Mavic 2 Pro questions for drone cinematographers

[DJI DelBoy]

Hi guys, I’ve got a couple of questions regarding a cinematic video I plan on making.

What settings are best for recording? 4K 30fps? Or 2.7K 60fps? I tried 4K 24fps but there’s some kind of minor but still noticeable stutter when flying sideways or at speed.

I’ve tried filming in the highest fps - 120 - but it looks pretty low res on my laptop. Is that the way it normally is? Or maybe it’s my laptop’s screen? 4K looks fine but not 120fps footage.

The video will be shared on social media (YouTube, Facebook, etc). Do you guys use 4K or less? I haven’t done any editing yet but I’m guessing 4K video takes longer to edit/process?

Can 2.7K be upscaled to 4K? Most YouTube videos appear to be either HD or 4K videos. Which format would you guys recommend? 4K, 2.7K or 1080p?

What do you all use? H264 or H265?

Also, which intelligent flight modes do you find best for cinematic videos? And which quickshots modes are best for a cinematic video?

Is there a way after viewing your videos to tell which quickshot mode was used?

If you’ve got any cinematic video tips I’d be grateful to hear them.

Oh, and slightly off topic. When I want to change to manual options for photos those options are frozen - it’s stuck on automatic. Does anyone else experience that?

Thanks in advance!

 

[RedSoxFan42]

I can't completely answer you question except I always record at 4K 30 fps and when I render it out from the editor, I render at 1080P 30fps for YouTube. Before I bought my M2P I had a Mavic Air. The Air always recorded smooth video when flying sideways panning the scenery, the more expensive M2P gets stutter every time. It's slight, but noticeable. I keep reading maybe DJI will fix in a future firmware update..

 

[Essex Ed]

If you are going to match audio with the video, it's best to shoot at 24 fps but with the Mavic 2 Pro, you are usually adding music so you can shoot at 30 fps and then import (I use Adobe Premier Pro) at 24 fps and the video comes out much smoother. Once you shoot in 4K you won't want to shoot at a lower resolution - the quality is so clear and sharp! Yes, 4K does take longer to render but it's worth it, in my opinion. You can upscale 2.7K to 4K. In Premier Pro, just right click on the clip in the timeline and select "Set to Frame Size" and it will upscale the video - it won't be as sharp as 4K but in my opinion, good enough for YouTube or other sites. This should answer some of your questions - also, Matt Johnson's videos on YouTube are VERY GOOD - check him out!

 

[LenSavage]

Another big advantage to shooting and editing in 4K in Premiere (or other NLEs) is that you can scale a clip up to 120, 150 or in a few cases even 200% which them gives you control in post over a lot of pan, tilt, zoom and re-center functions that you wish you would / could have done in the sky. You can even get away with some of this even if you are outputting to 4K (unless its for the Big Screen).

 

[macfawlty]

Hi guys, I’ve got a couple of questions regarding a cinematic video I plan on making.

What settings are best for recording? 4K 30fps? Or 2.7K 60fps? I tried 4K 24fps but there’s some kind of minor but still noticeable stutter when flying sideways or at speed.

I’ve tried filming in the highest fps - 120 - but it looks pretty low res on my laptop. Is that the way it normally is? Or maybe it’s my laptop’s screen? 4K looks fine but not 120fps footage.

The video will be shared on social media (YouTube, Facebook, etc). Do you guys use 4K or less? I haven’t done any editing yet but I’m guessing 4K video takes longer to edit/process?

Can 2.7K be upscaled to 4K? Most YouTube videos appear to be either HD or 4K videos. Which format would you guys recommend? 4K, 2.7K or 1080p?

What do you all use? H264 or H265?

Also, which intelligent flight modes do you find best for cinematic videos? And which quickshots modes are best for a cinematic video?

Is there a way after viewing your videos to tell which quickshot mode was used?

If you’ve got any cinematic video tips I’d be grateful to hear them.

Oh, and slightly off topic. When I want to change to manual options for photos those options are frozen - it’s stuck on automatic. Does anyone else experience that?

Thanks in advance!

A lot of questions... might as well get them all out at the same time!

I always shoot in 4K. Absolutely 4K. I also shoot D-log M H265, but I don’t think it’s necessary or significantly different for most people. The compression schemes on these cameras is not really good enough for H265 to be worth the limitations. The compression schemes break down with anything more than minor grading (saturation, contrast). Just my general opinion.

