouTube videos which obviously had a massive amount of post work done.

Every time I go out I run through 3 batteries and 90% of the footage or images is absolute junk.

I've tried every tip I can find, have polar pro shutter and vivid series filters but I'm left looking for something I feel it will never achieve.

Maybe it's me, maybe I will be able to find a setting that works with minimal post editing but I'm seriously tempted to get a P4P and keep the Mavic for fun.

Anyone else in the same position?

You can't beat mavic for portability, it will get a shot where you wouldn't have carried a phantom, it's great fun to fly but I feel if your after great video you need something else as well.

Thoughts?

“It ain’t the arrrow. It’s the Indian.”
Use cinelike settings (customize a bit)
Always use histogram and make sure you’re getting enough exposure.
Focus before each shot...

Color correct.
Patience and dedication are key in producing art.
If it was easy, everybody’d do it.

 

[ScubaBob]

I am a photographer and I don't have any serious concerns about the quality of images I get from my MP. No, they are not as good as I get from my land and scuba diving cameras but those cameras cost as much as the whole drone. If you want, you can send me some of your photos ([email protected]) and I will be glad to look at them and see if I can offer some suggestions. If you shoot raw that is OK. My mailbox can handle large files or you can put them on dropbox.

 

[Treyjax]

Right conditions may have a lot to do with it.
I'm in Scotland so get a few months a year of sunshine, the rest is overcast or rain.

I look at all the phantom videos online and they seem to cope better with Scottish lighting.

What kind of post work do you do at +1,-1,-1?

Few MONTHS of sunshine? Which Scotland do you live in? Last year summer was on a Thursday...

 

[Callum]

Few MONTHS of sunshine? Which Scotland do you live in? Last year summer was on a Thursday...

That's a bit harsh mate, it only rained twice this summer.....once for 45 days and again for 35 days.

Your right, weeks or even days may have been more accurate.

 

[Treyjax]

That's a bit harsh mate, it only rained twice this summer.....once for 45 days and again for 35 days.

Your right, weeks or even days may have been more accurate.

It’s no better in Newcastle mate. It’s cold and it’s wet.

And the lasses still go out in the bigg market on a nighttime wearing nowt.

 

[Chadnovz]

Mavic has its limitations. Maybe get the inspire! Lol

 

[netfolks2000]

I think I know what you are going through, especially if you had a Phantom before. I've had a Phantom 3 Standard and loved how I could just fly and take great photos/videos with little effort. When I got the MPP I was immediately disappointed. That is because the Mavic camera is much more complex with gobs more options, more for professional photographers. I am not one. I just want to fly, enjoy and take nice photos with no post-editing at all. Give yourself a little time to find the right settings and you'll once again be pleased with what you see. Remember, though, that you do need to touch the screen before taking a photo to focus on that area. I enhanced the colors, too, to make them as bright as what was normal with my Phantom. The Mavic CAN DO IT. Just study the options.

 

[mph300]

My mavic pro platinum footage in 4k on my Samsung KS8000 tv is absolutely stunning. Way better than my P3A.

I could not agree more. Viewed some fall foliage videos that were unbelievable on 8 series Sammy.

 

[locoman]

I think I know what you are going through, especially if you had a Phantom before. I've had a Phantom 3 Standard and loved how I could just fly and take great photos/videos with little effort. When I got the MPP I was immediately disappointed. That is because the Mavic camera is much more complex with gobs more options, more for professional photographers. I am not one. I just want to fly, enjoy and take nice photos with no post-editing at all. Give yourself a little time to find the right settings and you'll once again be pleased with what you see. Remember, though, that you do need to touch the screen before taking a photo to focus on that area. I enhanced the colors, too, to make them as bright as what was normal with my Phantom. The Mavic CAN DO IT. Just study the options.

Good post, could you share you photo settings. I am sure they very with lighting conditions, but anything would be a help for a place to start. Thanks

 

[Fred in Utah]

I think I know what you are going through, especially if you had a Phantom before. I've had a Phantom 3 Standard and loved how I could just fly and take great photos/videos with little effort. When I got the MPP I was immediately disappointed. That is because the Mavic camera is much more complex with gobs more options, more for professional photographers. I am not one. I just want to fly, enjoy and take nice photos with no post-editing at all. Give yourself a little time to find the right settings and you'll once again be pleased with what you see. Remember, though, that you do need to touch the screen before taking a photo to focus on that area. I enhanced the colors, too, to make them as bright as what was normal with my Phantom. The Mavic CAN DO IT. Just study the options.

Same exact experience here. Love the Mavic, not so keen on the pics/videos. I was looking at some older footage & all of a sudden it was, "wow that looks great", turns out it was my P3 Std video. I kept a note book & recorded all my settings with the date & my impression of the results. The date allowed me to see what settings were used to get whatever video i was looking at. Change 1 thing at a time & see what happens. For me, for now I use D-cinelike, sharp 0, Cont -1, sat +1 with manual WB at 7100. It is not great but it is acceptable. Normal was not bad but could not reduce the contrast enough for a realistic look. It would be nice if the controls were more granular & had a greater range. A $60 pocket camera gives you better control. Oh yes, don't forget to hit focus every time you start up. I set my focus to one of the 5 position joystick settings.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

That image was shot in auto I believe with centre focus.

Another day, Auto but had ND8 filter on at the time.

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Ill try upload a video later

I will admit the images look a little sketch on the right side, but first things first. I'm not sure anyone else caught this.

Never use an ND filter for still photos. An ND lowers the light level for video, providing motion blur by slowing the shutter speed. But that same slowing of the shutter is a killer of sharp photos on a moving platform. Make no mistake the Mavic IS moving even if it seems completely stationary.

Considering the Mavic sensor is small, it needs all the light it can get. The ND adds no value to still photography on the Mavic. As already stated it lowers shutter speed, raises ISO, and raises noise levels, contributing to mush and watercolor.

Video is another story completely.

 

[xtrmtrk]

I have to totally agree with the OP here - I love my Mavic, but hate the video it captures. I've had mine now about 2 months and have 150 flights and about 38 hours of flight time in, most of it spent trying to tweak video, looking for reasonable results. For the life of me, in any settings, I can't get rid of the noisy/grainy appearance and have a lot of issues with blotchy areas of compression artifacts. Both of those things are hard (and slow) to fix in post. I've also had to calibrate the gimbal way too often, it takes 45 seconds or more to return to horizontal when hovering.

Most of my time flying has been in Eastern Washington State and Hawaii - both places with plenty of sunshine.

It just seems impossible to get the video quality I see online in so many places.