Mavic 2 Zoom (lousy quality)

[Beth T]

Hi guys,

This is my first thread since joining, I tried to upload this to thr actual dji forum but I don't have permission (not sure how everyone else does it).

Anyway, I got a Mavic 2 Zoom a while back but due to life getting in the way I didn't get to fly it for a while (warranty has now run out - my fault),
when I started flying it I read through the manual, watched youtube videos etc, tried myself to get the best video quality settings whilst also watching videos on how to get the best settings out of it and months on I am still at a loss. I have watched countless videos at this point and seen amazing footage created with this drone, I have tested all the settings thoroughly and yet the footage I am getting is coming out not even close to 4K, there is also a hell of a lot of noise on the footage (iso is at 100 so not the problem).

(Footage)

Has anyone else had this problem or know if it is an easy fix I am missing or if the drone itse'f might be damaged?
Thanks

 

[ven]

What are you viewing the footage on?
There are lots of variables .
First off is your SD card a u3 v30 class?
Computer monitor type you view on?

For example I have a 2015 iMac i5 with a 1920x1080 screen. If I use H265(codec) the footage is jerky on play back. If I use H264, it plays back much better. If I record in 4K , I can not view it on the iMac . Only way for me to view is to upload to YouTube and play on the 4K TV. The YouTube setting on the iMac looks the same from 1080 as to be expected.
Have you tried other settings and what are the results like on 1080 and 2.7k? There is a good chance it could be the computer , as much as the mavic itself. Also are you direct uploading from the drone? Just thoughts, no expert here, just going off experiences I have had in the last week. Cheers

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hi guys,

This is my first thread since joining, I tried to upload this to thr actual dji forum but I don't have permission (not sure how everyone else does it).

Anyway, I got a Mavic 2 Zoom a while back but due to life getting in the way I didn't get to fly it for a while (warranty has now run out - my fault),
when I started flying it I read through the manual, watched youtube videos etc, tried myself to get the best video quality settings whilst also watching videos on how to get the best settings out of it and months on I am still at a loss. I have watched countless videos at this point and seen amazing footage created with this drone, I have tested all the settings thoroughly and yet the footage I am getting is coming out not even close to 4K, there is also a hell of a lot of noise on the footage (iso is at 100 so not the problem).

(Footage)

Has anyone else had this problem or know if it is an easy fix I am missing or if the drone itse'f might be damaged?
Thanks

Video is a little short so hard to make heads or tails form this, but you our shooting in the shadows of the mountain, your exposure is off , the Iso should be on auto .
You should test your drone with some close up shots to show you have a good set up.

Notice my first test shot with Air 2 - Horizon test, reflection test, wind test, gimbal test, color test , night time shot test,
So my drone seems to be good, but your test , Not much we can be sure of as shooting in the shadows is not easy ..

30 Seconds with the Air 2 and I am missing the Zoom

The Air 2 is a breath of Fresh Air after the Mini but after flying the zoom for almost a year I realize I cannot capture B Roll. I found myself getting lower and lower and lower to get the close up of the sand, the rocks and just could not get close enough. The Air 2 did not disappoint as...

mavicpilots.com

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in and out of the rain.
Coal

 

[sar104]

Hi guys,

This is my first thread since joining, I tried to upload this to thr actual dji forum but I don't have permission (not sure how everyone else does it).

Anyway, I got a Mavic 2 Zoom a while back but due to life getting in the way I didn't get to fly it for a while (warranty has now run out - my fault),
when I started flying it I read through the manual, watched youtube videos etc, tried myself to get the best video quality settings whilst also watching videos on how to get the best settings out of it and months on I am still at a loss. I have watched countless videos at this point and seen amazing footage created with this drone, I have tested all the settings thoroughly and yet the footage I am getting is coming out not even close to 4K, there is also a hell of a lot of noise on the footage (iso is at 100 so not the problem).

(Footage)

Has anyone else had this problem or know if it is an easy fix I am missing or if the drone itse'f might be damaged?
Thanks

It's difficult to assess the quality from a 720p YT feed.

 

[Banstead]

Was it me seeing things or did it suddenly lock into focus towards the end of the clip?
Also you could try taking some stationary video from a tabletop to eliminate/isolate motion/vibration issues if necessary.

 

[Beth T]

It's difficult to assess the quality from a 720p YT feed.

the 4k option is there to view

 

[Beth T]

Video is a little short so hard to make heads or tails form this, but you our shooting in the shadows of the mountain, your exposure is off , the Iso should be on auto .
You should test your drone with some close up shots to show you have a good set up.

Notice my first test shot with Air 2 - Horizon test, reflection test, wind test, gimbal test, color test , night time shot test,
So my drone seems to be good, but your test , Not much we can be sure of as shooting in the shadows is not easy ..

