M2P vs MP or MPP WHITES/overexposure in dummy terms

[Mitch]

OK, I am not a professional photographer. I'm just somebody who likes to get nice clear video footage flying over things. I have a Mavic pro and have found in sunny conditions (even with ND filters) that whites easily get blown out/overexposed.

How does the M2P handle whites in sunny conditions? Again, in basic terminology. Is it an easier experience and, is the overall video clarity significantly better than the MP? I'm not a photographer by any stretch so, please dumb down your reply. I'm trying to figure out if the upgrade is worth it to me.

Thank you

 

[Dmbrody]

If you are getting blown out whites on your Mavic Pro, then you aren’t using a strong enough ND filter. You should set ISO to 100, shutter speed to somewhere between 1/50 and 1/100 (ideally twice your frame rate, so if frame rate is 24, then use 1/50. If your frame rate is 30, the 1/60). The slower your shutter speed, the more bright it will be, so that’s where you keep adding stronger and stronger ND filters. If you dont have a strong enough ND filter to keep the highlights from blowing out, then you’ll be forced to increase shutter speed. It’s best if you don’t go faster than 1/100.

On the Mavic 2 Pro, you can also adjust your aperture. Making it smaller reduces the amount of light that can get into the camera. So you can get away with a weaker ND filter, or no ND filter at all. However, changing the aperture can also effect something called depth of field, which long story short effects you can have in focus. So it’s still useful to have a good set of ND filters.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mitch]

If you are getting blown out whites on your Mavic Pro, then you aren’t using a strong enough ND filter. You should set ISO to 100, shutter speed to somewhere between 1/50 and 1/100 (ideally twice your frame rate, so if frame rate is 24, then use 1/50. If your frame rate is 30, the 1/60). The slower your shutter speed, the more bright it will be, so that’s where you keep adding stronger and stronger ND filters. If you dont have a strong enough ND filter to keep the highlights from blowing out, then you’ll be forced to increase shutter speed. It’s best if you don’t go faster than 1/100.

On the Mavic 2 Pro, you can also adjust your aperture. Making it smaller reduces the amount of light that can get into the camera. So you can get away with a weaker ND filter, or no ND filter at all. However, changing the aperture can also effect something called depth of field, which long story short effects you can have in focus. So it’s still useful to have a good set of ND filters.

Hope that helps.

Very helpful info. Are objects on the ground better defined (more clarity) with the M2P in both day and dark conditions?

 

[Derlisz]

The m2p has a lot better dynamic range so in practice it will record a lot more information in the highlights as well as maintaining less noise in the shadows. So yes it will help you keep the image better exposed (Nd filters are still recommended as per post above).

 

[Dmbrody]

Very helpful info. Are objects on the ground better defined (more clarity) with the M2P in both day and dark conditions?

Yes for the Pro version. But it’s not magic. It still requires some knowledge of photography/videography to get good results. I don’t know about the Zoom version. I’ve heard it’s basically the same as your drone, but with a zoom lens.

I’d recommend you keep learning on your Mavic Pro until you can reliably get your exposure under control. Meantime, give DJI a few months to fix bugs and tweak the Mavic 2.

 

[gnirtS]

As above, M2P has far better dynamic range. Its also got substantially better roll off for highlights than the M1. The difference is absolutely huge.

Its still just a compact camera so dont expect DSLR levels of range or response but its not bad at all. With the mavic 1, even fairly normal scenes got impossible to correctly expose because the camera range was so bad - M2 has no such issue.