Manual Video Settings

sleepydad · Apr 27, 2017

Hi all -

New to the forum and relatively new to my Mavic (got it in January). I've shot for years with my trusty GoPro Hero3+ Black, so I do have some video experience. I have a couple of questions:

I fly primarily in the bright California sun during the day, and am looking to capture that cinematic, flyover look of coastal scenery. I've been flying in Auto 2.7k with 'nice' results, but am experimenting with Manual settings to more customize the experience. A formula that I've seen time and time again is basically fps x2 = shutter speed. As well, it seems that you want to shoot with the lowest ISO possible. Assuming these things, I shot some test footage last evening. It was a cloudy but bright day, and I shot 2.7k @ 24fps, 100 ISO, 1/50 shutter speed, Auto White Balance, "Cloudy" Mode. I shot in D-Cinelike to be post-produced in Premiere Pro. As I expected, the footage required TLC in Premiere and I was able to pull out most detail but the sky and all details in the distance were washed out with no information that I could pull. All in all the capture, even after post, was unacceptable. The colors were not salvageable, and as I mentioned the sky and all subject matter in the distance was a gray sheet.

So my questions:

Is the formula for shutter speed and fps that I've mentioned incorrect or did I interpret it incorrectly?

I recently purchased a PolarPro ND16 that I intend to use. I understand that the camera will compensate for the filter if set to Auto. Is there anything in Manual that I need to adjust to accommodate the filter?

Thanks in advance for any input.

crispy · May 11, 2017

you are doing everything correct, from my research. all you need to do now is use ND filters to get the footage exposed correctly, and then throw it into premiere

BradBuskey · May 11, 2017

You need to watch what the one last video info tells you. Just because you set it to ISO 100, 24FPS and 1/50 doesnt mean you will get perfect footage. You still may, (and it is easy to do) be completely overexposed. Watch that EV meter, that will let you know. You dont want to go over/under about +/- 0.1 for best results. Even with ND filters, you may have to try different Stop values (8,16,32) before you get one, and on cloudy days, it will change. And, get used to using the Custom WB rather than a preset value. That way, the same color temperature will be set in the footage no matter what the sky is doing.

And (yeah, I know) it is very hard to expose for both the Sky and the Ground at the same time. Takes time and practice and the willingness to give up one over the other, and will be situational.

Another note on the formula. That is for getting the best, most natural cinematic motion blur (which you see most at the edges of the footage). It isnt really going to be needed if you are 300' in the air filming landscapes or pointing straight down. It is for capturing movement either following a subject and the MP is 10 to 30 feet up, where the foreground will be passing by or under the camera. It is a key formula more for general cinema filming over high-flying drone filming. If you are doing a shoot where you have multiple cameras, you will want to match settings to be best of each camera's ability.

There is no magic setting or formula that will be the best (I hate that word) for all situations. You will need to adjust your settings for every situation.

And forget about Auto - get used to the settings. Dont let the camera compensate for anything.

sleepydad · May 11, 2017

crispy said:
you are doing everything correct, from my research. all you need to do now is use ND filters to get the footage exposed correctly, and then throw it into premiere

Cool. Thanks very much for the reply.

sleepydad · May 11, 2017

BradBuskey said:
You need to watch what the one last video info tells you. Just because you set it to ISO 100, 24FPS and 1/50 doesnt mean you will get perfect footage. You still may, (and it is easy to do) be completely overexposed. Watch that EV meter, that will let you know. You dont want to go over/under about +/- 0.1 for best results. Even with ND filters, you may have to try different Stop values (8,16,32) before you get one, and on cloudy days, it will change. And, get used to using the Custom WB rather than a preset value. That way, the same color temperature will be set in the footage no matter what the sky is doing.

And (yeah, I know) it is very hard to expose for both the Sky and the Ground at the same time. Takes time and practice and the willingness to give up one over the other, and will be situational.

Another note on the formula. That is for getting the best, most natural cinematic motion blur (which you see most at the edges of the footage). It isnt really going to be needed if you are 300' in the air filming landscapes or pointing straight down. It is for capturing movement either following a subject and the MP is 10 to 30 feet up, where the foreground will be passing by or under the camera. It is a key formula more for general cinema filming over high-flying drone filming. If you are doing a shoot where you have multiple cameras, you will want to match settings to be best of each camera's ability.

