Mavic 2 Pro Normal vs DLOG

[CaptHook]

try to get a commercial full version of the davinci resolve, if you can. in full version it will allow export in h265

Yes, the Studio version of Resolve is well worth the $300.
I export and deliver in .mp4 h.264 as many/most people don't have a computer that can handle h.265 well.

...you processed DLOG result looks more blurred than an original one.

Hopefully you can see how well the Normal HQ and Dlog HQ clips are shot matched, so no problems with grading here.
No blurring introduced in the grade, just the softness of Dlog as captured by DJI M2P

 

[3:16]

Interesting info. Being a NooB I've tested myself with Dlog- the struggle is real I'm my case, I'm just using an ipad probably not worth my time, but I am amused of the capabilities. My footage ALWAYS looks better when I let the cam do the work.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I think there is some confusion as to what D-Log is and what the advantages are.

D-Log is like shooting RAW instead JPEG. Just like a RAW still image, ungraded D-Log footage will look terrible as it is designed to be extremely flat and desaturated to maximize malleability in post processing and also to maximize dynamic range while shooting. If you don't want to put in the post processing work, don't shoot D-Log video or RAW still images or you are setting yourself up for disappointment - simple as that. For those willing to put in the work, and if you know what you're doing, the results will always be better in 10bit D-Log than just shooting pre-processed 8bit video or a JPEG still image. With D-log you aren't going to get any default color correction, lens correction, or anything else - you have to add that yourself in post. Exactly the same deal as a RAW still image.

I do wish the M2P had a D-Cinelike mode like the Air does, but for whatever reason DJI doesn't want to add it.

 

[CaptHook]

I think there is some confusion as to what D-Log is and what the advantages are......
For those willing to put in the work, and if you know what you're doing, the results will always be better in 10bit D-Log than just shooting pre-processed 8bit video or a JPEG still image.

4k 10-bit data rate is recommended at 880 Mbps. 400 Mbps is the recommended minimum.
The M2P has a data rate of 100 Mbps.
Amazing in such a small, flying device.
But this is where compromises are required.
Trying to cram 4k 10-bit Dlog through the M2P narrow data pipeline results in an inferior image over Normal mode IMO.

 

[3:16]

I think there is some confusion as to what D-Log is and what the advantages are.

D-Log is like shooting RAW instead JPEG. Just like a RAW still image, ungraded D-Log footage will look terrible as it is designed to be extremely flat and desaturated to maximize malleability in post processing and also to maximize dynamic range while shooting. If you don't want to put in the post processing work, don't shoot D-Log video or RAW still images or you are setting yourself up for disappointment - simple as that. For those willing to put in the work, and if you know what you're doing, the results will always be better in 10bit D-Log than just shooting pre-processed 8bit video or a JPEG still image. With D-log you aren't going to get any default color correction, lens correction, or anything else - you have to add that yourself in post. Exactly the same deal as a RAW still image.

I do wish the M2P had a D-Cinelike mode like the Air does, but for whatever reason DJI doesn't want to add it.

No doubt, I think a real nice monitor would help a ton also.

 

[Thomas B]

Prefer shooting RAW + jpeg on all my vids. Best of both worlds.

 

[parkgt]

Flew the same Litchi mission today 4 times today in brigtht cloudless conditions. Twice in D-log and twice in Normal/None in HQ; only change between sets was exposure.

In both cases Normal was sharper and interestingly slightly cropped. I had not noticed it before and might have thought it was a height difference, but both times the FOV of Normal was smaller than D-log.

 

[Blacksails]

The slight crop between the two is due to the fact that normal has a lens warp correction applied to it and DLog doesn’t.

And just to clarify for any new guys so that there isn’t confusion in the future, Dlog is not Raw. Log is just a custom curve applied to the sensor information before it is compressed and recorded, but it is still baked in. The idea is to preserve as much highlight and shadow detail as possible. In Raw, nothing is baked in and so you can really push and pull the footage like no other format.

 

[CanadaDrone]

4k 10-bit data rate is recommended at 880 Mbps. 400 Mbps is the recommended minimum.
The M2P has a data rate of 100 Mbps.
Amazing in such a small, flying device.
But this is where compromises are required.
Trying to cram 4k 10-bit Dlog through the M2P narrow data pipeline results in an inferior image over Normal mode IMO.

Well there are precisely zero consumer devices that shoot 880Mbps (almost 1Gbps) 4K video, so it doesn't really matter what is technically recommended. 30 minutes of 880Mbps footage is about 200GB. 100Mbps 4K video still looks amazing to 99% of the population and you can absolutely get production quality video out of a M2P if you know what you're doing. H265 compression helps out with that somewhat as well.

Properly graded 10bit H265 4K video from the M2P is a lot better than 8bit, objectively speaking. Throwing out data will not provide you with as good of a result, but the trade-off is it must be graded in post. My 10bit footage is a definite improvement over the 8bit 'Normal' footage, but I use both depending on how much time I am willing to invest.

 

[CanadaDrone]

No doubt, I think a real nice monitor would help a ton also.

Good monitors are underrated I think. You can be the best post-processor in the world, but if your monitor isn't showing you accurate colors, you're always a step behind. I use a NEC PA271W with 10bit LUT and hardware calibration, but for the average user, even getting a decent IPS monitor is a big step in the right direction.