30 Seconds with the Air 2 and I am missing the Zoom

The Air 2 is a breath of Fresh Air after the Mini but after flying the zoom for almost a year I realize I cannot capture B Roll. I found myself getting lower and lower and lower to get the close up of the sand, the rocks and just could not get close enough. The Air 2 did not disappoint as...

mavicpilots.com

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in and out of the rain.
Coal

thank you. I will upload a better clip, probably wasn't the best clip to upload . I have tested as many places as possible but still the same everywhere. I will upload a few clips so you can see but thank you for replying

 

[Beth T]

What are you viewing the footage on?
There are lots of variables .
First off is your SD card a u3 v30 class?
Computer monitor type you view on?

For example I have a 2015 iMac i5 with a 1920x1080 screen. If I use H265(codec) the footage is jerky on play back. If I use H264, it plays back much better. If I record in 4K , I can not view it on the iMac . Only way for me to view is to upload to YouTube and play on the 4K TV. The YouTube setting on the iMac looks the same from 1080 as to be expected.
Have you tried other settings and what are the results like on 1080 and 2.7k? There is a good chance it could be the computer , as much as the mavic itself. Also are you direct uploading from the drone? Just thoughts, no expert here, just going off experiences I have had in the last week. Cheers

thank you, I will have a quick look at everything you just mentioned. I also can not view 4k on my mac so obviously I know what I am seeing will not be 4k but it has been tested on a 4k monitor and a little better but still not the best. and yes my sd card is a u3

 

[sar104]

the 4k option is there to view

1080p is the highest I see now.

 

[Beth T]

1080p is the highest I see now.

I have edited and uploaded 2 different clips both have 4k option

 

[Beth T]

Was it me seeing things or did it suddenly lock into focus towards the end of the clip?
Also you could try taking some stationary video from a tabletop to eliminate/isolate motion/vibration issues if necessary.

thanks. I have tried multiple stationary videos and all come up the same as the flying shots so hopefully that isn't an issue

 

[scdronemedia]

Hi guys,

This is my first thread since joining, I tried to upload this to thr actual dji forum but I don't have permission (not sure how everyone else does it).

Anyway, I got a Mavic 2 Zoom a while back but due to life getting in the way I didn't get to fly it for a while (warranty has now run out - my fault),
when I started flying it I read through the manual, watched youtube videos etc, tried myself to get the best video quality settings whilst also watching videos on how to get the best settings out of it and months on I am still at a loss. I have watched countless videos at this point and seen amazing footage created with this drone, I have tested all the settings thoroughly and yet the footage I am getting is coming out not even close to 4K, there is also a hell of a lot of noise on the footage (iso is at 100 so not the problem).

(Footage)

Has anyone else had this problem or know if it is an easy fix I am missing or if the drone itse'f might be damaged?
Thanks

Are you complaining of the focusing or the 'flat' look of the image.
If it is because of the flat look, are you shooting in D-Cinelike rather than 'Normal'? If so the image will require colour grading with bring it to it's best.

 

[Beth T]

Are you complaining of the focusing or the 'flat' look of the image.
If it is because of the flat look, are you shooting in D-Cinelike rather than 'Normal'? If so the image will require colour grading with bring it to it's best.

I'm not complaining about anything, I am trying to ask for help and suggestions. I do shoot in D-Cinelike and i'm fully aware it needs colour grading, I left this raw so people could see it straight from the drone untouched. I am trying to resolve the noise in the footage, it especially happens on grass but also just everywhere really and yes the focus also seems to be a problem

 

[scdronemedia]

I'm not complaining about anything

It's a figure of speech. No need to get arsey. We are all trying to help or we would not waste our time reading and answerting.
Use manual focusing to see if that makes a difference - assuming you are shooting in auto. As stated earlier it is not easy to tell from that footage. Do you have a clip in a better light that you could upload?

 

[Beth T]

It's a figure of speech. No need to get arsey. We are all trying to help or we would not waste our time reading and answerting.
Use manual focusing to see if that makes a difference - assuming you are shooting in auto. As stated earlier it is not easy to tell from that footage. Do you have a clip in a better light that you could upload?

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be arsey I thought you was lol my bad. I appreciate you trying to help. I will try manual focus - thank you. I have uploaded another clip and posted it above on the original post, hopefully it is visible more now - I know the sky is over exposed but if you look at the rest of the vid you should be able to see there is quite a lot of grain.

 

[Daniel Lucey]

In your 4K footage I can see flickering in the high detail areas such as bushes and grass. This is often caused by the compression codec and is common in drone cameras. Basically, the compression codec has an eight-frame sequence with one (I) inter-frame followed by seven p-frames. The inter-frame is encoded with full detail. Then, the seven-following p-frames are encoded only with what's changed since the inter-frame. If you examine your footage in an editor frame-by-frame you can see this change clearly.

This flicker can be removed in the paid version of DaVinci Resolve or by using the appropriate filter in Neatvideo. Some users have reported an improvement by adjusting the sharpness settings in the camera. If you search in the DJI forums will find a lot of correspondence on this issue in previous years.