I wouldn’t shoot in 2.7k and upscale. Always shoot highest resolution

Whether you shoot in 24, 30, 60, get your shutter speed correct and use your ND filters. If you have a reason to shoot higher frame rates (action shots of people or moving car/boat, etc.), 60fps is adequate. 120 isn’t typically necessary.

You may have difficulty editing 4K high frame rate video on your laptop and may have to use a proxy workflow or other methods in order to do so.

If you’re posting to YouTube or FB, 1080p is plenty good enough export resolution. Should be easier to edit 4K footage in a 1080p timeline. Perhaps there are instances where you want to show off your awesome footage on a big 4K TV... just export the same timeline at the higher resolution.

 

[DJI DelBoy]

Thanks all for the advice. 4K @ 30fps it is then. I’ve been trying 2.7k but it just doesn’t look clear as clear as I had been hoping. Why does DJI even include lower res options? The slow motion option of 120fps is a complete waste of time.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Thanks all for the advice. 4K @ 30fps it is then. I’ve been trying 2.7k but it just doesn’t look clear as clear as I had been hoping. Why does DJI even include lower res options? The slow motion option of 120fps is a complete waste of time.

One other factor to keep in mind is whether to shoot 4K @30fps in FOV or HQ. Ideally, we would have 4K @60fps like on the P4P, but apparently sensor heat issues preclude it. So when shooting 4K at 30fps, turns need to be slower than at 4K at 60fps to avoid jitter. This is then compounded by the effective HQ zoom crop from FOV, which results in even more sensitivity to turning/yaw jitter, even at an EXPO yaw setting of 10%. So choose the FOV or HQ format wisely, depending upon how much turning your video will include. Increasing the crop or increasing the zoom magifies the speed of turns requiring even slower turns, and more precision to create cinematic results, without jitter.

 

[MaxHam]

Oh, and slightly off topic. When I want to change to manual options for photos those options are frozen - it’s stuck on automatic. Does anyone else experience that?

I have that as well and find it very annoying. If the setting is on A in photo mode and you can't select M you have to switch to video. There you switch to M. Then go back to photo and it will let you chose M as well...

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have that as well and find it very annoying. If the setting is on A in photo mode and you can't select M you have to switch to video. There you switch to M. Then go back to photo and it will let you chose M as well...

There is a quirky similar issue when after shooting video in AF and then shooting a still Pano, and switching back to Video where the prior AF focus is now switched to Manual, and must be switched back manually to AF, but it can be done in the Video mode.

Anyone figure out how to use touch exposure in video on the M2? It seems to have been removed for video. Still present for photos, but disappears when shooting video.

 

[DJI DelBoy]

I have that as well and find it very annoying. If the setting is on A in photo mode and you can't select M you have to switch to video. There you switch to M. Then go back to photo and it will let you chose M as well...

It’s been happening for some time now. I’m surprised that DJI hasn’t bothered to fix it. Thanks for the tip!

 

[johnmeyer]

Given the nature of your questions, I assume you haven't done a lot with video before. I'm not trying to be snarky, but instead am trying to provide answers that would be useful to a video neophyte.

What settings are best for recording? 4K 30fps? Or 2.7K 60fps? I tried 4K 24fps but there’s some kind of minor but still noticeable stutter when flying sideways or at speed.

60 fps gives you smooth motion; 24 fps will result in judder whenever you have sideways motion (e.g., the drone moves horizontally, or the drone rotates). The 24 fps judder is caused by the fact that 24 frames per second is below the threshhold for human "persistance of vision," which is what lets us see true motion from what is, in fact, just a series of still images. Your mind really doesn't see smooth motion until you get to about 40-50 discrete images per second (30 fps interlaced gives you 60 discrete images per second and therefore our old-fashioned TV standard gives you smooth motion).

I’ve tried filming in the highest fps - 120 - but it looks pretty low res on my laptop. Is that the way it normally is? Or maybe it’s my laptop’s screen? 4K looks fine but not 120fps footage.

120 fps on a Mavic 2 Pro is HD (1920x1080) resolution, and on a laptop screen, which is quite small compared to a TV, it should look sharp and crisp, and have exactly the same apparent detail as 2.7K or 4K. You won't be able to detect any difference whatsoever. Since you DO see a difference, the problem is most likely the playback software on your laptop. If you have a Windows laptop, try using VLC instead of Media Player.

The video will be shared on social media (YouTube, Facebook, etc). Do you guys use 4K or less? I haven’t done any editing yet but I’m guessing 4K video takes longer to edit/process?