There is no magic setting or formula that will be the best (I hate that word) for all situations. You will need to adjust your settings for every situation.

And forget about Auto - get used to the settings. Dont let the camera compensate for anything.

Very clear and detailed reply. Thanks very much.

I'm still wrapping my head around this whole filter thing. I have some photography background, so I'm accustomed to associating filters with lens light capture which I gather applies also to video. The 'cinematic look' that everyone raves about throws me for a bit of a loop, but I've been doing so much reading and YouTubing on it that it's sinking in.

So if I'm out for a day and say I want to capture that look in a segment and fly over the surf I'd use the technique and settings that we've discussed to this point ... correct? If I just want to do a slow flyover or hover of a tidepool or figure on the beach, I'd remove the filter and reset everything?

I'm on so many forums, and there are people who say they just leave their favorite ND filter on 24-7, but they don't talk about the subject matter or weather they're flying in. I bought into the hype with an ND4 and 16 thinking I'd have one or the other on every time I fly, switching them out based on sunlight. Based on your reply, I'm thinking there are times when I don't want to use a filter at all. Prior to using filters, I actually liked the capture better without but am being patient assuming there is a learning curve regarding settings, subject and post.

BTW, I'm with you on the 'magic setting'. With my photography background I can identify with your comment there. Sure would be nice if there was, wouldn't it?

Thanks again.

BradBuskey · May 11, 2017

It really comes down to what you want from the footage. What is the goal? Are you shooting a cinematic short film and want to include drone footage or just out flying around and want to just grab a few images or seconds of video. Put the bird up in the air, if the footage looks good, shoot it. If you want to do something different, change it. What you like in settings may not be what others may prefer. there is no perfect answer, no perfect setting. It will come down to experimentation and practice and getting used to working with the camera. Learning its limitations will do you a greater justice than 100s of hours on a forum listening to peoples opinions. Mine included.

And there wont be any way to hit the cinematic blur without filters on these cameras. It is really, basically a cell phone camera on a quad. Even the huge cameras and overly expensive octo's will need ND filters if they are out flying at noon on a sunny day. ISO 100, 24FPS, 1/50 Sec is very hard to get to otherwise, on any camera that most of us will ever have access to.

sleepydad · May 11, 2017

BradBuskey said:
It really comes down to what you want from the footage. What is the goal? Are you shooting a cinematic short film and want to include drone footage or just out flying around and want to just grab a few images or seconds of video. Put the bird up in the air, if the footage looks good, shoot it. If you want to do something different, change it. What you like in settings may not be what others may prefer. there is no perfect answer, no perfect setting. It will come down to experimentation and practice and getting used to working with the camera. Learning its limitations will do you a greater justice than 100s of hours on a forum listening to peoples opinions. Mine included.

And there wont be any way to hit the cinematic blur without filters on these cameras. It is really, basically a cell phone camera on a quad. Even the huge cameras and overly expensive octo's will need ND filters if they are out flying at noon on a sunny day. ISO 100, 24FPS, 1/50 Sec is very hard to get to otherwise, on any camera that most of us will ever have access to.

Again, thanks very much. Great advice, and much appreciated!

JHG · Jul 10, 2017

hello people.Im very new to the mavic ...especially the video part.Ive been experimenting with the nd filters and finding it very hard to eliminate the whites from being too strong.Right now I'm trying a CP filter and the video itself looks fine except for anything white...yesterday was even worse using a ND8PL. Anly advice would be greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance

BradBuskey · Jul 11, 2017

Get a stronger filter - ND16 or 32.

