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M2P Picture Quality Issues

zach_mk

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Hello all, first time posting but I've been following the forum for a while. I just got back from a trip to Ocean City, MD a few days ago and while I was there I took a few quick pictures. I only got around to looking at them tonight and I was absolutely shocked with how horrible they turned out. I've been flying the M2P for almost a year now and have only had a picture turn out this badly once before. My question is what can I do to prevent this from happening again? I used a polar pro ND8 filter (non polarized) that morning and later in the afternoon, camera settings set to auto. I doubt there is any way to recover the pictures meaningfully, which is a bit disappointing to say the least.DJI_0399.jpegPANO0003.jpeg
 
The EXIF data for those images says you shot at 1/3200, ISO 12,800.

That's *excessive* and is probably why it looks so grainy. I have no idea why it'd do that in Auto Exposure, but I'm pretty sure that's your problem right there.
 
My question is what can I do to prevent this from happening again?
I used a polar pro ND8 filter (non polarized) that morning and later in the afternoon, camera settings set to auto.
Lose the filter .. it's not doing anything to help you at all.
Your main problem was allowing the camera to shoot at ISO 12800
Set your ISO to 100 and your exposure method to Aperture priority and set the aperture to f5.6 or less.
 
As the above posts
ISO 12.800 is WAY to fast :eek:
The only time (with an SLR camera ) I used anything over ISO 400 film was at the birth of my son, they wouldn't let me use a flash because of oxygen so I made sure I could get some pictures in the dim light, grainy yes but at least I captured the moment.
 
Might be good for you to get a good basic digital photography book. Knowing how a digital camera functions and the basics of photography is key to getting the best results every time you shoot. If you shoot in manual mode using the histogram you have complete control over each exposure. Normal iso settings in daylight would be 100 to 400. 100 for the highest light, 400 for lower light. Sweet spot for the aperture setting is 4 to 6 for most cameras. By sweet spot, I mean this is where the lens will produce it's best images. Then set your shutter speed to the histogram pattern. This will get you on the right track. On super bright days an ND 8 to an ND16 filter may be needed to keep your shutter speed and iso down. There are videos on youtube where guys have done extensive testing and have documented the settings that gave them the best results. PS. I never use any of the auto modes on photo/video for any of my drones. Good luck. PS again. Lol As far as color balance I use the manual setting of 5200 kelvin for sunlight on my DJI drones. It gives very accurate color balance.
 
I used a polar pro ND8 filter .... camera settings set to auto....

The ND filter has absolutely nothing to do with the high noise in the picture. You must have set the ISO all the way to the highest value of 12800 unintentionally in AUTO mode. Such setting is only half-auto because the ISO is selected manually :

1596965881565.png

What you need is a full-auto setting like this :

1596965938220.png
 
Last edited:
The ND filter has absolutely nothing to do with the high noise in the picture.
Although the filter isn't the cause of the noise, it is killing 87% of the light before it gets to the sensor, without adding anything to make up for that.
Unless you have a particular reason to want to force a slower shutter speed than would otherwise be possible, there is no reason to use an ND filter for still photography with a drone.
 
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