4K takes a LOT longer to process and will require a very capable computer. My advice to someone just starting out is to shoot all of your video at 1920x1080 60 frames per second, progressive. It will look just as good as 4K on any screen size up to 55", and even on larger screens will look almost as good as 4K. The main reason to use 4K is that it lets you zoom into the footage, while still delivering the final version in normal HD (1920x1080) without losing any resolution.

I generally do NOT recommend delivering in 4K, unless you are dealing with broadcast.

Can 2.7K be upscaled to 4K? Most YouTube videos appear to be either HD or 4K videos. Which format would you guys recommend? 4K, 2.7K or 1080p?

What do you all use? H264 or H265?

It can be upscaled, but it is a complete waste of time. You cannot create missing details (e.g., you can't suddenly read a license plate that was too fuzzy before).

Use 1080p for EVERYTHING: take your video in 1080p and deliver in 1080p. In a year or so, when you've delivered a dozen videos, you can begin to experiment with other formats. I have 10,000+ hours of video acquisition and editing under my belt, and while I do take 4K video, I always deliver in 1080p.

You absolutely, positively do NOT want to use h.265 D-log because you will almost certainly not be able to edit it and possibly may not be able to play it, if you are just now starting your first foray into video editing.

Also, which intelligent flight modes do you find best for cinematic videos? And which quickshots modes are best for a cinematic video?

"Cinematic Video" doesn't really have a definition. What do you mean by that term? If you are saying that you want the result to look like a Hollywood movie, there are several dozen things you must do beyond simply picking the camera settings.

Yes, most Hollywood movies are shot at 24 fps, progressive, so that is the setting you would use. However, to get the "film look," you also have to understand how to manage the gamma (contrast and brightness) settings; you have to learn how to manage depth of field; you have to master lighting; you have to learn how to color grade in post production; you need to master "cinematic moves," which with a drone means making significant adjustments to the joystick acceleration settings (these are buried in the advanced menus). There are many more things.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Given the nature of your questions, I assume you haven't done a lot with video before. I'm not trying to be snarky, but instead am trying to provide answers that would be useful to a video neophyte.60 fps gives you smooth motion; 24 fps will result in judder whenever you have sideways motion (e.g., the drone moves horizontally, or the drone rotates). The 24 fps judder is caused by the fact that 24 frames per second is below the threshhold for human "persistance of vision," which is what lets us see true motion from what is, in fact, just a series of still images. Your mind really doesn't see smooth motion until you get to about 40-50 discrete images per second (30 fps interlaced gives you 60 discrete images per second and therefore our old-fashioned TV standard gives you smooth motion).120 fps on a Mavic 2 Pro is HD (1920x1080) resolution, and on a laptop screen, which is quite small compare to a TV, it should look sharp and crisp, and have exactly the same apparent detail as 2.7K or 4K. You won't be able to detect any difference whatsoever. Since you DO see a difference, the problem is most likely the playback software on your laptop. If you have a Windows laptop, try using VLC instead of Media Player.4K takes a LOT longer to process and will require a very capable computer. My advice to someone just starting out is to shoot all of your video at 1920x1080 60 frames per second, progressive. It will look just as good as 4K on any screen size up to 55", and even on larger screens will look almost as good as 4K. The main reason to use 4K is that it lets you zoom into the footage, while still delivering the final version in normal HD (1920x1080) without losing any resolution.

I generally do NOT recommend delivering in 4K, unless you are dealing with broadcast.It can be upscaled, but it is a complete waste of time. You cannot create missing details (e.g., you can't suddenly read a license plate that was too fuzzy before).

Use 1080p for EVERYTHING: take your video in 1080p and deliver in 1080p. In a year or so, when you've delivered a dozen videos, you can begin to experiment with other formats. I have 10,000+ hours of video acquisition and editing under my belt, and while I do take 4K video, I always deliver in 1080p.

You absolutely, positively do NOT want to use h.265 D-log because you will almost certainly not be able to edit it and possibly may not be able to play it, if you are just now starting your first foray into video editing."Cinematic Video" doesn't really have a definition. What do you mean by that term? If you are saying that you want the result to look like a Hollywood movie, there are several dozen things you must do beyond simply picking the camera settings.

Yes, most Hollywood movies are shot at 24 fps, progressive, so that is the setting you would use. However, to get the "film look," you also have to understand how to manage the gamma (contrast and brightness) settings; you have to learn how to manage depth of field; you have to master lighting; you have to learn how to color grade in post production; you need to master "cinematic moves," which with a drone means making significant adjustments to the joystick acceleration settings (these are buried in the advanced menus). There are many more things.

Really great information! Thanks for taking the time to explain it so thoroughly. I learned a few things myself!