MA-2 Night flying.

[rcourtney671]

Sadly I don't recall what settings I was using at the time but chances are the video was shot in 1080P or 2.4K then got "down res'd" in post and/or while uploading to YouTube. I'll need to be more cognizant of my settings the next time I do night recordings. I recall I was in a bit of hurry as the rain clouds were rolling in and the image looked okay on my cell phone so I hit the record button and let the MA2 do it's thing.

 

[boblui]

I shot this hyperlapse of the full moon last month ... It's grainy .....

The room for exposure control and post processing for still photos is a LOT more than that for video. Your hyperlapse is grainy because you probably have used the auto setting. Use manual mode, ISO100, max aperture and control the shutter speed to get the exposure you want. Typically it's around 1 sec. Shoot raw and edit the photos to get the color, shadows and hightlights right before putting them together into a footage.

4K hyperlapse taken with my M2P :

 

[rcourtney671]

The room for exposure control and post processing for still photos is a LOT higher than that for video. Your hyperlapse is grainy because you probably have used the auto setting. Use manual mode, ISO100, max aperture and control the shutter speed to get the exposure you want. Typically it's around 1 sec. Shoot raw and edit the photos to get the color, shadows and hightlights right before putting them together into a footage.

4K hyperlapse taken with my M2P :

Thanks for the tips. I've been playing around with the various settings, shutter speeds, shooting in auto/manual, locking and unlocking the exposure, etc., and paying attention to the differences. I'm working with an MA2 which does not have aperture adjustment control so I'm limited in that regard. Like so many others here I'm a recreational flyer, with no formal education in photograph or extended knowledge other than what I'm learning here and through watching hours of YouTube videos. My interest level is still high so I'm anxious and eager to learn more to get better. ?

 

[GadgetGuy]

I think this would have been less grainy had you used an ND filter.
I recently returned from Portland where I got some night shots (with a ND 8 as I recall?) on a river that have almost no graininess and the brightness is about the same as I could see with my naked eye.

An ND filter on stills at night will only increase the grain and noise by forcing a higher ISO or a significantly slowing shutter speed which intoduces motion blur into the shot. Drone ND filters are intended for video, not stills, unless you want deliberate motion blur.

 

[KarMann]

Footage I got so far a bit grainy and sodium lights seem very red unless the gimbal angled down.

As for the red colour, go into the camera settings, set the white balance to manual, and use the slider to set it somewhere rather lower than the default (5200 K I think), probably in the 3000-4000 K ballpark. Fiddle with it until you get the best result. The downside is, things not lit up by sodium, incandescent, or most other artificial lights, may look rather blue.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Apart from the problems of exposure, if you haven’t placed one already you will need a strobe mounted on the top per FAA

Yes sir , have a FAA approved unit already velcroed on top and a mini led led strobe at the rear , for my benefit more than other aircraft .

 

[vindibona1]

I had a situation where I had some night footage where about all I could do based on what I knew at the time but to let the ISO really go. ISO 6400? I don't have the data, but know the ISO was way up there, somewhere I've never been before. The footage was very noisy as you'll see. I had used Neat noise filter on still images years ago, even before anything over ISO 400 was unusable and gave it a try. The filter is available for the major editing programs (one reason I'm so in love with Davinci Resolve as it's considered to get the same level of respect and consideration as FCPX and Premier.. and is FREE!). Below is a quick demo video that I just created to illustrate the noise filter in case anyone is interested in it. It's not cheap, but can be a great tool when you need it. There are other methods to combat noise, but this one is easy. [I am not affiliated with Neat in any way]

 

[Macinfo]

I had a situation where I had some night footage where about all I could do based on what I knew at the time but to let the ISO really go. ISO 6400? I don't have the data, but know the ISO was way up there, somewhere I've never been before. The footage was very noisy as you'll see. I had used Neat noise filter on still images years ago, even before anything over ISO 400 was unusable and gave it a try. The filter is available for the major editing programs (one reason I'm so in love with Davinci Resolve as it's considered to get the same level of respect and consideration as FCPX and Premier.. and is FREE!). Below is a quick demo video that I just created to illustrate the noise filter in case anyone is interested in it. It's not cheap, but can be a great tool when you need it. There are other methods to combat noise, but this one is easy. [I am not affiliated with Neat in any way]

The video you posted appears to be marked private.

the filter sounds interesting, is it in Resolve, or do you have to add it?

 

[vindibona1]

The video you posted appears to be marked private.

the filter sounds interesting, is it in Resolve, or do you have to add it?

It is a commercially available purchase that you import into the effects and then drag onto a node, create a noise profile and apply it. I think I paid something like $89 for it. Here's the link to their website.
Neatvideo

 

[vindibona1]

The video you posted appears to be marked private.

the filter sounds interesting, is it in Resolve, or do you have to add it?

You caught it just as I uploaded it and I changed it to "unpublished" moments after I realized that. You can look at it now.

 

[Macinfo]

You caught it just as I uploaded it and I changed it to "unpublished" moments after I realized that. You can look at it now.

Thanks, viewed it, looks interesting for sure as night shots do have a tendency to intro noise if you use high ISO's. Timing is everything..

 

[GadgetGuy]

It is a commercially available purchase that you import into the effects and then drag onto a node, create a noise profile and apply it. I think I paid something like $89 for it. Here's the link to their website.
Neatvideo

According to the website, it's $79 for the 1080p version, but $129 for the 4K version. Pricey, but impressive!

 

[vindibona1]

According to the website, it's $79 for the 1080p version, but $129 for the 4K version. Pricey, but impressive!

I hadn't picked up on the "maximum frame size" variation of the product. I suppose one day I might have the need to upgrade.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I hadn't picked up on the "maximum frame size" variation of the product. I suppose one day I might have the need to upgrade.

Obviously, the first choice is less noisy night video to begin with, which is where the M2P shines compared to the MA2, but it is amazing how well the MA2 night footage can be cleaned up to make it useable with NeatVideo.