RaRaRasputin · Jul 11, 2017

For white balance, I generally set it to auto initially after framing roughly what I am going to shoot, then flip it to custom and dial in manually until I get it as close to what it looked like in auto. Mavic's Auto gives you a good white balance, but never leave it in Auto as it will change during your recording

JHG · Jul 12, 2017

RaRaRasputin said:
For white balance, I generally set it to auto initially after framing roughly what I am going to shoot, then flip it to custom and dial in manually until I get it as close to what it looked like in auto. Mavic's Auto gives you a good white balance, but never leave it in Auto as it will change during your recording

thanks for the advice..will try it out

PalmettoAerial · Jul 13, 2017

sleepydad said:
Hi all -

New to the forum and relatively new to my Mavic (got it in January). I've shot for years with my trusty GoPro Hero3+ Black, so I do have some video experience. I have a couple of questions:

I fly primarily in the bright California sun during the day, and am looking to capture that cinematic, flyover look of coastal scenery. I've been flying in Auto 2.7k with 'nice' results, but am experimenting with Manual settings to more customize the experience. A formula that I've seen time and time again is basically fps x2 = shutter speed. As well, it seems that you want to shoot with the lowest ISO possible. Assuming these things, I shot some test footage last evening. It was a cloudy but bright day, and I shot 2.7k @ 24fps, 100 ISO, 1/50 shutter speed, Auto White Balance, "Cloudy" Mode. I shot in D-Cinelike to be post-produced in Premiere Pro. As I expected, the footage required TLC in Premiere and I was able to pull out most detail but the sky and all details in the distance were washed out with no information that I could pull. All in all the capture, even after post, was unacceptable. The colors were not salvageable, and as I mentioned the sky and all subject matter in the distance was a gray sheet.

So my questions:

Is the formula for shutter speed and fps that I've mentioned incorrect or did I interpret it incorrectly?

I recently purchased a PolarPro ND16 that I intend to use. I understand that the camera will compensate for the filter if set to Auto. Is there anything in Manual that I need to adjust to accommodate the filter?

Thanks in advance for any input.

I have very similar questions ... I wish I had a handful "baseline" settings for various shots... like one for a sunny day at 2pm... one for sunsets when its darker ... and one for cloudy day ... etc

I bought the polar pro 6 pack cinematographic set of filters but anything beyond 8 seems unusable (dark) so far. Still learning the tweaks and settings

RaRaRasputin · Jul 14, 2017

The 2x frame rate equasion is ideal, but not set in stone.

Try to get close to it if possible up to say 1/100th

If needs be you can change the iso to say 200 if it's too dark.

D-Cinelike should be easier to work with in post than say D-Log

Personally, I use a LUT on my D-Cinelike that brings me close to final output with only minimal color grading (depending on the look you are going for) required afterwards.

The LUT I use is a free LUT from Noam Kroll ( see LUTs )

My settings are +1, -1, -1 for D-Cinelike in the Mavic camera settings

PalmettoAerial · Jul 14, 2017

RaRaRasputin said:
The 2x frame rate equasion is ideal, but not set in stone.

Try to get close to it if possible up to say 1/100th

If needs be you can change the iso to say 200 if it's too dark.

D-Cinelike should be easier to work with in post than say D-Log

Personally, I use a LUT on my D-Cinelike that brings me close to final output with only minimal color grading (depending on the look you are going for) required afterwards.

The LUT I use is a free LUT from Noam Kroll ( see LUTs )

My settings are +1, -1, -1 for D-Cinelike in the Mavic camera settings

Awesome ifo. Thx

Can you give me more info regarding the LUT setting. Why do you go this route. What exactly it does etc.

RaRaRasputin · Jul 15, 2017

The one I use is a standard LUT that aims to bring the picture back to as close to "normal - what you see" etc as possible - Initially shooting in D-Cinelike produces a somewhat flat image, but in doing so, it retains a lot of depth/detail that can be pulled back out in post.

PalmettoAerial · Jul 15, 2017

RaRaRasputin said:
The 2x frame rate equasion is ideal, but not set in stone.

Try to get close to it if possible up to say 1/100th

If needs be you can change the iso to say 200 if it's too dark.

D-Cinelike should be easier to work with in post than say D-Log

Personally, I use a LUT on my D-Cinelike that brings me close to final output with only minimal color grading (depending on the look you are going for) required afterwards.

The LUT I use is a free LUT from Noam Kroll ( see LUTs )

My settings are +1, -1, -1 for D-Cinelike in the Mavic camera settings