 

[paulatkin73]

Hopefully you can see how well the Normal HQ and Dlog HQ clips are shot matched, so no problems with grading here.
No blurring introduced in the grade, just the softness of Dlog as captured by DJI M2P

all i am trying to say - 'normal' has the on-board applied set of methods to produce a certain look from the drone 'as-is'. DLOG requires you to run all the same methods on your own - noise removal, sharpening, contrast - that is what resolve studio setup is for. DLOG has no 'softness', it is the original capture from the sensor. dunno what else to say here.

i want to add - the 'normal' setting on the M2P model produces very decent result and during daylight conditions no one really probably even needs to use DLOG, UNLESS you expect to deal with the extreme contrast or dense shadows, or just need a raw feed to post-process anyway. it is not a necessity to USE DLOG - it is a capability. use it or don`t - it is your choice. but to say that DLOG is somehow inferior to the on-board result of the processing of that very same stream makes no sense at all.

again, what is produced on the SD card in the DLOG setting is the _origin_ of the video, pre-processing. The RAW footage that requires professional work to make a consumable video out of it. it cannot be 'better' or 'worse' than anything produced out of it, including result of the 'normal' setting that is the h.264 encoded 8-bit video stream is - a post-processing product from that raw source.

 

[CaptHook]

all i am trying to say - 'normal' has the on-board applied set of methods to produce a certain look from the drone 'as-is'. DLOG requires you to run all the same methods on your own - noise removal, sharpening, contrast - that is what resolve studio setup is for. DLOG has no 'softness', it is the original capture from the sensor. dunno what else to say here.

I agree that Normal has applied processing to achieve a certain look and Dlog is closer to the original.
But it's not the 'original capture' of the sensor - there is too much data.
Line skipping, pixel binning etc etc - whatever method DJI implements in Dlog processing results in a final image that in many ways I find inferior.
The sharpness is one issue.
No amount of grading of Dlog will ever achieve the sharpness detail of Normal.
I've tried. It still looks 'out of focus' compared to Normal. (settings 0,0,0 for both)
My only guess is to retain the large amount of extra color data of Dlog, DJI processing averages in a way that negatively affects image sharpness.

 

[paulatkin73]

No amount of grading of Dlog will ever achieve the sharpness detail of Normal.

ok, fine.

 

[CaptHook]

Look at this capture comparing Normal HQ and Dlog HQ (4k 30fps 0,0,0)
Dlog has OFX: sharpen applied and cranked up to 2.5.
Look at the blue sign in the image.
Out of focus in comparison.
Yet so sharpened it has pixelated badly.

 

[paulatkin73]

Look at this capture comparing Normal HQ and Dlog HQ (4k 30fps 0,0,0)
Dlog has OFX: sharpen applied and cranked up to 2.5.
Look at the blue sign in the image.
Out of focus in comparison.
Yet so sharpened it has pixelated badly.

now you look here. it is the sample from 5 min ago. first is a DLOG with an applied LUT, next is the DLOG witgh LUT sharpened, last is the NORMAL.

if you look carefully you will see that the original DLOG has best resolution and you can actually read letters on the top line of the sign. next images wiht sharpening just distort those letters making an ILLUSION of the increased detail.
it is exactly same as with photos. i did not even bother to do anything complex as drone does not have anything complex in the on-board NORMAL processing. it is a simple aggressive sharpening.

 

[CaptHook]

In those samples, image 1 is the best.
Images 2 and 3 appear over-sharpened and noisy.
In camera settings for each? (0,0,0) ?
Cropped?
Lut applied?
thanks

 

[paulatkin73]

In those samples, image 1 is the best.
Images 2 and 3 appear over-sharpened and noisy.
In camera settings for each? (0,0,0) ?
Cropped?
Lut applied?
thanks

all params were set to 0. i was only flipping DLOG into NONE in settings. HQ mode, of course.
if yours is producing something different - try to execute a gimbal reset or re-flash firmware and then erase all settings again.
original raw dlog should always be a reference quality wise. DJI default official LUT only fixes colors, nothing else.

 

[paulatkin73]

and in the tests do not look at random scenes - hover 10-15ft high and video the mailbox 50-70 yds away, or a sign like this one i posted, with nice bold letters of various sizes.
make sure ALL params are set to 0, it is very important not to make ANY alterations to the original DLOG feed in the drone. some idiotic web site suggested -1 something param for DLOG - the point is to make sure the original feed does not pass via any 'enhancements' inside of the drone.
PS. and, most important thing - do not expect any perfection from this device, it is not a $10000+ RED camera.

 

[CaptHook]

Final Conclusions:
I have done many, many settings tests with the Mavic 2 Pro.
They all have lead me to film in 4k 30fps Normal.
This round of testing Normal vs DLOG, for me, confirms my decision.
I did change my mind on FOV vs HQ modes - deciding that HQ offers a better image over FOV - more than I remember from last tests.
When the scene framing permits, I will use HQ vs FOV.

The 'un-fixable' barrel distortion, a 'haze' - even after grading, and 'muddy' unsharp image are my primary issues.
Dlog can offer superior results in certain conditions - ex. high contrast, fixing poorly exposed footage.

I film mostly architecture/real estate etc, so Normal works best for me.

For sure, I recommend everyone do their own testing and decide what works best for them and in which conditions.

 

[CanadaDrone]

a 'haze' - even after grading, and 'muddy' unsharp image are my primary issues.

If those are your results after grading the 10bit Dlog footage, it means you aren't grading properly. I'd suggest starting with a good LUT (you can make your own or buy one from Film Poets or similar) to get a baseline, and then tweaking from there. The haze is probably not enough contrast being added back in and the unsharp image could be any number of things, such as using an aperture over 4.0 (not saying that is necessarily the case). The "normal" footage is just "RAW" footage (not really but that's how most people understand it) that the drone is grading for you, similar to when you shoot a JPEG instead of a RAW.